Kevin Oakley is back this week, and is joined by Julie Jarnagin and Beth Russell. This week's episode kicks off with a funny story from Kevin about being everyone's best friend, and shifts into story time, covering insightful calls with builders the team has had recently. News stories discussed include Google lifting its 2019 ban on fingerprinting for advertisers, a deep dive into the effectiveness of builder incentives, AI readiness in homebuilding, and a new task manager blog written by DYC's very own, Samantha Kellenberger!

Story Time (04:40): 

• Julie has been working on her IBS presentation around brand consistency, and how providing guardrails (using LEGO as a great example) keeps things consistent while using user generated content. 
• Kevin follows-up surrounding a recent conversation about creating rules, and showcasing content to inform certainty. 
• Beth had an interesting call with a company owner, who referenced the Hippocratic Oath that doctors make -- do no harm -- and tied it to their website. For example, putting too much information out there and over-engineering what you're showcasing can cause more harm than good. 
• Kevin reminds: until you hit a minimum lead quantity, you don't get to complain about lead quality! 
• Kevin spoke to a builder this week who has one community performing very differently than others despite having similar processes for marketing. Using GA4's path exploration tool, he noticed that the options people were clicking most were the items right in the center/most obvious. 
• He encourages marketers to use this tool, and view it from the eyes of a customer. 
• Mobile reality can't be ignored or fixed -- you can only do so much on a mobile screen. 

In The News (28:13): 

Google just lifted its 2019 ban on fingerprinting for advertisers

• Google now allows advertisers to track users across devices and websites, collecting data points like IP addresses, operating system details, and screen resolution.
• Kevin's hunch is we only see this live for a short time before it's taken away again, but they'll collect a significant amount of data in the meantime.

The Cost of Incentives: Have Buyers Come to Expect Perks?

• Are consumers addicted, are builders addicted, or both?
• Kevin recaps the importance of the messaging of "new," and how you don't have to offer the biggest new incentive, you need to lean into how consumers want to stay informed. 
• One nuance discussed is how some customers don't qualify without them.

The Seven Stages of AI Readiness In Homebuilding 

• From hype to impacti, AI is more than a buzzword. 
• Julie loves the advice to evaluate AI vendors with a critical eye, and reminds you that if you're headed to IBS, there will be a lot of buzzwords, but you need to ask great questions and "pull back the onion."
• You need to have a clear process on how your business operates before you can layer in AI -- rethink workflows not just technology. 
• Avoid AI for AI's sake -- start with clear business goals. 

Which Task Manager Tool is Best for Your Team?

• The best project management tool is the best one everyone in your organization will use! 
• If you're looking into using a task manager to help your team (Monday, Asana, Trello, etc.) she outlines the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision.
• Beth remembers wanting to implement something for her team, and asking Kevin how to get started, and thinks the ease-of-use summary was so helpful in the blog. 
• Come for the writing, stay for the summary chart! 

Things We Love - Things We Hate (53:38):

• Beth has entered "Masters season" in the Augusta area, and is fascinated by how intertwined it is into the culture. She is equally obsessed and perplexed. 
• Julie is in the midst of Mardi Gras, in full king cake and parade season. But her favorite thing is going to thrift stores, and loves the hunt. 
• Kevin's favorite is the Hollyland Lark M2S Microphone, which is extremely small, and is a great price for 2 mics. 

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