Earlier this year, Homes for Hope had the chance to talk with Jeanna Roach, the marketing director at Betenbough Homes, one of Builder Magazine’s top 10 fastest growing private builders in the nation. In our conversation, she helped shed some light on what it takes to get the local media engaged in your build.
“June is homeownership month and a high point of the year for the homebuilding industry. With Parade of Homes going on and all the buzz, it’s a great time to get exposure for Hope International and Homes for Hope.”
Current events will make or break your coverage. In fact, Jeanna’s team opted to delay launching their Home for Hope (H4H) build by a couple of months to avoid coinciding with another local homebuilder’s fundraiser. Instead, they scheduled their build to wrap-up in June, where public interest in the homebuilding industry is at its highest.
“Troy Finley, chief sales officer for Betenbough Homes, went on the Experiencing HOPE trip to the Dominican Republic to see the work of Hope International, and when he came back we were able to get the whole staff got on board.”
Getting your team on board with the mission can be the most valuable contributor to successfully marketing your H4H. Talking with Jeanna, I found that the common factor in most of the successes her team experienced was a “company-wide effort.” It’s important to note that Betenbough’s leadership took time to become personally invested in HOPE’s mission and sell it to their staff.
“(When trying to get coverage for your H4H) don’t contact the reporter who handles police reports, go with the people who write about lifestyle or community.”
H4H partners come in many different shapes and sizes, so I wanted to hear from Jeanna how the family-owned homebuilder without a marketing department could practically engage the media. She encourages homebuilders to pay close attention to journalists and their beats, such as: community involvement, real estate, business, etc. Journalists who appreciate the mission of HOPE International will be more likely to respond and will be the right person to tell the story.
“We don’t want to bug them…we give them stories that are interesting to their viewers.
Jeanna made it clear that building reliable media relationships will require you to build a reputation as a reliable source for good stories. So be selective when asking your contacts for favors, and when you do, make it worth their time and interesting to their viewers.
“Nothing can build a relationship better than honoring somebody’s work.”
Develop a genuine appreciation for the work of your friends in the media — share it with your network, and support their journalistic ambition. Be intentional; take the time to follow-up with a phone call after you make a pitch. If you want your stories covered, pencil in some time to learn more about the world of journalism, and meet the extraordinary people who make it turn.
More about our Partner:
Betenbough Homes, West Texas’ number one new home builder, was founded in 1992 when father and son duo, Ron and Rick Betenbough, teamed up to deliver quality new homes at the most competitive price. Based in Lubbock, Texas, Betenbough Homes has built more than 5,000 homes in communities across West Texas. Betenbough Homes is a faith-based, employee-owned company committed to build, serve and impact the communities they call home. Ranked among the Top 100 Builders in the nation by Builder magazine, the company is also the recipient of the 2013 Hearthstone BUILDER Humanitarian Award.
