NSMC eNews - 08/17/2007 (Plain Text Version)

Jeffrey Bernatz
NSMC Chair

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In this issue:
Your Web Site: Is it Working For You?
Fall Board: NSMC Networking Dinner and More
History Lives Just Outside the City: Fall Board Housing Tour
Local SMC Corner: Helpful Hints from SMC Regional Workshop at SEBC
Enter The National Sales and Marketing Awards by Sept. 28
Motivate Your Sales Team!
Get Inspired at the Sunbelt Builders Show
‘Buy Now’ Advertising Assistance Program Resonates in Lincoln, Neb.
'Casa y Comunidad' Earns National Publishing Award

‘Buy Now’ Advertising Assistance Program Resonates in Lincoln, Neb.

When the Home Builders Association of Lincoln in Nebraska decided to conduct a “Buy Now” advertising campaign in their hard-hit area, they turned to NAHB’s “Buy Now” Advertising Assistance Program for funding support.

The NAHB support resonated greatly with the membership.

“Our builders were so pleased with the support we received from national,” said Nadine Condello, the HBA’s executive officer. “We’re desperate out here. The message that it’s a great time to buy is a great thing to get into people’s minds. The campaign generated a lot of hits on our Web site.”

The HBA qualified for the grant program as a Tier 2 applicant and originally requested $30,000 of the maximum $40,000 in matching funds available under the program.

The association used the funds to conduct a more than $60,000 advertising campaign that included newspaper ads, radio spots and billboard advertising.

A Model Campaign in Fargo, N.D.

Now, the HBA is applying for the remaining $10,000 available under the program to conduct a radio, television and newspaper campaign patterned after the “Buy Now” campaign conducted by the Home Builders Association of Fargo-Moorehead in North Dakota.

Condello first learned about the Fargo campaign when she listened to the builders’ radio spot, which is available as a case study that can be found in the Buy Now Promotional Toolkit on the NAHB Web site.

After hearing the radio ad, Condello contacted the Fargo HBA’s EO, Bryce Johnson, to learn more about the campaign. She liked it so much, she is planning a second campaign using many of the messages from the Fargo campaign, but tailored to the Lincoln market.

To learn more about the Fargo HBA campaign and to view its television commercials, click here.

$160,000 Still Available in ‘Buy Now’ Grant Funds, Apply Today

Currently, NAHB has $160,000 in “Buy Now” advertising assistance grant money still available. NAHB is encouraging HBAs that have not yet received or been approved to receive grant money to apply today.

Tier 2 HBAs that previously applied but did not receive the maximum of $40,000 are eligible to reapply for the difference.

To date, 137 HBAs in 39 states have received or been approved to receive nearly $2.4 million in NAHB advertising assistance, with another $440,000 in grants under consideration and pending. Including the matching funds that the HBAs contributed, the total value of their advertising campaigns is approximately $6.6 million.

The NAHB “Buy Now” Advertising Assistance Program provides grants to qualifying HBAs in three categories:

HBAs conducting ad campaigns in the top 10 media markets (Tier 1)
HBAs with more than 250 members operating in areas outside of the top 10 major media markets (Tier 2)
HBAs with 250 or fewer members (Tier 3)

To qualify for grants, the ads must deliver a “buy now” message, be placed in 2007 and conducted in markets that have experienced a major decline in home sales and housing production.

To Apply

To learn more about the program, eligibility considerations and requirements, click here, or call Niki Clark at NAHB at 800-368-5242 x806l.

To view a list of the HBAs that have received or been approved for grants, and their grant level categories, click here.