Apartment Blog

How often do you have the opportunity to #SaveonRENT, especially RENT: The Broadway Tour? Now you do, thanks to a special partnership between RENT and ForRent.com®.  This exclusive discount allows you to see Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, in the roles they made famous, for $10 less than everyone else! Share with your friends (Retweet) and be a part of the group that gets “A Tweet Deal.”

Attention: RENT Enthusiasts
Tweet for a chance to win RENT: The Broadway Tour memorabilia and remember you get $10 off on tickets when you enter the code ANGEL.

Step 1:
Follow us on Twitter @AptsForRent and @rentthebwaytour

Step 2:
Copy and paste the entire text below into one of your tweets:

@AptsForRent has the code 2 save $10 on @rentthebwaytour tix! RT msg 4 chance 2 win prize pack: http://tinyurl.com/yftof3h  #SaveonRENT

Step 3:
A randomly selected winner will be chosen from all tweeted entries on October 30^th, 2009; November 30^th, 2009; December 30^th, 2009 and January 13^th, 2010.

View the tour schdeule here: http://siteforrent.com/tourschedule 

Rules to play:
What?  A Tweet-to-Win sweepstakes.
Who?  You can enter if you are a consumer. Please no multi-family housing industry professionals or employees of For Rent Media Solutions, Dominion Enterprises and/or RENT: The Broadway Tour.
Why?  To win RENT: The Broadway Tour memorabilia & ForRent.com schwag and get $10 off ticket prices.
Where? Go to Twitter @AptsForRent and @rentthebwaytour to begin following.
How? Copy and paste the entire text below into one of your tweets:

@AptsForRent has the code 2 save $10 on @rentthebwaytour tix! RT msg 4 chance 2 win prize pack: http://tinyurl.com/yftof3h  #SaveonRENT  

When? A randomly selected winner will be chosen from all tweeted entries on October 30^th, 2009; November 30^th, 2009; December 30^th, 2009 and January 13^th, 2010. 

Rules to play:

What?  A Tweet-to-Win sweepstakes.

Who?  You can enter if you are a multi-family housing industry professional!  Please no consumers, competitors, or other vendors.

Why?  To win an IPOD Touch!

Where? Go to Twitter@AptsForRent.

How? Copy and paste the entire text below into one of your tweets:

Multifamily Peeps Enter 4 chance 2 win iPod touch frm @AptsForRent & tweet this msg #YeahWe’veGotThat Rules: http://tinyurl.com/lk4syp

When? A randomly selected winner will be chosen on 8.21.2009

By Erica Campbell & Gillian Luce

Social media is proving that free speech has extended its reach to new media platforms where conversations are being held between private individuals. Social media is all about people sharing opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other through online media channels. So you would think that one should not be sued in court for simply sharing a thought online, right? Last week’s big Twitter story revolved around a pending libel suit brought by Horizon Realty Group, a Chicago real estate management company, against one of its former tenants, Amanda Bonnen, in Cook County Circuit Court. This case has received extensive publicity and touches on issues such as consumer protection, limits of libel, free speech, and strategic lawsuits against public participation.

Amanda Bonnen complained via Twitter to about 20 followers that her landlord was apparently allowing her to live in mold-infested filth: “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks its okay.” The response from Horizon was a lawsuit! A short complaint filed in Cook County court last week accused Bonnen of libeling Horizon in 140 characters or less, and sought $50,000 in damages. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Horizon’s spokesperson responded to the situation with a quote, “We’re a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization.”
Let’s take a look at some of the lessons we can learn from this:

• Consumers are the new media and they know it
• Embrace consumer criticism as opposed to overreacting
• Ask questions first, then maybe don’t sue at all
• Consult with your PR team or agency before the spokesman offers a statement
• Play nice in the sand box
• Use social media as a customer service tool and listen for product insights and feedback
• Build resident retention through sites such as Facebook and Twitter

As we’ve stated before in a recent blog post, Attention Property Managers: Customer Service is Still #1, companies should not fear the social media landscape. We understand that apartment communities are concerned about negative community reviews which could potentially give you a negative image or possibly deter prospective residents away. However, as advertisers we need to understand that consumers are talking about our brands on these social media platforms weather we like it or not. Did you know that according to a JC Williams Group study, 91% say consumer reviews are the #1 aid to buying decisions and Marketing Sherpa states that 87% trust a friend’s recommendation over critic’s review. Customer service is undoubtedly one of the most exciting, measurable and effective uses of social media.

Being involved on social media platforms will give you the capability to build relationships with consumers and will also give you a chance to talk to consumers about your brand. When negative comments are made about your community, instead of ignoring them or overacting, think about how you should to respond to them. Reach out to the individual and seek out more information about their complaint. Think of ways to resolve the issue and make them happy. There is no better way to get a consumer singing your praises then providing them with a positive customer service experience.

It was best stated by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com, “If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell six friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.” Don’t miss an opportunity to speak to 6,000+ people by not responding or responding improperly.

There are a lot of different versions out there of how the Seven Deadly Sins apply to social media but here are some that For Rent Media Solutions has put together to assure that you are making the most of your social media marketing campaign.

1.      Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

We have all been there before and understand this one. When most companies enter the social media landscape they want to have a presence everywhere. In order to be effective both with time and resources, you need to have goals and a solid strategy to support them. It is not necessary to have an account on all of the social networking sites. Choose one or two platforms that best match your goals and target audience and get to know how they work. 

2.      Don’t Get Greedy

One of the main reasons businesses enter the realm of social media is to build relationships with consumers and increase their brand awareness; however this does not mean you need to solely promote it while you are on these sites. Follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of the content you are submitting, sharing, tagging and commenting on should not be yours. Don’t consistently link your content. Offer help to others that genuinely and directly benefits them, not you. Provide value to the conversation and become a trusted member of the community. Move people to engage your brand and be collaborative. You can only build a community by contributing and that contribution needs to provide value for the consumers. Only then will they begin to trust your brand.

3.      Don’t Lose Sight Over Quality vs. Quantity

Social media is about quality not quantity and it should not be looked at like a popularity contest. Having the highest number of followers and fans is not what it is all about. Take the time to build a targeted list even if it is smaller and takes longer. It is important to have followers that take action versus having thousands of followers/fans that will never convert. Social media is about building relationships, so you will also want to make sure that you can manage the relationships that you have.

4.      Don’t Try to Control It
Your relationships are your brand. Anyone can blog, tweet or Facebook message about a good or bad experience they had with your product and it can be seen by millions of people. Embrace the transparency of social media because people are talking about your communities whether you like it or not. We can all learn a lesson from the recent experience of a property management company that is suing a former resident for $50,000 over a tweet complaining about mold. Read more here: What the Horizon Realty Fail Can Teach You About Social Media. Within a few hours, Horizon    Realty became a “trending topic” on Twitter, which means that Horizon was one of the most talked about topics on Twitter. Although trending topics on Twitter tend to be short-lived, the reach and distribution of social media goes further than Twitter.

 If you try to control the message too much, you will lose control. Rather than be fearful of messages made about your brand, engage. Use it as an opportunity to display your customer service and you will win customers for life.

5.      Don’t Be Fake
As we’ve mentioned before, social media is very transparent.  Consumers will know if you’ve entered a space with the intention of only promoting your business and not engaging in conversation with them. This is a big mistake businesses are making. Your company needs to be honest and personable in the online space in order to build relationships, loyalty and trust. It’s ok to make a mistake, admit when you are wrong and move on. People want to do business with people NOT with companies so talk to them versus talking at them.

6.      Don’t Be Lazy
Not only do you need to be honest, but you need to be THERE! Don’t get in the mindset of “Set It and Forget It.” Your brand needs to be involved more than just once a week and response time  is critical. You have to write interesting content, you have to stay current, and you have to be willing to show up and put forth the effort. This is a relationship that needs continuous nurturing.  Setting up profiles on social media Web sites is easy. However, growing those profiles and keeping those profiles alive require time, dedication and resources.

7.      Don’t Be In Violation Of Fair Housing
Fair Housing laws are still applicable with social media. Generally, any postings online should be considered the same as email or text messages. This information is discoverable and can lead to liability. Posting photos of residents and employees? Get a model release and consider fair housing implications! Posting endorsements, testimonials and raves from your residents?  Get endorsement permission! Allowing unmonitored and uncontrolled posts?  Know how to respond to “bad press” about your community. Monitoring and controlling the posts?  Your liability increases - libel and fair housing issues.

With the growing popularity of mobile communication for the masses, comes the development of mobile applications and mobile Web sites. Mobile initiatives are quickly becoming part of today’s marketing mix because they can connect brands and products directly to consumers. Today’s consumer is very tech savvy and branded applications and mobile Web sites are a way to connect on their terms, are perfect for consumer engagement and provide rich data.

ForRent.com has launched a T-Mobile G1^TM (GPhone) application. The application is the latest addition to For Rent’s existing suite of mobile marketing products offered to apartment seekers and solidifies ForRent.com as a leader in mobile marketing. In addition to the GPhone app, ForRent.com launched an iPhone^® app in April which has received more than 23,000 downloads.

With ForRent.com’s free GPhone application, apartment seekers can browse through thousands of apartment listings nationwide. Users can also view apartment descriptions, videos, pictures, and floor plans, save their results, and contact the property. Consumers can use touchable map pins to click on a pin representing a property and go directly to the property’s page. The GPhone runs on the new Google Android operating system. Applications are only accessible through the GPhone phone, but can be previewed at the Android Market Web site.

 ”According to comScore Media Metrix, consumers downloaded 83 percent more mobile applications in March 2009 than in March 2008, says Terry Slattery, president of For Rent Media Solutions. “We understand how much mobile Web impacts our consumers’ daily lives and will continue to explore opportunities with other mobile devices.”

While the number of consumers downloading mobile applications continues to grow, comScore shows that the preferred mode for accessing local content on a mobile device is through a mobile browser. In March 2008, 15.4 million mobile Web users accessed information via a mobile browser. By March 2009, that number jumped to 20.7 million. According to Omniture SiteCatalyst, an online business optimization company, the ForRent.com mobile site received more than 256,000 page views in May 2009.

This past March we posted an article titled ‘Marketing to Hispanics‘ where we briefly mentioned mobile marketing. This month we would like to expand on that topic as we take a look at mobile Web sites, text messaging and mobile applications to reach the Hispanic community.

According to comScore m:metrics, 71% of Hispanics consume content on cell phones compared to the market average of 48%. Nielsen’s recent ‘Mobile Advertising Report’ highlighted that Hispanic data users are more likely to recall seeing ads on mobile phones (41% compared with 30% of non-Hispanics) and more likely to have responded (22% vs. 13%). Therefore, mobile marketing to the Hispanic demographic is an opportunity to experience growth in this slowing economy.

Having mobile capabilities like text messaging is ideal for these consumers to find you.  Especially since many Hispanics will first experience the Internet via their cell phones because of limitations of Internet on a home computer. In addition to having your Web site available on mobile devices is the need to offer a Spanish translated site. Many Hispanic consumers are bilingual, but there is a sizeable market that still communicates primarily in Spanish. To effectively target these consumers, mobile initiatives should include Spanish language media as a key component of the mobile marketing mix.

According to Jose Villa, author of MediaPost’s blog, ‘10 Things You Should Know About U.S. Hispanics‘, “Hispanics are still a part of the honeymoon phase.”  Meaning, they are not burned out and therefore, are more likely to respond to advertisements from companies on their mobile devices.  In addition to mobile Web sites, text messaging and mobile applications are essential.

For Rent Media Solutions’ text messaging product allows the Hispanic apartment seeker to send a text message with the 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 Apartamentos Para Rentar® magazines. By texting the keyword apartment seekers will receive a response text message with information about the specific property. Property managers also use the service to send customized messages promoting specials to potential renters, as well as important messages and alerts to their current residents.

“Hispanics are connecting twice as fast as the general market (14% growth versus 7%) adding over a million users per year. In 2008, 23 million Hispanics are online, about 52% of the Hispanic population.”1 Therefore, adding more technology to your business, i.e., mobile marketing, to attract the Hispanic community is very important to the survival of companies in this economy. This Hispanic market is the ideal renter because they are very brand loyal and they tend to stick with what with what is familiar to them. Just like any other consumer, they are looking for an experience.  Provide that for them and have a loyal, growing force supporting your brand. What more could you want?

¹ MediaPosts Engage:Hispanics ‘10 Things You Should Know About U.S. Hispanics’ by Alvaro Cabrera. Thursday, June 25, 2009