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Using Social Media to Market Apartments. The start of a great divide?

Mike Brewer

1852 Hits

Property Management
Apr 13, 2009

Using Social Media to Market Apartments. The start of a great divide?

Property Management

Monday, 13 April 2009

1852 Hits

I came across a great post this morning titled; Does Social Media Help or Hurt? » Customers Rock! In it, Becky Carroll points to another great post over at Marketing Profs Daily Fix: The Customer Chasm. Are you Creating a Social Media Divide? by Jason Baer.

Both are rather short reads and raise a very interesting observation that I think is worthy of discussion in the multifamily space. Now a number of you have a passion for this subject as you have touched on it via blog posts and tweets so I look forward to your continued thoughts. I think the catalyst for the hotbed of comments came when Jason penned the following;

Are we inadvertently creating a Customer Chasm, where those who are socially media active are receiving preferential treatment compared to those who are not? And not just in customer service, but in customer acquisition too?

There are some compelling thoughts and ideas laced into Jason's examples and those couched in the comment section below his post, all of which could apply to our space.

Thanks in advance for taking the time and have a compelling week.

M

Tags:

Social Media Resident Satisfaction Resident Retention Apartment Marketing

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Mike Brewer

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Tara Smiley

about 15 years ago
#912

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Mike - I agree with the concept of the customer chasm, but would challenge that perhaps we are in reactionary mode to it and with it. Our customers have created the venue and we are simply responding in kind.
I think it's no different than anyone who uses print ads in the sunday newspaper - it appeals to a very specific demographic, and while not meant to be exclusionary, is.

Tara Smiley

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Mike Brewer

about 15 years ago
#913

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Mike

Thanks for taking the time to give some feedback, I have to say I agree nearly 100%.

Where I need clarity is in the area of offering an experience via a social medium that maybe a person without a computer [or, weird as it may be, one that chooses not to use social media] can not get access to. Does that violate fair housing in some way? Or, does the fact that a person elects to or chooses not to exercise the medium give us an out? What about the person who just does not know because they don't explore? Are we on the hook for his/her ignorance?

I think, if nothing else, we need to be mindful of it because we are governed by laws that other industries just don't have to think about. Even if it makes no sense to us (I agree on your point there), do we need to give equal opportunity to those who don't use the on line tools?

M

Mike Brewer

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Lisa Trosien

about 15 years ago
#914

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Great post, Mike. And I had read both Becky's and Jason's posts today and found them equally thought provoking.

I think there is definitely a chasm in customer acquisition, but I see nothing wrong with that whatsoever. This medium, while being an offspring of the internet, is not unlike the internet renters of years ago. They are 'different' than other renters, but smart and marketing savvy companies will learn to adjust. Some are trying and succeeding; others are trying and failing (Just look at the number of Facebook pages that do absolutely nothing but allow the company to say 'We're on Facebook! We're engaged in Social Media!). We are, for lack of a better word, learning and feeling our way as an industry through social media; some better than others.

I don't see the chasm in customer interaction simply because I believe, as Mike does in his post, that different mediums have always provided different experiences. Print is as different from an ILS listing as is different from a Social Media forum. I think there is *definitely* a difference and I think that is perfectly okay. Do I think we give preferential treatment? No. Just different. And if you want different treatment, view the company/property via another medium.

I think it's pretty simple. For those who get it right, anyway.

Again, great post.

LT

Lisa Trosien

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Mike Brewer

about 15 years ago
#915

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Tara

Hi again. Thank you for taking the time to give some feedback on this one.

I agree that many are operating from reactionary mindset while others are acting very proactively with mindful actions. I would also agree that these tools serve a specific demographic - although I think that is quickly changing. For instance, in recent months the fastest growing demographic on Facebook is women 55 years and older. (Mike W. Can you confirm the source of that point as I took it from your presentation in Minnesota).

As I read Mikes response above I could not help but to think about the laws that govern our industry - do we risk when we offer specific experiences via SM that we don't offer in other venues? It's the end of a long Monday so I am having a tough time coming up with an example.

Will be interested what others have to say on the specific subject of fair housing.

Have a great evening.

M

Mike Brewer

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Mike Brewer

about 15 years ago
#916

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

LT,

Thank you for your thoughts and feedback.

I agree with with what's been said here. However, I do wonder if we put ourselves at risk if we offer some specific special or experience via a social medium that is inconsistent with a special or experience we offer via other mediums. My brain is on overdrive so I can't think of a specific example tonight.

Hope your travel week is a good one.

M

Mike Brewer

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Kimberly Lee

about 15 years ago
#917

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Mike, this is a great post. I serve a resident retention organization, and I have honestly had some of the same concerns and fears whenever my teams create facebook pages or blogs for their property to try to build community and share about their events. My concern is always do it well if you are going to do it. But I also have worried about the negative feedback and how our clients might respond if there was any. So thanks for taking some of the "fear" out of it. I also think I need to read that book Heather keeps talking about. :-)

Kimberly Lee

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Mike Brewer

about 15 years ago
#918

This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Kimberly

Thank you for taking the time to be a part of the conversation and thank you for the kind words.

I think there are three main things to remember here;

1. Communicate with people in the way they want to be communicated with

2. Prospects and residents are going to talk about you anyway

3. Social media allows you to be a part of that conversation

4. That conversation is marketing

I have always believed in the mantra - "The thing you fear most is the thing you should do next." And in that respect I would encourage anyway traveling down this path to train, train, train your front line employees. Train on the subject of emotional intelligence and character development.

Hope the rest of your week is famous.

M

Mike Brewer

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