Make yourself at home with ICG


We know the new build sector is highly competitive. So, how do you create marketing ‘stand out’ so a buyer chooses one of your plots instead of a home in the neighbouring development?

 

That’s where we can help. ICG is a strategic marketing agency with experience of working in the new home-building industry. We can help drive and deliver marketing campaigns so you are ‘front of mind’ among target audiences.

Placeholder Chart Nationally, housebuying demand has risen by

61%

compared to the same period last year

Rightmove

Changing trends and customer behaviours


With more people looking to get on the property ladder and own their own home, new measures are being launched by the government - part of an investment in increasing affordable housing.

 

"Thanks to the range of flexible ownership options being made available, more families across the country will be able to realise their dreams of owning their own home, with half of these homes being made available for ownership." Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick - September 2020

 

Back in the days before the pandemic, there was widespread talk about the Government’s target of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.

 

A lot has changed since then - people’s priorities and expectations have shifted, new opportunities have presented themselves and people are re-evaluating their circumstances with pent up demand driving sales.

 

According to Nationwide, the world's largest building society, August 2020 saw the highest monthly rise in house prices in more than 16 years. In the same month, Rightmove reported the highest number of sales agreed in one month during the last 10 years. And it’s not just first time buyers either, it’s second steppers and ‘top of the ladder’ purchasers too.

 

At ICG we are already helping clients build customer relationships in the new normal, reacting quickly to changing market conditions and new initiatives such as the current stamp duty holiday which ends in March 2021.

 

Appealing to people who now prioritise home office space instead of commuting distance while trying to build customer relationships in Covid-19 safe environments, is among the many challenges being faced by house builders.

 

In rapidly changing times with the predictable seasonal rulebook constantly being rewritten, a responsive, agile full service marketing partner will help you keep one step ahead of the competition and reach out to buyers from all walks of life.

Emotive marketing materials that sell homes


With many towns and villages competing for the same prospective homeowners, cutting through the noise to achieve ‘stand out’ is not always easy.

 

Creating a consistent look and feel across all your potential customer touch points from site hoardings to a brochure or an advert on social media, is vital.

 

Whether you have a single site or multiple sites regionally and nationally, it has never been more important to create compelling marketing narratives that really plug into current trends and feelings.

 

A good marketing agency will work hard to get under the skin of your business - to understand your target audience and customer demographics, local and regional market conditions and competitors.

 

At ICG we support clients on everything from top level marketing and brand strategies to seasonal campaigns.

 

We commission hard working photography, create brochures with pace and digestible information, design banners that stand out on railings and create advertorials that are a good read in a lifestyle magazine.

 

Both in the physical and digital worlds, ICG steps through the keyhole to deliver emotive marketing materials that sell homes and engage with people from the very start of the customer journey.

"It has never been more important to create compelling marketing narratives that really plug into current trends and feelings"

Julie Hackett - ICG

Enhance your digital presence


Reaching out to customers on Facebook for a last plot sale. Creating a seasonal Instagram campaign to celebrate Halloween or promoting virtual showhome tours via PPC advertising.

 

The opportunities in the digital world never stand still. Social channels continue to develop new functionalities that create exciting opportunities for engagement and conversions.

 

Websites are often the first port of call for fact-finding and to begin the long process of nurturing high spending customers.

 

Delivering a strong user experience that is fully tracked, linked and packed with interesting and unique content will deliver a strong return on investment.

 

As your marketing partner, we can support digital marketing strategies for everything from Google search and display ads to creating animations, virtual tours, blog content and assets for third party sites such as Rightmove and Zoopla.

 

ICG worked with house developer Kier Living to support social media advertising with great success.

 

Adverts were tailored by development and objectives focusing on brand awareness for show home launches, sales offers, plot-led deals and campaign based promotions.

 

ICG advised on budget allocation, content and assets and provided checks and refinement throughout the campaign’s in-charge periods.

"How new homes are marketed has also been transformed, giving developers a multitude of ways to attract new buyers."

www.house-builder.co.uk

Being part of the community


Tapping into people’s sense of well being and living well is a good way of creating that sense of home.

 

Everyone wants to belong to something - whether it’s starting a new rural lifestyle on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors or city living at the heart of everything that’s new and exciting.

 

Developing strong community connections helps assimilate new build developments into existing communities.

 

Our work to support house developer, Kier Living saw the team get involved with many community initiatives including a children’s Lego building competition at a local library and getting a new parkrun off the starting blocks.

 

One of the highlights was some great community engagement after the sponsorship of a local arts competition coincided with one of the winners being featured on Sky Arts’ Landscape Artist of the Year 2019.

 

Plugging into feedback and ideas from sales teams on the ground also led to involvement with music events, agricultural shows, Christmas carol concerts and youth football teams.

 

A good marketing team is another set of eyes and ears in the local community, maximising opportunities and developing that sense of belonging for your customers.

"Plug into feedback and ideas from sales teams on the ground"

Amy Young - ICG

Helping people fall in love with a new home.


Kier Living is a national housebuilder with a vision to shape communities and places people love to call home.

 

ICG started working with its Northern marketing team to help Kier Living become ‘front of mind’ to engage with customers, communities and key stakeholders.

 

They needed a team that could hit the ground running to work alongside local stakeholders, organise event suppliers and clearly understand their ethos and commitment.

 

Our role was to drive regional sales performance by providing the marketing expertise and tools.

 

ICG was tasked with supporting a number of show home launch events throughout 2019, sourcing all suppliers as well as managing photography and filming requirements, PR, website news and digital marketing.

 

The show home launches were a great success with sales secured and strong footfall and engagement.

 

See the full case study here

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