Apartment Blog

Continuing our weekly trend, here is an article with some fantastic tips on how to refresh your home using the color blue! Bring the outdoors inside with a splash of sophisticated and refreshing blue!

Make a bold statement by using deep blue. If you can’t paint, curtains are a great effect for your walls (especially if they are floor to ceiling length).

For added excitement in a bathroom, replace the knobs on your vanity and/or medicine cabinet with blue ones (just make sure you keep all the screws and original knobs when it’s time to move out). White and blue bath accessories, artwork and towels would really complete the look.

Blue checkered details really add a lot of fun as well as a retro twist to any space. You can use this idea for pillows on a bench in your apartment or for cushions around your dinning room table.

Silvery gray and pale aqua is a perfectly glamorous combination for a vanity table. An ornate mirror makes an elegant topper, however if you can’t take down your mirror, removable stickers to adjourn your mirror will work.

For a beach themed apartment, you can use removable cushion covers from an outdoor patio set. A blue stripped rug and an antiqued painted coffee table add dimension to the space; as would blue stripes and fun accents like a nautical star or chandelier.

Also, don’t be afraid to mix a variety of patterns - just stick within the same color palette. A delicate blue-and-white curtain blends beautifully with a shag rug, toile quilt, and boldly striped cushions. My favorite pattern, besides the classic stripes, is damask. Having a piece in the room using blue damask instantly makes it trendy and chic.

Paint and furniture aren’t the only ways to bring color into a room; fun knickknacks in the same hue will do the trick also!

What’s the next color on the menu? Yellow! Soon we will post ideas for decorating in the powerful color of the sun!

Source: Country Living and Better Homes & Gardens

Written by Erica Campbell, Gillian Luce and Kimetha Hill

“Gen Yers,” “Echo Boomers,” “Millennials,” “Net Generation,” “Trophy kids,” whatever you want to call them, are you ready to market to them? The largest generation since the Baby-Boomers, the Y Generation is defined by their numbers. Generation Y, born between 1977 and 1994, makes up over 70 million people in the U.S.; which equates to 20% of today’s population. ¹ Growing up in the age of technology has definitely given them an edge. In a world where YouTube^TM videos, MySpace® friends and common lingo including terms like ‘OMG,’ ‘LOL,’ ‘I Facebooked you,’ ‘BBIM,’ and ‘I tweet,’ building and sustaining relationships with consumers has become increasingly difficult, forcing marketers to reach beyond familiar and traditional strategies and techniques.

Web 2.0 platforms, mobile devices and video sharing sites are not merely evolutionary changes in the world of marketing. They are revolutionary. As marketers we need to reach Gen Y through an integrated marketing strategy which includes advertising on multiple platforms such as print, Internet, social networking sites, video sharing sites, text messaging, mobile Web sites, and the like. In a study conducted by Junco and Mastrodicasa: “Research on ‘The Net.Generation,’” they found that 97% of students owned a computer, 94% owned a cell phone, and 56% owned an MP3 player (iPod, Zune, Sansa, etc.). In that same study, 69% of students polled reported having a Facebook account, 28% reported owning a blog and 44% reported reading blogs.

Who Are They?

Gen Y is well educated and will have a huge social and economic impact. They are very independent due to divorce, day care and single parents. According to NAS Recruitment Communications, they were raised by “active parents,” who gave children lots of attention. They are very technologically savvy and thrive on networking and connecting with their friends and families through instant communication. Gen Yers, also known as Millenials, are considered efficient multi-taskers who will get things done faster and better than their competition. Often times Millennials can be curious, expressive and impatient while demanding instant gratification.

How Do You Gain Gen Y’s Attention?

Have your message available to them across multiple platforms. For Rent Media Solutions^TM accomplishes this by enabling renters to find apartments any time, any place and strives to position your apartment listings in more places for consumers. With more than 2 million publications distributed monthly nationwide, 2.4 million visitors each month to its Web sites, more than 13,000 text messaging customers, more than 2,000 customers using its online video, For Rent Media Solutions offers more points of contact to apartment listings than anyone in the multi-housing industry. Here are four tips on how you can successfully engage with Generation Y in this ever-changing marketplace:

1. Be available 24/7:
   Today, consumers are gathering information when they want and how they want. Gen Y in particular has become accustomed to instant gratification and they prefer to receive lots of  feedback. They tend to be impatient and want answers immediately. So take that into consideration when marketing. In addition to your Web site and listings on our Web sites,  also consider having a blog. As mentioned previously, 44% of the participants from the Junco  and Mastrodicasa study reported reading blogs. That’s a huge audience! For Rent Media Solutions allows prospective renters to find apartments 24/7 via our Web sites, social media profiles, our iPhone^TM application, mobile Web site, and text messaging.Incorporate For Rent Media Solutions’ text messaging product into your advertising. This allows the apartment seeker to send a text message with your property’s unique keyword to the short    code 47368 (4RENT). The property keywords can be seen on leasing banners, yard signs at the property, and in For Rent Media Solutions’ magazines. By texting the keyword, apartment  seekers receive a response text message with information about the specific property.   Property managers can also use the service to send customized messages promoting specials to  potential renters, as well as important messages and alerts to their current residents.
                                       
2. Listen:
   Gen Y is very blunt and expressive and making their point is important to them. Listen carefully to their wants and needs and analyze their behavior. According to a Cone Business study in September 2008, 93% of people using social media believe a    company should have a presence in social media and 85% believe a company should go further than just having a presence and should also interact with its consumers via social media. For Rent Media Solutions continues to push to be more social and find new ways to engage its consumers.  ForRent.com has taken a strategic approach to get in and get social and take their efforts to the next level with sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter to maximize their  reach.For Rent Media Solutions likes to encourage feedback from its users and wants to hear what they     want in order to provide a better apartment searching experience for them. The company diligently follows up with customers whenever they have a question or comment whether it is   sent in the form of an email, MySpace message, YouTube video comment, Facebook message or a Tweet. Engaging with consumers provides a better experience for them while also giving companies necessary feedback.
                             
3. Be Creative:
   Gen Y likes to mix it up and keep it new. So your advertising to them needs to be creative in order to catch their attention. Things you’ve done in the past may not necessarily work for the future. Being innovative and thinking outside the box is vital! ForRent.com launched its second  annual video contest on April 1. The “Ready2Move?” video contest at http://contest.forrent.com/    asked apartment seekers to tell ForRent.com in a 60 second or less video why they are ready to     move, for a chance to win $10,000. The concept gives users lots of flexibility with their     responses and also allows for plenty of room for fun and creative interpretation.
                                            
4. Go Green:
   The green revolution is more important to members of Gen Y than it ever was in the past. Gen Y has grown up with efforts to help save the environment and help preserve it for future   generations. Therefore, they are much more willing to alter their point of view on a company if        they know they are committed to conserving resources and finding innovative ways to be eco-friendly.  For Rent Media Solutions understands the big impact that corporations can have on the   environment. Here are some ways that we are helping to protect the planet: All newsprint pages   are printed on recycled paper and our insert cards are printed on a UV press that uses non    hazardous inks and do not emit VOC’s into the atmosphere.We also recycle all of the metal for the plates, and the ink/water/fountain solution. In addition to using eco-friendly methods during our business practices, we also provide ‘going   green’ tips and green living blogs for apartment renters and property managers. These tips range from using ‘green’ products to clean your apartment, purchasing  energy efficient appliances, ways to save on water, heat and electricity and how apartment communities can benefit from ‘going green.’
                             

The bottom line is that Gen Y is making waves. Understanding the needs and wants of the Y generation is one of the most important steps in marketing to them and retaining them as your customers.  In order to reach Gen Y, brands need to keep their advertising simple, be available, be authentic, be trendy and be where they are by providing them with what they want.
              
                
Source: ¹ Bureau of Census

For Rent Media Solutions™ asked this very question to its users by conducting a robust series of usability tests, with real apartment shoppers viewing eight different apartment listing Web sites including ForRent.com and its competitors. Usability testing is a technique used to evaluate a product by testing it on actual real users. A July 2008 MarketingSherpa.com study showed that highly engaged visitors have a conversion rate of about five percent, compared to about 0.2 percent of poorly engaged visitors — a 2500% difference. Did you know that Web users form first impressions of web pages in 1/20^th of a second? ¹ That is literally in the blink of an eye.“The world’s most powerful functionality will falter if users can’t figure out how to make it work.”²

In 2008 our Product Development Team videotaped users while navigating our site and our competitors’ sites to find out what worked and what didn’t work. They gathered comments and page ratings from OpinionLab, a third party leader in Voice of Customer (VoC) business intelligence. VoC plays a critical role in defining an organization’s ability to recognize and react quickly to shifting market forces and customer defined opportunities. Seventy five percent of web users admit making judgment about the credibility of an organization based on the design of its website.³ The Product Development Team surveyed direct email lists of consumers in ForRent.com’s demographic. In addition, they conducted in person interviews with people who were actively looking for apartments to get their opinions on their search experience. Throughout development, prototype testing was conducted.  We videotaped test users carrying out specific tasks on the proposed design of the new search. The purpose of this testing was to find design and functionality errors at an early stage. As a result, we learned that apartment shoppers felt they had very little control, could not maneuver through any of the eight sites tested and felt the sites did not produce relevant results.

We listened to users and redesigned our search functionality to eliminate their complaints and bring a “smarter search” experience for all. For Rent Media Solutions is proud to announce the launch of the all new Intuitive Search functionality and enhanced search results pages. These features are exclusive to ForRent.com. The intuitive search and enhanced search results pages give apartment seekers more control and more relevant results to help them have a “smarter search” experience.

Intuitive Search provides both “Exact” and “Close” matches, based on the user’s search criteria. These features give apartment shoppers more choices, intuitively providing them with results that are relevant to their needs. This means more exposure for your listings and a better experience for potential renters.

Watch the ForRent.com Intuitive Search video here for more information.

Source: ¹ Behavior and Information Technology Journal, , ² Garrett, J.J. (2003).  The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web.  New York: New Riders, pg. 14, ³ Research Summary from the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab. Stanford University.

What are we exposing about these selected Apartment Communities?
That’s simple; we’re exposing the property’s attractive features. We show the apartment communities’ amenities such as bedrooms, baths, layouts, fitness centers, pools, community center as well as the surrounding area. This really gives prospective renters the opportunity to gage a property before going to physically see it.

Why on sites like YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion, AptsVideo.com and others?
Again, that’s simple! In order to make the apartment search process easier for you, we need to be where YOU are. And that would include sites like YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion, AptsVideo.com. If you’re on these sites and want to look at an apartment community that is in your area, then what better way than to search then while you’re on MySpace or YouTube, etc. Without leaving the website you can still have an in-depth view of an apartment community of your choice.

Why should renters care??
As a prospective or current renter, you should care because we’re simplifying the apartment search process for you. You should care because we are trying to make a process that can be extremely difficult, easier; saving you time, energy and giving you peace of mind. And in today’s economy those are all desirable things. 

So what new videos do you have in store for us this week?
Well, take a look…..

Apartments For Rent in Texas:
Ventana Apartments in San Antonio, TX

Apartments For Rent in Wisconsin:
Monterey Apartments in Waukesha, WI
Presidio Square Apartments in Milwaukee, WI
Boston Lofts Apartments in Milwaukee, WI

Apartments For Rent in Ohio:
Solon Park Apartments in Solon, OH
Brookside Oval & Way Apartments in Cleveland, OH
The Enclave at Kennedy Ridge Apartments in North Olmsted, OH

Apartments For Rent in California:
Wilshire Margot Apartments in Los Angeles, CA
Wolf Ranch Condominium Apartments in Sacramento, CA

Apartments For Rent in North Carolina:
Strickland Farms Apartments in Raleigh, NC
Lexington on the Green Apartments in Raleigh, NC

Apartments For Rent in Washington, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Oregon, Maryland and Missouri:
Evergreen Park Apartments in Vancouver, WA
The Townhomes of Regency Place in Philadelphia, PA
Richfield Village Apartments in Clifton, NJ
King’s Court Apartments in Beaverton, OR
Columbia Commons Apartments in Columbia, MD
Luxury Living at Zona Rosa Apartments in Kansas City, MO
       
            

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                           

Contact:                                                                                                                            
Meredith Mobley                                                                                 
Marketing Communications Coordinator
meredith.mobley@forrent.com
Phone: 757-351-7366
Fax: 757-961-4827

For Rent Media Solutions^TM launches unique intuitive search function exclusively on ForRent.com

New search function brings “smarter search” experience to leading apartment Web site

NORFOLK, Va.-(May 26, 2009)-For Rent Media Solutions, a leading apartment resource for searching apartments nationwide, and a division of Dominion Enterprises, announces the launch of the all new intuitive search functionality and enhanced search results pages. These features are exclusive to ForRent.com, the company’s anchor Web site. The intuitive search and enhanced search results pages give apartment seekers more control and more relevant results to help them have a “smarter search” experience.

Intuitive search provides both “Exact” and “Close” matches, based on the user’s search criteria. These features give apartment shoppers more choices, intuitively providing them with results that are relevant to their needs. This means more exposure for the property manager’s listing and a better experience for potential renters.

 ”According to a July 2008 study by MarketingSherpa.com, highly engaged visitors have a conversion rate of about 5 percent, compared to about 0.2 percent of poorly engaged visitors,” notes Terry Slattery, president of For Rent Media Solutions. “In 2008, we performed a robust series of usability tests with real apartment seekers on eight different apartment Internet listing Web sites, including ForRent.com. From those results, we learned that apartment shoppers felt they had very little control, could not maneuver through the sites and felt the sites did not produce relevant results. We listened to users and redesigned our search functionality to eliminate their complaints and bring a smarter search experience for all.”

Smarter Search: Home Page

The ForRent.com search process has been enhanced in two areas essential to the apartment searching process: the home page and search results pages. The home page is more user-friendly. The prominently displayed search feature includes fields for criteria that most apartment shoppers know before they begin looking for an apartment, making it easy to use with a more natural way of narrowing down what they want. The home page requires users to specify location to search for property listings using city, state or zip code. Auto-complete suggestions will be made available to the user after they have inserted at least three letters. In addition to the required location information, the user can provide optimal search criteria such as price, beds and baths.

Apartment seekers can also access the Advanced Search option from the home page. When an apartment seeker enters a city and state, the site will return any property as an exact match that is within that city’s limits according to the U.S. Postal Service, and any additional properties that fall within the radius entered from the center of that city. The default radius is “Exact”, but users can expand their radius to 10, 20, or 30 miles. The Advanced Search offers users the ability to search by geography, interactive map, property name, and college or military base.   

Smarter Search: Search Results Page

The apartment seeker has more control over their search results in the enhanced search results pages. The seeker can customize the number of results that appear on a page and sort those results according to what is most relevant to them. Video has also been integrated into the search results listings. The “Exact Match” and “Close Match” are features that allow the apartment seeker to view listings that fit their exact search criteria as well as those that almost match. This gives more control to the apartment shopper making them more likely to find a property of interest, which in turn means more LEADS^TM for advertisers. In the search results, users can toggle properties through three view points: list view, photo view or map view. Apartment seekers can also filter listings by video, neighborhood, pets and multiple photos. Because of these enhanced options, property managers have more opportunity to be seen by apartment seekers.

For more information on ForRent.com’s new intuitive search, view the video found here.

About For Rent Media Solutions^TM

Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., For Rent Media Solutions is a division of Dominion Enterprises. As the multi-family housing solution for apartment seekers, property/apartment managers and owners, For Rent Media Solutions provides superior products, outstanding customer service, and tangible results.  For Rent Media Solutions is a leading resource for choosing your next apartment for rent, townhouse, condo, duplex, efficiency, studio or loft and provides a free customizable apartment search from more than 30,000 apartment listings nationwide.  For Rent Media Solutions operates For Rent Magazine^®, as well as ForRent.com^TM-The Magazine, and publishes 99 magazines covering more than 190 markets nationwide, including After 55^TM Housing & Resource Guide, and Apartamentos Para Rentar^®. For Rent Media Solutions operates four additional Web sites: ForRent.com^®, SeniorOutlook.com^TM, CorporateHousing.com^®, and ParaRentar.com^TM.  For Rent Media Solutions is a company dedicated to the needs of the apartment industry, bringing prospective residents and apartment communities together.

About Dominion Enterprises

Dominion Enterprises is a leading marketing services company serving the automotive, enthusiast and commercial vehicle, real estate, apartment rental, and employment industries. The company’s businesses provide a comprehensive suite of technology-based marketing solutions including Internet advertising, lead generation, CRM, Web site design and hosting, and data management services. The company has more than 45 market-leading Web sites reaching more than 16.7 million unique visitors, and more than 450 magazines with a weekly circulation of 4.3 million. Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., the company has 5,400 employees in more than 200 offices nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.dominionenterprises.com/.

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If you’re at that point where you realize, ‘Yeah….I’m ready to move!’ then tell us your story. You could win $10,000 in ForRent.com’s Ready2Move video contest.  It could be a bad roommate, noisy neighbor, paranormal activity or perhaps you’re still living with your parents! Whatever the case may be, tell ForRent.com why you are Ready2Move.

The deadline for video submissions is at 11:59 am on May 27th, 2009 which is tomorrow!!!

You can also win $1,500 just for being in the voting sweepstakes! A voter will be selected at random to win. So visit the website and vote for your favorite video. It could make you a winner!

Visit the website Contest.ForRent.com for competition videos, rules and the submission process!!

So hurry up and get your submissions in! It’s a great contest thus far and we’re looking forward to seeing more clever and imaginative videos.

Good Luck to all!