DITCH THE COMMUNITY NEWSLETTERS Urbane Lab Project #032809

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTERS
Still doing those lame Community News Letters, with silly updates nobody reads? Do they really add any value for your residents? Do you think that residents actually do the crossword puzzles that you or your agency inserts just to fill some space?

How about trying a Community Blog, but one that is engaging, great content, and you can actually track readership. Too expensive, too time consuming you say, Nope it isn’t.

NEWS PRINT IS DEAD
I assume there is no argument that newspapers are dying of slow death. With that come some pretty good journalists looking for part time assignments. They know how to write and report on local events and happenings; things your residents may well have interest in. Reach out, there are some gem writers out there who would love to help.

LOOK WITHIN
We have preached this over and over, Look Within, to your existing resident base and your staff. You will find some writers, and some good ones, that would be elated to help with this, and maybe even manage it for you. When you have Resident Bloggers, you get a Compound Return on your investment, and you are creating Resident Evangelists.


CONSOLIDATE YOUR MESSAGE
If you have several communities in a consolidated geographical area, you only need a single blog. The blog should not be set up by community, no one cares about each of your communities. People care about things that affect their lives, what is going on around town, movie reviews, music, arts, hip and cool new restaurants and bars.

FOLLOW THE LEAD
You don’t need to believe me. I am just an outspoken apartment owner and operator, not a marketing firm yapping at why you should do something. I am purporting this stuff because it works. I choose to direct my marketing dollars in our small boutique apartment management company differently because we have achieved significantly different results by doing things differently. But, don’t believe that, take a look what our friend Mack Collier posted about the subject over on the Viral Garden. (If you need some consulting help getting your blog started, Mack is an excellent resource)

Kodak's A Thousand Words blog doesn't focus on Kodak's products as much as it does photography. Graco's blog doesn't focus on Graco's products, it focuses on parenthood. Patagonia's The Cleanest Line doesn't focus on Patagonia's products, it focuses on the environment, sustainability, and environmental activism. In each case, these blogs understand what content would be relevant and valuable to their readers/customers, and they tailor the posts they write with this in mind. By taking a step back and focusing on wider topics and issues, these blogs become far more relevant and valuable to their readers.

If you are a company wanting to use social media to reach your customers, the key to doing so successfully lies in creating value for these special people. Is your blog tapping into the 'bigger idea' that makes your content valuable to your readers?