Apartment marketing
Apartment Marketing: Friends of Followers
Quick hit on this Friday following a holiday.
Friends of Followers
Suffice it to say that we should not only be marketing to the people that we want to live in our apartment communities but also the connections those people have. Think about it, in the world of ratings and reviews and social sharing platforms, people reach out to friends, family and total strangers for advice on where to live.
It’s not a novel concept but I am curious what you are doing to reach those groups?
I have been thinking a lot about how to make an impact on that group and how to compel them to talk about our communities when faced with the question. “Where would you live if you were looking for an apartment?” Or, “I am searching for a new place to live, what apartment community or area of town would you recommend?”
I want my communities to be tip of tongue when their connections ask for their advisement.
What Are You Doing to Make Sure Your Community is Tip of Tongue?
You tip of tongue thinking multifamily manic,
M
Apartment Podcasting Marketing
“For corporate marketers, podcasting is low-hanging fruit.” – Paul Gillin
Low Hanging Fruit
Caught this video over at businessgrow where Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner throws down his 18 to 24 month content marketing prediction. It’s an interesting thought and one that I am trying to wrap my head around as it relates to marketing apartments. His thought comes in near the end of the four-minute vid:
Your wondering about apartment podcast marketing multifamily manic,
M
Relationships Are Hard Work
“More contact means more sharing of information, gossiping, exchanging, engaging – in short, more word of mouth. – Gary Vaynerchuk
Relationships Are Hard Work
Gary is right and the implications are huge. And more contact means more relationships.
But, do you want to know why so many relationships turn sour? Simply put – they are often times emotionally messy and full of hard work. Be them with family members, BFFs, marriage partners or otherwise – when the honeymoon phase wears off they become work.
And, to the extent that you pour your body, heart, mind and soul into them – the more or less successful they are. Make no mistake – relationships are not for the weak-willed or weak-minded. There are full of give and take and require constant contact in order to be fully productive.
Apartment Marketing Word of Mouth
Pre-supposing that we all agree that relationships are hard work, we can likely also share in the fact that the socialization of the apartment business is hard work. But, work that is necessary if you really want to capitalize on the powerful effects of word of mouth or WOM for short.
I won’t go to great lengths discussing the how to’s and the what for’s of word of mouth as it relates to marketing and leasing apartments but rather the need to ensure you are where you need to be. Word of mouth as it relates to marketing and leasing apartments now demands that you be everywhere on every platform that people want you to be. It’s the now old axiom “communicate with people how, when and where they want to be communicated with.
Barriers to Contact
With the advent of the internet and the proliferation of social platforms comes a whole new level of business never before experienced. The barriers of have all but fallen into oblivion making it possible for apartment marketers everywhere to be in direct contact with everyone that wants to do business. And, with that comes the necessity and responsibility to work harder at relationship than you ever have before.
Your business depends on it. #gameon
Your – working for #gameon – multifamily maniac,
M
pic props: giovannilivera.com
Have Fun
I am sometimes asked how an apartment community can create word of mouth?
I answer it with two words – have fun!
Word of mouth is predicated on that little space between stimulus and response known as choice.
And, people are emotional beings. Even the most logical among us.
Move people’s emotions and you move their willingness to choose to share.
Make it easy for them to share and you have the beginnings of word of mouth.
Your – choosing to have fun and share – multifamily maniac,
M
pic props – digiktech
Website is Key
Not…
Ran across a quote the other day that sent me thinking – in a contentious sort of way…
In today’s information age of marketing and web 2.0, a company’s website is the key to their entire business. – Marcus Sheridan
I rarely drop four letter words – as a personal choice – but this gave me cause. It was more like an eight letter but four letter affect word but passionate nonetheless. Maybe I missed the context of the remark but it just seems shortsighted.
Heart of a Company
I shared a story from Leo Buscaglia just a couple of days ago and it purely relates to my reproach. To me, it is much deeper than a website. Hate the soft side of business as much you want, think of it as the gnat that you can’t get rid of or the back burner – get to it some day sort of thing but that, my friends, is the key to business. In apartment marketing or management, your website is not key. You are.
I suppose I could agree that if information were the end all be all to business then your website is key. But information, be it about your apartments, management company or otherwise, is not what drives your business – people do. People are key. People make relationships and people compel others to respond and take next steps.
You can have the best website in your space but if the people at the end of that avenue are unkept, obnoxious and otherwise disinterested – you will struggle.
Information Age or Mindful Age
As we move away from share for the sake of sharing or sharing for the sake of garnishing good favor and thus a business transaction, I think being mindful of relationship on every level will be the key to business. Even when it comes to your website [your digital archive of information] you must be mindful of the people who are interested in the information. They are there because of their interests at that moment in time. But, most important, they are there to seek relationship first and information second.
So I borderline beg you – please argue that people seek out information first and relationship second so I can carry this conversation on….
Your – looking for some feedback – multifamily manic,
M
