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June 2019
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The apartment industry is growing and with it, competition. Whether you’re a property manager, asset manager, apartment owner or developer, you’re going to need and want to expand your apartment community or portfolios marketing and branding. More and more apartment communities and property management companies are turning to influencer marketing as additional marketing source and a great way to generate buzz for their communities. What's Influencer Marketing?Wikipedia tells us that it’s a form of marketing where the emphasis is placed on specific individuals or types of individuals, rather than targeting the market as a whole. Influencers are usually social media experts and bloggers who have vast and loyal followers. These individuals can be found on every social media platform. Influencer Marketing and MultifamilyThis is a relatively new concept in the apartment industry. However, using influencers will allow you to target a way larger audience and establish your property or company on a larger scale. The StatsThe stats speak for themselves. The Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Report surveyed people in 60 countries found that 83% of people turn to those they know for recommendations, above other sources. This is just one of the many reasons why influencer marketing is a powerful way to promote your community. What Can Influencer Marketing Do for You?Social influencers can expose your brand, apartment community or property management company to millions of followers. Some ways include:
Just to name a few! Never UnderestimateThese are people who make a living from writing, blogging, pinning, and v-blogging every day. They are their own brand, often because they have a unique voice, and built a substantial social media following -- which you can use to develop your apartment community or property management company. Remember, customers today listen to what others say. They aren’t influenced like they used to be by billboard ads, TV and radio. Not to mention, people mistrust bigger corporations more now than ever before... unless they’ve gotten to know your community or company a little. That’s where influencer marketers come in with that personal touch. Are There Things to Watch Out for?It’s no good just paying an influencer and letting them loose. You need a plan — a good one. Know what you want to achieve and the audience you want to reach. Know the outcome you want. Otherwise, it’s not an investment; it’s just wasted money. Ensure you give your influencer all the information and targeted content they need to do their jobs. You can’t just let someone loose on your brand after all! Some of the most important info you give your influencer is a great communication plan. One that makes it clear who your audience is and why, and what goals you want to achieve. Make sure the influencer knows how your brand wants to be presented, including decent photography. Finding the Right InfluencerInfluencers are usually categorized as mega-influencers (celebrities, think any of the Kardashians), macro-influencers (well-known people) and micro-influencers (people who specialize in niche areas, for example, maybe someone prominent in the multifamily world who isn’t a competitor?). One of the largest and most time consuming parts of Influencer marketing is finding the right influencers, managing the relationship and tracking effectiveness of the campaign. To that end, try using an Influencer Marketing Platform. These platforms can help you find influencers, management communication and see metrics. Izea - izea.com Upfluence - upfluence.com Aspire - aspireiq.com Hypr - hyprbrands.com Julius - juliusworks.com Already have a list of Influencers? Try using Grin (https://www.grin.co). Great influencer management platform. Once you have your platform, you need to find an influencer that’s appealing to your demographic. If you’re hoping to rent to families, find an influencer that appeals to people with families. If you’re renting to Millennials, you’ll be looking for someone entirely different, whose aspirations match those of Millennials. Be sure to find someone relevant. Just send them an email that’s really clear about what you have in mind. How can they help you rent apartments or properties in your portfolio? Maybe invite them to do a tour of the community and photo/video the event, which the influencer can then share with their followers? Use VisualsAsk your influencer(s) to use visuals, especially videos. Did you know that 84% of people choose to buy something after watching a video? Incorporate this into the influencer’s brief. One example we can look at here is Bedrock Estate’s video trying to persuade people to buy property in Detroit. They used Detroit native, influencer and rapper Big Sean, and it worked. Don't Forget About InstagramWith more than 1bn people using the app every month, that’s a massive audience for you and your influencer to tap into, especially since it’s led by visual content. Think of all the beautiful photography of your apartment community you can post with inspirational captions. Be sure to make the photos aspirational and personal --not just pictures of living rooms. Instead, try publishing ones with people and pets in them. Your target audience needs to see 'themselves' in your photos. Remember the Federal Trade CommissionInfluencers who are paid, now have to disclose any paid endorsements including discounts or other incentives. That’s the FTC rules. They have drawn up a helpful Endorsement FAQ for any business thinking about using influencers. Use your common sense here. Make sure you tell influencers they are responsible for disclosing their endorsement of your business. Keep a regular eye on what they are saying about you and keep on top of any problems, thereby avoiding a media relations storm. Ready to Get Going?Getting ahead of your competitors is a great idea, and using influencer marketing can really take your apartment community or company to a higher, more profitable level. Get in touch with us now to find out how we can help you reach your apartment communities full potential. via Blogger How Does Influencer Marketing Impact the Apartment Industry?
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May 2019 - BreadBox welcomes our new client – The Bernstein Companies!Headquartered in Washington DC, The Bernstein Companies have selected BreadBox to market their new community, The Highline in Hyattsville MD. The Highline is the next generation in multifamily living, combining modern residences with co-working and “community” driven amenities such as the Rockstar Room, “Alone-Together Room, and a unique “Moroccan style” sunroom. In addition, the top-of-the-line “Co-Working” spaces will allow both residents and businesses to grow in a dynamic and up and coming neighborhood. “We are very excited to welcome the Bernstein Companies as a client. Their new community, The Highline, is an exciting project in a great location and we are thrilled to be a part of it.” says Justin Cleary, Principal of BreadBox. “By developing in great location, providing unique amenities and well thought out construction, The Bernstein Companies proves once again, they are a leader in the multifamily industry.” BreadBox Consulting will be providing branding, marketing, graphic design, advertising, operational consulting and recruitment for The Highline. BreadBox is a unique Multifamily Growth Agency providing Consulting, Marketing & Branding services exclusively for apartment communities, portfolios & property management firms. With almost 20 years experience in the industry, BreadBox develops innovative and creative growth strategies for under performing apartment communities, asset repositioning, corporate level marketing, and new construction assets. For more information about BreadBox Consulting services, please contact our marketing department at (888) 365-1563, via e-mail at [email protected] or online at www.breadbox.consulting. via Blogger BreadBox welcomes our new client – The Bernstein Companies!
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How do you beat the "big guys" at apartment marketing? While many large property management firms and developers have substantial budgets for their apartment marketing, a considerable number of smaller apartment communities don't, so it takes a unique and creative approach to generate leads for your community. With that in mind, we have put together the top 5 marketing tips for smaller apartment communities. Local Co-Branding Promotions While promotion through local businesses, hospitals and colleges have always been a staple of "local" marketing, try taking it one step further. Instead of merely leaving a flyer behind at these locations, try a "co-branding" promotion. An example would be a promotion with a local pizza shop that offers free application fee with the purchase of a pizza. Same can be true on your end. Allow that business to place a flyer in your community. The key to this is building relationships with high-value local merchants. Micro-Sponsorships As a new segment of apartment marketing, "micro-sponsorships" allow brands to spread the word of their communities and projects through social media for a fraction of the cost of typical advertising. In simplest terms, it's paying "micro-influencers" to promote your community. A "micro-influencer" is anyone with a following of anywhere between 1,000 to 100,000 people, that could be a tenant in one of your apartment communities, a local or someone who has engaged with your community previously through social media. Here is a great article that explains Micro Sponsorships more in-depth: Looking for "micro-influencers? Check out these two influencer databases and platforms: https://scrunch.com/ and https://tinysponsor.com/ Neighborhood Facebook Groups If your leasing agents have time (and they always do), try engaging with local groups on Facebook. Every neighborhood (for the most part), has a local facebook page for residents. This approach can be a great way to get your apartment communities name out there and generate local "buzz." Attend Local Events What local events are happening in your neighborhood? These events offer an excellent opportunity to meet locals who may be interested in your apartment community. Don't have the budget for a booth? Walk around and hand out your business cards to vendors, who may pass along your information to customers. Waze Local Advertising An exciting new entry into local "search advertising," the Waze travel app now offers geo-based advertising for a little as $2/day. You can reach drivers near your apartment community and target drivers who are near your location with a great ad experience. Setup is relatively simple, and you can track (in real-time) potential customers engaged with your ads. via Blogger David & Goliath - Top 5 Marketing Tips for Smaller Apartment Communities
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There's a case to be made that photos are the most important part of apartment marketing. While some would argue differently, there is no denying the impact that quality photos (or lack thereof) have on potential renters and their decisions to visit your community. For that reason alone, it's imperative that you have quality photos of your community. While some ILS's now offer professional photos with their listings, most of those images are watermarked, limiting their use in other areas. Not to mention, that in most cases, you do not have a say in who will be photographing your community or building, much less the final images. With that in mind, I always advise my clients to hire a professional photographer. Here are several tips on hiring the right photographer and getting the best photos of your community: FINDING A PHOTOGRAPHER Google Search - Most people start with a Google Search to find anything these days, and the same is true for finding a photographer. One thing to consider is searching for your specific city for photographers, not national firms. Also highly suggest using sites like Yelp, and Google Reviews to get more information on the reputation and reliability of the photographer. Competitors - This may sound counterintuitive, but asking competitors (who have great photos), who they used, is a perfectly acceptable course of action. In some cases, you can even find the photographers information on their website. Company or Individual - There are a large number of companies as well as individual photographers out there. If you decide to go with a company, I would shy away from firms in which photography is not their sole business. Many marketing companies try to sell photography services but aren't equipped to handle true professional photography. CHOOSING A PHOTOGRAPHER Relevant Work - This is VERY important. Has your photographer done work with multifamily communities? While having experience shooting residential homes or commercial is great, it's important to work with someone that has photographed not only interiors but amenity spaces as well. "Style" - Every photographer has a "style". Some like moody, others like minimalist, etc. It's important that their "style" matches what you are trying to convey with your community. You want to accentuate your attributes but within reason. Don't hire the photographer that wants to shoot your garden style community like a class A downtown luxury highrise. Equipment - An essential question to ask is what kind of equipment do they have? Do they have their own lighting setup? Do they have a wide-angle lens? This is a broad generalization, but the better equipment a professional photographer has, the more likely they are better at their profession. TImeline - Ask the photographer how long it takes to complete the project once the contract is signed. If the time frame is too short (2-3 days), it's not enough time to shoot a community, much less post edit the images. On the other hand, if it's too long (over 30 days), they are too busy to give your community and images, the proper attention they need. SETTING UP Staging - Before shooting photos, you should have some staging done for your units. No matter if its a fully furnished model or a unit with "light staging," pictures of a staged unit ALWAYS shows better. Clean Amenities - Make sure to properly clean not only the units but the amenity space and common areas as well. Nothing worse than having to waste time cleaning something while your photographer waits. In addition, make sure any reflective surfaces are spotless, as any dirt or smudges will show up with HDR / high-end photos. Make a List - A crucial starting point is to make a list of the essential items for your shoot. Things to decide are who will be with the photographer the day of the shoot, what units/spaces are to be shot, what time of day, etc. Having this information mapped out before the shoot can decrease confusion and lead to better final photos. WORKING WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER Giving Direction - Contrary to popular belief, you can give your photographer some direction. If you think there is a good shot they should take, let them know. If there is an angle that you see for shooting a room that looks promising, let them know. This is a collaborative effort! In Progress - Ask to see what the images are looking like on the camera. If you and your photographer don’t have the same understanding of what you want, it’ll take longer and you’ll likely end up disappointed. Be a Helper - Ask if there is anything you can help with during the shoot. Things like moving furniture, changing positions of items etc. This will help the photographer speed up the process and allow them to focus on getting great photos. via Blogger Apartment Marketing 101 - Professional Photography
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I recently posed a question to a group of developers...What if you started looking at your communities from the standpoint of children being the residents, instead of the adults? This may be a game changer when it comes to "family friendly" communities. One of the most significant issues for families is finding quality child care close to their residence. Having an on-site daycare within your community solves many problems for working parents and could be a tremendous asset to your residents. We see partnering with a local daycare to open in a retail section of your community or underused space. You get a great tenant that genuinely adds value to your community, and your residents get a one-of-a-kind amenity. With services like Care.com, you can set up a "portal" for your residents to use to find babysitting, dog walking and much more. It has the added value of also making sure those babysitters / visitors to your community are screened before arriving. This "value-add" can be a much-touted aspect of your "family friendly" marketing. You can even run contests where the winners get several hours of babysitting "on the house". Many communities already run events for residents like food truck night, contests, meet & greet BBQ's and others. But what about a Magic Show? How about a Treasure Hunt around the community? Nothing says fun like an ice-cream truck event! Adding even one "kid-focused" event per month would be a great addition to your Event calendar. Some communities have already adopted this idea into their developments. This space should be comfortable, with chairs and tables, areas for crafts, puzzles, and learning. With the proper use of lighting and mirrors, this space can be an interior area that is normally underutilized due to lack of windows. Make sure to use carpeting and make walls stain resistant. I've seen many parents use spaces like these for their pre-k children and it's a wonderful space for learning and exploring with their children. Suburban communities can somewhat easily accomplish adding a playground into their community, but what about urban areas? One idea would be to create an indoor playground complete with slides, jungle gyms, monkey bars and other items. This does not need to encompass a large area, as small children will primarily use it. Think McDonalds use of playgrounds into their stores. No matter the size, just having space for children to let off steam and parents take a break in a safe and fun environment is worth it.
via Blogger Top 5 "Kid Friendly" Amenities for Apartment Communities
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Everyone in the industry these days is talking about amenities. What renters want, what they don't, and what they will want in the future. The problem is, most developers aren't listening to the actual renters. Over my career, I have spoken with 100's if not 1000's of renters, listening to their wants and needs for a place to call home. When I say "real," I think we all know what we are talking about. Not the closets with one bar that can fit a shirt and jeans. We're talking about walk-in closets or ones with built-in storage. Renters these days are older or moving from established households and have more clothing. Many developers are "afraid" to take a portion of a bedroom to enlarge a closet, but I can tell you from first-hand experience, I think most of us would like larger closets and a smaller bedroom. This is a must-have for most renters these days. Unlike prior years, when renters were younger with very few things, today's renters are older and have amassed a lot of items. It's important to give residents enough space to make a difference, especially when units are small. I've never seen a renter say "I'm going to give up all my possessions so I can live in this community." As buildings and communities start accepting pets, dog walking areas are very important. It's highly convenient, safer than walking your dog outside the community during evening hours and can be a great place for residents to socialize with other residents. Great additions to these areas are dog washing stations, disposal spaces, and doggie water fountains. I'm not talking about a treadmill a TV and some mirrors here. Developers need to invest in full fitness centers. Renters often look at the cost of the apartment and try to figure out if they can save money by dropping their gym memberships. Want to increase your rent roll? Add a great gym. One of the best amenities added in the last couple of years to some developments are children's playrooms. This is a game changer for families with small children not yet in school, but needing an escape from their apartments. I've seen parents actually choose one location over another just for this space. Some of the better complexes have even started operating an on-site day care, which in my opinion, would be the ultimate amenity for parents.
Author: Justin Cleary is an almost 20 year veteran of the Multifamily Industry. He has owned and operated several multifamily focused businesses and startups including The Philly Apartment Company, The DC Apartment Company, BlueSquare Real Estate & Property Management, and his latest venture, BreadBox (http://breadbox.consulting) via Blogger Top 5 Amenities Renters REALLY Want (and 5 they don't)
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Top 5 Mistakes Leasing Agents Make5/17/2018 Let me start by saying, everybody makes mistakes. But the only way to correct those mistakes is to acknowledge them and work on fixing them. Whether it's a lack of training, laziness or case of the "Mondays", it's important to make sure you are on the top of your game each day. Here are the top 5 mistakes leasing agents make and how to correct them: Author: Justin Cleary is an almost 20 year veteran of the Multifamily Industry. He has owned and operated several multifamily focused businesses and startups including The Philly Apartment Company, The DC Apartment Company, BlueSquare Real Estate & Property Management, and his latest venture, BreadBox (http://breadbox.consulting) via Blogger Top 5 Mistakes Leasing Agents Make
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Social Media is now an integral part of any apartment community or portfolios marketing. However, many don't have the right tools to handle the daily struggle of creating and managing their social media presence and campaigns. That is why we brought together our top 5 favorite Social Media tools to make the process easier and ultimately, create a better social media experience for your apartment marketing. Buffer | buffer.com Pablo | pablo.buffer.com Feedly | feedly.com Evernote | evernote.com Grammarly | grammarly.com Think of Grammarly as your spell check on steroids. This easy to use app takes anything you write and not only checks it for spelling but more importantly, grammar. This can be an indispensable tool for crafting blog posts, articles and much more. It's also a great way to make sure that email your about to send out doesn't sound like a 5th grader wrote it! via Blogger Top 5 Social Media Tools for Apartment Marketing
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SEO & Apartment Marketing: The Next Step4/13/2018 A very long time ago (circa 2008) the leasing world was a simpler place. Place an ad on Craigslist or in a newspaper, and sit back and watch the renter leads flow in. The most complicated it ever got was when you wanted to add a template to Craigslist. Those were what I would call "the good old days." Flash forward ten years and the leasing world could not be more complicated. From ILS sites, listing syndication systems, Social Media, Blogs, Google Adwords, Remarketing and more, there are numerous marketing channels to choose from. However, there is one area that could be the most important, but seldom gets the attention it deserves, Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Curiously most apartment communities either don't think SEO can have a significant impact, or are dissuaded by trying to compete with the "big boys." Whatever the reason, SEO needs to be the next step in your apartment communities marketing efforts. What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Search Engine Optimization is the process of building a strong search engine presence to ensure visitors can more easily find your website amongst all your competitors online. The primary aim is to improve your websites page ranking so that renters will see your website when they type specific keywords or phrases into search engines like Google. In simplest terms, it's getting your website to the top of search engine results for searches that your renters conduct (i.e., apartments in Charlotte, rentals in San Antonio, etc.) Why is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Important? Based on research, 72% of renters turn to the Internet first when starting a search for an apartment. Of that, 30% of those renters begin their search with a search engine. That means 30% of all renter's searching online for apartments, start with a Google or Yahoo search. With that being the case, if your community is ranked higher then your competitors, it gives your website greater visibility and in return, more leads. With more and more competition in the multifamily industry, setting yourself apart from your competitors is crucial. How Do I Compete With The "Big Boys" (i.e., Apartments.com)? Obviously, ILS sites tend to rank higher for a lot of keyword searches. However, based on testing, it is possible for a local community to rank higher high enough for certain keywords to compete with even the national sites. For example, if you search for something like "Manayunk Apartments," you'll see the search results show the majority of national sites on the 1st page. But if you scroll to the bottom of the first page, you'll see a Link for "Station at Manayunk," which is a locally owned apartment community. You might not be able to beat them, but you can compete! Just ranking on the first page, gives you a HUGE advantage over your competitors! 3 Steps to Increase your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Rankings Keyword Research - Research keywords that match what renters are searching for. Start by choosing keywords that aren't high volume. Instead of "Philadelphia Apartments" Choose the neighborhood you're in and add amenities, such as "Rittenhouse Square 1 bedroom apartments." Content Development - Next step involves developing content (articles, blog posts) about each of the keywords you want to target. Articles should be natural sounding (not the word repeated over and over). Your goal should be to develop content for each of those keywords and post them on your site. Backlinking - The last step involves "backlinking,"i.e., getting another source to post your article or blog post and link back to your site. They are extremely useful to search engines because they give a good indication that a website is popular. You can start by contacting local "bloggers" and see if they would be interested in putting your content on their site. Or you can post your articles to national sites. Be warned...do not trust cheap "backlink" building sites, as the majority are scams and can actually hurt you more than help you. In conclusion, there is a lot more involved in this process, but these are some simple steps will get you on the right track. Remember, the process of SEO can be labor-intensive and time-consuming but done correctly, can pay HUGE dividends in not only increasing your lead generation but decreasing your overall lead acquisition costs! Author: Justin Cleary is an almost 20 year veteran of the Multifamily Industry. He has owned and operated several multifamily focused businesses and startups including The Philly Apartment Company, The DC Apartment Company, BlueSquare Real Estate & Property Management, and his latest venture, BreadBox (http://breadbox.consulting) via Blogger SEO & Apartment Marketing: The Next Step |