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Predictive Apartment Marketing

Great read over @BrianSolis’s blog this morning called The Predictive Web

Really got me thinking about mediums like Twitter, Foursquare and the such. We already see the menu being set for us in the way of Tweets like this from EmilyBland

  1. just started looking for apartments in st louis for after graduation. gahhhhhh this is so weird. i kind of don’t wanna grow up!!! 6:51 PM Jan 9th from web
  2. apt search already stressful. add that to the fact that 2 years ago today, i was about to arrive in madrid. WAAAAHHHHHHH emo emo emo 8:18 PM Jan 9th from web

Now – it’s only halfway to predictive but just imagine if Emily [and, had I the time this morning – I would find an example] had mentioned she was going to look at Park Station Apartments in Saint Louis [Disclaimer: I am a Regional/New Business Manager at Mills Properties] and we were all over Twitter [we are brewing our strategy now]. We could prep a somewhat specific and relevant experience for Emily knowing that she was coming our way. It becomes a very meaningful interaction.

Have to run for today but look for more on this subject. And, as always have a compelling day –

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0 Responses

  1. Mike, Good Morning,
    I participate in Foursquare, not so much because I care about the badges, and the silliness of being a mayor of whatever, but to practice and to get a better feel of how all this works.

    Irrespective of what folks think about Foursquare and other GPS location based platforms, they provide a multitude of marketing opportunities. It is a fun time to be marketing apartments, and I look forward to forging ahead ideas and concepts as they unfold, consistent with the new user preferences, which are rapidly changing.

    Reply

  4. E,

    Thank you for taking the time to further the conversation. I, like you, try everything that I think is relevant to the future of marketing apartments – just for the sense of it. The pace is nuts but the potential is out of this world. It will be interesting to see how 10' unfolds.

    Reply

  6. Good morning Mike. The future will be interesting with this subject. I already had numerous conversations with apartment hunters on twitter. They were quick eager and happy to share their frustrations and were grateful that someone was there 'listening' to their voice. PM companies that come up with a strategy to embrace this trend will be quite ahead of the curve. Glad to see you and your company are already heading in that direction.

    Reply

    1. This is a new playground and one that has to be handled with grace… I can see where it could seem invasive to some. We are actively thinking through how to best incorporate it into our mix of business.

      Thanks for taking the time to keep the conversation going – it means a great deal.

      Hope your week has been a great one…

      Reply

  8. Mike, I agree that there are major opportunities here — many of which, while certainly not free, do not require a substantial upfront investment.

    That said, I think it *will* take significant effort to get many apartment marketers in the correct mindset for this. It's a very fine line, and it's too easy to cross that line and seem overbearing, creepy or even just a little *too* nice. I look forward to seeing where you and Mills go with the idea!

    Reply

    1. Mike Whaling – how are you liking your new digs? Sounds like your home is amazing – at least that part is good.

      I agree with you that this is not the easiest cat to skin – it will take some real effort to appear authentic in your efforts. To the extent that it means referring people to communities outside of your portfolio.

      As you know we are just now starting to think through our approach to social media as it relates to marketing apartments. It's wild to think of the possibilities – can't wait…

      Reply

      1. Thanks for asking, Mike. The new digs are incredible, and the neighborhood is exactly what I was looking for … I'm very happy with the move so far.

        I really like your idea of being so upfront that you're willing to refer the customer somewhere else if it's a better fit. I think the apartment company that can pull this off immediately creates top of mind awareness in their metro area, and their inbound traffic would likely increase significantly. Juleen and I have had this same conversation … I can't wait to find that first client that will be willing to try this. It has nothing to do with social media — it's just about doing the right thing for the prospect.

        Reply

  11. I'm torn here. You all know I love these tools, and at J.C. Hart we tap into all of them (or at least most of them). I'm just not sure if it's possible to be “all over twitter” as you suggest Mike. I say this only because it will take a dramatic shift in the way a company handles customers, prospects, and communications. I have some ideas in my head how that shift can happen for J.C. Hart, but as an industry I don't see it happening. People cling to what is comfortable, and leveraging social networks to completely change communications may not be realistic for everyone. I'm not saying it can't be done, but job descriptions and roles will have to change.

    Does every company have someone that can or wants to be the @garyvee of their organization? In my opinion, right now that's what it would take without reorganizing. I'm not trying to be pessimistic, but I'm also not sure if that's what the consumer wants.

    I agree with Mr. 30Lines that there is a fine line for communication and still coming across as an interruption marketer. For example, I've been experimenting with a Twitter account I created that automatically RTs people “apartment hunting” or “searching for an apartment” that just asks “Tweeps please help”. I get a lot of thank yous, but I also get some people that don't want the RT and request I don't do it. Check it out here: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%40apthelpdesk

    I guess from what I've seen I just think that while people choose to post their status, I'm not sure if that is an approval to send a message back to them. It will be interesting to see how we all move forward with our communications, but we should also all be cautious in how we may be interrupting people just like the ways of old.

    Reply

    1. So that's who is tweeting those rt's. Twitter is still in its infancy stages since so many are new users. Those who have used it for some time have come to realize that people are listening to tweets. We complain about our computers and we get a reply from them. We have an issue with our hotel room and they message us wanting to help. I demonstrated to someone in the HVAC industry what twitter could do. I simply tweeted- I need a service professional in the Atlanta area who can fix my air conditioner. Within minutes a national company tweeted asking how they could help. At the moment the majority of tweeters may not be expecting a response to their cries, but “some” are. Just the couple that I tried to tweet with actually thanked me for listening and asking why they were having trouble apartment hunting. This may be in its infancy stages and again I applaud the forward thinking. We ourselves who are educated on twitter “expect” a response and if we don't, how do we feel about the product or service we are using? In time the outreach efforts on the part of PM companies, like yourselves, I don't feel will be viewed negatively by the twitter user but expected. Time will tell.

      Reply

      1. J,

        Ha! Mystery solved…it's the infamous apartmentnerd – question is, which shades does Mark where when he is RTing? I guess slightly red tent Bono shades.

        I concur with your implication [hope I am not off here] that over time the customer will use real time platforms, not to complain or give feedback to a past experience but rather to define that experience ahead of time for the business owner.

        Hope you are having a stellar analytical weekend – :-))

        Reply

    2. M –

      Thanks for keeping the ball rolling here –

      I agree with the invasive nature of the idea and the time it will take to administer anything meaningful. My initial thoughts on the subject are to target community specific status reports. That is to suggest that someone communicates that they are going to visit a specific community – I am thinking that it would be impressive if we knew their name when they walked in the door relative to their avatar. [Okay – maybe that is creepy].

      If they were descriptive beyond the community name, as it relates to the larger community, price or size of apartment, in their status [update] [tweet] – could we capture that and tailor a specific experience and enhance our ability to be remarkable?

      I know the obvious question is – who is that descriptive today?

      As I cast thought in the future relative to this subject – it seems to me that people will only get more and more specific about their experience and or their expected experience.

      In other words – people will willingly tell business owners what they expect when they walk in the door. Call it an effort to save time, to save the pitch or to save the Earth. Customers defining your brand is morphing and telling business owners real time what experience they expect is in our future. At least, I think so.

      M

      Reply
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