Apartment Blog

Did you attend the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) tradeshow this year? It was held from August 26^th -28^th at the Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Hotel in Orlando, Florida. This year was a huge success as the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) conference opened its doors to more than 450 multi-housing professionals. The conference encouraged attendees to “Catch the Next Wave” of industry innovations.  Multi-housing professionals learned more about technology, customer service, green initiatives, marketing, and training. Check out this 2009 Florida Apartment Association Conference and Trade Show highlight video which captures moments from the successful education conference and trade show!

And of course, you know your friendly For Rent Media Solutions staff was there representing! Corporate and Florida employees were decked out in bright colored t-shirts with icon graphics to include ways we reach consumers: text, mobile, social media, video and much more!

Listen to a testimonial from one of our clients Lori Donnelly, VP CFH Group with For Rent Media Solutions to Dori Rones, South Florida GSM of For Rent Media Solutions.

NORFOLK, Va.-(May 5, 2009)-For Rent Media Solutions, a leading apartment resource for searching apartments nationwide, and a division of Dominion Enterprises, has announced the promotion of Brock MacLean to senior vice president of national sales and development.

“Brock has helped For Rent Media Solutions excel as a leader in technology in the multi-housing industry,” said Terry Slattery, president, For Rent Media Solutions. “Under his supervision, we have created industry firsts, which have helped For Rent Media Solutions solidify its position as a leader in tech savvy marketing. I am completely confident that as senior vice president, he will continue to push the goals of our company and use his creativity to take us to the next level in multi-media channel marketing.” 

MacLean is a 15 year veteran in the multi-housing industry. Since joining For Rent Media Solutions in 2006, he has found his niche in technology. He spearheaded efforts to create Community Theater^®, the industry’s first online video package, followed by a text messaging product, mobile Web site and most recently, an iPhone^® application, with features that cannot be found in any iPhone apartment application in the market. He has helped educate the industry through speaking engagements, national management meetings and media interviews for major industry publications.

“For Rent Media Solutions has taken time to carefully craft a strategy for success,” notes MacLean. “We continue to push the envelope across many aspects of our business and our customers are recognizing our creativity and innovation. In my new position, I am ready to execute new strategies aimed at continuing the ongoing accomplishments of this company.” 

About For Rent Media Solutions™

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 50,000 apartment listings nationwide.  For Rent Media Solutions operates For Rent Magazine^®, as well as ForRent.com™-The Magazine, and publishes 98 magazines covering more than 190 markets nationwide, including After 55™ Housing & Resource Guide, and Apartamentos Para Rentar^®. For Rent Media Solutions operates four additional Web sites: ForRent.com®, SeniorOutlook.com™, CorporateHousing.com^®, and ParaRentar.com™.  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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Bob Dylan wrote the song, “The Times They Are A-Changin” and those words ring true in today’s market. The marketing landscape has changed and continues to change at a rapid pace. It’s now a Web 2.0 Marketplace- a techno-driven, media-fragmented environment populated by empowered consumers. In a world where YouTube^TM videos and Facebook friends are common cocktail conversations, building and sustaining relationships with consumers has become increasingly difficult, forcing marketers to reach beyond familiar strategies and techniques.

Your residents, and the prospects you are targeting, are a lot different than they were in previous years. Today’s consumers trust referrals from family and friends over anything else, and where do consumers talk about their favorite products and brands? On the internet! Renters are talking about your communities, sharing opinions and experiences, and making referrals via social media platforms. Online social networking sites have revolutionized the way people interact with each other and gather information. It is essential that wherever consumers are talking about your brand (good or bad), your company be there-interacting.

Maintaining an on-going positive relationship with renters and prospective renters is critical to any apartment community’s long term success. Today, companies must be part of the consumer dialogue. Marketers must blend communication messages across all available media channels for the consumers to achieve a continuous brand experience. It is important to have an integrated marketing strategy that consists of print, Internet, mobile and social media. The key to success is to convey a message synergistically at every customer touch point. For Rent Media Solutions is adapting to the change and maximizing our advertisers’ marketing strategy by using an integrated approach.

Here are five marketing solutions For Rent Media Solutions can provide for your integrated marketing strategy:

1. Reaching Consumers on-the-go with Mobile Marketing

Some 80 percent of all Americans carry mobile phones. There are more mobile-only households than landline-only households. If businesses do not adapt to this channel, they will, eventually and certainly, suffer a disadvantage compared with those businesses that catch the vision of mobile data communications and take full advantage of the channel. By using technologically-savvy marketing tools such as text messaging and the mobile web, property managers can increase their reach, better identify with the apartment market’s target demographic and generate more LEADS^TM from potential customers. Text messaging and mobile Web sites create opportunities for property managers to interact more with their residents-increasing the residents’ brand loyalty in the community and the property management company. Mobile marketing expands marketing reach to all types of media and results in more online conversions.

In January, nearly 12,500 text messages were sent to our advertisers. With text messaging, potential renters view a property’s listing in For Rent Magazine^®, see a custom keyword text call to action on the ad or from the community leasing banner, and then text the community if they are interested in learning more about the property. The property can customize the response to the prospective renter and provide them with details, pricing, photos, a link to the ad on ForRent.com^® and more. Our print ads also provide unique property URL’s which will send the consumer to the apartment profile page where they can fill out a guest card.

In June 2008, For Rent Media Solutions launched its mobile Web site http://m.forrent.com/.

Our mobile Web site can expose a property manager to a wider audience, making their apartment listings available to consumers not only through print publications and the Internet, but through their cell phones as well.

Tip: Include the free customized keyword and text icon that For Rent Media Solutions provides to its print customers on your For Rent Magazine ad, leasing banners and yard signs. Be sure to advertise your community’s specials, events, and promotions in your customized responses. For additional branding and traffic, take advantage of using your custom keyword on your brochures, direct mail pieces, flyers and more to track the success of your print advertising. Reach potential renters in a manner that is convenient and most frequently used by them.

Did you know?

• According to the Center for Media research, text messaging is the most preferred advertising approach among over two-thirds (69 percent of adults and 64 percent of teens) of consumers.
• 52% of mobile users access the Web via their mobile phones, and 35 to 44 year-olds are leveraging this technology the most, with 60% spending time each week surfing the Web.
• 25% of mobile users access video on their mobile phones, with 88% of this group spending less than two hours/week, which indicates a growing appetite for rich media with shorter duration viewing patterns.
• 25% of mobile users are accessing social networking sites from their mobile devices, with one in seven respondents between the ages of 23 to 34 doing so for more than two hours/week.

2. Combining Print and Internet

The print industry is not dying - it is simply adapting to the new world of marketing. In today’s economy, it is important to maximize your reach by using the most effective method of marketing and advertising. This is done by using the powerful combination of print and Internet. Research from iProspect and Jupiter Research found that 67% of the online search population is driven to search by offline channels. Of that percentage, 30% come from print ads. Even more impressive is the fact that print advertising topped the list of offline media sources that led to a purchase, with 30% of search users who opened their wallet and bought online coming from a print medium. Marketers worldwide agree! Take a look at this article found by Lisa Trosien, a nationally recognized apartment marketing expert, called, ‘Why Cutting Print Budgets Means Cutting Online Sales’.

For Rent Media Solutions continues to prove that the “The Power of Print and Internet” is delivering favorable results. In January 2009, nearly 1.3 million potential renters sought out more information on our advertisers’ communities through our various points of contact, including: text messaging, video, phone calls and online guest cards. For Rent Magazine continues to drive LEADS and traffic to Forrent.com. With more than 2 million publications distributed nationwide, we deliver nearly three times the amount of LEADS to our Print and Internet advertisers compared to Internet only advertisers!

Tip: Include your ForRent.com vanity URL on your print collateral to drive LEADS directly to your listing and to more importantly, track the success of print. Find additional tips on how to maximize your print and Internet listings here.

Did you know?

• Offering online and print solutions is essential to the success of your business. Why?
  1. Not everyone has access to the Internet. According to a Pew Internet
      Research study, one-quarter of Americans have no Internet access.
  2. A 2008 Parks Associates study found that more than 20% of Americans had
      never looked up a Web site or sent or received emails.
• New consumer research conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo and commissioned by Google, shows that “among people who research products and services after seeing them advertised in newspapers, 67% use the Internet to find more information, and nearly 70% of them actually make a purchase following their additional research.”
• This new study demonstrates that print ads also drive people to conduct additional product research online. “56% researched or purchased at least one product they saw advertised in the print ad in the previous month.”
• In addition, the use of newspapers and the Internet reinforces consumer confidence. The study also states, “48% of respondents said that seeing a product in the newspaper after seeing it online would make them trust the product more and be more likely to purchase.”

3. Connecting on Social Networking Sites

Social Networking is like the old shampoo commercial; “I told two friends, then they told two friends, and so on, and so on…” -Doug Ross

Social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, are growing daily. Consumers on social media Web sites aren’t just teens. Adults now outnumber teens on social networking sites. According to Enid Burns with Search Engine Watch, “the use of social networking sites among those 18 and older quadrupled over the past four years and seventy-five percent of online adults 18-24 have a profile on a social networking site.”  According to Hitwise, 27 percent of social networking traffic is moving to and from one another, suggesting that users have multiple accounts and can switch their loyalty quickly.

For Rent Media Solutions has over 50 MySpace profiles covering markets nationwide, exposing our brand and yours to more than 6,500 consumers. In addition to the profiles, we also syndicate your listings to MySpace Classifieds. Between Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter, our direct social media network consists of more than 11,000 people and our extended network potentially reaches nearly 2 million people.

Tip: Set up a MySpace page or Facebook group for your apartment community to provide a distinct way for your businesses and brand to create direct connections with residents and prospective residents. Drive additional traffic and LEADS^TM to your ForRent.com listing by including your apartment profile page URL in your social networking profiles. In addition, these online communities can also allow you to interact   and communicate with your staff.

Did you know?

• Facebook has 175 million+ registered users and the average user has 120 friends on the site. More than 3 billion+ minutes are spent on the site each day and 850 million photos are added daily.
• MySpace.com has more than 100 million registered users. The site receives 55.7+ million unique users per month and 17.5+ million daily unique logins. The average MySpace user logs in 30 times a day.

4. Broadcasting with Online Video

Online video and video sharing sites such as YouTube are vital channels for driving user engagement and loyalty, as well as powerful internal tools benefitting employees. The impact of video is very strong when consumers find the videos though online search, social media sites or via the community’s Web site. Prospective residents are forwarding these videos via email and social media sites to friends who might also be interested in moving.

For Rent Media Solutions offers Community Theater^®, a professionally produced online video that enhances the apartment shoppers experience by allowing users to view your apartment community’s most sought after units and amenities as well as the surrounding city it is located in. For Rent Media Solutions does the work for you. All Community Theater videos are syndicated to ForRent.com, your management company’s website, AptsVideo.com, along with more than ten major channels including Google, Yahoo, MySpace and YouTube. Along with the Community Theater video, the long description, community name/location and ForRent.com apartment profile URL are included in on social media Web sites to encourage traffic back to your listing. The Community Theater videos have received more than 7.8 million video views and more than 845,000 of those views came from social media Web sites.

Tip: For additional exposure, post your Community Theater videos on your property management social networking profiles. Visit our YouTube profile here to find your Community Theater video. Click on the video detail page, copy the “embed” code and  paste it into your other social profiles or click on the ‘Share’ button then select the site of your choice to automatically syndicate the video to your profile. Another idea is to host a video contest for your residents and post the videos to your management company’s Web site and/or to your company YouTube page. User generated content can easily turn customers and fans into a network of content creators who communicate through video. Both online video and social media combined form new capabilities for business and   foster natural dialogue for your brand.

Did you know?

• According to Facebook, more than 5 million videos are uploaded each month.
• According to YouTube, the site has over 70 million videos and receives more than 100 million+ video views per day.
• comScore Media Metrix states that 52.5 million viewers watched 371 million videos on MySpace.com in November 2008 (7.1 videos per viewer).

5. Building Relationships

For any business to survive in today’s economy they need to know the essence of networking. Same rings true for individuals. With our current market, networking your business and yourself is critical. Sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter will see tremendous growth, as more and more people are flocking to these sites for contacts. Your company’s presence needs to be on these sites to network and interact with potential partners. For Rent Media Solutions is an active participant in the conversations on LinkedIn and Twitter. These sites allow us to gain faster access to insight and resources in the multi-family housing industry. Start networking with industry professionals and renters today. Join in the conversation on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter.

Tip: Set up a LinkedIn group to communicate with your employees and current residents. Use LinkedIn as a recruiting tool and post and distribute job listings to find the best talent for your company. Listen to industry subject matter experts on the discussion boards in Multi-family Housing groups such as Apartment Professionals Network, Multifamily   Technology, NAA, and Multifamily Insiders.

 Did you know?

• Twitter has 3.5million+ users and more than 1.1 billion ‘tweets’ have been sent to date.
• LinkedIn has over 35 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world.

Bob Dylan said it best, “The line it is drawn.” It’s time for companies to accept the shift in media and move forward. Since the purpose of marketing is to generate revenue, increase LEADS, fill vacancies, and/or drive brand awareness, marketers need to find ways to do this effectively; and embracing an integrated marketing strategy is the first step. “You better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone.” Are you maximizing your advertising strategy with For Rent Media Solutions?

Former vice president and general manager transitions into his new role as president

NORFOLK, Va.-(December 5, 2008)-For Rent Media Solutions, a leading apartment resource for searching apartments nationwide, and a division of Dominion Enterprises, is proud to announce Terry Slattery’s promotion to president of For Rent Media Solutions. This change is in recognition of Slattery’s contributions to both For Rent Media Solutions and the multi-housing industry.

“I have had the fortune of working with Terry for eight years now,” said Jack Ross,  president of Dominion Enterprises apartment and employment businesses. “His impact on For Rent Media Solutions and the industry has been substantial. He continues to show his dedication to multi-housing through his membership in organizations like the National Apartment Association, where he was recently recognized as a recipient of a Paragon Award. I am confident For Rent Media Solutions will continue to grow under his leadership.”

Slattery entered the multi-housing industry in 1993, when he joined the For Rent Magazine^® office in Las Vegas as an account executive. Since then, he has held several positions within the company, including national marketing director, vice president of marketing, and vice president of national sales and marketing. He assisted with the execution of LEADS^TM, the original tracking service in the multi-family housing business, now considered the standard in the industry. He is also credited for heading up the group that created ForRent.com^®, one of the nation’s leading apartment Internet Listing Services.

“I am honored to step into the role of president of For Rent Media Solutions,” said Slattery. “I am proud of the success our company continues to experience and look forward to finding more innovative ways to promote our clients through a combination of print and Internet services.”

Slattery is very active in the multi-housing industry, attending many industry conferences and serving as a board member for the National Apartment Association. In 2007, he was appointed chairman of the National Supplier’s Council. In this position, he co-chaired the NAA Education Conference and Convention in Las Vegas and oversaw the development of the National Suppliers Council. This is the highest level that a supplier can rise to in the multi-family industry.

In his last role as the vice president and general manager of For Rent Media Solutions, Slattery brought innovation to the industry through new initiatives such as online video and mobile technology. As president, he will oversee all aspects of print, Internet, production and operations for all For Rent Media Solutions publications and Web sites, including: For Rent Magazine^®, ForRent.com, Apartamentos Para Rentar^®, CorporateHousing.com and After 55^TM Housing and Resource Guide.

While the holiday season is one of the most treasured times of year (it certainly is for me), it can also be one of the most wasteful times of the year. Think about it, gifts being purchased that may not ever be used, holiday cards bought, the colossal gift wrapping options and of course our beloved holiday lights!! It really appears to not be the most energy efficient season and we at ForRent.com want to help you ‘go green’ all year long. So we’ve provided you with a couple of environmentally-friendly ideas for you to incorporate this holiday season.

E-Cards:
With the advancement in technology we are now able to send a massive amount of greetings via email. Now I, much like my grandmother and great grandmother, would prefer doing the more meaningful option of sitting down and hand writing little notes to each of my 20 family members, but I realize that isn’t always convenient. So this year I am going to email a majority of my holiday cards (sorry, gotta send grandma and great grandma the personalized card…its tradition). Not only will that save me time and money (a lot of E-cards are FREE), but it will also help reduce the amount of paper I would be using during the holidays, which brings me to my next topic of discussion…..

GREEN Gift Wrapping:
No, I’m not just talking about the color! I’m talking about the reusable, recycled paper. You can find a vast amount of stores and websites (amazon.com for example) that sell recycled material for packaging options. There are large rolls of brown recycled paper for wrapping gifts or bags for your hard to wrap gifts. While they may not be the most attractive or holiday themed, they allow for much more creativity! Get your markers, colored pencils, stamps, paint, whatever and start decorating! Getting the kids involved would also be a bonus gift for the relatives. Something they most certainly will cherish!

Holiday Lights Get a Makeover:
In case you didn’t know, and I didn’t, there is an option for holiday lights that is much more energy efficient. As you know with my previous tips, I am an advocate in shutting off appliances (or anything plugged in) while its not in use. Having strings of lights plugged in throughout the night for 25 days can be quite costly, not to mention wasteful.  Solar lights are the solution! They are charged during the day from the sun, automatically turn on and run continuously through the night. You just need to place them in areas where they will receive direct sunlight so they can charge. Most do require rechargeable batteries which are powered through the day and can last for up to 12 months!! While the solar lights are out numbered by the more traditional lighting methods, they are growing as the trend for ‘going green’ continues.

So there you are, some quick tips for choosing an eco-friendly holiday season. If we’ve left any out, please share! Waste not, want not was what my mother always said!!

New technology combined with traditional marketing methods
generate more leads for property managers

Finding a home is a big decision for potential renters. Property managers should be interested in making this process as seamless as possible. With the emergence of new media putting properties in front of prospective renters quicker than ever, it is important for property managers to take advantage of new, technologically-savvy marketing techniques. While maintaining traditional efforts, to continue generating leads you can utilize all of your offline and online marketing tools and create synergy between mediums. By adding mobile marketing, streaming video and social media to marketing initiatives, property managers have the potential to increase their reach, better identify with the apartment market’s target demographic, and generate more leads from potential renters.

Mobile marketing, such as text messaging, and streaming video can assist your marketing endeavors in many ways. Maximize print advertising with text messaging to create an opportunity for property managers to interact more with their residents—increasing the residents’ brand loyalty in the community and the property management company. Mobile marketing expands marketing reach to all types of media and results in more online conversions. As a marketing tool, streaming video can generate more exposure for property managers and encourage conversation between properties and their potential residents. According to comScore, U.S. Internet users viewed over 11.4 billion online videos during July and 75% of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video. Read the full comScore report here.

Social media personalizes the apartment searching process, allowing seekers to become more connected with a property. It offers a variety of marketing avenues for property managers. They can communicate with residents and prospective residents through social networks, blogs, instant messaging, and podcasts. According to the findings of the 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study, almost 60% of Americans interact with companies on a social media Web site, and one in four interact more than once per week. The survey found that 93% of Americans believe a company should have a presence in social media, while 85% believe a company should not only be present, but should also interact with its consumers via social media.

With the advances made to communication through technology, it is not only important for property managers to deliver their message to potential renters, but to also actively participate in the conversation. Today, that conversation is taking place on social networking sites, blogs and video-sharing sites. These new forms of new media personalize the apartment searching process, allowing seekers to become more connected with a property.