3. >> Why bother with social media?
>> What apartment companies are doing
>> What others are doing
>> What you can do
4. The Internet is booming...
MyNewPlace estimates nearly 80%
of apartment searches now begin online.
5. ... Yet, your website is less important.
53% of online users consume content
outside traditional corporate websites.
6. Internet searchers are impatient.
Less than 10% of searchers read
beyond the rst three pages of results.
7. Social media impacts your reputation.
One-third of all Internet users post opinions.
36% think more positively about
a company that maintains a blog.
14. >> It levels the playing eld
by giving you a voice.
>> It gives you a direct connection
to your customers.
>> It gives your customers a direct
connection to each other.
15. Those conversations are powered by...
• Social networks • Widgets
• Blogs • Social bookmarks
• Online chat • Message boards
• Podcasts • Photo sharing
• RSS • Video sharing
• Microblogs • Wikis
16. Where does it t?
>> Marketing
>> Branding
>> Customer service
>> Resident retention
>> Internal communications and training
23. Build your presence.
>> Create communication hubs.
>> Set up outposts.
>> Keep the message consistent.
>> Don’t forget maps and listing sites.
>> Keep them current.
42. Urbane results:
>> Website traffic up 65%.
>> Blog traffic grows 35% monthly.
>> Participation in Urbane Lobby up 400%.
43. More results:
>> Little paid advertising over past year.
>> Nearly 100% increase in lease conversion.
>> Rents 3-4x higher than local competition.
>> Brand awareness drives retention.
>> Avg. cost per lease = $130.
51. Look at the whole picture.
>> Your brand is how people perceive you.
What other say about you is more
important than ever before.
>> Like it or not, social media leads to
conversations about your company.
Participating helps you control the
message.
53. Obstacles
>> “What if somebody says something bad?”
>> “What’s the ROI?” (Risk Of Inaction)
>> “It’s a fad.” (Fundamental change in habits)
>> “I don’t have the time.”
64. From Leasing Consultant to
Information Concierge
“New marketing is about the
relationships, not the
medium.”
- Ben Grossman
65. From Leasing Consultant to
Information Concierge
“New marketing is about the
relationships, not the
medium.”
- Ben Grossman
“By creating compelling
content, you can become a
celebrity.”
- Paul Gillin
67. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information
68. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
InstantInformation
REQUIRES constant updating
to keep current information
relevant
69. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information
REQUIRES constant updating
to keep current information
relevant
Costs time
70. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information
REQUIRES constant updating
to keep current information
relevant
Costs time
Potential to be abused/fair
housing violations concerns
71. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information
REQUIRES constant updating
to keep current information
relevant
Costs time
Potential to be abused/fair
housing violations concerns
The Internet’s got a long
memory
72. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information Instant Information
REQUIRES constant updating
to keep current information
relevant
Costs time
Potential to be abused/fair
housing violations concerns
The Internet’s got a long
memory
73. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information InstantInformation
REQUIRES constant updating Constantly updates information
to keep current information to keep your residents in the
relevant loop and connected
Costs time
Potential to be abused/fair
housing violations concerns
The Internet’s got a long
memory
74. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information InstantInformation
REQUIRES constant updating Constantly updates information
to keep current information to keep your residents in the
relevant loop and connected
Costs time Free Tools
Potential to be abused/fair
housing violations concerns
The Internet’s got a long
memory
75. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information InstantInformation
REQUIRES constant updating Constantly updates information
to keep current information to keep your residents in the
relevant loop and connected
Costs time Free Tools
Potential to be abused/fair Can be monitored for content
housing violations concerns
The Internet’s got a long
memory
76. Pros & Cons to
Social Media Technology
Instant Information InstantInformation
REQUIRES constant updating Constantly updates information
to keep current information to keep your residents in the
relevant loop and connected
Costs time Free Tools
Potential to be abused/fair Can be monitored for content
housing violations concerns People have short attention
The Internet’s got a long spans
memory
80. Word of Mouth
Marketing
Word of Mouth Marketing
by Andy Sernovitz
$24.95
81. Word of Mouth
Marketing
Most Powerful form of Marketing
in the Current Economy
Word of Mouth Marketing
by Andy Sernovitz
$24.95
82. Word of Mouth
Marketing
Most Powerful form of Marketing
in the Current Economy
It’s About Conversation
Word of Mouth Marketing
by Andy Sernovitz
$24.95
83. Word of Mouth
Marketing
Most Powerful form of Marketing
in the Current Economy
It’s About Conversation
Honest & Genuine
Word of Mouth Marketing
by Andy Sernovitz
$24.95
84. Word of Mouth
Marketing
Most Powerful form of Marketing
in the Current Economy
It’s About Conversation
Honest & Genuine
Join the Conversation That’s
Already Happening
Word of Mouth Marketing
by Andy Sernovitz
$24.95
85. Word of Mouth
Marketing
Most Powerful form of Marketing
in the Current Economy
It’s About Conversation
Honest & Genuine
Join the Conversation That’s
Already Happening
Don’t Fear Yelp! & Apartment
Ratings
Word of Mouth Marketing
by Andy Sernovitz
$24.95
86. Word of Mouth
Marketing
Most Powerful form of Marketing
in the Current Economy
It’s About Conversation
Honest & Genuine
Join the Conversation That’s
Already Happening
Don’t Fear Yelp! & Apartment
Ratings
Build Evangelizers
Word of Mouth Marketing
by Andy Sernovitz
$24.95
87. Other On Site Staff Benefits to
Utilizing Social Media
88. Other On Site Staff Benefits to
Utilizing Social Media
Quickaccess to new ideas and solutions to common
problems
89. Other On Site Staff Benefits to
Utilizing Social Media
Quick access to new ideas and solutions to common
problems
More direct involvement with your residents
90. Other On Site Staff Benefits to
Utilizing Social Media
Quick access to new ideas and solutions to common
problems
More direct involvement with your residents
Community building within our industry
91. Other On Site Staff Benefits to
Utilizing Social Media
Quick access to new ideas and solutions to common
problems
More direct involvement with your residents
Community building within our industry
New trends come to you right away
92. Other On Site Staff Benefits to
Utilizing Social Media
Quick access to new ideas and solutions to common
problems
More direct involvement with your residents
Community building within our industry
New trends come to you right away
Tons of new resources your team might not otherwise
find
93. Other On Site Staff Benefits to
Utilizing Social Media
Quick access to new ideas and solutions to common
problems
More direct involvement with your residents
Community building within our industry
New trends come to you right away
Tons of new resources your team might not otherwise
find
More direct conversations on shorter mediums mean
more productivity, not less
94. Not One Size Fits All Marketing and
Connecting Needs
95. Not One Size Fits All Marketing and
Connecting Needs
96. Not One Size Fits All Marketing and
Connecting Needs
97. Not One Size Fits All Marketing and
Connecting Needs
98. Not One Size Fits All Marketing and
Connecting Needs
99. Not One Size Fits All Marketing and
Connecting Needs
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, Plaxo, Ning, LinkedIn, MySpace, Google Wave, and More
102. Without Method,
You’ll Have Madness
Prior to “Jumping In”
Have a strategy
Is this really going to fit our core demographic?
Who will maintain it? How much time do we allow for it?
How are we going to generate new and unique content?
Remember, you don’t have to use every tool out there
Starting with Twitter and Facebook is a good idea since the two can interlink
pretty well with minimal extra work
103. Without Method,
You’ll Have Madness
Prior to “Jumping In”
Have a strategy
Is this really going to fit our core demographic?
Who will maintain it? How much time do we allow for it?
How are we going to generate new and unique content?
Remember, you don’t have to use every tool out there
Starting with Twitter and Facebook is a good idea since the two can interlink
pretty well with minimal extra work
Listen before you think about speaking
104. Without Method,
You’ll Have Madness
Prior to “Jumping In”
Have a strategy
Is this really going to fit our core demographic?
Who will maintain it? How much time do we allow for it?
How are we going to generate new and unique content?
Remember, you don’t have to use every tool out there
Starting with Twitter and Facebook is a good idea since the two can interlink
pretty well with minimal extra work
Listen before you think about speaking
Plan an organized roll out of social media marketing
Learn the netiquette of the platform that you’re using
It’s not about plastering ads, it’s about providing content.
Respect the Terms of Service (TOS) of the tool
105. Without Method,
You’ll Have Madness
Prior to “Jumping In”
Have a strategy
Is this really going to fit our core demographic?
Who will maintain it? How much time do we allow for it?
How are we going to generate new and unique content?
Remember, you don’t have to use every tool out there
Starting with Twitter and Facebook is a good idea since the two can interlink
pretty well with minimal extra work
Listen before you think about speaking
Plan an organized roll out of social media marketing
Learn the netiquette of the platform that you’re using
It’s not about plastering ads, it’s about providing content.
Respect the Terms of Service (TOS) of the tool
110. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Current local politics and cultural events around your community
111. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Currentlocal politics and cultural events around your community
Resident written reviews of local plays/new movies
112. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Currentlocal politics and cultural events around your community
Resident written reviews of local plays/new movies
Restaurant reviews/recommendations
113. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Current local politics and cultural events around your community
Resident written reviews of local plays/new movies
Restaurant reviews/recommendations
Daily thoughts or quotes, IF appropriate
114. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Current local politics and cultural events around your community
Resident written reviews of local plays/new movies
Restaurant reviews/recommendations
Daily thoughts or quotes, IF appropriate
Stuff to do on the weekends in your area
115. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Current local politics and cultural events around your community
Resident written reviews of local plays/new movies
Restaurant reviews/recommendations
Daily thoughts or quotes, IF appropriate
Stuff to do on the weekends in your area
Travel tips in seasons when travel is frequent
116. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Current local politics and cultural events around your community
Resident written reviews of local plays/new movies
Restaurant reviews/recommendations
Daily thoughts or quotes, IF appropriate
Stuff to do on the weekends in your area
Travel tips in seasons when travel is frequent
DIY projects for apartment decorating or money saving “make it at
home” tips
117. What makes for
Compelling Content?
Current local politics and cultural events around your community
Resident written reviews of local plays/new movies
Restaurant reviews/recommendations
Daily thoughts or quotes, IF appropriate
Stuff to do on the weekends in your area
Travel tips in seasons when travel is frequent
DIY projects for apartment decorating or money saving “make it at
home” tips
It’s about what your RESIDENTS want to read about,
not just what you want to write about
118. And on the off chance you thought
you could ignore it…
119. And on the off chance you thought
you could ignore it…
Facebook grows by over 1 million users a
WEEK in the US alone and more than 2/3
of FB users are out of college
Twitter has over 12 million users currently
and is expected to grow to 18 million users
by 2010
120. And on the off chance you thought
you could ignore it…
Facebook grows by over 1 million users a 6 of 10 Americans who use Social Media
WEEK in the US alone and more than 2/3 interact with companies through Social
of FB users are out of college Media sites
Twitter has over 12 million users currently
85% of social media users think that
and is expected to grow to 18 million users companies should interact with them
by 2010 through social media
121. And on the off chance you thought
you could ignore it…
Facebook grows by over 1 million users a 6 of 10 Americans who use Social Media
WEEK in the US alone and more than 2/3 interact with companies through Social
of FB users are out of college Media sites
Twitter has over 12 million users currently
85% of social media users think that
and is expected to grow to 18 million users companies should interact with them
by 2010 through social media
122. And on the off chance you thought
you could ignore it…
Facebook grows by over 1 million users a 6 of 10 Americans who use Social Media
WEEK in the US alone and more than 2/3 interact with companies through Social
of FB users are out of college Media sites
Twitter has over 12 million users currently
85% of social media users think that
and is expected to grow to 18 million users companies should interact with them
by 2010 through social media
Ostrich Syndrome won’t
work
when it comes to Social
Media.
124. Resources and Links
Tools can be found at:
www.facebook.com
www.twitter.com
www.ning.com
www.wordpress.com
www.youtube.com
www.plaxo.com
www.linkedin.com
www.myspace.com
www.circlepix.com
www.photobucket.com
www.flicker.com
125. Resources and Links
Tools can be found at: Websites and blogs that can help:
www.facebook.com www.multifamilyinsiders.com
www.twitter.com www.propertymanager.com
www.ning.com www.30lines.com
www.wordpress.com www.mbrewergroup.com
www.apartmentveteran.com
www.youtube.com
www.apartmentmarketingblog.com
www.plaxo.com
www.theapartmentnerd.com
www.linkedin.com
www.myspace.com
www.circlepix.com
www.photobucket.com
www.flicker.com
126. Resources and Links
Tools can be found at: Websites and blogs that can help:
www.facebook.com www.multifamilyinsiders.com
www.twitter.com www.propertymanager.com
www.ning.com www.30lines.com
www.wordpress.com www.mbrewergroup.com
www.apartmentveteran.com
www.youtube.com
www.apartmentmarketingblog.com
www.plaxo.com
www.theapartmentnerd.com
www.linkedin.com
www.myspace.com Suggested Books:
www.circlepix.com Groundswell by Bernoff
www.photobucket.com The New Rules of Marketing and PR by Scott
Word of Mouth Marketing by Sernovitz
www.flicker.com
Creating Customer Evangelists by McConnell and
Huba
127. We Know You’ve Got
Questions…
Presentation by Missy Castaneda, Carla Morin, &
Heather Blume, with special thanks to Darcey Forbes
of Essex Property Trust for her insights.
Do you want to see more great events like this
one? Get Involved with a WMFHA Committee!
Editor's Notes
Slides available for viewing and download at http://slideshare.net/30lines
From Universal McCann
This is actually where the name 30 Lines comes from...
This is actually where the name 30 Lines comes from...
Imagine your property website is a single match ... If I light that match, it puts off light, and I can probably see it in a dark room.
Now imagine your best customers, your biggest fans, are all shining a light on you. Probably changes how other people might view your business, right? This is what you really want... Let’s find ways to get our biggest fans shining their light on us.
(Note the cell phone in the foreground ... How times change, eh?)
Get out of broadcast mode and start listening to your customers.
Use tools like Google Alerts, Google Blog Search, Twitter Search, and Technorati to identify where conversations are happening ... conversations about you, your brand, your staff, your neighborhood, your competition, anything relevant to your business.
Find your audience, find ways to connect.
Enterprise Community Partners
Treat it like a cocktail party ... you can’t be too aggressive or annoying. Don’t be “that guy.”
Find the most vocal, most passionate people ... then look for ways to help them.
The easiest way to build your network? Be approachable.
Scott Ginsberg - http://hellomynameisscott.com
Being interesting all the time can be tough. Think of yourself as a DJ, a talk show host, or an information concierge (reference Heather).
Create a “playlist” worthy of your audience’s attention.
One great way to claim your presence is to create a blog. Here, you can play DJ by highlighting what’s cool and what’s new around town.
Examples: Surfing Nosara - http://surfingnosara.com (Hat tip to Eric Wu for this example.)
Embrace your biggest fans and your staff ... getting them involved can actually make your job easier.
Finally, find ways to work these tools into other parts of your business.
My Starbucks Idea - http://mystarbucksidea.com
Frank Eliason, Comcast - http://twitter.com/comcastcares
Woody Allen once said, “80% of success is showing up.”
Not going to happen overnight...
Online tactics don’t play out in a vacuum, and they don’t replace your current marketing efforts.
Urbane puts itself at a disadvantage.
Do a search for your company, your organization, your competition … see what comes up. Also, try tools by using them internally first.
These initiatives are tough to do at each property. Have a local mindset, but focus on a bigger idea ... focus on building a bigger brand message. One last great example (regardless of your politics) ... CHANGE.
Multifamily Insiders: http://www.multifamilyinsiders.com
Resident 2.0: http://www.resident20.com
LinkedIn groups: http://www.linkedin.com
Twitter contacts ==> See next slide for links.
Industry contacts on Twitter:
- Eric Brown: http://twitter.com/Eric_Urbane
- Lisa Trosien: http://twitter.com/ltrosien
- Charity Hisle: http://twitter.com/CharityHisle
- Heather Blume: http://twitter.com/artchickhb
- Brent Williams: http://twitter.com/brentwilliams2
- Eric Wu: http://twitter.com/RentWiki
- Resident 2.0: http://twitter.com/Resident20
- Training Factor: http://twitter.com/trainingfactor
Resources:
- Groundswell: http://groundswell.forrester.com
- Trust Agents: http://chrisbrogan.com
- Cluetrain Manifesto: http://www.cluetrain.com
- Tribes (Seth Godin): http://www.triiibes.com
- Social Media Today: http://www.socialmediatoday.com
- MarketingProfs: http://www.marketingprofs.com
- Hello! My Name is Scott: http://hellomynameisscott.com
With the downturn in the current market, our residents aren’t only expecting lower rental rates, but they’re also expecting a lot more for their money. If we’re taking a hit in the finances, one of the things that we can do is to become as educated and connected as possible so that we go from being just LEASING CONSULTANTS to becoming INFORMATION CONCIERGES. When you become a resource for information then you become someone important to know. There are a lot of pieces of info that your team can become the go to source for:
With the downturn in the current market, our residents aren’t only expecting lower rental rates, but they’re also expecting a lot more for their money. If we’re taking a hit in the finances, one of the things that we can do is to become as educated and connected as possible so that we go from being just LEASING CONSULTANTS to becoming INFORMATION CONCIERGES. When you become a resource for information then you become someone important to know. There are a lot of pieces of info that your team can become the go to source for:
With the downturn in the current market, our residents aren’t only expecting lower rental rates, but they’re also expecting a lot more for their money. If we’re taking a hit in the finances, one of the things that we can do is to become as educated and connected as possible so that we go from being just LEASING CONSULTANTS to becoming INFORMATION CONCIERGES. When you become a resource for information then you become someone important to know. There are a lot of pieces of info that your team can become the go to source for: