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I started a project aimed at millenials but I think there is a communication gap.

The idea was to run Facebook / Google ads for first time home buyers. They would see the ads, click, and submit their information. It was though that for milennials, we would use symbols and limited text.

We've gotten clicks but no forms submitted in nearly 4000 impressions. I've run PPC for large companies so I understand that end of things but I think there's some kind of lack of clarity after a user sees the ad, click through the website, that isn't getting actual form submissions. I'm open to suggestions:



The ad (and others like it) click through to this website which is meant to be app-like. It's meant to be viewed on a phone or tablet.

http://1sthometn.com

It's going wrong somewhere, any expert advice would be most appreciated. It's a unique challenge in my eyes.
#media #project #social
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  • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
    The ad is looks good but clicking thru to the website is a big turnoff. By the time millennialsare ready to make a home purchase they will need more than just symbols. Take a look at websites that target millennials. Websites for banks & Mortgage. Examples below.

    Notice the photos, with live people in it combined with limited text. Their is a big disconnect on the website. All sites have real people, of different backgrounds. Appeals to different demographics which needs to be taken into consideration. The people are all doing something in each picture. Just some ideas that come to mind that may help you.

    Here is one National Name Bank.
    Chase has changed the land page recently and has the visual appeals, plus take a look at the top 5 sections on the page. You can see how it shows young couples at a ATM Machine, They show a home with a women and the property bothers. Granted you are not going to use those celebrities but it gives you a idea on the layout. Here is another one Notice the smart phone spitting money out to a shopper. They are appealing and more than just a symbol.

    Here is a local one that just changed in the past few months. Investors bank out of NY and NJ. - Here is a link. https://www.myinvestorsbank.com/ - Notice the https in all the home pages.

    Quick look at Rocket Mortgage from Quicken Loans shows the a person throwing a golf ball in the air on a course with a phone in his hands.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Slimmin Hall
      Thank you, I checked out those websites, esp liked chase's.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Slimmin Hall
      I am presenting tomorrow morning and am compiling your points. Thank you so much!
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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    Lets try and break down the pieces a bit here... There are MANY studies that indicate that upwards of 30% of Millenials live at home... So, your headline is null and void right off the bat. "Tired of living with your parents?" might be a start but maybe a bit cynical - maybe. But how about "Where you aware that a Mortgage payment is less then a monthly rental payment?" and I think you start heading in the right direction.

    The symbolism of your image.. the hand shake... Millenials parents did and do business that way... Maybe a two hands "Pounding it out" may be more target appropriate.

    So I am sure you are aware, with your experience.. there has to be a connection between the landing page and click bait. Usually the headline no? I get what you are doing with the symbols thing.. but there is MANY MORE studies indicating that symbols unto themselves are not motivating enough to create an action.

    So then we get into "One Stop Home Buying" ( <-- this is corrected spelling "homebuying" is not a word - "HomebuyER" is "HomebuyING" is not ) and then "we make it easy".. ok off to the lander we go... there are 4 options; Home Hunter, Pre-Approval, Insurance, and Title. easy just bought a ticket to Disneyland and has left the building.... which one do I chose?

    There are kinda only 2 of those choices to be made... have you found a home you want to buy? or need help finding your ideal home?

    With no clear direction of where to start.. the landing page is going to give you zero results.. nothing is saying "Click Me" let alone "Click Me Now"

    Something to "Try", keeping the current lander format... place a big fat #1, #2, #3 and #4 on each of the corresponding pieces. This will reinforce "Easy". There will be a more concise direction of what to do on the page. and we can hope a better conversion rate.

    Aside from that, go with what you know to work, because when it comes right down to it, regardless of the Demographic target it terms of funnel conversion is pretty universal. A solid Ad, A solid lander with great call to action, A solid form, that mitigates friction by leaving an offer to call, or to leave the information there. ( forms with 2 options of contact out perform single focused offers. )

    You can persuade the use of the form by setting limits to the phone calls. Monday through Friday 10 am to 1 pm. The option is then there to contact with that method, BUT Millenials want what they want when they want it, and will fill out the form.

    Best of luck
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Whether you're dealing with millenials or old codgers like me, buying a home is still a likely six-figure purchase. It's not the same as clicking a symbol to get a #6 at Mickey D's.

    And unless someone is a professional flipper or investor, buying a home is likely to be a rare occurrence is someone's life. I'm 60, and I've only bought three homes.

    So you still have to lead people by the hand. Savidge4's idea of adding numbers to the symbols is a good start. You might want to also add one of those question mark symbols which, when clicked, pops up a short explanation of what the viewer will find when they click.

    Another thing...if you have any trust elements you can add, do it. Rocket Mortgage has credibility built in with its connection to Quicken Loans. Even something as simple as a blurb that says 'we have over xx years of combined experience in this market' will help.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Slimmin Hall
    We are in a hot market. Listings get offers within hours and close in days....
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by Ron Slimmin Hall View Post

      We are in a hot market. Listings get offers within hours and close in days....
      You are also in a market where the "Southern Good Ol Boy" system is well within play. So developing trust is extremely important. When things are "Hot" everyone knows someone or knows someone that knows someone that is involved in the market. You have to get beyond that.

      I have read your about us page... you have everything there to create a level of trust. There is a great back story.. there is all the workings of a " One Stop Shop " All of the elements that could remove all of the stress, all of the running around, all of the phone calls.. you already have in place.

      Think about this for a moment.. if you were to write down each and every step involved in buying a home. Find a real estate agent, look at homes, go to the bank, go back to the bank, get financing, set up a home inspection, get a home appraisal.. etc etc etc List all of these things out.. and at the end say.. OR you can call us

      Don't you think a page like that would be more effective than 4 puzzle pieces? I'm just saying

      The biggest trap here is thinking your market is any different than any other... Hot or not.. as John stated you are dealing with the largetst purchase of a lifetime.. this is a big deal. and throw on top of that the demographic you are targetting, that more than likely will have mom and or dad along for the process - a quick cutesy cutesy approach is probably not going to do the trick.

      And after writing that... one has to wonder if the ideal customer to target isnt actually the parents of Millenials.. "Is your child looking to purchase thier first home?" One stop, all of the services in one place, Everything needed to find your childs IDEAL home.

      Keep in mind here.. the Parents were chasing the American dream. For Millenials that has been shattered, so terms like Ideal need to be used.
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  • Profile picture of the author SARubin
    Hey Ron,

    Good for you, taking action. (That's already more than a lot of people do these days)

    I've got a little advice for you. You may (or may not) appreciate what I'm about to say, but it's sincerely meant to help you.

    Now, I don't know what your numbers are (For starters... how "many" clicks have you gotten, out of 4000 impressions? How many visitors are clicking through to a secondary page on your site, compared to bouncing right away? how long is anyone staying on your site?) These questions can help give you some insights.

    Also, (other than simply saying "millennials") I don't know who your target market is. (Married? Single? Income level? Education level? Are they just thinking about a home, or are they actively looking to buy one?)


    But without knowing any of that, here's my first impression from what I do see (and this is the part that may sound a little harsh, but it's meant to help you) ...


    For starters... There's a stone cold disconnect between your ad, and your landing page. There's no congruency. No flow from one stage to the next. (or as JohnMcCabe has said on other threads) There's no "scent trail" letting people know they're still on the same path.

    Your ad looks like it's attracting a more professional type viewer. With the two men shaking hands (one of them is even wearing a suit, by the looks of it) and there's a middle class home in the background.
    The ad gives a certain impression of your company, that attracts a certain type of interested audience.

    But then I go to your webpage... and it looks like it was created by a totally different company. For a totally different audience.


    The audience that's attracted to your ad, will not likely be attracted to your website (and vise-versa)


    I'm not saying which brand story you should tell with your business, Ron. But I am recommending you "pick one" and stay consistent with it.

    Congruency is critical for maintaining trust. And consumer trust is the real currency of your business.


    Now, I don't want to confuse you with too many moving parts here, but here's a simple little formula you can think about, when creating the path for your visitors. (This is just a basic breakdown of the process, but hopefully it gives you some general guidance to consider)...

    C = M + CV + T + I - F(A)

    Conversion (or probability of conversion) = Motivation (of the visitor) + Clarity of the Value you provide + Trust + Incentive to take action - Friction (and/or Anxiety) of the process.



    Right now, you're starting with Motivation from the visitor (I'm interested enough to at least click on your ad) And you have some Clarity of Value in the ad itself (i.e. helping me to easily buy a home)

    But then I hit your webpage, and it's like I landed in a completely different world. Now I'm instantly confused.

    As a potential home buyer, I followed a professional looking ad, but I landed on a website that looks elementary.

    And I'm wondering... Is this the same company who created the ad? Did I click on the wrong ad? Something is not congruent here.

    I'm getting confused, and my buying journey is being derailed.

    So now we just took a step backward, and erased the "Clarity," while adding the "Friction" of confusion to the process. (trust, and incentive to take action, never even had a chance to show themselves)

    GAME OVER.


    I hope that all makes sense to you?

    Again, Congruency is critical for gaining, and maintaining trust. Especially when you're dealing with purchases in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, range.



    OK, this post is getting a bit long, so I'll finish it off with one more little piece of (wisdom?) for you...


    Savidge and John already mentioned it, so I won't spend a lot of time hammering a nail that's already been sunk.

    But If you do decide to keep your website, with the format it currently has, then you really need to improve (or more accurately, "include") some directions.

    Your ad says "we make it easy."

    Well, making it "easy" means you're either going to do it for me, or at least you're going to take me by the hand and guide me along my journey.


    Right now I'm looking at your site, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do next?

    I know you say that you want to stick with mostly symbols. But a couple of "action" verbs near those symbols, can go a long way towards getting some "action" from your visitors.

    Never assume your visitors know (or care) about your company the same way you do.

    If you make them think too hard, just to do business with you... most people will simply click away, and look for someone else who actually will make it easier for them to buy a home.



    Anyway, Ron, I hope my short novel of a reply here helps give you some insight, into making your sales process flow more smoothly for your visitors.

    Just remember...

    From your advertisement... to your sales funnel... to your follow up marketing...

    A consistent (congruent) message will help you build trust among your audience. Which ideally will bring higher conversion rates for you.


    All the best,
    SAR
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Slimmin Hall
    I have to ask for help like this because I do not know anything. I did the sample ad but the client actually decided to use the house puzzle or the company logo as the ad photo, so it look different but the text on the ad is essentially the same. I originally wanted names on pieces of the house, i.e. realtor, mortgage broker, etc but that was eliminated in the final iteration.

    We are in a hot market here, houses get contracts in less than a day on the market, it's kind of crazy here, so it is a large purchase but they are getting snapped up fast.

    The ad performance is as follows - for a different ad: 3350 impressions 42 clicks, limited budget. Over on GA, we have 158 visits to the home page, 33 to the realtor, 10 to the insurance, 8 to the title guy, and 6 to the mortgage broker. 5 each to about and social. Behavior flow shows 120 sessions to the main page which 24 go to the real estate, 3 to about, 2 to insurance, 1 to title and 1 to social for those that land on the home page. People are coming, some proceed on, no one submits. That's a little data for everyone based on what I know, observed, and pulled up.
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  • Profile picture of the author DABK
    As people have said, there's a big disconnect between the ad and the landing page.

    But what I want to mention is millennials. There are no millennials. There are millennials who would love to own but think their credit scores are too low; millennials who think they can't afford; millennials who don't have a lot of money for the down payment, etc.

    Why rent when you can own might be intriguing enough to click, but you don't address any of their concerns.

    They get to the landing page and then what? Where do you tell them you can help them get a mortgage even if their scores are low, that you can help them get a mortgage with a measly 3% down?

    I think you should run several ads, one for each reason they have for not buying.

    It's fine that you're a consortium of real estate professionals but most people who keep renting are not stopped because they don't have all the professionals required in one place. That should be the icing on the cake. The cake should be: we'll find you a house you like and a way to get it whether you have low down payment, low scores, change jobs often, had a bankruptcy 4 years ago, etc.

    It is not working because you are not really solving their problem... Or, more precisely, there is no way for them to know that you can and will.

    By the way, in my part of the world, what you have is what a regular real estate agents has. Or a loan officer. I mean, people around here go to a real estate agent or loan officer and they recommend the other professionals. How is what you have better (or different)?
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Slimmin Hall
    Thank you. Our market is a bit different here being one of the hottest in the nation, so one idea is to roll up pre-approval with the realtor. In a normal market it's realtor -> pre-approval but here it's pre-approval - > Realtor. Realtors want to know buyers are pre-approved.

    This is also valuable advice and I am very appreciative for your feedback.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by Ron Slimmin Hall View Post

      Thank you. Our market is a bit different here being one of the hottest in the nation, so one idea is to roll up pre-approval with the realtor. In a normal market it's realtor -> pre-approval but here it's pre-approval - > Realtor. Realtors want to know buyers are pre-approved.
      Nashville I believe is ranked 8th in the nation in regards to "Hottness" Falls almost last in median rental amount, and I believe might actually be last or next to last in terms of median income.

      Throw in these kinda wonky variables with the need to be pre approved prior to looking ( which is something I do with every piece of real estate I have ever bought ) and you really need to look at DABK's response again, and use the methodology of SARubin's post.


      Think of it this way. there are 62 ( ish ) people PER DAY on average moving to your fine city. To better understand your targert read this maybe: https://www.nar.realtor/newsroom/nar...suburban-areas there are some other great articles about how college debt really hinders the average Millenial from buyng, and many many many articles cite the parents stepping in with the down payment.

      Looking at the numbers you presented... you are looking at pulling 1% give or take from your ad to your lander.. honestly not all that great. and to be honest with a return like that after say 1000 impressions in a 1 day period of time.. I would have changeed up the ad looking for better results.

      A suggestion... get the Business owners out of the process and turning the effort into a branding effort, and do what you do best and draw traffic to an offer.
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      • Profile picture of the author Ron Slimmin Hall
        The ad was an example I did and not reflective of the original ad. I appreciate all the feedback and value any more you have to offer.

        It is weird here...no question. I am reviewing any and all responses, trying to compile a game plan to begin to make changes. I came here because of the very sharp and thorough feedback I'd seen.
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    • Profile picture of the author DABK
      Are you a loan officer or a group of all professionals needed to buy a house.

      If the latter, if I were in your place, I'd have ads
      for sellers
      for buyers
      for borrowers
      for realtors.

      for sellers: We listed house x for $15k more than similar houses around, and got full-asking price (Don't take me literally... just the direction).

      for buyers: We helped a couple buy a house in X neighborhood, at 6% below asking price and, as you know, in X neighborhood, houses sell at asking price, sometimes higher.

      for borrowers: Think your credit score's too low for you to buy a house?

      for realtors: Our buyers close within 18 days of us getting the contract, no matter what type of property, what type of borrower.

      Again, the direction. You taut whatever advantage you want or feature that attracts the type of client you want.

      You have a lender for investor 3-unit mixed-use property, trumpet that.

      You have a lender for jumbos with 5% down, no MI and only 3 months of reserves, you trumpet that too.

      Trumpet all to all you want to attract.

      Originally Posted by Ron Slimmin Hall View Post

      Thank you. Our market is a bit different here being one of the hottest in the nation, so one idea is to roll up pre-approval with the realtor. In a normal market it's realtor -> pre-approval but here it's pre-approval - > Realtor. Realtors want to know buyers are pre-approved.

      This is also valuable advice and I am very appreciative for your feedback.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Slimmin Hall
    The feedback was all well received and we are working to implement.
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