Technology

Unfortunately, it’s sort-of a part of my job description to monitor Twitter activity surrounding industry conferences in far away, sunny places and look with envy upon attendees’ waterfront-hotel-“look at my awesome view!” instagram portraits. But last month, as I watched the pictures, tweets, and facebook updates roll in from the Texas Apartment Association Education Conference, I became increasingly convinced: these guys got game. I’ve seen industry conferences of national audiences that struggle to get this sort of online buzz. And here this conference in San Antonio was the talk of the town — because you see, if hashtags were municipalities, #TAA2012 was booming like Skagway during the Klondike great gold rush.

Well, curiosity got the better of me. Using online stalking skills innate to all people under 30 — with maybe the exception of those associated with amish communities — I got in contact with Joel Nihlean, TAA’s Marketing & Communications Manager, who generously agreed to an interview. As I anticipated, Joel’s a social media rock star. With a strong background in event management, web writing, public relations, and graphic design, he has successfully planned, managed, and implemented the association’s marketing programs and e-communications since he started working with them in 2010. Also, he’s an unabashed, self-professed nerd; so we were fast friends and he taught me the secrets to becoming a pinball wizard (step 1: kicka%^  Alf tattoo)

It takes one to know one… a community manager that is! The task of community and Facebook humanitarian is sure to keep one on his or her toes. It’s always good to know what others in a peer group have to say. Mashable recently shared great insight from community managers of notable brands. Take it from these guys, they know how you feel!

 
1. Don’t be a one-hit wonder: Teresa Wu, community manager at Google Docs, says rather than sporadically connecting with users, establish a humanistic connection to create a long lasting relationship. Invite them to a community event and take the time to get to know your residents. Valuing them as individuals rather than renters makes a huge difference.
 
2. Set up meet and greets: Etsy Community Strategist, Morgan Evans, has found success by encouraging members of a community to meet with one another and form groups that draw out commonalities that would otherwise remain dormant. Promoting peer networks is a great way to jumpstart engagement and makes your residents feel supported. Setting up Facebook events for your residents is a great way to get the ball rolling.
 
3. Seeing is believing: Use photos to connect to your residents. McKee Floyd, director of brand development at Sweetgreen, uses photos to do a lot of the work for him. Knowing the power of image association, he says his Facebook fans see the image and make the connection to head to Sweetgreen’s Instagram page. Instagram photos can be shared on Facebook. By pairing the creativity of Instagram with the viral quality of Facebook, you double the power of your campaign and engage multiple users. McKee also shared a cross-pollination tip: “Photos or content featuring your product or branding are priceless. Use a tool like statigr.am to share these photos easily on your Pinterest page or Facebook Page. Always give a shout out to the creator — they’ll appreciate the kudos and keep spreading your brand love.”
 
4. Identify your power residents: Morgan of Etsy touches on some good points. Knowing those in your community who are vocal online is vital to your business. Word of mouse is just as, and maybe more, powerful than word of mouth. Support these people as much as possible. They are some of your most valuable assets. Ask them to use the Recommendations App to post a referral to attract new potential residents.
 
5. Helps us help you: Jonathan Goldman of Jetsetter says to get to know your customer service team. You may not always know the answer but a social media specialist with the For Rent Marketplace Team can help!

By Linda Day Harrison, theBrokerList, Chicago, IL

Walk around your office and various departments. Ask folks what tasks they absolutely hate to do or what seems pointless. You will gain a ton of insight about your processes and procedures. Find out why you do that task. Make sure you dig down deep and study the what-ifs of each task.

For instance, each time we do a batch of “X”, a paper printout is generated. The paper is then put into a bin and we file it by property. Every single company, building, and system is different so this example is just an illustration. The point is to ask, “What is the value of this task?” If you file this print-out by property, what is the value of that print-out, and how many times is it referenced or utilized? Why are you printing it at all, can the printing function be turned off? How long is the data retained? There are many questions to ask, but the most important point here is, somebody just needs to ask.

Do you have a favorite Facebook app? Farmville? Texas Holdem Poker? Causes? BranchOut? Mafia Wars? For me, I can barely find enough time to respond to notifications, let alone exploring apps; however, one of Facebook’s newest apps has managed to capture my attention. Earlier this week Facebook partnered with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Opower in the release of a new “social energy app.” The Opower app allows Facebook users to compare their energy use with friends and enter energy-saving competitions.

Through this Facebook app, they hope to increase awareness of energy efficient practices and empower people to make more economical decisions. The thinking is that if every household reduced energy use by just 1%, it would cut more than $1.6 billion a year from Americans’ energy bills and carry the equivalent impact of 1.2 million homes going off-the-grid.  At this point, 20 million households are eligible to use the app’s “Utility Connect” feature, which allows automatic, monthly updates on actual utility usage from select participating utility providers. 

 By R. Aaron Warnock, Chief Scientist, G5

Some think 2012 is the year of destruction, but maybe the Mayans only meant that the old way of doing business would be over. In this new era, the Age of the Customer, businesses must master customer engagement in an ever more digital world.

Local businesses continue to grapple with the challenges of the continuously connected consumer. The shift to online channels has accelerated, driven by the adoption of mobile computing and the rise of social media. To remain competitive, businesses must move well beyond online advertising and recognize how to deliver exceptional experience with digital touchpoints throughout the lifecycle. Successful companies will be those that place Digital Experience Management (DXM) at the center of their strategic plans.

Last week Blackberry/RIM and Best Buy were two businesses that went on a list of dying companies.  It's often hard to predict what the future holds, and we have a tendency to get tunnel vision when it comes to our own businesses.  It's unfortunate these companies have found themselves to be in dire straights, but for me I look at situations like this as an opportunity to reflect on my own business and industry. What may look like a solid model today, may not be tomorrow.  With that, I'd like to share my list of five multifamily marketing/tech models that may be in trouble.

1. The ILS - I've actually been known to say that the ILS is an absurd marketing idea.  While I may have been trying to generate some controversy with that statement nearly 3 years ago, it's interesting to think today I actually believe the ILS model is in trouble a bit.  At least the way the big players look today.  If you look at Apartments.com, ApartmentGuide.com, ForRent.com, Rent.com, Move.com, etc., you'll find their models really haven't changed much since they started.  However, the way people search online is changing.  We may see a few fall off over the next 5 years if they don't evolve in an aggressive way.

2. Pay Per Lease Marketing Model - As tracking becomes more sophisticated we're finding (and concluding) renters are using more than one source to find an apartment.  Is it fair to give all the credit to a single source and pay them a premium for it?  I say NO FRIGGIN WAY!  Marketers are getting smarter and this model is a gimmick that has taken advantage of people for too long.  I think this fad will most definitely pass in the near future as pay per lead or flat subscription pricing will win.

If you can properly identify flippers, glitz, and pageant crack, then like me, then you’ve probably tuned in to watch TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras a time or two (or twelve...). The hit TLC show explores the world of child beauty pageants — little girls (and boys) poked and prodded by ill-judging parents to parade around on stage with makeup, spray tans, and outrageous costumes, in a quest for 3ft-tall crowns and fans of 100 dollar bills. I might as well fess up: I’m one of those self-righteous hypocrites who’s shocked and appalled, but just. can’t. stop. watching. It’s an absolute train wreck and I can’t look away!

I hope and pray that we never encourage the children under our care to emulate those on TLC, but while we’re on the subject, our Twitter accounts shouldn’t look like Toddlers & Tiaras either. And I’m not talking photoshopped profile pics; if that’s how you roll, I’m not gonna judge. But if you’re managing a Twitter account associated with a property or business, it’s particularly important to keep your voice in check.

A few months ago, Facebook announced the release of Timeline, a new interface made to boost engagement and user connectivity for all pages, especially for brands and businesses. Come March 30th, all Facebook Pages will have made the transition to the Timeline format.
 
Today, let’s focus on the aspects in Timeline that are different from your current Business Page. Mashable did a great job explaining the major changes, and we’ve added our insights to relate this to your community.
 
1. Updated Look and Feel: The format of Timeline for brands is quite similar to Timeline for personal profiles. A cover photo lives at the top of the Page, and the Page is separated into two main columns with a dividing line representing the passage of time. This format provides you with new options for story telling: You can outline your history with milestones (such as grand openings, resident events, etc.) to construct a narrative for your audience.
 
2. Reduced Tab/App Visibility: The new Timeline format does not have the left-side panel of links, which could include hundreds of different tabs. While applications still exist, they’ll display differently, in rectangular panels underneath the cover photo. The width of the Timeline and the space allocated for native apps like Photos means that only four tab panels are viewable at any given time. To see more, users must expand the tab panel by clicking a drop-down box. You have the ability to assign which tabs you want to display in the top four panels.
 
3. Pins: One major new feature that you as a property manager will enjoy is the ability to “pin” certain posts to the top of the Timeline. Pinning a post to the top of Timeline allows it to precede any other content. A pinned post is distinguished by a small, orange flag. Brands can pin only one item at a time, and the pinned item then exists in two locations — as the top item on the Timeline itself, as well as within its chronological place. Once unpinned (which happens automatically when a new item gets pinned, or when the item has been pinned for more than seven days), the post remains in the chronology of Timeline posts, but there is no visual history that it was pinned in the past.
 
4. Stars: Starring will extend a post to double its width across the timeline, making it larger than the rest of the posts as users navigate the page. This feature is ideal for posts with a high level of engagement, a call to action or a promotion you want to make sure your residents see.
 
5. Private Messages between Brands and Fans/Residents: Finally, you can maintain a conversation with your residents in the form of a private message. This enables a broadened level of interaction, and will also allow Page admins to take extended resident concerns off the Timeline and into a private message.
 
Take a look at Starbuck’s Timeline for a great guide on utilizing each Timeline feature to help you tell your story. 

We all know the old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” but when it comes to Facebook, it’s exactly what we do. In a recent study investing how people formed opinions of others on Facebook, researchers found that most people formed their impressions by users’ photos without ever reading the “About” profile text.  With the release of timeline for business, this means your cover has a substantial impact on the opinions of those who visit your page. According to Brandon Van Der Heide, lead author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio State University, “Photos seem to be the primary way we make impressions of people on social networking sites.”

Each second, one hour of video is uploaded to YouTube. And if you want some help visualizing the depth of this statistic, YouTube created onehourpersecond.com, to demonstrate its popularity through a jogging ketchup bottle and decapitated cockroach, among other bizarre comparisons and viral video references.  Certainly, not everyone is familiar with the latest YouTube phenomenons—Runty plays piano and sings (he’s basically a canine cross between John Cage and Harry Connick Jr.)—but I imagine we’d all be hard-pressed to deny that YouTube has established itself in our daily life.

Many communities have utilized YouTube to broadcast video tours, resident testimonials, etc.,  and as you may have noticed, last December YouTube rolled out some serious redesigns to channel pages. And in just a few minutes, you can make sure that your channel is consistent with your company’s branding: