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 | Jun 4, 2015 | All, Marketing
Hurry In! Apartments Going Fast! We’re Filling Quickly! Don’t Be Left Out!
Whatever the headline or sense or urgency you are using, in student housing we all know that summer is the last push to fill those beds. In many markets, the majority of students have gone home to work on their tan or take part in a promising internship. Much to the chagrin of owners and operators of student housing, where the students are going to live in the fall may be the furthest thing from their minds. At Threshold, we call the student housing summertime push “full-court press” time and all strategies are on the table to get those extra percentage points.
Here are some ideas that might help you score those extra leases:
- Orientation Station – most college campuses welcome their incoming class with summer orientation sessions, many of them are held throughout the summer with varying degrees of organization. Reach out to the campus to request sponsorship or tabling opportunities. Hire a limo, van or bus to shuttle folks from campus to your property. Set up special VIP tours complete with snacks or lunch. Designate orientation specials to incentivize parents to come tour your community.
- Direct Mail Parents – an often mistakenly overlooked target are the parents of any incoming student. They are more concerned about safety, value and convenience then they are about pools, volleyball and tanning. Send a targeted mailer to the parents talking about all of the services and programs you offer that enhances your residents academic pursuits.
- Digital Targeting – marketing is no longer “digital” or “traditional” it is all just “marketing.” If your overall strategy doesn’t include a specific digital strategy to target those searching for housing, you’re missing a huge potential. Our pay per click campaigns generate 46% more traffic to our clients’ websites based on targeted keyword and display campaigns. If you don’t know how to do it on your own, hire a professional agency to help you out – it will save you thousands of dollars in the long run.
- Nurture your Prospects – whether families visit you onsite or online your follow up campaign should be nurturing your leads through a sales funnel on a weekly basis. Today’s automated solutions allow you to establish a sophisticated student housing marketing campaign that keeps warm leads warm.
While summer in the student housing industry may not be about beaches and calm days, it certainly provides us with opportunities to use our creativity and marketing muscle. I don’t know if a full-court press is in your future or not, but if you want a complimentary assessment, give us a ring. We’d be glad to provide some bench assistance.
Happy Marketing.
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 | Oct 9, 2014 | All, Design
My elementary art teacher, Ms. Weinstock, used to tell us “pictures are worth a thousand words.” At the time I thought she was a little whacky, pictures didn’t have any words in them, after all. But, as the studious student who wanted to impress I tried my best to draw the world around me…or, at least the fruit in the bowl.
That lesson has come back to me so many times over the years. Not so much because I have amazing illustration skills, I do not, but because I have heard myself say those same words to clients over the years. Pictures are worth a thousand words. As designers and expert residential brand developers, we like to use as few words as possible to express the lifestyle that our clients are building for their future residents. When a community is new, selling dirt is tough. Imagine doing that in the plains of Lubbock – dusty. Any way, the point is that in order to paint a picture in someone’s mind, you have to use illustrative words, many of them, in fact. But a sharp rendering, a photo-realistic image, sells the lifestyle without a spattering of type on paper.
Investing in very good renderings pays off in terms of brand development and establishment, leasing velocity, and, of course, your NOI.
Ms. Weinstock really was a brilliant teacher. I’m glad she taught me that important phrase, even if it didn’t improve my illustrative skills. Some talent you’re born with. Some you develop over time.
Happy Marketing!
