Sorry just noticed the postings on this subject But I have to chime in because it is such a great topic. For many years now apartmentratings.com has drove people to the brink of insanity. We make sure to respond professionally to every single negative or positive posting. In fact I cannot plug them because of the rules here at multifamilyinsiders but there was a Facebook shout out to someone who posted a lead that had gone on to apartmentratings.com and seen where the manager had responded to a negative posting, but the prospect was so impressed with the response they contacted the manager personally to gather information on leasing at the property.

I guess the one thing I am trying to say is like Rose said respond to each with professionalism even if they get personal and it will pay off.

The best thing you can do is to remain positive in all situations and hope to show more prospects what you are truly about! Make sure to respond to every review on the web! :) Good Luck :)

Scottsdale Park Suites ReviewScottsdale Park Suites Review

Hi Carey,

I understand it is very frustrating, but review sites are here to stay and they do provide a valuable service to renters, even if some of our customers use the sites in an inappropriate manner. The customer isn't always right but we still have to treat them like they are. I like to kill them with kindness. B)

The best we can do is be consistent and helpful. Address the specifics of each individual negative post right away, even if it's the same person posting them.

If they are complaining that management "stole their deposit." List an outline of what the general charges are and remind them that this stated in the rental agreement. If they complain about maintenance, offer instructions on how to get maintenance issues resolved by submitting a maintenance request. If you give me some specifics, I'd be glad to help you come up with a pleasant response.

When prospects see that you are offering solutions to the complaint, the complainer loses credibility, which affects the prospects choice to visit your community in a positive way.

Good Luck!

Apartmentratings.com needs to change their policies. I don't like the fact that once someone posts a review, the website will email that person anytime a new post is made.

We have asked our happy residents to post positive reviews, only to have the previous negative reviewers go back & bash the happy reviewers for being happy with the property, which then gives our happy residents a bad taste.

Apartmentratings.com really needs to re-examine their policies!

You also have to take into consideration people browsing apartmentratings.com during their apartment search - before they have even chosen a specific community to research. Say you have a list of 10 apartments sorted from highest % to lowest... These negative reviews are bringing down the overall percentage and moving the property down the list.

Great replies by Mindy, Mark and Rose...and others. I agree with the high road approach...and loved Mark's messaging idea. The challenge with apartmentratings.com is that while operators have their share of issues with it...Google your property name and its page on apartmentratings.com will most likely come up first, second or third. Then the prospect visits the site. They do not know the issues the industry has with the site...they just assume it's the TripAdvisor of apartments. And this site has become one of the top sources...and reports I've heard say it has the highest closing ratio of any ILS (if you pass the test on apartmentratings.com, they are ready to rent with you). Despite the challenges, I think there is immense potential with apartmentratings.com. If done right, this can become your top marketing tool.

First, contract for the Manager Center (it's like a whopping $200/year). This lets you respond as the manager (as opposed to trying to post like one is a resident - online shoppers can see through these). The MC gives you the opportunity to get in the room, professionally engage, and take the conversation offline.

Second, the national study we did the latter part of 2011 ("Getting Inside the Head of Today's Online Renter") revealed some amazing findings...some of which tie into the comments made by others in this discussion. Start with the fact that rating sites were rated as being very important in apartment searches, and that ratings rated as #6 out of 45 items prospects consider when shopping for a new apartment. Then, the results from a series of questions about posting ratings was amazingly eye-opening:

- 62% of residents nationally responded that they would post positive comments on a ratings site or a community Facebook page.

- However...only 8.8% said that their community ever asked them to post their comments online.

So...positively impacting your online reputation begins with simply asking residents to post their positive comments. A resident comes in to thank you for doing abc. Another resident emails thanks about taking care of xyz. The next step is to arm the staff with your property's apartmentratings.com page URL, as well as your community Facebook page. "Thank you so much, Mr. Juleen, for your lovely comments. Would you consider posting a good word or two on www.apartmentratings.com/123djs and on our Facebook page?"

We like to say that you manage your online reputation...by managing the resident experience. Cause > effect. Focus on consistently providing terrific service. Then the only missing piece is asking your happy, satisfied residents to share their thoughts online. Ask...and ye shall receive!

The proof's in the pudding, as they say. A rather large client of ours shared the results of an analysis they did. They compared the ratio of negative-to-positive comments posted on apartmentratings.com, looking at the ratio one year before working with us, and one year after we rolled out their on-going feedback programs. The results bring home my points from above:

- In one year, by focusing more on the resident experience and engaging residents, the ratio of negative:positive comments on apartmentratings.com went from 2:1 to 1:2...a complete reversal. And everyone wins in this scenario...resident satisfaction, loyalty and retention grow...as does your online reputation, thus aiding leasing.