• by Tanya Gazdik , June 17, 2014

Coldwell Banker Real Estate is partnering with BuzzFeed to create custom content for the Web site’s global audience of 130 million users that highlights the emotional and lighthearted aspects of home ownership.

The company is hoping the broad reach of the social news and entertainment Web site will help it to connect with a wider spectrum of consumers at various stages of the home buying, renting and selling process, and even those who aren’t thinking about real estate at all.

The BuzzFeed initiative aims to reach a new, younger audience who may not be looking to buy a home now, but will someday, says Sean Blankenship, senior vice president, marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate.

Coldwell Banker launched a similar partnership with MLB.com last month, taking fans inside the homes of current and former stars. In a business where consumers only make transactions every 5-10 years, the goal is to create more touchpoints with consumers, ultimately working toward greater brand loyalty, he says.

The collaboration debuts today on BuzzFeed.com and will run through August. The content published will feature the sentimental attachment people have to their homes. Topics of posts include: “15 Things That Happen When Your Parents Sell Your Childhood Home,” “25 Homes That'll Make You Feel Like You're In A Fairy Tale” and “74 Thoughts Everyone Has When Buying Their First Home.”

The real estate company will share the content throughout all of its social media channels. 

Currently, eight are planned for the site. Another possible topic being explored is “12 Behaviors At Home That Would Be Weird Anywhere Else,” Blankenship tells Marketing Daily.

The brand has been striving this year to reach a broader audience. Besides the MLB initiative, the brand debuted its new commercial spots on the Grammy and Academy Award ceremonies.

“Home is something that is intrinsic to all of us,” Blankenship says. “What we like about BuzzFeed is that together we are coming up with content that will find the right audiences no matter what stage of the home buying, selling or even dreaming process they may be in. It’s the creative content that speaks to the reader in different ways.”

Blankenship says Coldwell Banker likes to act like a “startup company” with its marketing efforts.

“Coldwell Banker is absolutely committed to finding new ways to reach consumers no matter where they are looking for information about buying and selling a home,” Blankenship says. “Creating consumer loyalty is critical for real estate brands who are part of an industry where transactions occur more infrequently. We want to push the real estate industry to think more about what the consumer wants from real estate brands.”

"Coldwell Banker  Real Estate sign" photo from Shutterstock.