Click into place
The Age
Saturday March 26, 2011
Builders are using online forums to showcase designs, writes Sue Green. WEBSITES, blogs and online forums are not just for keeping in touch with friends and sharing photos. They are such a part of life that building companies are using them to help customers make choices, track problems and address them promptly.The use of new media ranges from Metricon's Studio M a vast amount of information not only about the company's own products and those of its suppliers but also about design trends, palettes and decor to Porter Davis's use of social media, including its blog, which addresses questions raised in the online forum homeone.Studio M's Envisage function enables potential buyers to customise Metricon home designs, trying out facades and interior features and is also a resource for anyone thinking of building a new home. There are articles and videos about trends, a design blog, photo galleries and a designer's choice section that focuses on what's hot. Log on at www.studiom.com.au."We decided to take an industry lead to develop a separate website that is open to all. It really is there to help you design and plan," says Metricon's general manager of marketing, Yvonne Abood.She says the company also encourages prospective buyers to play on the site and think about their selections before they arrive to see its display homes."It makes their decision process easier and streamlines the time frames. People print off their selections and bring them with them."Porter Davis introduced its blog late last year because many new homebuyers were researching online. Consultant Jeanette Phang, from Visual Jazz, says developing a social media strategy was vital for the company because so many of its target audience were spending a great deal of time online."People doing research before they build are going online to see what other people are saying about their building experience. You find a community of people going through the same experience."She said if anyone was having a problem or was confused, the company addressed their questions online. "It is amazing how the business has responded to what the customers are saying online, they are taking on board a lot of their suggestions."
© 2011 The Age
