by threshold | Jul 2, 2015 | All, Tech/Web
Over the last several years, tech writers and bloggers have fiercely debated if email marketing and even email in general is a dying medium (a quick Google search reveals both sides of the debate). But the fact that the debate rages on and email is still hanging around might indicate its resilience. After all, email has been around since 1971.
One thing is for sure, email as a technology and communication tool is evolving. The method of how we send/receive email has drastically changed in the past 10 years. Emails need to have a big hook. The subject line has to grab your attention. Think about the emails you get daily—what do you open or trash? Your copy and delivery needs to be up to date or you will be sooo 2014. But what are the best email marketing practices for student and multifamily?
Overload
According to a report by The Radicati Group, worldwide consumers send and receive 87.6 billion emails per day. Add that with the number of business emails sent/received, the total number of emails sent/received is a staggering 196 billion. That number is expected to rise to 227 billion by 2018. Whether you’re a student housing, multifamily or senior living marketer, you have to stand out in the crowd.
Get Mobile – Don’t be the 31 %
This is a no-brainer. Make sure your emails look good on phones and tablets. They don’t have to be responsive, just clear and easy to read on smaller devices. According to Litmus, 48% of emails are first opened on a mobile phone. And 80% of email subscribers delete emails that “look bad” on their phones. Funny enough, 31% of marketers don’t send responsive emails. This is another chance to get ahead of the pack.
CTA and Content
Knowing that emails will be read on-the-go (in class, at the grocery store, etc) it’s imperative you keep your call-to-action (CTA) catchy and to the point. Ultimately, your end goal with emails is to push the receiver to your website.
Emails are not the right medium to include a laundry list of your communities’ amenities. Let the reader find that information on your website. Use the email as the bait to get them to there. Think quick and memorable.
Intrusion
There’s no denying that purchasing mass lists can be effective, but is this the right place for it? From a list of a 100,000 names, even if you achieve a click rate of 1% (the real estate industry open rate is 2.2%) you’re still driving 1,000 pieces of traffic to your website. Not bad at all. We encourage you to think of your audience and think of your own preferences. Many companies can purchase lists and blast away…but remember, spam is called spam for a reason. People don’t want it. The property that spams-a-lot can have this backfire quickly. Spam filters have become super intuitive and readers very savvy. Best practice? Use the relevant lists you’ve collected through use of raffle entries, housing fairs, contact forms on websites, etc. Be authentic. Be relevant and memorable.
At Threshold Agency, we build brand. We also build best practices from experience and create custom solutions to keep the leases rolling in! So let’s hit “Send” together!
by threshold | Jun 24, 2015 | All, Tech/Web
At Threshold, the anti-vacancy agency, we know that designing a cool website is much like planning your dream home. It’s exciting! But who wants a home that wins design awards for curb appeal but doesn’t have a front door? How about a kitchen without a sink? Or a living room without windows? To be truly cool, a website has to serve many purposes, just like a home. As experts in branding and residential marketing, Threshold concentrates on attracting your future occupants by focusing on their needs before we ever begin construction. What makes a website COOL? So what are the important questions to ask?
- Who is your target resident/group/audience?
- What is the top benefit you have to offer your target audience? Price? Location? Amenities?
- Do you have property application forms, floor plans, and maps available in downloadable PDFs?
- What categories do we need for concise navigation?
- Do you have a strong logo, color system, and font set?
- Are there plenty of photographs to show the beauty of the renovated pool, updated workout rooms and the layouts of the rooms?
- Are there competitors close by that we must exceed?
Once we gather the information that answers those questions, we can establish the new web structure. What about the visual look of the site? Which style, look and feel is appropriate for your target audience? Rustic? Modern? Playful? Vibrant? Elegant? The Threshold design team will delve into the creative process using our design strategy to craft a custom and unique look. Done well, great design helps future residents see themselves living the good life at your property.
The Threshold consulting team knows that, even then, the evaluations aren’t over! We’ll scrutinize the site using important principles for successful websites:
- Does it clearly tell the viewer who you are?
- Is the site eye-catching and design-appropriate for your target audience? (Whether for student housing, senior living, or multifamily units)
- Is it simple to navigate?
- Is there a value proposition for the viewer?
- Is there a call to action?
- Does the content change often?
- Is it viewable on all media – i.e. responsive?*
Speaking of viewable, an adaptable or responsive website is a must. Although Cameron Adams demonstrated it as early as 2004, in 2010, Ethan Marcotte coined the phrase “Responsive Web Design” or RWD. That means cool websites “respond” by interchanging the elements of the site so that it they are always legible on the media on which they appear: computers, laptops, iPads, monitors, and various cell phone platforms. How? We must program liquid layouts using media inquiries. Liquid layouts are when elements and images adjust their size and aspect ratio according to the size of media. Media inquiries are the set of programming rules and scripts that enables the elements on a web page to always be legible. When these strategies are applied, as you open your web window larger, the images, text, and ad banners change with you! At Threshold, the design and development teams will program multiple layouts for every page so that you always shine.
Whether it’s a website for student housing, senior living, or a new residential development, we are your best advocate to make sure vacancies are few and far between! As THE residential marketing experts, we will create well organized, visually stunning, and responsive websites for you.
by threshold | May 28, 2015 | All, Tech/Web
Here we are…The Age of the Selfie. What does that mean for you and marketing your community? It’s how people find your apartment community. It’s how you look online. It’s your Internet curb appeal. Become a residential marketing expert and take an online selfie of your community every few months. Here are simple steps can make all the difference and keep your online reputation intact. Online reputation should be managed daily.
The Home Page
- Is your web site responsive and adaptive?
- Does your theme represent the brand?
- Is it resident focused?
- Do your pictures dazzle?
- Is your call to action prominent? Do you have a call to action?
- Is your contact information correct?
- Are the leasing specials up to date and accurate? Does the verbiage match your other marketing materials?
- Is your copy well written? Free of copy and grammatical errors? Does it connect well with online campaigns and any ads?
The Contact Page
- Do you have an opt-in form?
- Test the form. Are they being sent to the right person internally?
- Are they being tracked?
Leasing Online
- Does your site have the ability to lease online? If not, it’s time to make the jump!
Social Media
- Are your social media links working correctly? Are you tracking them through Google Analytics?
- Are the graphics (profile picture, cover photo) sized correctly and high-resolution?
- How often are you posting and tweeting?
- Is your messaging consistent with what is on your website? Are you promoting any current leasing specials?
After you’ve thoroughly reviewed your website, it’s time to take the big leap. Google yourself! Definitely put away some time for this part of the Selfie.
Search both the key terms a potential resident would use and your property name. The key term search might be a combination of “service” + “location.” For example, “apartments Austin” or “student living in Austin.”
When you search using your property name, also search acronyms or city abbreviations. For example, use “UV” for University Village and “Tally” for Tallahassee.
Also search your property name on ILS’s like apartments.com, apartmentfinder.com, apartmentlist.com, rent.com or any other regional/local sites. Make sure specials, images, floor plans, messaging is up to date and consistent with your website and social media channels.
Digital audits only help if they happen on a regular basis, schedule your online Selfie and make it a priority. Have a plan. Create action items. And update, update, update! Before you know it, you’ll be trending and leases will be rolling in!
Threshold Agency is a full service marketing agency specializing in the student housing, multifamily, senior living industries.
by threshold | Mar 13, 2014 | All, Marketing
At this year’s SXSW music/film/interactive festival here in Austin, a company set up shop to collect unwanted promo items and then donate the items to area homeless shelters. Read the story here. While great for the shelters and a clever recycling campaign, probably not where these brands intended their promo items to end up.
With the leasing season at its peak, you’re probably in the middle of re-stocking your promo inventory. How do you ensure your promo doesn’t get trashed and your marketing dollars are well spent?
As with many student housing marketing strategies, it’s market dependent. Make sure you’re tapped into the local scene and trends. Is neon still popular on campus? Are students passionate about environmental products? Trucker hats used to be in, then were out, and now I think they’re back in. And get your student staff feedback before you order items. Encourage them to come up with new ideas every year.
Remember that promo items are extensions of your brand. What does hand sanitizer or air freshener say about your brand? That you’re dirty and smell bad? Also make sure your items are high quality and actually work. You don’t want to be known as that-apartment-community-that-gives-out-broken-pens.
Go with items that are extension of your marketing message and lifestyle brand. Think beach towels (resort lifestyle), water bottles (fitness center) and sunglasses (style). To connect your brand to university athletics, consider rally towels, foam hands or boom sticks.
There is also a fine line between stingy (“Only take one pen!!”) and excessive (“Hey little sister and little brother, take these bags filled with $15 worth of promo”). Find the right balance that fits your budget and leasing velocity. Make sure your entire staff understands the policy. Also know which events (housing fairs, orientations) are worth the expensive items (t-shirts, tote bags, mugs). Save the less expensive items (pens, cups) for your daily marketing efforts.
Also consider limited edition items that are only given to future residents or renewals. Actually print “limited edition” on the item to create buzz. And because these students have already chosen your community, chances are better they will actually use the items.
Finally, make sure to re-examine your promotional product strategy every leasing season. Just because something was popular last season doesn’t mean it will be popular next. It also doesn’t hurt to check Goodwill or the campus dumpster for your items.
by threshold | Mar 4, 2014 | All, Tech/Web
“When I was a kid, I had to walk to school, in the snow, uphill, both ways.” I can’t tell you how many ties I heard that growing up. Of course, way back then, there was no way for me to know if what I heard was accurate. Did these masters-of-all beings really have it that bad? Way back then there wasn’t the Internet to check, and the old Encyclopedia Britannica didn’t have an entry for “we had it tougher than you kids.”
Today, my son can check Google Earth and see not only that we lived next to the school but the hill was more like a gradual slope. With a few more clicks he could see that bus or carpool were really the only methods of transportation. And one more would show a list of reviews and tips related to best parking spots and how to bypass the carpool line.
Apartments today face similar, albeit varied, exposure to online reviews. The digital landscape is dominated by user-generated content and it’s only growing. Student housing marketing requires property management companies to keep an extra eye on their online reputation. Here are a few online reputation tips to protect your digital reputation:
KNOW THE SITES: There are hundreds of sites were users can review businesses. From Facebook to Google+ to Yelp to ApartmentRatings.Com, it’s important to know (and visit) the sites popular in your market. Get in the habit of doing a Google search of your property periodically.
ENCOURAGE REVIEWS: A positive online reputation will help you turn prospects into leads and residents into referrers. If you seek out the reviews it will likely be more positive. The next time a resident gives your team a compliment, ask them to give you a positive review online. Many people tend to write online reviews because of a negative experience. By encouraging your happy residents to rate you, you’ll get more positive reviews.
DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS: Your first instinct might be to delete a negative comment on Facebook or ignore a bad rating on Yelp or ApartmentRatings.Com. Don’t! Respond to the comment and show off your great customer service skills. And after you’ve corrected the issue, ask the user to revise or update their comment. You’ve turned a negative to a positive and got some good feedback on areas of improvement.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR COMPETITORS: Keep an eye on your competitors and pay attention to what they’re doing. Who knows? You might learn a thing or two about what TO DO and what NOT to do based on what their customers are saying.
By following these online reputation tips, you’ll be able to protect your digital reputation. Be a part of the conversation and actively engage with your customers. After all, they have access too much more than you may think and it will pay off to know where you stand. Hiding behind tales from the past is just that – a thing of the past.
Happy Marketing!
