Our opinion doesn't matter!

“Marketers of successful ideas rarely market the facts. Instead, they market stories that match the worldview of the people being marketed to.”

This is a quote from Seth Godin’s Blog. I love it because it seems that every now and then we need to be reminded that we are not promoting a product to ourselves. Too many times we come across marketing ideas and say “No, I don’t like that.”

Well, the truth is it doesn’t matter if we like something or not, what matters is if our target market likes it. This concept is especially hard for apartment owners and managers to grasp because, in most cases, they are part of a drastically different demographic then their prospective and current residents.

Instead of saying “No, I don’t like that, we need to say “Will our target market like that?” Seems like marketing 101, yet this is a concept that it often forgotten.

Every time I see a commercial on TV that I do not like I remind myself that the person who concepted and created the ad probably doesn’t care if I like it or not. I am most likely not the demographic they are aiming for and, therefore, my opinion shouldn’t matter to them.

So, how do we apply this concept to our apartment communities? Maybe the answer lies in knowing our residents better? I am just throwing this idea out there, but what about getting some of our residents to fill out a survey so we can get to know their habits? How about having a free coffee and breakfast day in the office and when they come in to get their grub, we have them fill out a quick survey? Let’s find out where our residents shop, eat, and go to grab a drink. Let’s find out what their favorite radio station is, TV show, website, blog. Let’s find out what time they go to work, and whether they drive or take the bus.

If the secret to effective marketing lies in appealing to our target market, the first step is to understand our target market. Don’t ever forget that “our opinion” doesn’t matter. What matters is the opinion of our customers.