@mbrewer
New Media Apartment Marketing: Random Thought
Just a quick post for your Sunday reading pleasure.
New Media Apartment Marketing: Experience
I am vacationing in Denver this weekend. I am taking some time away from the day to day work I do with Mills Properties in Saint Louis to recharge the batteries. It feels great to get away to refresh the mind, body and soul. This morning as I was sitting in a coffee shop grabbing a quick cup of Joe and something to eat I overheard a conversation that intrigued me. The two people communicating wore bright red clown noses and looked to be having a great time. But, that was not the intriguing part. They were talking about random topics when the following comment caught my ear,
What experiences would you like to get out of that trip?
It came on the heels of another question and a subsequent comment. One clown nose man asked the other, “where would you like to vacation if money were no worry?” The response was, “Somewhere in the Bahama’s.” This is where the inquisitive clown nose asked the above question.
New Media Apartment Marketing: Question
It made me think that we should be asking that question of all of our constituents be it Mills Properties employees, residents or otherwise. Answers to that question could yield some pretty cool information as it relates to both online and offline experiential marketing efforts. It could assist in tailoring both inhouse and outsourced initiatives along with in general work practices.
It’s not to suggest that we don’t practice some form of information gathering that is rivals this question. But, the thing that really caused me pause was the pause it created in the responding party. For all intents are purposes the question was not normal and it caused the man to think before he responded – something that is losing it’s common place anymore. And, when he responded, it was with mindful thought in lieu of random generalness (if that is a word).
I will let you know how it goes….
In the mean time, let me know your thoughts on the subject and have a compelling Sunday
New Media Apartment Marketing: Random Thoughts
Could not pass up the chance to share this list from Logic + Emotion. It’s from a post titled Random Thoughts. In it, David Armano lists five pretty simple yet compelling thoughts that should no doubt be a guide for all of us. The first thought he lists is; We all live in glass houses.
Be Mindful of What you Say
I think many times in the world of new media it is easier to say just what is on your mind without being mindful of the long term ripple effect. It’s really very easy to sit behind a keyboard and rattle off thoughts that are no doubt driven by our emotions. We have all been guilty of it – someone writes something on a blog or in a comment and wham-o Satan’s spawn comes dwelling up inside of our being and we lash out… Or, someone presses something derogatory about our Apartment Community on a ratings site and we sign up just to set the record straight by one upping them in the art of condescension. In this same breath I would suggest there is a difference between expressing passion and ignorance.
Be Mindful of Our Actions
Penned by some philosopher an undetermined number of years ago – actions speak louder than words. I think the essence of David’s thought is that the very act of throwing that stone is reflective of one’s character. I can say, with learning in mind, that there a number of stones I wish I had back in my collection. They were much more useful to look at when I had them in my possession. And, in the same respect, it’s my hope, as we become more and more embedded in our new media apartment marketing lives, that we remain mindful of our virtual actions. Just remember new media never forgets…
Marketing Apartments with New Media
As we continue to venture into the world of new media and the use of Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, FourSquare YouTube, Flickr and Local or Regional Blogs we will no doubt encounter plenty of opportunity to grab that tin of rocks we keep in the darker places of our mind, warm up the lizard brain and write away. The next time that happens exercise another ancient philosophy [amended for modern times]; write it a un-savable word doc, read it twice, sleep on it and let it go.
Let us know what you think? Drop us a comment below and let’s discuss….
Apartment Internet Marketing – Outsource Your Community Blog
This sounds like an interesting alternative to doing the project in house.
From the crowdSpring blog:
ONLINE
- Blogs and Newsletters. Need original content for your blogs or newsletters? We have a global pool of writers who are ready to help.
- Advertising/Marketing. Worried about increasing sales or competing against bigger companies? Leverage our community to help you.
- SEO/SEM Content. Need to generate great search engine optimization (SEO) content or develop strong search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns? Our writers can help.
What is crowdSpring?
For those of you who don’t know what crowdSpring does, let me sum it up in a story. We used the service recently to create a logo for a downtown STL property. We had a creative brief drafted that was then posted to the crowdSpring site. Along with the brief we offered up a set dollar amount that we were willing to pay for the logo design based on the brief. From there creatives from all over the world submitted actual artwork that we could then comment on. The creatives would use our feedback to tweak their designs to suit our needs. In the end there were over one hundred designs to choose from all at a price we thought was fair. No negotiation – no hassle and done in a very short period of time.
I am interested to learn more about the writing piece – I could see this working as a way to create content for community blogs.
Would love to hear your comments – especially if you have used the service in the past.
And, for some really good context on the subject of community blogging, check out this past weeks AptChat hosted by Mike Whaling and Lisa Trosien – It was a compelling chat.
Hope your week is compelling –
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Apartment Internet Marketing – Entertainment
This is the third installment of a five part series based on a recent emarketer survey. In part one we discussed the concept of Exclusivity. Part two spoke to the idea of Education. Today we discuss: Entertainment as it relates to Apartment Internet Marketing.
Here is the chart for reference:
What is Entertainment?
Princeton defines entertainment as; an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention. There is no doubt that we are living in an attention economy today. And, the key point to this economy is that the consumer has choice. Consumers have near holistic control over the spend side of the attention equation when it comes to on-line activities. As such, goods and service providers are left to tailor their offerings to meet a new set of standards and expectations. Attention is the currency of today’s consumer and they will only agree to give it up if it is in exchange for they perceive as having value.
Value Exchange
While it is a race to attract a consumers’ attention, it is in the same respect just as, if not more, important to keep it once you have it. One way to do that is to entertain your audience. Two great examples of this from the blogging world are Perez Hilton and TMZ. TMZ ranked number one in the most popular blogs of 2009 – I contend for the absolute entertainment value it exudes. For their massive audience there is a willingness to give up time and attention because of the exchange they receive in the way of value [entertainment].
Consumer Expectation
Consumers in the age of new media have grown accustom to a very high set of standards that sites like; Facebook, Google and Twitter have imbued on their minds. At the core of these standards there are three apparent consumer behaviors. First and foremost, I think it fair to say that we as a population have grown much more impatient in that we want our information now and we want it delivered our way. Second, I think it fair to say that we have grown very intolerant in that if a good or a service does not meet our expectation – we vote by not returning and moreover we tell our friends about it. And, finally we expect and demand trust. Our ability to sniff out the BS has gone hyper and as such we return to the things we can trust most. Now I’m going to step out on a limb here and look at these things in aggregate and contend that their essence is entertainment.
Offer it and they will come
I contend that if apartment internet marketers get these things right – we will have created an activity that diverts and holds attention. I write that presupposing an understanding that content is king here – the content has to be compelling. But, I am considering that a given. The point I am attempting to get across is that entertainment is a key concept in working up to that thing we are all after. That thing we will discuss in the final post of the series. But, not before we pen our thoughts on one last concept. We will have that out in a few days.
Until then – make this a compelling and entertaining week.
Number One Way to Motivate Apartment Talent
In Lisa Trosien’s recent post: Dear Mr. (or Ms.) Property Management Executive , she speaks to ten complaints from site teams across the country. It strikes me that every single one of these have been relevant to our industry for as long as I can remember. And, every single one of them impedes progress. Which, according to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, is the number one motivator of employees.
Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer penned: What Really Motivates Workers in the Jan-Feb 2010 issue. In the article they sight the following five factors as being significant drivers of motivation;
1. Recognition
2. Incentives
3. Interpersonal support
4. Support for making progress
5. Clear goals
All important but Amabile and Kramer contend not the number one motivator. After conducting an intense multi-year study tracking a multitude of levers – progress – it seems is the number one motivator.
“On days when workers have the sense they’re making headway in their jobs, or when they receive support that helps them overcome obstacles, their emotions are most positive and their drive to succeed is at its peak.”
Seems to me progress, not unlike every item in Lisa’s list, is completely in the control of executives across the country. The article suggests the following ideas for helping progress;
1. Avoid changing goals autocratically
2. Be decisive
3. Provide support in the way of rolling up your own sleeves
4. Celebrate progress – no matter the stretch
I have always believed that a happy employee is a productive employee and that the property management organization exists to serve the people that serve it. And if those two mantras are employed as a premise for all decision making the rest will happen by default.
For those who would huff and puff about about the soft stuff, there is the alternative;
“On days when they feel they are spinning their wheels or encountering roadblocks to meaningful accomplishment, their moods and motivation are lowest.”
I trust the week to come will be one of smashing progress…
Related post: Can Apartment Marketers Afford to Disconnect a 24/7 generation?
Related post: Make Sure You’re Not De-Motivating Your Team
