Buying a new home is among the most significant moments in anyone's life. In 2016, Pulte's objective was to extend its relationship with homebuyers beyond signing the dotted line, and to create a space on social where fans could feel at home for years to come. Pulte wanted to create a social community that represented their brand promise of building high-quality homes, providing stellar service and always putting the buyer first. The social community would be a place where new homebuyers could dream about their future home, and a place where seasoned Pulte consumers could continue to be inspired.
In an ongoing effort to improve brand perception, affinity and awareness, McBeard and Pulte Homes focused the approach on driving engagement and developing a dedicated fanbase on social through one-to-one conversations, innovative creative and engaging copy designed to ignite conversation.
In a market that doesn't currently lend itself to social (you can't buy a home online, yet!), we thoughtfully positioned Pulte to fans by connecting the values of the brand with interests consumers valued. Pulte's brand positioning is "we help people build the life they envision," so our content focused on images of final home designs and decor tutorials to get there. Rather than posting blueprints and unfinished construction projects, we focused on the final product to help the social community build the lives they envisioned.
Through visually appealing graphics, strong calls-to-action, animated GIFs and more, we raised awareness across four key social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest) with the aim of increasing consideration and awareness with new customers, and engaging existing customers.
Unique content — including home improvement tips, inspirations and design ideas — created an engaging space where fans discovered trends, asked questions and started conversations.
Our focused engagement strategy led to personalized conversations with fans, talking about every detail of their dream home and laying the groundwork for a positive experience with the brand. Social was the primary portal through which Pulte could communicate with home buyers and home decor fans, transforming the social experience into an one-to-one interaction in the comments section on Facebook and Instagram. As the social community grew, we fostered emotional connections with consumers through consistent posting on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest of original artwork, photography and ideas.
To further engage with our audience, we posted a series of "Ask Us!" call-to-action posts on Facebook where our followers were invited to ask design questions to be answered by Pulte's top designers. Additionally, we leveraged existing relationships with The Container Store, Sherwin Williams and "The Rachael Ray Show" to generate buzz and entice potential homeowners.
In 2016, we helped consumers build their dream homes — from blueprints to paint to pillows. As a result, Pulte Homes built a social community and strengthened relationships with fans on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and in real life. In 2016:
While the numbers alone are impressive, the inspiring comments from our fans further show how Pulte helped build happy homes through social.
