Market Proof Marketing

Kevin Oakley: Marketing Mind at Do You Convert
  • 4.9 (76)
  • MARKETING
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A weekly new home marketing podcast for home builders and developers. Each week Kevin Oakley from Do You Convert will break down the headlines, share best-practices and stories from the front line, and perform a deep dive on a relevant marketing topic. We're here to help you - not sell you! No fluff - just honest perspectives on where to invest your time, money, and energy to get the highest volume of quality new home leads to your sales teams. Take action on these ideas, and you can market proof your marketing efforts for your home building company.

  1. Ep 435: More Money, Same Problems

    1D AGO

    Ep 435: More Money, Same Problems

    Kevin is joined by Julie and Caroline to discuss an online sales specialist juggling cookies and conversion rates, increasing ad spend as a reflex, and throwing resources at problems without first figuring out what the problem actually is. There is also a friendly debate around AI content strategy that ultimately lands somewhere simple: be clear, direct and useful, and the rest will follow. Story Time:Julie - College visits are a masterclass in customer experienceCaroline - Get a fresh perspective if something’s not workingKevin - Putting money into your problems doesn’t always solve them Announcements:DYC Online Sales and Marketing Summit - Austin, Texas - Tickets Now Available In the News:An OSC's Guide to Time ManagementHow to design content that AI systems prefer and promoteIs Now a Good Time to Buy a House?Spring housing market accelerates despite mortgage rate spike, Zillow's March Market Report shows

    40 min
  2. Ep 434: Make Your Marketing Make Sense - Or Else!

    APR 9

    Ep 434: Make Your Marketing Make Sense - Or Else!

    Julie Jarnagin joins Jackie Lipinski and Beth Russell to talk about practical challenges marketers face with communication and data storytelling, and the importance of getting out from behind the desk to understand the home buying experience from the customer’s perspective. Hear why strong marketers should combine data, empathy, and real-world insight into consistent messaging and compelling stories to build trust and drive results, despite the doom-and-gloom headlines out there! Story Time: Beth - Building (and not eroding) trust with customers over timeJackie - ChatGPT vs ChatGPT - are you asking the right questions?Julie - Marketers need to “touch grass” and connect their consumers experiences Announcements:Market Proof Marketing Academy - Virtual Event - Register Now - July 7-9, 2026DYC Online Sales and Marketing Summit - Austin, Texas - Tickets Available - October 1-2, 2026 In the news: The 5 Rules to Data StorytellingApple prepares to add search ads to Apple MapsOver Half of Home Listings Have Been Lingering on the Market For More Than 2 MonthsDigital-First Buyers Reshape Model Home Design

    45 min
  3. Ep 433: AI Hype vs. Search Reality

    APR 2

    Ep 433: AI Hype vs. Search Reality

    In what may be the biggest guest episode of the year, Rand Fishkin, Co-founder and CEO of SparkToro, joins the podcast to talk about AI's role in search results and the importance of navigating the complexities and misinformation within digital marketing - especially around AI tools. Rand brings the research and the reality check on how AI is reshaping search, exposing why its recommendations can fall short and why Google still holds the upper hand. Backed by years of experience and research, Rand cuts through the hype to show what’s actually changing (and what isn’t), from zero-click search to the murky world of AI visibility. It’s a sharp look at modern marketing - and a reminder that trusting platforms blindly is a losing strategy. AI Brand Recommendation ChallengesThey examine how AI-generated recommendations often exclude well-established brands, suggesting that visibility in AI tools isn’t solely driven by traditional marketing performance. For niche and local industries, this creates uncertainty around what actually influences AI inclusion. Geographic Search Intent and AI LimitationsUsing specific geographic search terms improves clarity of buyer intent, particularly for homebuilders, but AI tools still struggle to deliver consistent, reliable recommendations. Google’s deterministic model may offer more dependable results compared to probabilistic AI outputs. AI's Impact on Search BehaviorWhile AI adoption grows, click-through rates from traditional search continue to decline, increasing the importance of zero-click visibility. Kevin and Rand discuss the limits of panel data in measuring behavior and the challenges of accurately interpreting industry-specific trends. Read more of Rand’s Researchhttps://sparktoro.com/blog/new-research-ais-are-highly-inconsistent-when-recommending-brands-or-products-marketers-should-take-care-when-tracking-ai-visibility/ Follow Rand on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/randfishkin/ Learn More about GiveDirectlyhttps://www.givedirectly.org/

    42 min
  4. Ep 432: There's No Crying in Home Buying

    MAR 26

    Ep 432: There's No Crying in Home Buying

    Host Kevin Oakley is joined by Beth Russell and Caroline Collard to talk about birthday pancakes for dinner, balancing structure and flexibility in marketing strategies, and how prioritizing the top of the funnel doesn’t ensure better results. They also discuss a new pricing tool for builders and its use for data-informed decision making throughout the home sales process, and how to combat “content decay” by intentionally refreshing content, not always reinventing it. Story Time: Caroline - A quick, but confident, home buying processBeth - Steer clear of the rinse and repeat cycleKevin - Optimizing for leads isn’t always the best idea Announcements:DYC Online Sales and Marketing Summit - Tickets releasing soon - October 1-2, 2026 In the news: Zillow launches Zillow Preview to bring pre-market home listings into the openZonda Enterprise Accelerator Drives Faster, Smarter Home Selling What Is Content Decay? (And How to Fix It Before It Tanks Your Traffic)

    47 min
  5. Ep 431: Ads, AI, and the Modern Homebuyer

    MAR 19

    Ep 431: Ads, AI, and the Modern Homebuyer

    Julie Jarnagin sits down with Beth Russell and Caroline Collard to discuss why homebuyers could be completely ignoring your ads, and why being findable now trumps being rankable (the strategies that worked two years ago aren't cutting it anymore). They also dig into what today's buyers genuinely want in a new home, the growing wave of long-distance relocations, and the early (and murky) buzz around ChatGPT ads, including why builders should think twice before responding to those "invitations" landing in their inboxes. Story Time: Julie - Traditional ads aren't just underperforming; buyers are tuning them out entirelyBeth - Exposure therapy for marketers: Getting comfy with Google adsCaroline - What one first-time buyer's search process reveals about how AI is actually changing homebuying In the news: Content alone isn’t enough: Why SEO now requires distributionBuilders gut check what buyers may like vs. what they’ll pay forLong-Distance Moves Tick Up: Nearly 1 in 5 House Hunters Are Looking to RelocateBuilders are receiving spam invites to initiate ChatGPT ads

    30 min
  6. Ep 430: Are Buyers Missing Your Listings?

    MAR 12

    Ep 430: Are Buyers Missing Your Listings?

    Host Kevin Oakley joins Julie Jarnagin and Beth Russell to discuss the various forces that are changing how buyers find homes. This episode breaks down why buyers are worried about missing listings, how Compass’s new partnership could reshape the market, and what changing search behavior means for real estate marketing. Story Time:Julie - You steer towards what you’re looking atBeth - Photos aren't enough for your campaignKevin - The REAL reason your web traffic is declining - and why AI is getting blamed. Announcements:Rise and Design - June 24-26, 2026Market Proof Marketing Academy - July 7-9, 2026DYC Summit - More Info Coming Soon - October 1-2, 2026 In the news:Compass & Redfin - The Exclusive Listings Battle Heats Up Search Happens Everywhere: New Research From SparkToroNew Google Help Doc About Google's Web Crawling

    52 min
  7. Ep 429: Trust Over Trends

    MAR 5

    Ep 429: Trust Over Trends

    Julie Jarnagin joins Caroline Collard and Jackie Lipinski to unpack the marketing moves that matter and discuss trust-building content. This episode dives into smart homebuilder strategy: why “unsexy” homes can still win with the right storytelling, how YouTube and influencers may shape AI-driven search results, what shifting homebuyer age data means for targeting, and why overusing obvious AI writing patterns can quietly hurt engagement. Story Time: Julie - Keeping the leads flowing by addressing concerns strategically, not hanging up red tapeJackie - The more money you spend on something, the more certainty you craveCaroline - Presale excitement is back - is it the year of the launch? In the news: Market Proof Marketing AcademyOutshining the FlashyThe Rundown: Why YouTube has become key for brand GEO strategiesThe Typical First-Time Homebuyer Is 35 Years OldThe AI writing tics that hurt engagement: A study

    33 min
  8. Ep 428: Closing Down to Create Demand

    FEB 26

    Ep 428: Closing Down to Create Demand

    Kendall Thacker, VP of Product at Legacy South, joins host Kevin Oakley and Beth Russell to discuss his experience with a pre-sale event from the strategy behind it to the lessons learned.  Legacy South Pre-Sale Event StrategyKendall explained that the event was created to address declining Q4 sales by generating urgency and a sense of scarcity among buyers while showcasing their homes.  Model Home Gallery Grand OpeningWith five communities in focus, one new and four underperforming, the Legacy South team repositioned their under-visited model home gallery as a grand opening event. By highlighting new floor plans and hosting it before Thanksgiving, they aimed to create urgency and re-educate buyers on using their model home gallery for their home search. Scarcity Strategy Drives Event InterestKendall and the Legacy South team intentionally closed four communities in December to manufacture scarcity, a bold move that ultimately fueled attendance and urgency. Incentives like $50,000 in savings and $10,000 flex cash, along with strong agent engagement, drove a surge of RSVPs in the final two weeks before the event. Legacy South's Successful Event StrategyKendall described a successful strategy where Legacy South collaborated with a big Nashville influencer to create social proof and drive attendance. The event, held at a model home gallery, featured two large tents - one for a learning center with lenders and design teams, and another for entertainment and food. The event attracted over 250 attendees, resulting in 75 on-site appointments scheduled (plus 10–15 more within 24 hours), with 75% of attendees brand new to the builder. Follow Kendall on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendall-thacker/ Learn More About 2ft Prostheticshttps://www.2ftprosthetics.org/

    36 min
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4.9
out of 5
76 Ratings

About

A weekly new home marketing podcast for home builders and developers. Each week Kevin Oakley from Do You Convert will break down the headlines, share best-practices and stories from the front line, and perform a deep dive on a relevant marketing topic. We're here to help you - not sell you! No fluff - just honest perspectives on where to invest your time, money, and energy to get the highest volume of quality new home leads to your sales teams. Take action on these ideas, and you can market proof your marketing efforts for your home building company.

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Oakley: Marketing Mind at Do You Convert
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Market Proof Marketing
  • Show Website
    Market Proof Marketing

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