The classic marketing funnel has been the go-to model in home building for years. At Bokka, we rely on it too. Start with awareness to attract prospects, engage and nurture them through the consideration phase, and guide them to a smooth close. It's simple, it's familiar, and it works.
But recently, I stumbled across a report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG): "It’s Time for Marketers to Move Beyond the Linear Funnel." While the article focuses on global consumer brands, this core idea also applies to our industry: buyers don’t actually follow a linear path anymore. They scroll, stream, search, and shop - often at the same time. So how can we apply this thinking to future-proof our home builder sales and marketing funnel?
What's Wrong with the Funnel?
I'll start by saying the funnel isn’t dead. It still helps organize stages of the buyer journey and align sales and marketing efforts. It's critical for determining where to make investments and measuring their impact (we based our Home Buyer Conversion Report around it). But it doesn’t tell the full story.
Home buyers (especially new home buyers) don’t behave like we want them to. They don’t go from attract to engage to nurture to close in clean little steps. They loop around. They start researching years before they're serious. They come into models looking for interior decorating ideas. They ghost us for months, then suddenly schedule a site visit. They fall in love with a floorplan on Pinterest, then get cold feet after reading a Reddit thread.
If you're a builder or marketer waiting for a clear signal that someone's "at the bottom of the funnel," you might miss the moment entirely.
What BCG Suggests Instead
BCG proposes a shift from funnel thinking to what they call an "Influence Map" (complete article is here). Instead of assuming buyers move in a straight line from impression > visitor > lead > appointment > sale, their approach maps out what influences shoppers as they hop around the funnel.
For example:
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Streaming, scrolling, and searching happen at all stages, not just the top of the funnel.
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Reach is not the same as influence. Just because someone sees your ad doesn’t mean it moved them.
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Every buyer takes a slightly different path, depending on their goals, mindset, and starting point.
For big brands with huge budgets, this means using data to personalize every message. For builders it means thinking differently about how we guide buyers.
How This Applies to Home Builders
We all know our industry isn't exactly on the leading edge of digital innovation. But that’s why this shift matters. If we adopt even part of this influence-based approach, we’ll be ahead of 90% of competitors. Here’s what that could look like:
1. Different buyers, different journeys
Instead of treating every lead the same, imagine mapping out journeys for different types of buyers:
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The Fast Mover - Already owns a home, wants to upgrade ASAP. They care about speed, clarity, and next steps.
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The Researcher - Still kicking tires. Looking at neighborhoods, budgets, and design options. She needs inspiration and education.
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The Investor - He's all about the numbers. What’s the ROI? Resale value? Tax implications?
Each of these personas requires different touchpoints. Some need Pinterest boards and floorplan tours. Others want mortgage calculators, design studio videos, or builder Q&As (like walkthrough videos).
2. Focus on high-influence touchpoints, not just stages
A few examples of where real influence happens in a new home journey:
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A well-produced homeowner video on your site (trust)
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A social media post that shows progress updates (credibility)
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A price estimator that sets realistic expectations (education)
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A model home visit that surprises them (emotion)
Worry less about where these fall in your funnel. Worry about whether they move the needle.
3. Make room for looping and JUMPING
Buyers might start with a floorplan search, get distracted by school ratings, come back to tour a model, and then disappear for 6 months. That’s normal.
Use retargeting ads, email nurturing, social content, or even direct mail to stay in front of them. You’re not pushing them through a funnel. You’re staying relevant until they're ready.
4. Integrate sales and marketing better
In the old model, marketing hands off to sales at the appointment stage. In the influence model, they play nicely together throughout.
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Sales teams should know what content a lead has engaged with.
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Marketing should learn from sales why leads go dark or stall.
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Both should use CRM and analytics to guide what happens next.
5. Measure what actually matters
Stop focusing only on lead form submissions. Start focusing more on:
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Content engagement
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Repeat visits
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Shareable experiences
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High-intent actions (like scheduling a tour or saving a home to favorites)
These are signals of influence. And influence leads to action.
Influence Is the New Advantage
Most builders are still doing things the old way - counting leads and calling it success.
But the builders who win in this age of AI are the ones who understand what actually influences buyers. Not just who fills out a form. But who gets drawn in. Who feels seen. Who shares your brand with a friend.
It’s not only about stages. It’s about moments. And if you can show up with the right message, at the right moment, with the right tone - you'll win the influence game.
I'm not saying you should throw out the funnel. Just stop relying on it alone. Overlay it with influence thinking. If you want help mapping influence in your own buyer journeys, we’d love to talk.
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