It’s that time of the year again. The weather is finally starting to cool down…a little. Soon the leaves on the trees will start to change to the fall colors. College football will once again consume every second of my Saturday afternoons, which also means that college campuses just recently started classes back. If you’re reading this and you’re a property owner/manager at a student property, then hopefully you are patting yourself on the back as your property sits 100% occupied from the hard work you put forth during the Spring and Summer months marketing your property. If you’re not quite at your occupancy goal (maybe you should give us a call!), then there are some steps that you can take next leasing season to ensure your community being completely full.
The idea for this post came from reading Kerry Sugrue’s blog in Multifamily Insiders, which was great, so I am going to give my thoughts and expand on her topics she covered to give some tips on how to succeed with a college property:
1. “You Need To Have School Spirit”
Obviously if you are a student property, then your main marketing efforts need to be geared tremendously towards whatever college it is that your potential residents will be attending. This means that your community name needs to be in front of those students as much as possible. Attending events, such as open houses, orientations, group meetings, sporting venues, etc. are an absolute must. At any of these campus gatherings, little things can be handed out that pertain to college students (i.e. book bags; water bottles; food of any kind), because if there’s any category of any individuals that appreciate free stuff, then it is college students.
2. “Encourage Your Residents To Bring Friends”
One of the most powerful marketing tools that will influence your success at a college community is going to be word of mouth. In any college town students want to live where their friends live. I can vouch for this point, because even when I was in college, I literally moved every single year of school, because I wanted to live at the community where a majority of my friends lived. If I was going to be hanging out with these people everyday anyways, it just seemed to make sense to live in the same apartment community. Therefore, at any sort of community party that you plan, make sure to give an additional incentive to current residents for bringing their friends. One of the easiest things to give would be something along the lines of an increased resident referral where if anyone brings a friend and they fill out an application to move-in, then it’s a 2 for 1 deal and the typical referral given is doubled.
3. “Start Advertising Immediately”
A marketing plan for a student property should be something that encompasses the entire calendar. Whereas with a conventional property where marketing can be done per occupancy status and pushed when vacancies arise, marketing for a student property is never-ending. If a property is looking to become filled for the Fall, then the most important marketing window is without a doubt during the Spring. The reason behind this is that some student leases may be ending in May, so students will be looking to sign a new lease before they leave for Summer vacation. This is a key marketing point that cannot be forgotten, because college cities typically turn into ghost towns during the Summer since a majority of the population will be college students going home until the Fall. With no one being in town for the Summer and you being a property that needs to be filled by the beginning of school, you will absolutely be facing an uphill battle with a very short window between the time students actually come back in town and the first day of classes.
4. “Partner With The University”
The university should be your partner at all times, because all of your clientele will be coming from this all important place. Getting your foot in the door with any sort of housing related departments should be priority number one, because students that are not looking to live in a dorm may stop here to get their referral for apartment communities in the area. We actually worked at a student property that advertised themselves as the official student housing for the university (with permission from the university since they did not have any on-campus housing). This ended up being a huge marketing tool, because we were actually allowed to setup a mini office in the housing department to offer information to any student interested in living at a community that was not only sanctioned by the university, but was also where their peers would be living.
5. “Get Involved”
College prospects fall into the Generation Y category, which means that they are a group that is extremely connected with one another and seek to be very informed with all aspects of life they are involved with. Therefore, as a student community, it is pertinent that the property actively engage these college residents to ensure that they are aware the community is there for them. Have a huge welcome home party at the beginning of each semester to make the new residents feel welcome. Make them feel as if you are a community that is directly tied with the local university and be a presence on campus by sponsoring a tailgate for a football game. The more you can do for your college residents the better, because they are a very impressionable group and you want to do everything possible to ensure your property is known as the place to be.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Taking The High Road
The customer is always right.
This is a slogan that is basically taught from the beginning to all employees in every business. After all it is the customers that determine the success or demise of a company, because without customers purchasing/using product then there is no revenue stream for a business to prosper. The apartment industry is no different. In fact the apartment industry may be an example of a business venue where word of mouth can literally be the downfall of a property’s life span.
With avenues like Apartment Ratings that potential naysayers can take to spread their sour opinion about a community, checking the online conversation about an apartment community is an everyday habit that employees of every single apartment community nationwide should be implementing. I always tell our leasing specialists that if you are not making the effort to establish your online reputation by monitoring and responding to both positive and negative comments about the community, then you are leaving it in the hands of others to establish your online reputation for you. I cannot even begin to count the properties that we have worked with that going into the assignment we have researched their online presence only to discover that the community is being completely destroyed by former residents. Upon being brought to the attention to the manager, 99% of the time, the manager has simply blown off our recommendation to respond to these negative postings with “we know that most of the postings are made up,” or “that resident just didn’t get along with us here in the office.” Regardless of the background behind these postings, they are still present for any single person that searches the property online to see and if I’m a prospect looking to move into a new apartment, guess what? I don’t know that the postings berating the property are false and I’m going to assume that they are true. As a prospect I’m not even going to think about visiting a property that has nothing but negative listings over and over.
With this being said take the time to respond to both positive and negative reviews to show that you care about what others are saying. If it is a negative review, thank the person for their post and offer to rectify the situation anyway possible. Respond to the individual and tell them that they are more than welcome to come speak to you directly. This at least shows that you are attempting to mend a bridge and are in tune with your residents/prospects needs. Getting into a war of words with these individuals will only further serve as a death sentence to your community’s name, so do the professional thing for the sake of your community and take the high road!
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
This is a slogan that is basically taught from the beginning to all employees in every business. After all it is the customers that determine the success or demise of a company, because without customers purchasing/using product then there is no revenue stream for a business to prosper. The apartment industry is no different. In fact the apartment industry may be an example of a business venue where word of mouth can literally be the downfall of a property’s life span.
With avenues like Apartment Ratings that potential naysayers can take to spread their sour opinion about a community, checking the online conversation about an apartment community is an everyday habit that employees of every single apartment community nationwide should be implementing. I always tell our leasing specialists that if you are not making the effort to establish your online reputation by monitoring and responding to both positive and negative comments about the community, then you are leaving it in the hands of others to establish your online reputation for you. I cannot even begin to count the properties that we have worked with that going into the assignment we have researched their online presence only to discover that the community is being completely destroyed by former residents. Upon being brought to the attention to the manager, 99% of the time, the manager has simply blown off our recommendation to respond to these negative postings with “we know that most of the postings are made up,” or “that resident just didn’t get along with us here in the office.” Regardless of the background behind these postings, they are still present for any single person that searches the property online to see and if I’m a prospect looking to move into a new apartment, guess what? I don’t know that the postings berating the property are false and I’m going to assume that they are true. As a prospect I’m not even going to think about visiting a property that has nothing but negative listings over and over.
With this being said take the time to respond to both positive and negative reviews to show that you care about what others are saying. If it is a negative review, thank the person for their post and offer to rectify the situation anyway possible. Respond to the individual and tell them that they are more than welcome to come speak to you directly. This at least shows that you are attempting to mend a bridge and are in tune with your residents/prospects needs. Getting into a war of words with these individuals will only further serve as a death sentence to your community’s name, so do the professional thing for the sake of your community and take the high road!
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Thursday, August 25, 2011
10 Things About Steve Jobs
I had to get this article up for a blog post in lieu of Steve Jobs stepping down as the CEO of Apple. As someone that basically created a VERY LARGE something from nothing, Steve Jobs could be viewed as an example up someone living up to the slogan “the American Dream.” Upon being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Jobs announced that there would be a time when he stepped down, but he is ultimately coming down from his position a little more prematurely than he originally planned. The article I linked really gives some more insight to this person that could eventually be the man behind the first trillion dollar company. Unreal. There are some very surprising details listed in the article, such as the lack of philanthropic contribution, or his first experience as a father, but either way this is still a man that manages to release products that revolutionize daily living for this world.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Monday, August 22, 2011
CLASS Leasing: 7 Twitter Rules To Ignore
This was a great read I found on Twitter (via@NealSchaffer) this morning that outlines 7 "myths," or general rules that are typically understood in the Twitter world that ultimately may be counter-intuitive to follow. Here are the 7 guidelines (via @Smedio) that Twitter users typically follow that should be debunked from here on out:
"1. 140 Characters Aren't Enough
2. Not For Businesses
3. Twitter Lingo Is Complex
4. I'm Better Off Using Facebook
5. I Won't Find Customers On Twitter
6. The More Followers, The Greater The Returns
7. Twitter Is All I Need"
I really enjoyed this list, because it encompasses viewpoints that I was somewhat guilty of at one point prior to becoming more actively engaged in Twitter. Each point can be commented on individually in that:
1. Some of the best tweets are often times significantly shorter than 140 characters. To have an impactful and insightful tweet does not mean that it needs to be a lengthy novel tweet. If you think about it, Twitter was essentially designed on the concept of SHORT bursts of conversation. The longer tweets can actually dissuade readers interest.
2. Twitter not for businesses?! My response to this is short and sweet...find a major business that is not active on twitter.
3. Yes, the constant appearance of hashtags and retweets can be confusing to an entry-level Twitter user, but at the end of the day, all it takes is clicking on these lingo abbreviations one time to know what they do.
4. Facebook and Twitter are both social media powerhouses. Facebook crossed the 750 million user threshold this year, while Twitter consists of 200 million active tweeters. Choosing one over the other is not a exactly a comparable science, because they both serve very different functions. A Facebook user can essentially view their page as their own personal website, whereas a Twitter users setup is more like having the ability to text message millions of strangers.
5. Hmm. For this particular point I am pretty sure that you can see the good and bad side to how this point can be very easily proven wrong.
6. Ashton Kutcher single handedly gave Twitter a numbers game persona by challenging CNN to see who could reach a millions followers on Twitter. Actor/victim of Demi Moore craddle robbery versus the news network that is broadcast in 100 million U.S. households? You'd think that CNN would have the upper hand, right? Wrong. Ashton Kutcher in a land slide. My point being is that just because Ashton Kutcher has a ridiculous amount of followers, I highly doubt that his content is as socially invigorating, or knowledgeable, as Ashton Kutchers. In addition, I would be willing to bet that Ashton Kutcher has not landed any big movie opportunities as the result of him having a lot of avid followers on Twitter. Having a high number of followers looks great, but it is a popularity contest that does translate to that particular user giving life altering tweets to their followers, or gaining any business breaks from having a big number underneath their followers column.
7. Twitter is a small piece of the social media puzzle and is not a make a break for any business looking to utilize its presence to push a brand. The goal for anyone looking to pursue internet marketing as a traffic creator should understand that there is no one hit wonder to increased sales and success. The more venues the better is a great way to look at internet marketing, because with social media, it becomes a virtual word of mouth. The more places that your name can be located then the more sets of eyes that could potentially stumble upon your information. Just keep in mind though and I actually wrote a blog about this point just last week, just because you are involved in conversation and engage in tweets, does not necessarily mean that you are guaranteed more views.
There's no exact science or formula to social media success, but the important thing is to enjoy doing it and create useful information for others to read. Or just become an overnight A-list celebrity and then you will increase followers like wild fire!
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
"1. 140 Characters Aren't Enough
2. Not For Businesses
3. Twitter Lingo Is Complex
4. I'm Better Off Using Facebook
5. I Won't Find Customers On Twitter
6. The More Followers, The Greater The Returns
7. Twitter Is All I Need"
I really enjoyed this list, because it encompasses viewpoints that I was somewhat guilty of at one point prior to becoming more actively engaged in Twitter. Each point can be commented on individually in that:
1. Some of the best tweets are often times significantly shorter than 140 characters. To have an impactful and insightful tweet does not mean that it needs to be a lengthy novel tweet. If you think about it, Twitter was essentially designed on the concept of SHORT bursts of conversation. The longer tweets can actually dissuade readers interest.
2. Twitter not for businesses?! My response to this is short and sweet...find a major business that is not active on twitter.
3. Yes, the constant appearance of hashtags and retweets can be confusing to an entry-level Twitter user, but at the end of the day, all it takes is clicking on these lingo abbreviations one time to know what they do.
4. Facebook and Twitter are both social media powerhouses. Facebook crossed the 750 million user threshold this year, while Twitter consists of 200 million active tweeters. Choosing one over the other is not a exactly a comparable science, because they both serve very different functions. A Facebook user can essentially view their page as their own personal website, whereas a Twitter users setup is more like having the ability to text message millions of strangers.
5. Hmm. For this particular point I am pretty sure that you can see the good and bad side to how this point can be very easily proven wrong.
6. Ashton Kutcher single handedly gave Twitter a numbers game persona by challenging CNN to see who could reach a millions followers on Twitter. Actor/victim of Demi Moore craddle robbery versus the news network that is broadcast in 100 million U.S. households? You'd think that CNN would have the upper hand, right? Wrong. Ashton Kutcher in a land slide. My point being is that just because Ashton Kutcher has a ridiculous amount of followers, I highly doubt that his content is as socially invigorating, or knowledgeable, as Ashton Kutchers. In addition, I would be willing to bet that Ashton Kutcher has not landed any big movie opportunities as the result of him having a lot of avid followers on Twitter. Having a high number of followers looks great, but it is a popularity contest that does translate to that particular user giving life altering tweets to their followers, or gaining any business breaks from having a big number underneath their followers column.
7. Twitter is a small piece of the social media puzzle and is not a make a break for any business looking to utilize its presence to push a brand. The goal for anyone looking to pursue internet marketing as a traffic creator should understand that there is no one hit wonder to increased sales and success. The more venues the better is a great way to look at internet marketing, because with social media, it becomes a virtual word of mouth. The more places that your name can be located then the more sets of eyes that could potentially stumble upon your information. Just keep in mind though and I actually wrote a blog about this point just last week, just because you are involved in conversation and engage in tweets, does not necessarily mean that you are guaranteed more views.
There's no exact science or formula to social media success, but the important thing is to enjoy doing it and create useful information for others to read. Or just become an overnight A-list celebrity and then you will increase followers like wild fire!
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Thursday, August 18, 2011
CLASS Leasing: 50 Best Websites of 2011
This article from Time is a great read for everyone and I highly recommend adding the website to your favorites. When I was going through the list, I found some great websites that I truthfully had not even heard of before. Many of the websites have hit the World Wide Web running, whereas some of the newcomers are probably still just getting their legs under them. Either way, this list is a great read for the day and enjoy the browsing!
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
CLASS Leasing: What's Your Purpose In Social Media?
In a very brief summary of what social media was designed for, it can be said that social media was made in order to keep people connected. Pretty cut and dry description. Facebook allows users to see what friends are doing across the country on a daily basis. Twitter allows users to feel connected to celebrities and socialites without ever really talking to them in person. Obviously social media only allows you to be connected to other parties if you are in fact engaging in conversation as a user. A stagnant Facebook or Twitter account is about as useful as a car with no wheels...or is it?
This study from HubSpot may make you feel like your hard work is going to waste if you are a social media user that is only aiming to use each venue as a potential marketing tool. This study could potentially have a Catch 22 outlook to it, because although it shows that you are not necessarily guaranteed more reach by engaging more often on social media sites, you are not going to obtain ANY reach if you do not engage on these social media sites to some extent.
What is your take on these findings of the study? Are you one that engages regularly through social media and can debunk these findings? I'd be interested to see the different sides based upon these results of the study.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
This study from HubSpot may make you feel like your hard work is going to waste if you are a social media user that is only aiming to use each venue as a potential marketing tool. This study could potentially have a Catch 22 outlook to it, because although it shows that you are not necessarily guaranteed more reach by engaging more often on social media sites, you are not going to obtain ANY reach if you do not engage on these social media sites to some extent.
What is your take on these findings of the study? Are you one that engages regularly through social media and can debunk these findings? I'd be interested to see the different sides based upon these results of the study.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Monday, August 15, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Craigslist Mobile App
Craigslist is without a doubt one of the more useful sites accessible on the Internet, because you can literally find just about anything possible to sell/buy at any given time. I have written quite a few blog postings about Craigslist in regards to tips to posting ads for apartments from my own personal experiences as a leasing specialist. Craigslist is definitely a site that is a major player in the multifamily industry and is really only as beneficial to the user as he, or she, makes it. Despite the fact that Craigslist has been in existence for over 15 years now, it has never been known as a site that changes, or really adapts to the advances that occur around the World Wide Web.
Case in point to this statement is the lack of a site-based mobile application for Craigslist. Accessing Craigslist.com on a mobile phone is quite the hassle, because it will lead the user directly to the website and as one can see very quickly, it is not user friendly at all. This lack of a mobile app for Craigslist led to independent developers stepping in to make things easier for those wishing to use Craigslist from their phones. There are quite a few apps that this New York Times article goes into details about, but I have found that CraigsPro+ is probably the most well put together app of those listed. These apps will make the apartment search significantly easier for potential prospects looking to move, which will only lead to more traffic and leases for apartment communities...at least for those that are taking advantage of the site and actually posting.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Case in point to this statement is the lack of a site-based mobile application for Craigslist. Accessing Craigslist.com on a mobile phone is quite the hassle, because it will lead the user directly to the website and as one can see very quickly, it is not user friendly at all. This lack of a mobile app for Craigslist led to independent developers stepping in to make things easier for those wishing to use Craigslist from their phones. There are quite a few apps that this New York Times article goes into details about, but I have found that CraigsPro+ is probably the most well put together app of those listed. These apps will make the apartment search significantly easier for potential prospects looking to move, which will only lead to more traffic and leases for apartment communities...at least for those that are taking advantage of the site and actually posting.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Friday, August 12, 2011
CLASS Leasing: QR Code Creativity
QR code usage has managed to work its way into many different venues of business as the cutting edge way to connect to customers. QR codes still have the novelty item tag working in its favor, because it is still fun to pull out your Smartphone and scan a code on a piece of marketing material directing you to additional information. I am still in the little kid phase of QR codes in that I literally want to scan every code I see even if I am not even the slightest bit interested in the product that the code is for. Scanning the codes is something fun to do, because it gets a customer actively engaged in the marketing plus the code allows the marketer the ability to choose what information the customer receives.
QR codes can be found in a broad range of places: magazines; billboards; websites; menus; coasters; etc. We had a leasing specialist create a QR code and then the code was blown up to be placed on large sidewalk stickers. The property is located in a very retail populated area, so anyone that is walking around shopping at the stores can scan a QR code for the property on the ground to receive information. Very neat idea.
QR codes do not always have to be the regular square design and can actually be just about any shape, color or design desired. Here is a great example of a multitude of different ways that a QR code can be done (thanks @mashable).
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
QR codes can be found in a broad range of places: magazines; billboards; websites; menus; coasters; etc. We had a leasing specialist create a QR code and then the code was blown up to be placed on large sidewalk stickers. The property is located in a very retail populated area, so anyone that is walking around shopping at the stores can scan a QR code for the property on the ground to receive information. Very neat idea.
QR codes do not always have to be the regular square design and can actually be just about any shape, color or design desired. Here is a great example of a multitude of different ways that a QR code can be done (thanks @mashable).
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Thursday, August 11, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Why You Need A LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn is essentially the Facebook of the business world. Although LinkedIn has actually been around longer than Facebook (LinkedIn released in May 2003; Facebook released in February 2004), LinkedIn trails the social media giant in users by a very significant margin with 100 million users to Facebook's 750 million. Even though both websites are aspects of social media, LinkedIn has a much structured design and purpose in how the site is operated and how the users interact on the site.
LinkedIn is designed to allow business members the opportunity to connect with each other. By connecting on LinkedIn both sides are confirming that there is some level of relationship between the two parties and it is not just a random link, such as a "Friend Request" on Facebook may be. Once users establish a significant connection network, then their profile can be used to research jobs, businesses, as well as people, for positions and business related opportunities in corporate America.
LinkedIn is an individual's online business card and expands exponentially the amount of people that you are able to interact with on a daily basis in the business world. Therefore, it is absolutely pertinent that every person have a LinkedIn profile if they are working any sort of job. Having a LinkedIn profile allows the user the opportunity to:
1. Find past coworkers
2. Build an online identity
3. Get new opportunities
4. Learn something new
5. Get some credibility
6. Become an expert
7. Grow your pipeline
8. Help out a friend
9. Find a new job
10. Get found by a new job
(thanks @Insideview for the link)
LinkedIn is growing every single day with the addition of a new user every second. As this list above shows, the doors that a well-connected LinkedIn profile can open are absolutely limitless. The impossible interactions that may never be able to take place in an average day, such as sending out a quick message to the CEO of that big company you've always wanted to work for, are just a click away on LinkedIn. If the ten reasons above haven't convinced you of the importance of LinkedIn, here's 100 more.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
LinkedIn is designed to allow business members the opportunity to connect with each other. By connecting on LinkedIn both sides are confirming that there is some level of relationship between the two parties and it is not just a random link, such as a "Friend Request" on Facebook may be. Once users establish a significant connection network, then their profile can be used to research jobs, businesses, as well as people, for positions and business related opportunities in corporate America.
LinkedIn is an individual's online business card and expands exponentially the amount of people that you are able to interact with on a daily basis in the business world. Therefore, it is absolutely pertinent that every person have a LinkedIn profile if they are working any sort of job. Having a LinkedIn profile allows the user the opportunity to:
1. Find past coworkers
2. Build an online identity
3. Get new opportunities
4. Learn something new
5. Get some credibility
6. Become an expert
7. Grow your pipeline
8. Help out a friend
9. Find a new job
10. Get found by a new job
(thanks @Insideview for the link)
LinkedIn is growing every single day with the addition of a new user every second. As this list above shows, the doors that a well-connected LinkedIn profile can open are absolutely limitless. The impossible interactions that may never be able to take place in an average day, such as sending out a quick message to the CEO of that big company you've always wanted to work for, are just a click away on LinkedIn. If the ten reasons above haven't convinced you of the importance of LinkedIn, here's 100 more.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Twitter Party
So you have your apartment community or business listed now on Twitter...great...now what? Twitter is probably one of the more extreme examples of social media that is not beneficial unless you are actively engaged on the website, making your brand name known by getting it out into the stream of conversation. With roughly 200 million users on Twitter generating over 200 million tweets per day, there is quite a bit of conversation being thrown around, so it takes some work to get your brand name recognized in the Twitter world.
One such way to actively engage a Twitter audience and push your company name out there is through a Twitter party. First off, what is a Twitter party? A Twitter party is no different than say a grand opening of a store, in which it is organized to get as many people aware of the store opening as possible and gets them to come see what the store is all about. The only difference of course with a Twitter party is that it is all virtual. The same steps that are taken with a grand opening in person are still taken with a Twitter party: theme, or occasion; promotions through all social networks; sponsors; gifts; etc. Let's say your Twitter party is being thrown for an apartment community grand opening (assuming you've built an expanded following prior to opening), offer waived application fees, or discounted rent for those interested in becoming a resident from your party. This will right away show that you are not only a community that will be actively involved with its residents, but are a community that will go above and beyond the expected to have fun as well.
There are many other reasons, or occasions that a Twitter party would be perfect for and here is a brief list of some, because after all, who doesn't like a reason to have a party?!(thanks @PartyBizConnect):
"1.You are looking to launch a new product.
2.Your business wants to create some buzz with online users.
3.You need to expand your influence in social media.
4.You want to connect with a targeted group of people that care about what you do.
5.You prefer to encourage word of mouth advertising than use push marketing.
6.Your business wants to build influence in its niche.
7.You love a good party."
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
One such way to actively engage a Twitter audience and push your company name out there is through a Twitter party. First off, what is a Twitter party? A Twitter party is no different than say a grand opening of a store, in which it is organized to get as many people aware of the store opening as possible and gets them to come see what the store is all about. The only difference of course with a Twitter party is that it is all virtual. The same steps that are taken with a grand opening in person are still taken with a Twitter party: theme, or occasion; promotions through all social networks; sponsors; gifts; etc. Let's say your Twitter party is being thrown for an apartment community grand opening (assuming you've built an expanded following prior to opening), offer waived application fees, or discounted rent for those interested in becoming a resident from your party. This will right away show that you are not only a community that will be actively involved with its residents, but are a community that will go above and beyond the expected to have fun as well.
There are many other reasons, or occasions that a Twitter party would be perfect for and here is a brief list of some, because after all, who doesn't like a reason to have a party?!(thanks @PartyBizConnect):
"1.You are looking to launch a new product.
2.Your business wants to create some buzz with online users.
3.You need to expand your influence in social media.
4.You want to connect with a targeted group of people that care about what you do.
5.You prefer to encourage word of mouth advertising than use push marketing.
6.Your business wants to build influence in its niche.
7.You love a good party."
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
CLASS Leasing: World's Skinniest House
I know that I have written blogs before highlighting the obscure lack of space many individuals live in, often times to show our leasing specialists that apartment size objections could be worse. With that being said this particular example definitely takes the cake when it comes to living in an extremely small space. Currently being designed in Poland, the "wedge" house only offers a living width of 52 inches!! I understand that the living quarters are designed with the artistic resident in mind, but let's be serious here. If any person that lives in this house has the slightest inclination of claustrophobia, they are going to be absolutely miserable. There is hardly enough room for living let alone even the most conventionally sized furniture. This article blew my mind when I came across it on Twitter (via @adamsconsulting), but as much as a surprise as it seems, I am willing to bet that these "conventional" sized houses will probably have a huge demand once they are seen.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Monday, August 8, 2011
CLASS Leasing: G+ Versus Facebook
Google G+ Versus Facebook...this battle of social media titans is only in the beginning stages of what will surely be a drawn out, epic, technological, masterminded duel. G+ versus Facebook is like pitting Batman versus Superman (I couldn't resist the analogy), in that both forces strive to do the most good for their respective societies, but ultimately in the end there may only be room for one powerhouse, or superhero.
Obviously Facebook has the upper hand with over 750 million users, compared to G+'s 18 million, but consider also that Facebook has been around for over 7 years while G+ is still a baby of only a few months. Despite the difference in time in circulation, it must also be taken into account that G+ is still only on an invite only basis and is only now in the beginning stages of potentially becoming available to all parties interested.
To really get a good grasp on the similarities and differences between G+ and Facebook, it is important to breakdown each social media player individually. This schematic goes into great detail about both G+ and Facebook, but there are a few key characteristics that set the two apart. Both Facebook and G+ allow users to group friends by topics, but G+ is exponentially easier to manage each of the individual groups. Facebook has a much more interactive news feed allowing its users more options of convenient upload with pictures and videos, which G+ is not yet capable of doing. Both sites allow for social chat, with Facebook teaming with Skype, but G+ is compatible with a much broader list of internet browsers. The business end of the spectrum is presently heavily favored towards Facebook, because a Facebook Page can actually serve as a business's webpage and be their top producer of traffic. G+ is still in the process of producing a business relevant option and could pose some serious competition to Facebook in this department. The main reason behind this potential problem for Facebook is that since G+ is a product of Google, they are already and will be able to continue to incorporate much fewer ads than Facebook, since in probably one of the largest understatements imaginable, Google really doesn't need the money.
These are only a few key differences amongst the two sites and the schematic in the previous paragraph does an excellent job breaking down the positives and negatives to G+ and Facebook. One interesting and quite honestly, intriguing aspect of G+ right now is in regards to its number one followed user...Mark Zuckerberg.
It will be interesting to see how G+ progresses in its development into a social media force. There will be some glitches along the way and only time will tell if G+ will be the next Facebook, or just another firework website, such as Friendster. Either way G+ is in an element of its own being a byproduct of Google and as one such article puts the potential into perspective, "it is not the beginning of the end for Google but it is the end of the beginning."
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Obviously Facebook has the upper hand with over 750 million users, compared to G+'s 18 million, but consider also that Facebook has been around for over 7 years while G+ is still a baby of only a few months. Despite the difference in time in circulation, it must also be taken into account that G+ is still only on an invite only basis and is only now in the beginning stages of potentially becoming available to all parties interested.
To really get a good grasp on the similarities and differences between G+ and Facebook, it is important to breakdown each social media player individually. This schematic goes into great detail about both G+ and Facebook, but there are a few key characteristics that set the two apart. Both Facebook and G+ allow users to group friends by topics, but G+ is exponentially easier to manage each of the individual groups. Facebook has a much more interactive news feed allowing its users more options of convenient upload with pictures and videos, which G+ is not yet capable of doing. Both sites allow for social chat, with Facebook teaming with Skype, but G+ is compatible with a much broader list of internet browsers. The business end of the spectrum is presently heavily favored towards Facebook, because a Facebook Page can actually serve as a business's webpage and be their top producer of traffic. G+ is still in the process of producing a business relevant option and could pose some serious competition to Facebook in this department. The main reason behind this potential problem for Facebook is that since G+ is a product of Google, they are already and will be able to continue to incorporate much fewer ads than Facebook, since in probably one of the largest understatements imaginable, Google really doesn't need the money.
These are only a few key differences amongst the two sites and the schematic in the previous paragraph does an excellent job breaking down the positives and negatives to G+ and Facebook. One interesting and quite honestly, intriguing aspect of G+ right now is in regards to its number one followed user...Mark Zuckerberg.
It will be interesting to see how G+ progresses in its development into a social media force. There will be some glitches along the way and only time will tell if G+ will be the next Facebook, or just another firework website, such as Friendster. Either way G+ is in an element of its own being a byproduct of Google and as one such article puts the potential into perspective, "it is not the beginning of the end for Google but it is the end of the beginning."
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Friday, August 5, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Utilizing Space
I would be willing to bet that one of the universal objections that occurs at nearly every apartment community nationwide at least once a day is that the apartment a prospect is interested in is too small. Often times this objection is made before the prospect even lays eyes upon the apartment, because their last apartment was X amount of square footage and they need at least that much, if not more. I am guilty off this as well in that my most recent apartment is right at about 800 square feet and I immediately thought that sounded small based upon my previous apartment. The square footage of an apartment is an important detail, but it is really how the area of the apartment is utilized which dictates how large an apartment feels.
I always enjoy finding videos of small apartments of how the resident has managed to either find unique ways to make the apartment feel larger, or have just decorated the apartment utilizing every single square foot of the apartment. Here is another such video from Apartment Therapy that shows how this individual was able to transform a small Brooklyn apartment into a unique and accommodating home.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
I always enjoy finding videos of small apartments of how the resident has managed to either find unique ways to make the apartment feel larger, or have just decorated the apartment utilizing every single square foot of the apartment. Here is another such video from Apartment Therapy that shows how this individual was able to transform a small Brooklyn apartment into a unique and accommodating home.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Thursday, August 4, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Tiger Woods And Negative Reviews?
For any person that is in business, at some point in time they have probably had to deal with online comments made by a customer, whether they were positive or negative (i.e., ApartmentRatings).
Obviously handling a positive comment is significantly easier to address. A "thank you for your business and positive feedback" will suffice as a great way to follow-up the comment, because you always want to show that you are listening to your customers, especially when they are positive.
Now, in the event that one is attempting to address a negative comment, then the situation must be dealt with much more carefully when it comes to addressing the disgruntled patron. The worst way to handle a negative comment is by getting in a war of words with the customer accusing them of making false accusations attempting to deface the product or company. It is best to let the individual know that as a company, you are sorry that the person's expectations were not met and hopefully they will give the company the opportunity in the future to make up for the unfortunate transgressions that occurred during their first experience with the company.
One great venue that a responder can put together is a video response that addresses the negative comments of the critic. This will show that some real thought was put into the response to the customer and it also allows for some creativity to flow in the response. I found an awesome example on Social Media Examiner of a response EA Sports collaborated that not only addresses the critic directly, but does so with some humor and creativity.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Additional Craigslist Tips
In follow-up to my blog from yesterday, I came across another helpful page of information that I wanted to share with everyone for posting on Craigslist. This site provides some additional tips that can be used in order to test the waters of Craigslist to determine what potential renters respond to. The thing to keep in mind is that Craigslist response will vary from city to city, so it's important to try many different ads until you figure out what draws the most attention. If you have a tip to posting, or something that you have had success with in a particular area, then feel free to share!
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
CLASS Leasing: Social Media Mobile Apps
With the advancement of today's technology, just about anything can be accomplished from the convenience of a user's mobile phone. The Iphone has basically revolutionized the business world allowing important tasks and decisions to be made out of the office setting with a touch of a button on a phone screen. Mobile applications for the Iphone, now at over 500,000, have engulfed individuals' lives with endless possibilities of business, as well as pleasure, tools available for the mobile devices.
I am probably one of the remaining few individuals (thanks Sprint) that does not have an Iphone, therefore, I am still locked out of the endless application stratosphere. I am not completely convinced that me not having access to the mobile applications is a bad thing, because I know myself and I would probably have every possible application that could fit on my phone downloaded.
There are so many great mobile applications, but I find that the best ones are the social media apps that can be used in day-to-day life, allowing the user to accomplish work and stay connected outside of the formal business setting. Social Media Examiner put together a great list of the top 44 useful social media apps that really highlights all realms of social media one would need. Many apps on this list are apps that I have definitely heard of (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Flickr), but the best part about the list was learning about those that I have not heard of (i.e., Dragon Dictation, DocsToGo, Chomp).
This is a very useful list if you are involved in any aspect of social media and will make it tremendously easier to stay connected in a multitude of ways outside of the office environment.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
I am probably one of the remaining few individuals (thanks Sprint) that does not have an Iphone, therefore, I am still locked out of the endless application stratosphere. I am not completely convinced that me not having access to the mobile applications is a bad thing, because I know myself and I would probably have every possible application that could fit on my phone downloaded.
There are so many great mobile applications, but I find that the best ones are the social media apps that can be used in day-to-day life, allowing the user to accomplish work and stay connected outside of the formal business setting. Social Media Examiner put together a great list of the top 44 useful social media apps that really highlights all realms of social media one would need. Many apps on this list are apps that I have definitely heard of (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Flickr), but the best part about the list was learning about those that I have not heard of (i.e., Dragon Dictation, DocsToGo, Chomp).
This is a very useful list if you are involved in any aspect of social media and will make it tremendously easier to stay connected in a multitude of ways outside of the office environment.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Craigslist Posting Tip
It is always beneficial to not only post on Craigslist all throughout the day to get a gauge for when prospects are searching for apartments, but it is also very advantageous to post numerous types of ads as well. In posting many different ad types, the poster is able to see which ads are drawing in the attention of the potential prospects. Therefore it is very important to determine the specific ad that the prospect saw that made them pick up the phone and dial your community.
One of my favorite templates to use for posting Craigslist ads is the javascript editor TinyMCE. TinyMCE is basically a template upon which a Craigslist ad can be designed and simply copied and pasted, via html format, into the body paragraph on Craigslist where one would normally type the wording for an ad. Once the wording is typed into TinyMCE, then with the collaboration of Photobucket, pictures can be added after the wording on TinyMCE since Photobucket provides an html format option for each picture as a copy and paste function into TinyMCE. Upon completion of the wording for the Craigslist ad and the placement of the pictures from Photobucket, the TinyMCE html can be copied and pasted into the Craigslist body paragraph and the ad is complete.
When the ad is finished, the publisher will immediately notice that TinyMCE allows for the inclusion of many more pictures than Craigslist normally allows (4) and also provides a forum for the pictures to be vastly larger. These two features are what allow for a more innovative and attention grabbing posting since pictures are the most important part of a Craigslist ad.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
One of my favorite templates to use for posting Craigslist ads is the javascript editor TinyMCE. TinyMCE is basically a template upon which a Craigslist ad can be designed and simply copied and pasted, via html format, into the body paragraph on Craigslist where one would normally type the wording for an ad. Once the wording is typed into TinyMCE, then with the collaboration of Photobucket, pictures can be added after the wording on TinyMCE since Photobucket provides an html format option for each picture as a copy and paste function into TinyMCE. Upon completion of the wording for the Craigslist ad and the placement of the pictures from Photobucket, the TinyMCE html can be copied and pasted into the Craigslist body paragraph and the ad is complete.
When the ad is finished, the publisher will immediately notice that TinyMCE allows for the inclusion of many more pictures than Craigslist normally allows (4) and also provides a forum for the pictures to be vastly larger. These two features are what allow for a more innovative and attention grabbing posting since pictures are the most important part of a Craigslist ad.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Monday, August 1, 2011
CLASS Leasing: Facebook Tip Of The Day
When setting up an apartment community on Facebook, it is important that the property be listed as a Page and not as a Profile. Facebook will actually erase your page once they realize that you are listing a business and not an actual person. The main reason that this is a requirement Facebook enforces is for the safety of any individual that is following your Page by liking it. Whereas with a Profile in that anyone is able to pull-up who is friends with your community, when a community is listed as a Page, the only people that are able to view who likes the page are those individuals that are administrators of the property Page. If you have already created a Profile for your property, you can still switch the Profile to a Page without losing any of your followers, but you will not be able to retain anything information that has been posted previously to the community wall.
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
Enjoy!
CLASS Leasing
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