Antler New Homes Podcast: Recent Episodes
Antler Agency
Talking with respected professionals about all things relevant to the sales and marketing of new homes.
In this latest episode, I speak with Cheryl Gibbens, Digital Marketing Manager at Aster Group about the ever evolving world of digital marketing. Cheryl well and truly has her finger on the digital marketing pulse, keeping up to date with the latest trends and digital channels to aid with sales and build awareness for Aster online.
In this episode, Cheryl and I discuss the subtle differences between digital marketing and traditional marketing, noting how each available channel requires its own consideration when building an effective digital marketing strategy to achieve the desired results.
We dip into the latest trends and the emergence of platforms such as TikTok with the ability to reach and educate target audiences, developments in AI, hesitations surrounding chatbots and even touch on IP tracking (“What’s that?” I hear you asking!).
Throughout the episode Cheryl emphasises the importance of customer service and that in our strive to keep up with digital progression we don’t leave any audience behind.
Here are just some of the topics covered:
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How to select the most appropriate tools, channels and portals to have the optimal impact on sales and enquiries
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What up and coming digital tools are right, and perhaps wrong, for the future of the industry
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How the role of a Digital Marketing Manager differs from that of a Marketing Manager
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Who decides which social media trends are right for the business, and when to let the ‘hype’ remain just that
And much more!
Another great episode, not to be missed!
Building the future
I’m Jasmine, the lead designer at Antler, and I was Antler’s first employee back in 2017.
In the latest episode of the Antler New Homes Podcast we flip things on their head and I put Antler founder, Simon Jenns, in the hot seat. Simon opens up, sharing his journey into the property industry and the experiences that led him to founding Antler, the leading marketing and PR agency for SME housebuilders.
With a family background in property, Simon joined Bargate Homes in their early days, where he focused on growing the brand and formulating marketing strategies to successfully sell many developments off-plan. As Bargate grew to become a leading regional housebuilder and frustrated by the agency support available to him, Simon took the bold decision to leave Bargate and start Antler, with the aim to service solely small and medium-sized housebuilders.
Simon reflects on his journey, acknowledging successes and learning from mistakes, while also expressing excitement about future innovations in the property market.
Simon shares the evolution of marketing in the digital age, particularly focusing on attracting the attention of buyers and marketing strategies to sell properties off-plan.
Simon also shares:
- What industries could the property sector learn the most from?
- Where housebuilders are missing their greatest opportunities
- How to create supply and demand tension to achieve off-plan sales success
- How to create demand for new homes through exclusivity
- The future of the property industry in a digital era
And much more!
A great episode, not to be missed!
Building the future
I’m Jasmine the lead designer at Antler, and I was Antler’s first employee back in 2017.
In the latest episode of the Antler New Homes Podcast we flip things on their head and I put Antler founder, Simon Jenns, in the hot seat. Simon opens up, sharing his journey into the property industry and the experiences that led him to founding Antler, the leading marketing and PR agency for SME housebuilders.
With a family background in property, Simon joined Bargate Homes in their early days, where he focused on growing the brand and formulating marketing strategies to successfully sell many developments off-plan. As Bargate grew to become a leading regional housebuilder and frustrated by the agency support available to him, Simon took the bold decision to leave Bargate and start Antler, with the aim to service solely small and medium-sized housebuilders.
Simon reflects on his journey, acknowledging successes and learning from mistakes, while also expressing excitement about future innovations in the property market.
Simon shares the evolution of marketing in the digital age, particularly focusing on attracting the attention of buyers and marketing strategies to sell properties off-plan.
Simon also shares:
- What industries could the property sector learn the most from?
- Where housebuilders are missing their greatest opportunities
- How to create supply and demand tension to achieve off-plan sales success
- How to create demand for new homes through exclusivity
- The future of the property industry in a digital era
And much more!
A great episode, not to be missed!
In the latest episode, Simon speaks with Paul Vincent, New Homes Director of Fox & Sons South Division about the role of estate agents in today’s market.
Over the last 20 years Paul has climbed the ranks at Fox & Sons, gaining a vast amount of estate agency and property experience.
In this episode, Simon and Paul discuss the misconception that properties will sell themselves once listed online, highlighting the importance of personal interactions and expertise in guiding potential buyers.
They delve into changes in the industry over the past 20 years, including the shift towards digital platforms, the portals, adopting emerging technologies like AI and the necessity for effective communication and customer service.
Throughout the conversation, Paul emphasises the enduring significance of personal relationships, expertise, and adaptability in the new homes sector.
Some of the topics covered:
- Why housebuilders should consider using estate agents alongside their marketing
- What makes a good estate agent, and how should housebuilders choose who to list with
- The difference between estate agency groups like Fox & Sons and self employed agents
- How housebuilders could be making better use of estate agents
- What emerging technologies should estate agents and housebuilders adopt?
And much more!
Another great episode, not to be missed!
We’re back, with season 2! Simon is speaking with Henry Adams Partners, Martin Curry, and Peter Cleveland, who dive into the intricate world of planning, where marketing and branding should play pivotal roles.
Amidst the challenges of planning, there’s a significant demographic already settled in their homes, resistant to change. Yet, there’s also a keen market waiting to be tapped into. The catch? Housebuilders must master the art of brand positioning from the get-go, or risk losing valuable opportunities.
Join us as we explore the power of strategic branding at the planning stage to captivate local communities and the importance of crafting a narrative that resonates with the community to elevate the entire house buying experience.
Topics covered:
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How the planning process could benefit by bringing marketing teams on the planning journey
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How can community engagement be improved?
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What opportunities there are to help foster relationships with the community?
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How housebuilders should be visualising and marketing the planning vision
A great episode, not to be missed!
**In this episode, Simon is joined by Joe Dorrington, MD of Imperial Homes, as well as Marketing & Sales Manager, Mel Finlay.
In this heartfelt conversation, Joe opens up about his journey from being a homeless drug addict at the young age of 13, to heading up one of the South Coast’s leading property development companies.**
Beginning his construction career in 1999, Joe’s unrelenting dedication to sobriety and his pursuit of financial freedom helped him establish himself as a highly regarded name in the industry, co-founding Imperial Homes 10 years ago.
**Joe’s story is an inspirational one, and Mel’s praise of the business and passion for her work is testament to how difficult experiences can help build and positively shape a company's culture and values.
An excerpt from Joe’s story: “I couldn't really find any way out. It was a very difficult period. I remember I was sleeping in doorways and a few things that pop up when I think about it was how cold a floor is when you sleep on it, it could be warm on the top, but just so cold underneath.”**
**An inspiring episode, not to be missed!
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and subscribe to this podcast if you enjoyed today's episode.**
In this episode of the Antler New Homes Podcast, Simon is joined by Adam O’Brien, MD of Metis Homes to talk about the future of housebuilding and how marketing plays a pivotal role in getting houses sold as quickly as possible, whatever the economic environment.
Established in 2008 and known for their honest approach, Metis Homes is an experienced regional housebuilder, building a reputable name for themselves across the South.
Topics covered include:
- Staying ahead of the curve as the market changes
- Gearing a business plan around off-plan selling to enable future land acquisition
- How the role of sales and marketing has changed over the years
- Partnering with the right marketing agency to support business
- The opportunity for brand planning to help support and ease the planning process
- How AI may change the housebuilding process
And much more!
Adam says “My approach to housebuilding is about getting things done as quickly as reasonably possible. I think that's just good practice across the board. And equally, marketing should be geared towards getting houses sold as quickly as possible. As we grow, that positive cash flow becomes even more important because you have many more costs, because you're building more and therefore finance cost becomes more of a factor. And I think today that's even more important because costs are just so much greater across the board. Money costs a lot more money at the moment, given interest rates. We've also got the problem at the moment where I think ever since COVID, for some inexplicable, infuriating reason, everything takes so much longer as well.”
Another great episode - enjoy!
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and subscribe to this podcast if you enjoyed today's episode.
In the first episode of the Antler New Homes Podcast, we were joined by one of the country’s most respected housing market commentators, Lucian Cook, Head of Residential Research at Savills. Six months on, following a huge amount of change in the market, Lucian is back. This time to reveal what decisions housebuilders should be making, and the opportunities that lie ahead over the next few months and beyond.
If you’re wondering what might be looming, this is the episode for you!
Other topics include:
- The impact of interest rates on the new homes market
- How much further will house prices fall?
- House price forecast over the next 12 months
- What does the future look like?
- What role should the government be doing to help support housebuilders?
Another great episode - enjoy!
“It's slightly ironic that we sit here six months later and we're facing some of the same challenges again about less accessibility to mortgage finance, higher costs of mortgage finance, concerns about where interest rates will go and how much further they will go. And clearly, that has a big implication for what happens to house prices and what happens to transactions.”
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and subscribe to this podcast if you enjoyed today's episode.
In this Q&A edition, host Simon Jenns interviews Head of New Homes and Central Sales, John Doyle about the portal industry and why housebuilders should consider using OnTheMarket.
With over 15 years of experience in the portal market working with a wide range of clients from large national housebuilders, Build to Rent developers and SME housebuilders, John has successfully helped to build the OnTheMarket New Homes division since joining in 2018.
“We want to give developers more choice. And in my view, it's not healthy in any marketplace to have one or two dominant players. The more competition that there can be, the more choice and options developers have. It helps them in terms of all of their marketing choices.
Whenever I speak to housebuilders, I always make the point that if you're a developer and you have a particular development and there's very little competition, you'll try and get the maximum price, as you would do. If all of a sudden a new development is built down the road with maybe a different specification or a different price and it offers incentives, then that developer is then faced with a choice, they either carry on and maybe their sales rates will not be at the same level, or they have to change their pricing, or be more competitive on the offers incentives. And for me, that's what I class as a healthy marketplace. And that's what I'm very passionate about doing, is bringing more competition into the new home space, creating more products and services for those developers so they've got more options and more choice.”
Enjoy the episode!
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and subscribe to this podcast if you enjoyed today's episode.
Is the traditional approach to sales and marketing budgets in need of a shake up?
In this episode, I sit down with Danica Clements, Group Marketing Director at Acorn Property Group.
Established almost 30 years ago, with offices in London and across the south west, Acorn boasts a broad portfolio, including sites in urban and rural locations, brownfield and greenfield sites, new build, conversions, listed buildings and numerous residential and commercial mixed-use sites.
With 15 years’ experience in property marketing, Danica has been part of the Acorn team for the past 7 years. Originally responsible for Marketing within the Bristol region, Danica now heads up the Group Marketing Team, responsible for all Marketing and Communications across the group.
Together, we dive into the topic of marketing budgets and the impact these have on the success of sales, in particular off-plan selling. Topics covered include:
- The ripple effect of budget cuts
Making small marketing budgets stretch further - What’s eating up marketing budgets
- Portal costs
- Working with Marketing Agencies to maximise budgets
And much more!Another great episode - enjoy!
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and subscribe to this podcast if you enjoyed today's episode.
**As the metaverse approaches, what does this mean for housebuilders?
In the latest episode of the Antler New Homes Podcast, I sit down with Mark Swaddle, Head of Marketing at Spitfire Homes; the first UK housebuilder to launch a show home and marketing suite in the metaverse!
As a forward-thinking housebuilder, Spitfire’s aim has always been to raise the bar of quality in housebuilding, and their marketing aspirations are no different. As a key player in the business, Mark and his team are constantly thinking differently about how they can engage buyers in new and exciting ways, and pave the way for an exciting new future in customer experience.**
In this episode, Mark shares Spitfire's concept that enables customers to experience a fully immersive tour in the metaverse.
Other topics covered include:
- Why it’s important for housebuilders to use the latest technologies
- How the idea of entering the metaverse came about
- Barriers to creating in the metaverse
- The difference between VR and the metaverse
And much more!
“Launching into this market where we've got a whole new range of buyers to go after, a completely new target audience, this is a really nice way for us to say, “Look, we think differently, we're fresh, we're innovative, we're agile.” I've read some stats recently that two thirds of people don't actually know what the point in the metaverse is, which is nuts.”
Another great episode - enjoy!
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and subscribe to this podcast if you enjoyed today's episode.
In this episode, I sit down with Seb Janes, Mark Adams and David Cracklen, Directors of AJC Group, one of the leading affordable housing contractors in the Wessex region.
Founded in 2008 by Seb and Mark and joined by David in 2018, the strong alliance between these ambitious business partners, along with 40 years of combined experience, has helped AJC to become one of the most robust and forward thinking affordable housing contractors in the region.
Their hard work and unwavering commitment to constructing high quality private and affordable homes has won them two awards at the 2022 South Coast Property Awards: Fast Rising Property Business of the Year, and Housebuilder of the Year, as well as being shortlisted for the 2023 Resi Awards.
Their key initiative; to deliver 500 affordable homes in the next five years is an ambitious one, but thanks to a highly skilled team, strong values and a purpose-led approach, AJC is on the road to achieving this goal and building high quality homes that people can enjoy for generations to come.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
- The importance of quality in both private and affordable homes
- Building a strong culture in a growing business
- Planning for and adapting to an uncertain future
- Frustrations in the sector
- Their ‘secret sauce’
“As a small business, you rely on those at the very top; business owners or shareholders to carry those values forward. But, as you grow and as long as you're employing in the right way, the whole team carries that culture and those values for you. And as we continue to grow, that's going to be very important. Relying on everyone that we've got at the moment to be a leader behind the culture.”
Another great episode - enjoy!
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and subscribe to this channel if you enjoyed today's episode.
In our latest episode, I’m joined by Natalie Evans, Founder and CEO of home staging company, Little Barn Door.
**Founded in 2018, Little Barn Door was born from Natalie’s experience of preparing her own property to go on the market. She developed a passion to help homeowners, estate agents and developers achieve optimal results through the use of home staging solutions.
In what can often be quite a formal industry, Natalie is a breath of fresh air in the sector, offering creative insight and sharing her experience as one of the leading home stagers in Hampshire and beyond.**
Topics covered in this episode include:
- Why housebuilders should consider home staging as part of their marketing strategy
- The difference between home staging and interior design
- The benefits of home staging for housebuilders
- Natalie’s views on the market at the moment and what she feels is broken
…and much more!
“For me, the show home is; you walk in and you are immersed in a whole experience, whether it's the fragrance, whether it's the décor, the wall dressings, the window dressings, just that complete dramatic experience. Whereas a staged property can be very different, it can really support you to not only show the vision of the property and show the space of the property, but also overcome any difficulties that certain units may have.”
**Another great episode, enjoy!
We would love to get your feedback on the topics covered on this podcast - please email jasmine@antleragency.co.uk to let us know what you think, and give us a 5 rating on your podcast player if you enjoyed today's episode.*
At the helm of Zoopla’s New Homes division is tech savvy Alex Rose. With over 15 years of experience in the new homes sector, Alex brings a wealth of knowledge and a keen understanding of both the marketing and the selling of new homes.
In this episode, Alex shares his views on
- How the property search journey has changed
- Using buyer data to help housebuilders target the right buyers
- Where opportunities lie for housebuilders and the market
- The importance of strong relationships between housebuilders and portals
- Using technology to help reduce the burden on sales teams
- Building smarter search
And much more!
“To find that one buyer for that one property doesn't just start when you get to first fix and you go “right now we've got to sell the thing, let's go and find the buyer.” You've actually got to take it right back to the inception of the home, when you're buying the piece of land. What is our market? What does the data tell us about where these buyers are going to come from? So we should be identifying those buyers almost 2 to 3 years ahead of time, building that persona, building the right product for those buyers. And then you've got that marketing plan ready to go when it comes to it rather than sort of a ‘build it and they will come’ and then you're scrambling around trying to find a product fit almost after you've built the product.”
“There's definitely a demand for data and insight. We've got to use that data and keep working it harder. We've got to educate, and it's a journey we go on together with the builder and portal together. Bring us in much sooner into those land buying decisions, use that data from the outset.”
Another great episode - enjoy!
Founded in 2011 from a bedroom in Southampton, The Mortgage Hut has grown to become one of the UK's leading mortgage brokerage firms, covering the whole of the UK and rated 5 stars by over 1,000 clients.
Thanks to following one simple principle, to treat every customer like your closest family member, founder Chris Schutrups has become a well-known and respected figure in the home buying sector.
With the introduction of the metaverse and the rise of virtual tools, “nothing beats going and walking around the final product.” In today’s episode, Chris shares his views on technology’s place in the mortgage application process. Should the industry and consumer embrace it, or is it a hindrance?
Other topics covered in this episode include:
- What makes The Mortgage Hut unique?
- Is regulation holding the sector back?
- Adapting to a changing market
- Working with housebuilders to enhance their customer journey
“We've seen lots of ambitious ideas, great ideas and lots of innovators. But there's one common problem that stops technology working. And it's not the fact that it doesn't work. It’s the fact that people don't adapt. They don't take to it. Consumer adoption takes longer. We do what we do. We do what we like. And to effect that change is more difficult.”
“It's a difficult business to manage and lots of fluctuation with their costs. I think really it is the legal process that lets it down. You put these chains together that are long, that are unconfirmed or untried. You can speak to people now and they’ll say “we should use blockchain to do this.” For sure you could use blockchain, but in reality you could use much simpler technology.”
Another great conversation, and if you stick around to the end, Chris divulges his man crush!
If you enjoy this episode, please hit the subscribe button.
Paul Sams, aka ‘Lego Paul’, decided at the young age of 7 that he wanted to be a solicitor. Today he’s an award winning, nationally recognised expert in the field of residential property having been asked to lecture other lawyers across the country. Joining Dutton Gregory 4 years ago, Paul works closely with housebuilders and developers.
In this episode, Paul shares his views on:
- What he feels is broken in the conveyancing marketing
- What sets Dutton Gregory apart from other law firms
- How he feels technology can support the home buying process
- What new homes clients could do to help speed the process along
- And a heart warming story about Gladys!
Paul’s naturally engaging and witty nature, along with his honest opinions on an industry he’s come to know so well make for a fantastic conversation.
“Interest rates have been too low for too long. They would have gone up if it hadn’t been for the pandemic because they've been too low for so long. Interest rates have actually come down, but the BBC and the other press are not telling us that interest rates have come down. What they're telling us is that we're all going to die!”
“We use technology fairly well. But there's ways that we could use technology more and more. I'm not trying to replace human beings with technology. I'm trying to free human beings up to be able to do more.”
“I suppose I don't think it's rocket science because there's very few things that are rocket science, apart from the rocket scientists who get paid a lot more than we do. But, it's the basics of dealing with people and you're always going to have uncontrollables because there are always uncontrollables; pandemic, inflation. I can't control that. So property transactions can become notoriously quite complex.”
Enjoy!
If you enjoy listening to this podcast, we’d love to hear your feedback. Get in touch with jasmine@antleragency.co.uk
From humble beginnings as the first employee 17 years ago, to now Managing Director, Mark White's journey with Bargate Homes has been an incredible one.
Acquired by VIVID in 2019, Bargate is part of an ambitious housebuilding plan to develop 17,000 more homes in the south over the next 10 years. Thanks to their shared vision and ethos, VIVID and Bargate are a perfect match, designing developments for future communities, rather than just 'building blocks'.
In this episode, Mark talks openly and honestly about Bargate’s journey, what he believes are the keys to its success, the mindset changes that all housebuilders should adopt, and how a legacy over profit approach has helped Bargate design and build beautiful, sustainable communities that can be enjoyed by generations to come.
A true visionary and a warm, passionate human being, Mark’s commitment to building more sustainable homes will inevitably leave a positive footprint on the new homes industry.
“I think that's been a huge secret to our success. We've got a good land bank, but a land bank being turned into houses isn't any good unless you've got someone there who's building it, helping you build a brand.”
“And that's a key for us as well. We need to create new communities. We need to create the passion for people who want to come and live in the community and also to integrate as a society.”
“We need to be a legacy-lead company, and you can only do that if you change the mindset. If you go “there is a purpose beyond profit.” I would much rather spend money on something that's going to enhance people's living, than pay large corporation tax at the end of the year and not be proud of what we do.”
We hope you enjoy this episode - if you have any feedback, we’d love to hear it! hello@antleragency.co.uk
Is Shared Ownership the future for first time buyers? How can housing associations attract buyers in an ever-changing market? What will the key focus for housebuilders be over the next 10 years? Why are partnerships critical? In this episode of the Antler New Homes Podcast, we bring you Associate Director of Sales & Marketing at Abri, Stuart Hensby, who, thanks to a varied and successful career in both the private and HA sectors is able to provide insightful answers to these important questions.
With an accomplished track record in the sales and marketing of new homes and a keen awareness of the importance of collaboration between housebuilders, Stuart’s forward thinking mindset has helped Abri grow an impressive customer base of 100,000 and counting.
“Everyone views things very differently now; everyone is aware that the key to doing more, and the ability to do more, you can do in strength with other people involved.”
“Partnerships are going to continue to be absolutely critical. We have a housing crisis that's not going to go away anytime soon. We need to keep building more homes. We need to be more clever about it. We need to be more sustainable in our approach, and we need to keep that focus. Collaboration is key.”
“We've had a very changeable political environment that we're all astutely aware of, which has catalysed our current inflation situation and the economic pressures. We need a bit of stability around that. We need to get inflation under control, that just plays into everything else. We need to keep affordability at the forefront of all of our decision making.”
Another brilliant episode - enjoy!
Are you a housebuilder wondering what 2023 might hold? How your sales and marketing strategy should be adapted for the current market and the year ahead?
In this episode, Lucian Cook, one of the country’s most respected housing market commentators shares his insights on what opportunities 2023 will bring for those housebuilders who "embrace the challenge".
This episode contains so many golden nuggets of advice. Whether you're a Sales & Marketing Director, MD, CEO, Marketing Manager...or just interested in the marketing of new homes, this is an episode you won't want to miss!
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