Kelly Fink, general manager of Milesbrand, and Courtney Stewart, VP of client relations at Denim Marketing, join host Carol Morgan to discuss the 2025 International Builders’ Show (IBS) on this week’s Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio episode. In this podcast segment, Fink and Stewart discuss what most excites them about IBS and what topics they hope are discussed during sessions at the event.
Connections – Old and New
IBS is not only the largest annual light construction show in the world, but also a chance for home builders, suppliers, agents, marketers and other real estate leaders to get together and foster connections. Fink is most excited to see some of Milesbrand’s clients in person at The Nationals awards and meet with her fellow trustees on the National Sales and Marketing Council.
Topics to Look for at IBS 2025
There are many highly anticipated topics for IBS 2025, from use of AI and data for marketing to housing affordability and how builders are constructing homes in response to recent natural disasters.
Stewart said, “I think one of the conversations that we have a lot, that I am expecting people to talk about on the education side, is how to reach the right audience for your communities, your homes, and then how to convince them to buy despite the market conditions.”
Fink, along with Lisa Welter of JTB Homes and Carol Morgan of Denim Marketing, will be discussing strategies for brand growth during the “Building an Impactful Brand: Beyond Colors and Logos” session. Fink’s portion of the session focuses on branding strategies for master-planned communities. From the Great Recession to COVID-19 pandemic, master-planned communities must be able switch branding focus to adapt to economic challenges. Welter will discuss how her company differentiates its two brands and Morgan discusses how to make social media branding stand out.
“So, the topic, is ‘Beyond Logos and Colors.’” said Fink. “You know, really understanding more about why it's so important to build an effective brand and invest in that for long term success.”
Morgan will also be presenting in the Jam (b) session: “Do This, Not That: What Homebuilder Marketing Experts Really Want Builders to Do.” This fast paced session also features Greg Bray with Blue Tangerine, Barbara Wray with Wick Marketing and Dennis O’Neil with ONeil Interactive Inc., this session will highlight best practices for digital marketing in the housing industry.
Brand Identity and Common Mistakes Builders Make
Stewart and Fink also share some of their best tips for establishing a brand identity and how to avoid making common mistakes that drive away customers.
Cohesive messaging: It’s important to create a personality for your brand and stick to it! Whether that’s with a new brand kit or editing photos for social media, there are many ways to take your branding to the next level with consistency.
Unique brand DNA: If you were to remove the name and logo off two builder websites, would you know the difference? Identity begins with individuality, which is what Fink is trying to communicate to clients.
Fink said, “If you're not aligned, you're not going to create the same experience for each buyer.”
Use a CRM: Data is everything when it comes to digital marketing. It is important for builders to understand their buyers and follow the buyer’s journeys through the site, social media and email campaigns.
“It helps us to be able to track what's happening and get better data that ties in, you know, with your website data, with the online data that we can see on social,” said Stewart. “All of those different things, and being able to follow that, your buyer journey, through to the CRM and what happens is so important.”
They also mention the importance of visual strategy with quality photography and decorated models at communities, as well as regularly updating your website and social media.
“That's the first thing people usually come to gather information about you,