Is "Transparency" a Buzkill or will lack of Transparency Kill?

There’s an old saying that “if you live by the sword, you die by the sword.”

Old sayings get old for a reason…because they are usually right.

I post this blog in response to a great "Reality Check" post by one of our industry experts elsewhere on the MultiFamily Insider discussion board.  She's encouraging a close review of marketing strategies.

She's absolutely spot-on accurate.

Industry professionals have so many advertising options and no One Answer is right for every property.  Every situation is an only.That's why it's important to sit down with your marketing partners on a regular basis and share and review results.

"Transparency" is a heavily overused buzzword these days...probably close to a Buzkill word, BUT transparency and two-way dialogue is the only way to ensure your ILS partners are doing their jobs and aiding your leasing teams in working with only THE most qualified leads.

As Bob Dylan says, "The Times They Are A-Changing".
Every day is a progressive one in technology. Amazing tools are coming along.   Arm yourself with facts. Partner with partners who are nimble and flexible and eager to live and die by the sword they wield.

"No-contract-come-and-go-as-you-please-and-only-pay-for-legit-reviewed-renter-leads" ILS models are gamechangers and have definitely disrupted traditional advertising options, forcing those offering comfortable solutions to re-work their product and their spin. Gone are the days where one across-the-board formula is going to produce.

Structuring a marketing strategy relying on 3 year old lead data can be misleading and dangerous.

I encourage engaging in the conversation with your marketing partners ILS - or other - and be brutally honest with them while looking at true facts.

A company who wants to serve their customer will not shrink away from hard truths. Not everything you'll find is going to be positive. Instead of looking at poor results as bad, a true results-oriented partner of yours will see the results as an opportunity to listen, learn and grow. They'll take their own medicine and devise a solution.

Industry professionals have so many options and no One answer is right for every property. When I was on site, we continually reminded ourselves that "Every situation is an only" and have to be addressed individually.

I repeat myself when I say that Dylan sings, "The Times They Are A-Changing".   Arm yourself with facts. Partner with partners who are nimble and flexible and living and dying by the sword. And then getting back and up and reworking what they're doing for you to make it work.
Healthy conversation and review of facts leads to resolution. 

Brings to mind Kevin Bacon as a freshman in Animal House college..."Thank you, Sir, may I have another."