Search Results for: 2011
Apartment Marketing: Friendslist
Friendslist might be something to keep an eye on. Especially in light of the shrewd move by Forrent.com in creating an exclusive, carve their client marketing partners right out of an avenue of advertising platform, relationship on FBs Marketplace. Could a platform like friendlist make the likely crazy expensive quasi-distribution point irrelevant? Likely not but I secretly hope so…
Friendslist offers a cleaner interface to start, but that’s nothing new. What it does is connect buyers and sellers, or people who are looking for jobs and people who are hiring, through the people they know. Yes, Oodle does this to some extent on Facebook Marketplace, but Friendslist takes a slightly different approach.No offense FR. But, please know whether it was you, AF, AG or any other provider, I would feel the same. The move gave me every cause to expedite the reallocation of near $550,000 of FR specific marketing spend over the last 18 months. Not a complete departure but a semi-massive one. Stay tuned…
Apartment Marketing: Rooftop Advertising with a Twist
A couple weeks ago I had an owner bring up the idea of roof top advertising in exchange for a much need roof repair. The property in question is a vintage sixties with many of the original mechanical systems still in place. That is to include a roof that has more than maxed out it’s useful life. It’s a capital intensive site given it’s age and lack of any major rehab over the years.
We squeezed one roof into the 2011 budget but now that it has come time to consider doing it; we have to get creative. Enter the idea. The property sits right in the path of outbound flights from the Saint Louis airport. That being the case; the owner suggested approaching big box retailers and or anyone else that would have an interest in sponsoring, in a sense, the roof replacement.
I’m certain it’s not a novel idea but it was novel to me in the sense of the trade exchange element. It goes beyond the traditional banner on rooftops that front busy arteries all over america. The type we purchase to push our lifestyle, specials and or availability. If done well, it could take a huge chunk of capital expense right out of our budget.
Cool or Cheesy?
Photo credit to: Advertising is Good for You
Apartment Marketing: Engagement
I am sure to take a digital beating for running down the road of engagement but in the words of a big haired 80’s band; “here I go again on my own.”
The term is abused in marketing circles, from the “How To” to the “What For’s”, it seems to be the word of the day and yet I think we miss the true essence. In most cases we mistake participation for engagement. Engagement just sounds better; It just rolls off the tongue more fluently than the word participation. I think that is about to change as it seems more and more people are catching on to the deeper meanings of the word.
One of my Facebook friends forwarded an article to me today that speaks to the difference; at least in my head. I pulled the following quote out of the text as it speaks right to the point;
Develop Character – The Rest Happens by Default
I think the excerpt implies a deeper meaning to the word. It goes beyond “wants” and “needs” as to strum the cords of our souls. Hopes, fears, dreams and achievements; big words with big meaning. As it is with the word engagement.
Now I am not suggesting that engagement does not have a place in marketing. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that when we develop the context that sets engagement free; then we will have hit the mother load. We will have unleashed the deeper meaning and application of the word. Okay, a little quixotic but nonetheless, we will have tapped something very special.
How do you do it? The Harvard types call it “Listening up,” Gary V calls it “Care,” and I call it “Loving People.” Loving them where they are and in an effort to bring greatness out of them. Easy? No. Worth it? yes.
Take away: Get deep into the study of people. Know what keeps them up at night and what keeps their dreams aflight and go about bringing that out of them. Do it by listening up, caring and loving them where they are and expecting more for them than they are capable of expecting for themselves. They will appreciate you for it; I know I appreciate those people in my life.
Have a compelling weekend! M
Apartment Prospect
I have been thinking a lot about the words consumer, prospect and resident lately. It seems as we continue to scale our social being over the likes of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or otherwise; we become more human. [Read: open, sharing and personable to those we know and are getting to know] That goes for corporations as much as it does people.
Apartment Prospects
Prospects and residents are human beings and or people first. Think of it this way, treat them as prospects or consumers and you are treating them according to your needs. Turn that around and treat them as people or humans and you are treating them according to their needs. Up to this point a prospect has been thought of as a head on a bed, a occupancy basis point or a check in the bank – a person on the otherhand is thought of as someone who dreams of a place to call home; a place that he/she can be proud to tell their friends about and someone you can have a long term relationship with.
Who are you serving today? You or other people?
Apartment Prospects
I have been thinking a lot about the words consumer, prospect and resident lately. It seems as we continue to scale our social being over the likes of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or otherwise; we become more human. That goes for corporations as much as it does people.
Apartment Prospects
Prospects and residents are human beings and or people. Treat them as prospects and you treat them according to your needs. Turn that around and treat them as people and you treat them according to their needs. A prospect is thought of as a head on a bed, a occupancy basis point or a check in the bank – a person on the otherhand is thought of as someone who dreams of a place to call home; a place that he/she can be proud to tell their friends about.
Who are you serving today?
*Photo credit: Spreadshirt.com