Q&A with Housing First Minnesota Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Dawnita Parmely
Q: Why should my marketing plan include advertising and sponsorships with Housing First Minnesota?
A: If you are looking to strengthen your brand, grow your business, introduce new products, or show your support for programs that your customers love and use to grow their businesses, you should plan to include our specialty advertising and sponsorship products in your marketing plan.
And, because you are a member of Housing First Minnesota, you have access to a niché audience that is filled with builders and remodelers who are actively building and looking for suppliers you can’t find anywhere else.
Q: How do I decide which opportunities will help me best reach new customers?
A: Who are you trying to reach? What would you like to tell them? Are you looking for brand exposure or wanting to communicate a special offer? We have B2B and B2C advertising and sponsorship opportunities. The easiest way to find the perfect opportunity for you would be to allow our talented sales team to visit with you, discover your goals, and build a custom package for you.
Q: What are some things I should consider when creating my sponsorship and advertising plan for the year?
A: Audience, engagement, messaging, timing, creative, and video – just to name a few. Let’s dig into a few of these.
Audience: If you are looking to strengthen your brand, support your customers marketing events, or sell products to the homebuying public, consider aligning your brand with our well-established consumer brands like the Parade of Homes, Artisan Home Tour, and Remodelers Showcase. Each home tour offers print, digital, and social advertising options, as well as advertorial and sponsorship programs.
Do you have a product or service that is more specific to your fellow members or the housing industry? Then add our B2B publications and channels to your marketing plan to reach builders, contractors, and remodelers in one spot. The Housing Industry News is an affordable way to reach over 17,000 people in the housing industry. The publication is being super-charged with a new website and a weekly newsletter
to deliver even more industry news.
We also have the Digest, our quarterly member magazine; the Voice, our weekly member email; and we are bringing back the annual membership directory.
Engagement: As you are formulating your strategy think about what you want to get out of your buy. Do you want to meet and network with builders, remodelers, or associate members? If so, then an interactive sponsorship would be a great fit. Look at the events like the BIG Night, Golf, Clay Shoot, BRS, Contractor University, Foundation Golf, Foundation Gala, Bash, and Artisan Home Tour event sponsorships. These all have an element of engagement getting you in front of new customers.
Q: Where should I focus my investment if I don’t have a huge budget to work with?
A: If your audience is B2B, consider an event sponsorship, advertising in our membership publications, our digital options on HousingFirstMN.org, our emails, or a sponsored social post or advertorial.
With a B2C audience focus, choose an Instagram story takeover, sponsored social post, consumer email display ad, or partnered content for an affordable option. Check out opportunities on the ParadeofHomes.org website or get into print with the Parade of Homes and Remodelers Showcase guidebook ads.
To ease the process of trying to figure out where to invest, contact our sales team and they can propose a tailored plan perfect for you.
Q: What are some new and exciting opportunities coming in 2023?
A: Our popular Housing Industry News is expanding digitally. A new website is rolling out along with a weekly email. The news in the housing industry space is ever-changing and this publication will deliver what members and the industry need to know. Both the website and the email will feature advertising opportunities.
Contractor University has grown. We have the most diverse course offerings of any online class provider in our market. The brand and website are also getting a refresh. Contractor U sponsorships get exposure all year long and are currently available.
We have social and blog advertising opportunities for our Parade of Homes channels. With over 40,000 home-loving fans, we want to share your message and help you grow your social channels. The B2B Membership Directory is coming back. We are bringing back the perfect resource to do business with a member. The Membership Directory with its perfect handheld size, will offer a lot of opportunity for you to stand out.
Q: I’m interested in advertorial features in print and on the blog, but I’m not an experienced writer. What kind of support is available to help produce this creative?
A: If you’re not an expert writer, no need to fret. Our team can assist in writing your sponsored articles and will use you as our main source to make sure we get all the details just right. We’re happy to guide your content, but when you book an advertorial, you’ll always have a final look at the content to ensure the focus of the article is what you intended. If you need design assistance on an ad, we also have a team of freelance designers we can refer you to so you message comes across just the way you want it.
Q: I’ve never advertised with or sponsored an event at Housing First Minnesota. How do I get started?
A: If you’re interested in learning more, there are two simple steps to getting started.
- Contact Kori Meewes (Kori@HousingFirstMN.org) or Brad Meewes (Brad@HousingFirstMN.org) to set up a one-on-one conversation.
- Review the opportunities available using our media kit found at HousingFirstMN.org.
