by threshold | Dec 8, 2016 | All, Culture
Name: Tyler Holmes
Title: Account Manager
Tyler has been working in student housing marketing since college, and now he’s absolutely brimming with apartment marketing ideas and multifamily marketing strategies. On top of that, he also owns the world’s cutest dog.
Get to know Tyler more below!
What are 3 words you would use to describe Threshold?
Innovative, Fun, and Full of Swagger
If you had an office nickname, what would it be?
The Tyl… Squirrel!
What is your favorite line from a movie?
Guys, if I don’t bleed to death pretty soon, I’m gonna die of boredom. – Suicide Kings
If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring?
Booze, Bacon, and more Booze
What is the title of your autobiography?
My Life with a Side of Bacon
What is/would be your motto or slogan?
It’s all good!
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Telekinesis (bascially can do anything!)
What is your hidden talent?
I use to sing in showchoir… so yeah… there’s that…
If you were famous, what would it be for?
Dog Rescuing
Favorite Austin eats?
Rudy’s BBQ
by threshold | Nov 11, 2016 | All, Culture
Name: Billy Wilkinson
Title: Chief of Everything Else
Billy helps Threshold manage all the little details that go into apartment marketing. Whether’s he’s coming up with student housing marketing ideas or crunching financial numbers, Billy puts in the hard work every day.
Get to know Billy below!
What are 3 words you would use to describe Threshold?
Amazing, Proven, Real
If you had an office nickname, what would it be?
I…have….no…idea…Probably best to ask everyone else this question?
What is your favorite line from a movie?
Do I make you randy baby?
If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring?
Pinot Grigio, a lighter, and a boat!
What is the title of your autobiography?
Now you see him. Now you…still see him.
What is/would be your motto or slogan?
The only thing you are guaranteed when you are born is that you are going to die. Your life in between is only as good as you make it.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Telepathy.
What is your hidden talent?
Grilling some mean experimental burgers!
If you were famous, what would it be for?
Something business oriented.
Favorite Austin eats?
Whatever’s new. Austin is always opening amazing new eateries to try.
by threshold | Nov 3, 2016 | All
Apartment marketing should be dynamic. That’s why “stagnant” is the last word you want to be associated with your property’s website. Google rewards websites that are constantly refreshed with new content and relevant keywords, so “set it and forget it” is not a winning strategy for any websites used as multifamily marketing materials. In fact, websites should be treated much like a social media page. You’re probably aware that a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in a long time is a bad look for any business. In the same way, websites that haven’t been updated with new content suffer in search rankings.
A blog is the easiest way to update your site with content that is both consistent and useful, which are two key aspects of SEO. Useful content is more likely to be shared on other sites, including residents’ social media pages. When someone links back to your blog, it creates a backlink. A backlink is an incoming hyperlink from someone else’s web page to your website, and they provide huge boosts to your site’s search ranking.
Is there anything on your website right now that residents would feel inclined to share with their friends? If the answer is no, a blog can change that right away. The key is to write content that solves people’s problems. Whether you’re marketing to millennials or senior citizens, people want to feel like your blog can add something to their lives.
Properties should post at least two new blogs each month to keep their page fresh and ranking high on Google. It’s important to be consistent, so if you upload your first blog on a Tuesday, you should always upload blogs on Tuesdays. Not only will this help with SEO ranking, but your residents will come to expect a new blog on the same day each week.
Blogs can really provide added value if they’re filled with shareable content. Here are some apartment marketing ideas that we love using in blogs.
Call Attention to Amenities
Do your properties have luxury amenities like a cabana or outdoor grill?
Write about BBQ recipes or burger grilling dos and don’ts.
Got a state-of-the-art workout facility?
Write about trendy new exercises or workout equipment.
This type of content can be found all over the web, but not every site has the advantage of being able to tie it back to on-site amenities for their audience. Not only do amenity-focused blogs boost SEO, they also help residents feel like they’re getting more out of their community. A well-written, topical monthly blog series can even act as an additional luxury amenity when done right.
Rank Bars and Restaurants
Restaurant rankings and reviews make for ideal blog content. If you’re going to write about local restaurants, be sure to include links to the restaurants’ websites. These links will boost your SEO since Google uses keywords from the restaurant websites in addition to your blog content to determine search ranking. When done well, a simple breakdown of new bars and restaurants near your property can do wonders for your website’s search ranking. This type of content is also incredibly useful, and highly shareable as a result.
Give Residents Something to Do
Just like restaurant rankings, posts about local events are the perfect opportunity to link to local venue and event pages. This is also some of the most shareable, relevant content your website can produce.
Think about it, wouldn’t you love to see a list of events in your area, then share it to a friend’s Facebook wall?
A blog about local events will frame your property as the go-to source for residents looking for something to do in the community. All it takes is one useful blog for residents to start checking back for new posts each week. More readers mean more shared posts and more backlinks.
Since every website needs a blog these days, we at Threshold provide blog writing services for properties all over the country. If you don’t have time to write 2 to 4 blogs every month, let Threshold give your website an SEO boost with useful, relevant blog content. Check back in a couple weeks for more marketing ideas for apartments from Threshold agency.
by threshold | Oct 20, 2016 | All, Tech/Web
Apartment marketing for mobile devices is as much about usability as it is about getting noticed. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a software can be used by specified consumers to achieve objectives with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. Over the past 10 years, Google’s search algorithm updates have focused mainly on the “satisfaction” part of this definition. The updates that Google makes to its algorithm are usually intended to improve the experience users have browsing the web.
Quick, think of the most annoying thing that you encounter when browsing the web on a mobile device. Many of you probably thought of mobile pop-up ads, which cause slow web page loading times and delay how quickly we can access content. Google hears you, and the tech giant has updated its search algorithm to lower search rankings for websites that feature mobile pop-up ads.
This change to Google’s algorithm will have major implications for many property websites that run promotions through mobile pop-up ads. Threshold has been creating and implementing pop-up ads on desktop and mobile for quite some time, so it’s part of our job to stay on top of any changing trends in the industry. That’s why we’re going to explain how the latest Google update will affect your property’s website.
In 2014, Google made a push to make the web more mobile-friendly. Pages that were mobile-optimized—that is, they featured readable text and had well-spaced links that were easy to tap with a finger—were ranked higher in search results. That update had the intended effect, and in 2016 Google announced that 85% of mobile search results are optimized as Google intended. This prompted Google to introduce new mobile-specific ranking criteria meant to further improve the mobile browsing experience.
Enter Google’s latest update, which will now favor websites that lack “interstitials.” Interstitials are ads that force exposure to the advertisement before visitors can continue on their content path. Think mobile pop-ups, full-page ads and between-the-page ads.
The algorithmic changes will go into effect on January 10th, 2017, and Google’s official stance on the issue is as follows:
“Pages that show intrusive interstitials provide a poorer experience to users than other pages where content is immediately accessible,” Google’s official announcement states. “This can be problematic on mobile devices where screens are often smaller.”
Although Google’s new update may seem daunting because of the way it will affect your property’s website, it’s actually a good thing for the overall mobile web user experience. The easier it is for people to use the web on their mobile devices, they more often they will be able to search for your property and access your site. Instead of forcing users to view mobile-pop up ads, marketers and apartment managers must come up with new apartment marketing ideas that consider users wants and needs in creative ways. Google’s update won’t crush anyone’s business, it will just force us all to create a better user experience on mobile websites.
Staying on the first page in Google’s search results is more important that any mobile-pop up ad. Thus, the first step to conforming to Google’s algorithmic changes is to remove mobile pop-up ads and other interstitials. The second step is to create worthwhile content that draws users in without disrupting their mobile web experience. Blogs and other similar content will become more valuable than ever, as websites search for marketing ideas for apartments that get information to users without using pop-up ads. As usual, content is king.
Threshold performs blog writing services for many of our clients. If you aren’t using blogs to update your web content and boost SEO rankings, now is a great time to start. We are also already making changes to our clients’ websites to prepare for the algorithmic changes. If you’re unsure about the viability of your mobile site, contact Threshold today for an assessment.
by threshold | Oct 6, 2016 | All, Marketing
The easiest way to create momentum for your property is through a resident appreciation program. Property managers and leasing agents should always be thanking residents for spending their hard earned money with your property. After all, it’s far easier to renew leases than convince cold prospects to sign new leases. As the saying goes, a resident in hand is worth two in the bush.
Schedule your resident appreciation program for the next 6 to 12 months in order to achieve more accurate budgets for events and promotions. This also gives your staff will more time to prepare and receive resident appreciation training.
Whether you’re in student housing marketing or multifamily marketing, the keys to successful resident events are photos, pictures, and photographs. See what we did there?
But really, everyone who didn’t show up should be able to see pictures from the event on their newsfeed and wish they had attended. If you snap pictures and post them on Facebook and Instagram, your crowd will be much bigger the next time around.
It’s also important to talk to local businesses about possible co-sponsorships for your resident appreciation events. While your property has a lot to offer, pairing with local businesses can give residents more reasons to appreciate the surrounding community.
Be sure to get resident feedback during these events too. Its not often that you get a group residents in one place interacting with apartment managers and leasing agents. Take advantage of these face-to-face interactions by jotting down notes on what the residents are saying.
Are they talking about how well you’re doing or about things they think the property could improve upon? Put the positive comments in your next e-blast or newsletter for all to see. As for the negative comments, make sure each and every resident concern is addressed, then try to get in contact with whoever made the comment to let them know you handled their problem.
A recent article on apartment marketing ideas from Multifamily Pro made the point that, “Keeping your residents happy is the least expensive way to ensure your community’s success.” It’s true, word-of-mouth referrals are a natural byproduct of happy residents. Remember, satisfied residents are the single most powerful marketing tool in your arsenal. It’s your job to monitor resident satisfaction levels to ensure that marketing tool doesn’t turn against your property in the form of negative word-of-mouth.
The prospects that prove most difficult to reel in are ‘cold prospects’ that only get introduced to your property through a brochure or the website. These people have no connection to your property and no preconceived trust in your company. Prospects who come from resident referrals already have that trust and that connection because their friends told them all about your amazing property. Prospects that come from referrals are more likely to sign a lease, and do so more quickly than the “cold” prospects who came across your brochure by chance.
Promotional products are the often-overlooked marketing materials that will help you reach current residents and get referrals. Bring out the promo products at your next resident appreciation event and watch the referrals roll in.
In studies by the Ad Specialty Association, giving out promotional items to residents resulted in a 21.7% increase in referrals. In addition, 13% of people who received promotional products were more willing to give referrals than before they received the gift.
Almost all properties should be spending more marketing money on promotional products. Giving branded promotional products to current residents is a proven way to generate more referrals for your sales professionals.
While many property managers sink marketing money and resources into reaching ‘cold’ prospects, that money can often be better spent trying to reach the residents you already have and convincing them to refer their friends. Feel free to contact Threshold today for more advice on how to get more renewals and referrals, or contact Shop Threshold for more information on promotional items.
