Aug 26 Webinar Recap: 5 Steps to Get More from Your Online Marketing

Our webinar on Wednesday 8/26 (5 Steps to Get More from Your Online Marketing) was a great success!  Thanks to Brent for co-hosting this event and to Mike Whaling from 30Lines (www.30lines.c0m) for being so knowledgeable and fun to listen to. 

Mike did such a great job - the average rating for the webinar was 4.3 out of 5 and we didn't have time to get to many of the questions. 

We've compiled some additional resources from the webinar:

1) Here is a link to the entire recorded webinar including the audio.    You will have to watch using the WebEx player -  http://bit.ly/ARvuU

2) Mike has posted the slides here:  http://www.slideshare.net/30lines/5-steps-to-get-more-from-your-online-marketing

Mike also took the time to answer many of the questions we didn't get to in the webinar - in fact this is just Part 1...there are even more questions and answers we'll post next week.  Thanks again to everyone for your participation!

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How do you deal with negative untrue comments about your company or people that are posted on social media sites? - Mike

Even if the comments are untrue, responding to comments can show future readers that you're listening and you're trying to improve your business. ALWAYS BE PROFESSIONAL ... take the high road, and avoid responding with any kind of personal attacks.

Why would you type in staff names in Google? - David

You never know where people may be having conversations about you or your brand online. When staff members are spending time building personal relationships with your residents, there's a good chance that a resident may mention the person by name rather than naming the property itself. You may also want to plug in staff members to follow personal achievements or identify employees that may not be representing your organization appropriately away from the office.

What was that link for Google Local? - Morgan

You can claim your business listing on Google at www.google.com/local/add.

Has anyone had any experience with 10ants? - Kathy

10ants.com is a website that allows apartment communities to set up a private social networking site for their residents. Other similar services you may want to look at include AptConnect, LifeAt, Ning, and CollectiveX.

Can you tell us a little more about how to set up a property ad on Facebook? You mentioned that we should not develop the ad as a personal profile? - Suzanne

On Facebook, advertising, Business Pages and personal profiles are all different things. 

• Advertising: For ads that will show up across certain parts of Facebook, you'll want to buy ads at www.facebook.com/advertising.
• Business Pages: A business page is a public presence that enables you to share your business with Facebook users. Pages are very easy to create, yet they are very customizable -- they are a very easy way to share information and send updates to customers and fans. To create a business page, start here: www.facebook.com/pages/create.php.
• Personal profiles: Personal profiles are the general accounts that everyone gets when they first sign up for a Facebook account. It is against the Facebook terms and conditions for businesses to use personal profiles for commercial use.

Are there websites that allow you to start a blog? Or do you have to create your own? - Michelle

You can easily start your own blog with services like Blogger, WordPress.com, Posterous or Tumblr. All of these services are free. Sites like MySpace offer a blogging feature, or you can use the Notes feature in Facebook, although I wouldn't recommend these for your primary blog.

For additional customization, I would recommend having a unique name for your blog (avoid blogspot.com) and I would use a service like WordPress.org.   

What's the advantage of only talking about the community and not the property itself? - Morgan

Talking about the community helps in several ways. It helps expand your audience to people who may otherwise not have been aware of your community. It positions you as a resource for your residents, which they will appreciate. It also opens opportunities to connect with local business owners and influencers who can become advocates for your property.

Can you give more specifics as to why the Facebook example violated Facebook terms? also do you have an example of a strong Facebook page for apartments? - Monica

It is against the Facebook terms of service for businesses to use personal profiles for commercial use. If Facebook finds pages violating their terms like this, they will shut you down and you will lose all of your contacts. Additionally, business pages are opt-in for the user, which is better in the eyes of the law when considering Fair Housing issues.

There are many good examples of properties doing a nice job with their Facebook pages, including Watervue Apartments and Studio Green at UD.

What is the average cost, in TIME, for keeping up all these services? - Heather, Julia

I don't know that there is an average time in cost, but I would plan to spend 20-60 minutes a day building your web presence ... maybe more at first. Focus on ways to save yourself time, either by automating parts of the process using tools like RSS, or by getting other staff members, residents and locals involved. Create a platform where people can share what they're passionate about -- you'll find that others will be excited to help.

Craigslist recently has allowed Vaultware links (real time availability), yet our ads started getting flagged after we added them. Any insights? - Kim

You may want to try asking for feedback from the Craigslist help forums (www.craigslist.org/about/help/), but be prepared for people who will use this as an opportunity to have some fun at your expense. Understanding the Craigslist terms and the expectations of the Craigslist user community will go a long way toward ensuring your ads stay up. 

How do I see tweets on Twitter from this seminar? - Morgan

You can see any of the tweets from the webinar by searching for the hashtag #mfimktg (Twitter search link: bit.ly/dlA7o).

Do you see Facebook becoming a search engine? - Matt

Yes and no. Facebook is certainly providing more tools to make business pages, personal status updates and other information more accessible via search. However, most users will continue to see Facebook as a platform for social interaction. Use the search function for business research and insights into real-time data, but also don't forget about the interactions that will enable users to share your content with their networks of friends. 

What are the "not to do's" with social media? - Jonathan

• Don't start by promoting yourself. Think of social media like a cocktail party - you don't walk into a party, introduce yourself and immediately go for the sale. You get to know people, have a conversation, learn their interests then find ways to help them.
• Don't be boring. No one will want to interact with you or share your information with their contacts if it's not interesting.
• Don't ignore multimedia. 

How can you make it easier to give feedback? - Mark

Be accessible, and be approachable. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to find your phone number, your email or a contact form. As an example, online retailer Zappos.com puts their 24/7 customer service number at the top of every page on their website. You can also use feedback sites like Yelp.com, GetSatisfaction.com or UserVoice.com to encourage customer feedback and Q&A ... put links on your own website so your customers know where to go to provide feedback and reviews.