Instagram Advertising Is Here

16 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Trends

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It’s no secret that the landscape of social media has become increasingly visual. So – not surprisingly – Instagram has become a behemoth, with a community of more than 400 million active users. When it sold to Facebook back in late 2012, advertisers were excited about the potential for advertising; unfortunately, the gradual rollout of advertising has only been available to large brands, and at an extremely premium price. This was, in essence, to help create some order around how to implement targeted advertising without turning off the user base. Well, Facebook officially announced that it was opening up the platform to all of its current advertisers, regardless of size.

Built right into the current Facebook advertising platform, brands and marketers can now simply select their connected Instagram account as one of the assets when creating their new ads. The ads, which are specifically targeted and appear in a users Instagram timeline, allows the use of a ‘learn more’ button (or similar call to action) and also supports both video (15 seconds) and multi-image carousel ads. Users can then click the call to action button to visit the brand/product online – a feature that wasn’t previously available.

It remains to be seen if this move will open a floodgate of Instagram advertising, and how users will ultimately interact with the ads on the platform, but it does present some interesting new opportunities for brands and agencies to reach new audiences with clever marketing. It will likely also prove to be a great way for builders – and realtors alike – to market new homes to potential buyers.

Ad Blocking Is On The Rise

02 Nov 2015 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Trends, You Need to Know

 

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There has been an increasing amount of conversation regarding ad blocking over the past few months. Ad blocking, for those unaware, is when online users utilize plug-ins and tools to prevent advertising across multiple platforms, including websites and social media. The debate recently took centre stage as Apple launched its new iOS update, effectively allowing mobile users to block all ads on the iPhone’s default browser Safari (if they choose to do so), which currently supplies roughly 55% of all mobile web traffic worldwide.

So what’s the issue at hand?

Well, blocking revenue-generating advertising can be disastrous for brands/entities, like The New York Times or Mashable, who make considerable amounts of capital from ads. It can also affect marketers on a smaller scale, as ad blockers could influence the display of ads, across Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and other advertising networks. This means that advertisers/agencies with any active campaigns could potentially be affected by increased adoption of this type of software. You can see how effective these blockers are below.

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Should we freak out?

Not yet. Much like the Google mobile-geddon episode we talked about earlier this year, this only pertains to mobile traffic, and to those who choose to enable ad blocking. Thus, depending on your market/industry, you may notice a small difference, or you may not. As well, Apple has already discontinued/removed some ad-blocking tools from its store as they violated privacy issues and did much more harm than good.

Google has realigned its billing structure, and will no longer bill for ads that are undeliverable due to ad blocking. This will help ensure that you can still get the results you’re looking for with your current budget. Also, there are measures you can take to make sure your ads are whitelisted, which means that ad blockers will allow them to display.

Advertising is a good thing, but only when done properly. This whole issue presents an optimistic outlook for the future of mobile advertising, as advertisers are now forced to integrate more creative solutions into their marketing strategies that will deliver better overall experiences. For now, though, it’s business

Home Buying Is Becoming Increasingly Digital

19 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Trends

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I’ve spoken in the past about how eCommerce is the future of real-estate transactions. In fact, many of the new initiatives that BAM is currently working on are helping to make choosing a home and lot online even easier by integrating real time builder site plans and sales systems into the online experience. The goal is to eventually facilitate an entirely online sale – and that goal looks as though it will come to fruition sooner than later. I gave some great examples of online home buying in an article last year.

In the meantime, there is a cool new tool that is taking some of the manual paperwork out of the purchasing timeline for homebuyers. It’s called DealTap, and it’s making the entire process of buying a home digital through the use of a cutting edge application that runs on smart devices. The tool allows realtors – in real-time – to quickly deploy/amend offers, grab signatures, track and manage multiple deals and more. Imagine easy chat-like negotiation, on the spot. This saves time and makes the process smoother for all involved. It’s currently the only tool available that offers this fully digital experience, but with every changing habit of the marketplace, it’s unlikely that it will be the only one for long.

The world is becoming increasingly digital, and it’s only a matter of time before the real-estate industry is fully immersed in the vast array of interactive new technology being introduced into the market, including virtual reality, paperless transactions, and – of course – online home purchasing.

We’re Bigger And Busier Than Ever

07 Oct 2015 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in Thoughts

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A few weeks ago, we celebrated a very big milestone for BAM – 15 years in business. It’s exciting to see not only how much we’ve grown over the years, but also how much we’re continuing to grow as a company. Our team is bigger and better than ever before; in fact, we’ve had to knock down walls and expand the office to accommodate everyone. To top it off, we’re busier than ever – in fact, we have four openings taking place this month alone!

In the coming weeks, our client Kaitlin Corporation has Presentation Centres opening for Lakebreeze, a master-planned waterfront community in Bowmanville, and Sunderland, an amazing new home community in Sunderland, Ontario. Also, our clients Lancaster Homes and Falconcrest Homes have a Presentation Centre opening up for Summervale, a new community in the heart of Bowmanville. Lastly, we have Pine River, a community by developer/builder Zancor Homes and builder Lancaster Homes, opening in Angus. When we launched the community store in Queensville, we were confident that we had raised the bar in terms of what we, as a company – and team – were capable of accomplishing. I’m excited to see the culmination of all of our tireless work come together as we launch these new Presentation Centres.

From digital marketing, online advertising and touchscreens, to digital site tables, videos, and websites, we’re growing in every sense of the word. Last year was one of the biggest years in our history, and it’s looking like next year is going to start with a bang! I look forward to sharing the new Presentation Centres with you.

How The Election Can Affect Homebuyers And Builders

30 Sep 2015 Leave a comment

by John Amardeil in You Need to Know

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The Canadian federal election is coming up, and your vote, depending on your income level and personal agenda, may or may not be clear-cut. The three top parties have many differing positions on various issues affecting Canadians. I thought it might be beneficial to take a look at their individual positions on housing, as it relates to both homebuyers and builders.

Conservatives

The Conservative party has outlined a plan to increase the number of homebuyers in Canada by 2020 dramatically. In fact, they are aiming for a lofty goal of 700,000 new buyers. This is good news for builders. Their platform includes such elements such as increasing the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) from $25,000 to $35,000. The HBP allows homebuyers to withdraw from their registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs) to buy or build a qualified home. They also plan on maintaining the tax-free savings account contribution limit at $10,000 and introducing a permanent home renovation tax credit – all of which are aimed at making it more feasible to purchase a home.

Liberals

The Liberals, unlike the Conservatives, don’t outline a lofty goal of increasing the amount of home ownership. They do, however, describe some measures that will help create more opportunities for homeowners and builders alike. Firstly, they promise $125 million per year in tax incentives for landlords and builders to help stimulate an increase in rental living spaces. They’re also promising to develop new ways to use your RRSP to buy a home, including extending the program to include more than just first-time buyers. They will also be reviewing the markets in Toronto and Vancouver, in which the dream of home ownership is becoming more and more unattainable for many.

NDP

Unlike the other two parties, the NDP doesn’t specifically offer anything for homeowners, but rather are pledging 10,000 affordable housing units and a renewal of co-op operating agreements – both of which will benefit low-income families. They are also focusing on better housing in remote areas.

Ultimately, how you vote will depend on many factors. They include candidate platforms on energy, environment, and economy. However, if you’re a homeowner or are thinking of purchasing a home in the next four years, you may want to take the above points into consideration. You should consider exploring all the candidates, and their plans for Canada, here.

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