EP #24 | From Teacher Dreams to Marketing VP!
Marketing ROI in Real Estate: How Strategic Visuals and Reputation Drive Home Sales
In the competitive world of homebuilding, marketing isn't just about pretty pictures, it's about creating emotional connections that drive purchasing decisions. Jessica Bennett, VP of Marketing at Infante Marketing Solutions and a Galveston County 40 Under 40 honoree, has spent over a decade mastering the art of marketing homes as experiences rather than transactions. Her approach combines strategic visual storytelling, proactive reputation management, and authentic relationship building to generate measurable ROI, including one remarkable instance where a single video sold a home in just three days during COVID-19.
Key Takeaways
Reputation is everything - Online reviews and brand management directly impact buyer trust and conversion rates
Visual storytelling sells homes faster - Strategic video and staging help buyers envision themselves in spaces
Social media is the new LinkedIn - Instagram has become a primary platform for professional connections and brand evaluation
Mobile-first is non-negotiable - 80% of users view content on mobile devices; optimize accordingly
Track everything - Google Analytics and social insights provide actionable data for improving marketing ROI
From Educator to Marketing Executive: The Journey
Jessica's path to marketing leadership began unexpectedly. Originally planning to become a teacher, she was midway through her undergraduate studies when a conversation with her twin sister, Jennifer, changed everything.
"She told me, 'Marketing would be great. You should look into that,'" Jessica recalls. "She could see that marketing would be a great career path for me, and I'd never even considered it before."
After graduating from the University of Houston Clear Lake with a degree in communications, Jessica landed an internship at a PR firm specializing in aerospace and energy, far outside her comfort zone. Four years there taught her to navigate unfamiliar industries and translate complex concepts for diverse audiences.
Her transition to homebuilding marketing came through Perry Homes, where she spent six years in progressively senior roles: field marketing, development marketing for communities, and corporate communications. This foundation led to her current position as VP of Marketing at Infante Marketing Solutions, where she partners with multiple homebuilders, medical practices, and nonprofits.
Why Homebuilding Marketing Matters
For many people, a home represents their single largest investment. This emotional and financial weight makes marketing in this space uniquely meaningful.
"A home is someone's greatest investment that they'll ever make," Jessica explains. "Home has so much sentiment to it. Being able to market and partner with builders that I believe in, it's just this really special thing."
"Marketing is the beautiful visuals and video tours that take you from your home on the couch to the home you could potentially be living in through that virtual experience."
The Marriage of Marketing and Business
Jessica describes marketing and business operations as complementary forces that must work in harmony.
What marketing does:
Translates financial complexity into accessible language
Creates visual experiences that help buyers envision their future
Softens corporate mindset by focusing on people and families
Bridges the gap between inventory and emotional connection
The balance: While business operations focus on moving inventory and financial metrics, marketing humanizes the transaction, reminding everyone that homes aren't just products, they're where families build memories.
The Power of Visual Storytelling
In real estate marketing, visual content isn't optional, it's essential. Buyers struggle to imagine possibilities when viewing empty spaces or construction phases.
Design as a Marketing Tool
Interior design and staging serve critical functions:
During construction: Mood boards and renderings help buyers visualize completed spaces
After completion: Staging allows buyers to imagine themselves living in the home
In marketing materials: Professional photography with strategic staging converts online viewers to in-person visitors
"A buyer might not be able to imagine what they would do with that room, and staging can help them envision themselves in the home," Jessica notes. "It's just one more piece of that puzzle that's really important."
The Three-Day Sale: A COVID-19 Success Story
Perhaps the most compelling example of visual marketing's ROI came during the pandemic lockdowns. With everything shut down and in-person tours limited, Jessica's team needed creative solutions.
The strategy was simple but effective: film inventory homes on smartphones, edit for quality, and post to social media.
One particular video changed everything.
"Within hours, a buyer saw the video and was interested," Jessica recalls. "They made an appointment the next day to walk the home in person, they had their phone open with the video in their hands while walking through the physical home."
The timeline:
Day 1: Video posted to Facebook
Day 2: Buyer toured the home (video in hand)
Day 3: Contract signed
The result: A trackable marketing-to-sale conversion that demonstrated clear ROI during one of the industry's most challenging periods.
"That's the dream state and goal, to be able to track your marketing efforts to conversion to a sale," Jessica emphasizes.
Reputation Management: The Foundation of Trust
In today's digital landscape, online reputation can make or break a homebuilder's success. Buyers research extensively before making purchasing decisions, and reviews heavily influence trust.
The Three Pillars of Reputation Management
1. Monitor Constantly Jessica maintains spreadsheets tracking approximately 20 review platforms, including:
Facebook reviews
Google reviews
Yelp
Industry-specific sites
Better Business Bureau
2. Act Quickly When issues arise, immediate response is critical. Waiting damages credibility and allows negative sentiment to spread.
3. Resolve Genuinely The goal isn't just to respond, it's to genuinely address problems. When builders correct issues, customers often update negative reviews to reflect positive resolutions.
"A builder should want to correct any issues that come up. If there is an issue, the builder needs to address it, and sometimes the customer will go back and update that review."
What Reputation Signals to Buyers
Strong reputation management demonstrates:
The builder is genuine and cares about customers
Communication abilities are strong
The company takes accountability
Post-purchase support is reliable
"If you're not involved in your own brand representation, that gets real risky," Jessica warns. "You either happen to life or life happens to you."
Social Media: The New Professional Network
One of Jessica's most surprising observations is how social media, particularly Instagram, has evolved into a primary tool for professional vetting.
"Instagram is almost more of a go-to for professional connections than LinkedIn," she explains. "A lot of people are going to Instagram to see how this person is representing themselves online and if there are any red flags."
Strategic Social Presence
For homebuilders, maintaining active social media presence serves multiple purposes:
Showcasing completed projects and communities
Sharing customer success stories
Demonstrating company values and culture
Providing real-time updates and availability
Building emotional connections before first contact
Best practices:
Post consistently and authentically
Avoid controversial topics unless brand-aligned
Respond to comments and messages promptly
Share behind-the-scenes content to humanize the brand
Use platform-specific tools (like Instagram's Edits app for enhanced analytics)
The Top Three Marketing Strategies for Homebuilders
When asked for the biggest ROI drivers in homebuilding marketing, Jessica identified three essential strategies:
1. Proactive Reputation Management
Monitor and respond to reviews across all platforms. Don't wait for issues to escalate, address them immediately and publicly demonstrate commitment to resolution.
2. Consistent Social Media Presence
Maintain active profiles that showcase properties, share customer stories, and demonstrate brand values. Use built-in analytics to understand what content resonates and adjust strategy accordingly.
3. Relationship Building and Community Connection
Go beyond transactional interactions. Send follow-ups to leads who didn't purchase, support community during natural disasters, and demonstrate genuine care for people, not just sales numbers.
"Word of mouth plays a big role in homebuilding," Jessica notes. "Friends are going to tell their friends or family about the experience they had."
Real-world example: During Hurricane Harvey, Perry Homes provided extensive support to both employees and the broader community. Jessica, who was personally impacted, credits the company's response with helping her through an incredibly difficult time.
"I could not have made it through that hard time without them as a company," she reflects.
Technology and Tools: What's Working Now
Jessica recommends several essential tools for tracking marketing effectiveness:
Google Analytics (Free)
Track website traffic sources, user behavior, and conversion paths. Understand whether visitors come from social media, QR codes on mailers, or other sources.
Meta Business Suite (Free)
Built-in analytics for Facebook and Instagram provide audience insights, engagement metrics, and content performance data.
Instagram Edits App
Instagram's editing tool for Reels provides enhanced promotion and additional insights, including real-time engagement comparisons.
QR Codes (Strategic Use)
Effective for print materials and physical signage where users can scan with mobile devices. Avoid using them in mobile-only contexts (like social media posts viewed on phones).
Mobile-First: The Non-Negotiable Priority
Approximately 80% of users view content on mobile devices, making mobile optimization essential. However, Jessica warns against over-optimization that sacrifices desktop experience.
"Some websites are almost too mobile-friendly, very boring and plain when you're looking on desktop. It just looks cheap," she cautions.
The solution: Design experiences that work beautifully on both platforms, recognizing that older demographics (Gen X and Baby Boomers) may split usage 50/50 between mobile and desktop.
Practical Action Steps for Real Estate Marketing
For Homebuilders:
Audit your online reputation - Check all review platforms and create monitoring systems
Invest in professional visuals - High-quality photos, videos, and virtual tours drive conversions
Activate social media presence - Post consistently and engage authentically with your audience
Install Google Analytics - Track where traffic comes from and what converts
Build genuine relationships - Follow up with leads, support your community, and prioritize people over transactions
For Marketing Professionals:
Learn analytics platforms - Master free tools before investing in paid solutions
Create trackable campaigns - Use QR codes, unique URLs, and UTM parameters
Test video content - Smartphone videos can be highly effective when done strategically
Monitor competitor activity - Use free social listening tools to understand market positioning
Stay platform-current - New features like Instagram Edits provide competitive advantages
Conclusion
Real estate marketing success isn't about having the biggest budget, it's about strategic execution across reputation management, visual storytelling, and authentic relationship building. Jessica's three-day home sale demonstrates that when marketing aligns emotional connection with strategic distribution, results can be remarkable.
In an industry where trust drives purchasing decisions and homes represent life's largest investment, marketing must balance business objectives with genuine care for people. By monitoring reputation proactively, creating compelling visual experiences, maintaining authentic social presence, and building real relationships, homebuilders can achieve measurable ROI while honoring the emotional significance of helping families find home.
The lesson is clear: invest in marketing not as an expense, but as a revenue driver that connects your business values with buyer emotions, and track everything to prove it works.
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