For the last two days we’ve had some form of precipitation coming out of the sky, enough to keep my kids home and for my husband’s office to close yesterday but not so much that it’s any more than a nuisance. The same can’t be said for much of the South. We never lost power, our pipes didn’t burst, and our water’s just fine. I also own no less than 3 pairs of insulated waterproof boots, a brand spanking new pair of puffy pants that I really can’t say enough good things about, and a whole host of winter coats and long underwear, so I’m more than prepared to handle the cold. However, winter is for the birds, I hate it. The only redemption for this weather is the fabulous fire we had in the fireplace last night and the absolutely delicious gumbo I made for dinner. I love myself a hearty soup or stew. So here I am wrapped up in my layers, under a blanket with my dog on my lap as an added layer of warmth, writing this week’s edition of the ONeil Edit.
HOUSING
Nike was sued by a deaf person in California who claimed that she wasn’t able to receive proper service at one of its stores because the masks that sales people were wearing prevented her from communicating with them since she wasn’t able to read their lips. And Nike has reportedly settled. What does this have to do with housing you ask? It’s all about where your sales office is located and if it falls under the same public accommodation rule.
“Real estate sales offices are places of public accommodation, and if the sales office for a housing development were located in a model home, then the area used for the sales office would be considered a place of public accommodation. Consequently, compliance with COVID-19 mask mandates may create obligations to accommodate individuals in accordance with the ADA and similar state and local laws.”
GOOGLE ADS
Google announced last week that it is phasing out Broad Match Modifier terms in Google Ads. It’s not going away until July and any current broad match modifier keywords in any account will be grandfathered to stay. After July you won’t be able to add broad match modifier keywords.
Since it’s not going away until July, it’s too soon to say how this will have any impact on current strategies/performance. We will keep you posted as it is introduced and let you know what to expect.
Organic social media for businesses is a unique beast. People often think that just because they’re personally active on social media, that it will be easy to translate that into social media wins for their business. The thing is, if you’re going to do social media right, it requires an almost full time commitment to it. Just ask the influencers who make their living on these apps. You are the mercy of the app algorithm and their evert shifting tides. Having said all of this, I’d like to note, that I do actually think that even if you’re not devoting a full time job to it, having a presence on several social media channels is imperative to the overall success of your digital presence. And on that note, I happened across this article that breaks down Instagram’s algorithm and provides strategies to help improve performance.
That’s what’s what this week in home builder marketing and web design. On Homefiniti & Beyond today we’re talking about data privacy, tune in at 2pm. Have a great weekend and see you here next week!
