Yankee Barn Sales and Marketing Team
The Yankee Barn Homes Sales and Marketing Team consists of primarily three people. YBH Chief Operating Officer, Kerri Post and Administrative Assistant, Jessica Packard join in depending on the project at hand. The focus will be on three people including Customer Care Manager, Jennifer Hastings and Marketing Social Media Specialist, Holly Ostrander. The Sales and Marketing Department is rounded out and managed by the off-site company, Stratagess. Morgan Durfee owns the company and she is an invaluable part of the Yankee Barn Team.
How Long Have You Been In Building?
Jennifer: I’ve been with YBH for 12 years. My father is a retired custom home builder so I have been around the industry my entire life.
Holly: I have been in home renovation for over 30 years and specifically in the home building industry for 23 years.
Morgan: I have personal ties to home building/construction. My husband’s family owns a lumberyard in Vermont and I have been around construction for some time.
What’s New In Yankee Barn Sales and Marketing?
Jennifer: Our Marketing and Sales Department recently launched an Educational Email Series. When someone requests more information from our website they are automatically enrolled. We created four emails that are packed with information to help answer general questions, but that also help to generate additional topics to discuss via a phone call, email, Zoom or face to face factory tour.
Holly: It’s an exciting time in social media marketing. Yankee Barn Homes has large platforms on Facebook (17.4K Followers), Instagram (55K Followers) and Pinterest (44.6K Followers with 1.01 Million Monthly Views), therefore the demand to stay relevant is high and the pressure to keep our numbers growing is constant. I also write the YBH Monthly Newsletter and the YBH website blog articles. I feel I have the best job in the office because I’m involved in so many aspects of the business.
Morgan: The biggest thing I’m seeing is that homeowners really want to be guided through the process from start to finish and told exactly what to expect and when. I am intentional with the content created. I always keep the homeowner top of mind. I develop content that is educational, easy to follow and answers everything from basic questions to the more complex items. I also understand not everyone likes to read tons of information at once, so I’m focusing more time and energy on video creation in the coming months.
What’s Trending? What Are Clients Requesting?
Jennifer: Some of the most frequently mentioned floor plans I hear include Hill House, Moose Ridge Lodge, Bay View, Bennington, and Hayfield.
Although I am in ‘Sales,’ I like to refer to myself as a research assistant. I am the first point of contact people make when inquiring to see if a custom Yankee Barn Home is the right fit for their future build. The most frequently asked questions I receive involve the process of designing and building a custom Yankee Barn home, the Energy Efficiency of our True Wall and True Roof™ panels, amount of design flexibility, what is included in our Home Shell Package, the average timeline to build, and of course cost.
Holly: I’m writing a great deal about floor plan layouts, downsizing in style, single level floor plans with options for family/guest areas, and Universal Design. I’m also covering the energy efficiency of the Yankee Barn Homes Shell Package and the trademarked panel system, as it truly is second to none in energy-saving features.
Morgan: The biggest thing I’m are seeing that ties nicely into Jen’s points is that homeowners really want quality information. They want it to be direct, to the point and concise. I aim to give each client what they need to make an informed building decision.
Tell Us Your Favorite YBH Project
Jennifer: There are too many to choose from! While clients often start from a pre-designed plan, I love the fact that I have yet to see two of the same Yankee Barn Homes. Our homes are truly custom and unique just like our amazing homeowners.
Holly: While this might seem to be an easy answer for me (my husband and I designed and live in the Bennington Carriage House), it’s not. There are so many gorgeous homes we’ve built over the years, but the newest tend to be most prominent in my mind. I love the Beachcomber, Buell, Hayfield and Menemsha. My taste and style could only be called eclectic. I love a number of differing architectural designs and styles.
Morgan: I grew up in coastal town on Cape Cod so find myself partial to the Summer Wind.
