In this blog series we’ve outlined the growing importance of online photo galleries, how to build a good photo gallery, and some ways to get your pictures online using free photo sharing tools. In this post, we’d like to explain why you should upload more photos than you’re probably comfortable sharing.
Notice: This article may conflict with traditional “Marketing Director” wisdom. Don’t blame them.
Go to any homebuilder photo gallery. My guess is you’ll find between 8 and 30 photos. Total. The average new home requires tens of thousands of raw materials and takes more than six months to construct. And the best a builder can post is 20 some pictures. Dumbfounding.
Why?
Most builders that we talk with are worried about controlling their brand. They want to make sure that every photo showcases their company in a positive light. We don’t disagree, but if you only have 20 photos that glorify your company or the homes you build…it might be time to reconsider your profession.
We don’t see cost as an issue either. Digital photography is cheap. A great point-and-shoot digital camera is less than $130. You’ve got superintendents, salespeople and office personnel spending time on the build sites during and after construction. How difficult is it to have them snap photos when they’re on-site and simply post the “good ones” in an online album? You don’t need to hire a professional photographer or pay graphic designers to doctor up your images. Just post them.
How many photos should you post?
The truth is you should be posting as many photos as you can in as many places as you can. Nearly 80% of homebuyers will visit your website before they visit your model home and before that they must first find your website. Help prospective buyers find you by putting as much good content as you can online.
- Post hundreds or thousands of pictures
- Post pictures of your homes under construction, not just the money shots
- Post pictures of your happy homeowners (with their permission)
- Post pictures of Realtor lunches or Builder’s Association meetings
- Post pictures of your design center
- Post pictures of your neighborhood amenities
- Label and tag them all
- Use different keywords: (manufacturers, company names, neighborhoods, nearby amenities, employee names, floor plans)
- Don’t be afraid to misspell. Many potential buyers are bad spellers. Include misspellings of your communities, floorplans & company name.
- Pair your keywords with descriptive adjectives (stylish, cool, designer, bright, odd colors like “mother of pearl” or “mimosa”)
Tomorrow we’ll show you some great examples of homebuilders that truly understand the value of online photo galleries.
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“Don’t be afraid to misspell. Many potential buyers are bad spellers. Include misspellings of your communities, floorplans & company name.”
Surely, you jest! I don’t know about your clients, but I know I would be judged by my potential clients for poor spelling, in a negative way.
Thanks for the insight Derek. We certainly weren’t suggesting that you make a habit out of misspelling. We were simply stating that by misspelling specific keywords wrong once is often enough to generate additional search traffic to your website.
I am wondering about the legalities of a builder posting photos without the homeowners permission. We were very unhappy with out builder and have asked him to remove the photos of our home. He maintains that he has the right to post photos of his work. I disagree. Where do we go from here.