Enhancing referrals through community development activities

Investment in community development activities is a cornerstone of how we focus on liveability in our residential communities across Australia. At our Elara (NSW) residential community, for example, residents have enjoyed programs from Jamie’s Ministry of Food and Live Life Get Active, as well as Walk Your Lot events where purchasers can connect with neighbours prior to completion of their homes.

Community development initiatives at Elara have focused on building community connection through diversity and inclusion. Residents can mingle at night markets and seasonal events such as Diwali and Australia Day movie nights. At the Elara community garden, residents can come together for gardening workshops specialising in small-space planting and run in conjunction with a ‘paddock to plate’ food supplier.

Over the past year, as community development at Elara continues to strengthen, our marketing and sales teams have noticed that inquiries at Elara based on referrals from existing residents have increased. In fact, referrals leading directly to sales were the largest proportion of sales at Elara from January through June 2018, accounting for over 38 per cent of all sales (as opposed to sales where inquiry originated through our website or radio/television advertising, for example).

Buying a home is one of the most important decisions that most people make in their lifetimes, and so it is unsurprising that recommendations from friends and family play a strong role in these decisions. At Elara, we have noticed that its increase in referrals has coincided with targeted investment in community development. While there are many reasons why a resident may refer friends and family to live in one of our residential communities, it is encouraging from a shared value perspective to observe that our commitment to shape thriving communities may also benefit the business through increased and more streamlined sales.