Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Marketing A New Subdivision

Posted by Anonymous on 9/11/2008 at 5:21 PM ET 250 Points
We are about to have a grand opening for a new subdivision. It is a premium neighborhood w/ parks, waterfalls, ponds, fountains, walking trails, etc... There are not any homes built yet, and lots will be available to the public for the first time at the grand opening.

I am looking for good ideas to draw the public to the grand opening. We are already having a ribbon cutting, food and prizes. We have done the usual press releases, etc... I don't want the focus to stray too far from selling lots and building homes, but I do want to stand out. Any ideas?
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  • Posted by Gail@PUBLISIDE on 9/11/2008 at 7:29 PM Member
    You haven't mentioned your target audience. Will it be young families, "established" families, empty nesters, mature adults?

    If you have one or two lots sold, ask those buyers if they will talk to media and visitors about the value they saw in the subdivision and how they envision its growth. (In this way, they can also attract the kind of neighbors they would like to have!)

    I personally don't know how much value a ribbon-cutting holds, but the developer's relationship with potential buyers now and in the future may help drive sales in what is a difficult real estate market for existing homes and construction.
  • Posted on 9/12/2008 at 12:05 AM Member
    I went to Broome, Western Australia, earlier this year for a holiday, acutally game fishing.

    The area experiences high capital growth even though it is extremely remote. The skipper of the boat we chartered told us he acquired his block of land (worth about $600k) for less during a 'reverse auction' bidding process during the initial marketing phase of the sub-division.

    I thought this marketing ploy was great. People who wanted to live in the suburb attended the opening day and had the chance to acquire a lot for possibly a lot less than the retail price. The others went into the developer's database allowing him to further market to them.

    I don't know the full details of how it was done but if you like this concept I can contact the skipper of the boat and ask him to send me details (he was in marketing before he dropped out of the corporate world).

    Cheers,
    TK



  • Posted on 9/12/2008 at 9:29 AM Accepted
    Any local celebrities you could bring in? It's $$$ but the right one could bring some folks. Check your demo, first. Britney Spears probably wouldn't be the best choice while Neil Diamond could bring a crowd, for example.

    How about a hay ride, figuratively speaking. Make sure you do everything you can to give the full tour. A local nursery here in town has golf carts that you can drive around the lot to see all the plants and whatnot. You could do the same, just so everyone can see the full scope of the community without having to hoof it.

    A brochure with a map of the properties would be good to send them home with.

    I like the idea above about a discounted rate for getting in early. You could have a raffle instead, and the lucky winner gets the property for ?% off.
  • Posted by Mikee on 9/12/2008 at 10:37 AM Member
    If you are marketing to families, think about a BBQ-mini carnival. Perhaps you can have some inflatables, dunk tank, and other carnival games. Perhaps some pony rides etc. You can then have a marketing tent set-up. Think about offering some early sign up deal or a referral deal.

    Is there one builder or several? You should try to have all the builders present. This is a great venue for them to market themselves as well and get more people involved.

    Mike
  • Posted on 9/12/2008 at 10:44 AM Author
    Thanks for the ideas. Our target audience is middle income families. Although this neighborhood is going to have more amenities than any other in our area, it will still feature affordable homes.

    We have spent considerable $ and time on quality marketing materials - what I am really looking for is the "draw" to get the public interested in what is a very slow housing market.

    The reverse auction is intriguing as well as a raffle for % off a lot. I also like the idea of having golf carts available to drive through the subdivision.

    I'm not sure about a celebrity - although it would certainly draw people in, I am afraid it would take away from the focus of selling lots and homes. I remember watching a Trump apprentice show and one team had all kinds of activity going on but took the focus away and didn't sell anything! The other team kept the focus on the main objective without too much hoopla and sold like crazy!!

    I'd love to hear some more ideas - thanks!!
  • Posted by christine-speedy on 9/15/2008 at 8:41 AM Accepted
    People buy primarily for location. Are you selling granite counters or proximity to the best public school in the county? Granite counters sound nice, but what people want is the total environment. Given all the other efforts, I would focus on
    - First opportunity to choose your lot
    - the golf carts (kids like them so parents have an easier time getting them to come)
    - the pitch of your development- "Remember when everyone rode their bikes to their friends houses? When entire neighborhoods gathered for summer time parties? ABC was designed for families ..... The entire development has sidewalks so you can safely stroll to the park and kids can ..... If you're looking for the perfect neighborhoods to raise a family, don't wait another day. Join us on November 1, for a family fun day and exclusive one day only specials worth $1000's in savings." etc

    You get the idea. The focus is on the total environment, not housing specifications. You can have them, but it's not the lead.

    ( I hope you are not in a crowded Fla market which would require a different marketing tact altogether.)
  • Posted on 9/15/2008 at 10:32 AM Author
    Thanks for all the great ideas. In addition to what we had already planned, we are getting some golf carts so people can drive through w/ out walking or congesting the area w/ traffic. We are also putting together some kind of raffle with % off a lot.

    The pitch for emotion is exactly the kind of marketing we are trying to do. You are right, granite countertops don't sell homes, emotion does and this location is premiere. We will remember to keep our focus as such.

    Thanks all!
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