I have a few thoughts to share on the topic of social media today, and I should tell you up front that I intend this post to provoke conversation, and I hope you’ll participate!

You all know how passionate I am about the need to begin using social media now, because I truly do believe that it will play a major role in not only our relationship/retention efforts, but also our marketing strategies.  I also happen to believe that its value on both of those fronts is already beginning to take hold.

I don’t need to tell you that idea isn’t universally held.  We’ve all seen our share of debate on the merits of social media right here online; and even among the detractors, there are varying degrees of buy-in... some will concede that while social media has a place in resident retention, it’s not a valuable or proven marketing tool; and if not now, *maybe* one day in the far-flung future.  I disagree that it isn’t yet a viable as a marketing tool based on my own experience— I believe it’s possible for any business, apartment communities absolutely included in that count.

Success is, admittedly, still a very subjective term when it comes to new media.  We’ve all experienced its benefits when it comes to connecting with others; and we know as marketers that connection breeds commitment—a key ingredient to the success of your brand.  It stands to reason that anything that facilitates a better connection with your customers is going to benefit your relationship/retention efforts.  But just as we’ve always had to work a little harder to gain a customer in the first place than we’ve had to work to keep one who’s already experienced the value of our product; it also stands to reason that marketing via social media is going to take more work than just being there.  Now, don’t read me wrong here … I am absolutely not implying that anybody who isn’t seeing the sales benefits of social media just isn’t working hard enough.  I am saying, however, that we’re all still learning the ropes; and perhaps if you’re not seeing the benefits yet, you just haven’t hit upon the right combination of tools or strategy for your brand.  Social media isn’t, after all, any one thing.  It’s a diverse and growing set of opportunities.  Imagine trying to crack a safe when there are a few more numbers on the dial each time you turn it, and you’ll get a good idea of what it can be like.  That’s just one reason why I’m so committed to educating our industry on what’s out there, what’s coming next, and the potential all those opportunities represent.

When I hear the arguments now that social media is important to keep an eye on, but isn’t yet a proven marketing tool and therefore not yet worth implementing or even getting educated on, I frequently laugh; and I’ve been asked more than once how I can be so amused at something I’m so passionate about.  Mostly, I’m remembering when—way back in 1994—we started writing about how important it was for property management companies and apartment communities to have internet access, get to know the “lay of the land,” and begin to build an online presence; because if their customers weren’t on the internet yet, they soon would be.  I can’t tell you how many times we heard “why should I do that when the internet isn’t even proven as a marketing tool?”  Then we watched as the early-adopters began to reap the immediate benefits of great online positioning while other companies and apartment communities struggled to catch up—and heard time and time again that “it’s taking us more time, effort, and expense to adapt than it would have taken us to prepare.”

Yes, great marketing is a science.  It’s important to carefully measure the hard reality of what you put into it against what you get out.  But it’s also an art, requiring at least equal attention to softer ingredients that include creativity, intuition, the ability to spot a trend, and the occasional leap of faith … but I’m not going to ask you to set the science aside.  So here’s what I want to know:  is social media working for you as a marketing tool?  Is it worth the time it takes?  Are you getting rentals that you can track back to your social media efforts?
Let me know your thoughts.

Tami

Yeah, I know you’ve heard it all … that Social Media  Marketing slices and dices, is the answer to world peace, and will make your teeth up to three shades whiter with only one use.  But from the sea of hype that we’ve been sailing—filled with assertions about what social media is and isn’t and what it can and can’t do—are beginning to arise some proven truths. Having had the opportunity to put many, many new media opportunities through their paces, we’ve zeroed in on six truths we’ve discovered from personal experience—not in any specific order, but intended serve as food for thought as you decide how to apply social media in your marketing strategies, and prepare for what comes next!

1.  Social Media Isn’t Singular

We really have heard it all … “Show me the ROI.”  “Facebook isn’t a marketing channel.”  “Social media is for conversation, not conversion.”  Fact is, social media isn’t any one thing, and therefore doesn’t fit neatly into any one box.

Follow me here… back when the Internet was new, it took us a while in the multifamily industry to grasp what email  and websites could do; but eventually we came to realize that it was more than a fancy replacement for paper … that it supported a number of functions including customer service, communications, community, entertainment, advertising, engagement, marketing, PR, and more—and all to varying degrees depending on a company’s brand, marketing approach, culture, and (most importantly) how our customers prefer to engage with our brand.

Very much like email, social media is becoming the “Swiss Army Knife” not just of marketing, but also of customer service and retention, product development, internal communications, innovation and idea development, and so much more.  And yet, so many people still insist on trying to fit “it” into their existing marketing structure as though it is and does only one thing.

It’s not a one-trick pony, so don’t treat it like one.

2.  Customer Service Is the New Marketing

This isn’t new news to any of us in the apartment business; but in a world gone social and with increasing consumer demand for transparency, serving your customers remarkably well has become more important than ever before.

Communicating with speed and honesty to issues—and that goes for the flipside, too: enabling your customers and community to communicate to you—has become Priority One in your ability to acquire new customers.  People “talk” … they always have, and now that social media has enabled them to do it pretty much 24/7 and to whole groups of friends at once, they do it more effectively than ever before.  We also know that it’s human nature for them to share bad experiences more readily than good ones.  Ten years ago, a resident told a friend, and maybe that friend told somebody, and perhaps even that friend told somebody else.  Today a resident clicks a few keys on Facebook and tells a hundred people at once; and if that’s as far as it goes, you can thank your lucky stars. And I’m not even going to go into depth about how long a bad rating can hang around to haunt your reputation once it’s been posted to a community ratings site.

In this new social paradigm, your front line and marketing departments need to learn to work hand in hand to avoid bad customer experiences and make it easier and more likely for customers to share great ones!  In the old paradigm, onsite and marketing might have been separated by any number of tortuous lines and boxes on the old org chart; but in the new world, they must be aligned to facilitate the flow of communication between them, and create great experiences for customers as a result.

3.  Your Marketing Department Just Got a Whole Lot Bigger

Because it now includes your customers.  Way back in 1964, Marshall McLuhan told us that the medium is the message, and that’s still true today in that our various social media platforms lend undeniable character to what we convey there.  But what’s different now is that the messages have become vastly more personalized.  A great print ad is a powerful thing, but it will never possess the ability to persuade another human being the way that another human being can. And your social community is entirely made up of them.

Now that said, it’s important to realize that marketing is still marketing; and the game has maybe not changed as drastically for us in that our business has always been about creating and ensuring a great customer experience.  What has changed, though is that instead of working with mostly headlines and taglines and deadlines and other linear processes, you’re now working in the totally three-dimensional, round-the-clock online world where many people communicate to many people all at the same time.  Instead of identifying and managing great creative, your job description now includes identifying, enabling, and encouraging (due diligence) influential fans of your business (channel selection) to convince people that you’re their best possible choice (execution).  The job is still the same, but the medium has changed the game.

4.  It’s ALL Mobile Marketing

We’re all on the go, and most of us are consuming large quantities of our information via a mobile device of some kind or other; and the more that becomes a commonality, the less specialized that communications channel becomes.  It’s on the fast track to become the dominant way that we interact with other individuals and with brands and pretty much the whole world at large.  More customers are going to be interacting with you on the small screen, so if you’re not already focusing some of your marketing efforts on optimizing that experience, it’s time to.  Try to think of “mobile marketing” as less about being a channel and more about reaching people when and where they are (and are willing) to interact with your brand. That’s more and more likely to be via the small screen in their hand.

Oh, one more thing… while you might be tempted to dismiss the iPad as just another slick new tech toy, think again.  There’s a big gap to be filled between laptops and handhelds, and the iPad is just one of many devices rushing to fill that void. With more “tablet” sized devices on the horizon, you can expect more costumers to be found there, as well.

5.  Enter The Chief Marketing Nerd

As more companies come to terms with the fact that technology and marketing have merged, they’ll begin to see the justified need to hire senior level management (Chief Marketing Technology Officers or Social Media Marketing Officers, or some other titular combination that’s equal parts Creative and Geek) to oversee the tech-related facets of the marketing process and help marketing and IT work together as a seamless team.  The few and foresightful professionals out there who have reinforced their marketing expertise with technical know-how will be—should already be—in hot demand.  As even more new channels emerge and the pace of change gains even more momentum, companies that don’t invest in tech-savvy marketing expertise are going to be quickly outmaneuvered by the competition.

6.  Email is Still a Killer App

And finally, social media and mobile delivery may be hogging the spotlight, but don’t forget about your old faithful marketing steady: email.  Maybe it isn’t as hot as it used to be, but it continues to be a tremendously reliable way to deliver a message, engage people with your brand, convey value, and save you time and money … but there’s one important thing you do need to know.  A slight shift is happening as consumers begin using email less often for their personal communications than Tweeting, posting, messaging, or texting—the key word there being personal.  Permission-based email is still today’s consumer’s preferred channel for interacting with companies and brands; but now that more consumers are receiving it on the go, it’s more important than ever to deliver the right message at the right time.

If you’d like to really put your finger on the pulse of today’s marketing, we’d like to recommend three great Reality Check sessions at Brainstorming 2010.  If you’re new to social media, join the inimitable Toni Blake for The Amazing Race to Social Media: Create and Manage a Successful Online Presence and hear Toni’s multifamily plan for "Beginner's Success" in social media. You can join  Chairty Hisle when she presents Social Media Strategies That Work, and to learn even more about the new marketing, join Chantelle Flannery of Firebelly Marketing for America's Next Top Multifamily Marketer and learn four key elements that will make your marketing plan a Super Model of success including: defining and expressing your unique selling proposition; perfect pricing; choosing your vehicles wisely; delivery that doesn’t leave a doubt; and much more!

If you have added the Social Media Optimization Summits to your Brainstoming registration you might like to consider attending our full blown, two and four hour workshops.

Next week’s Optimization Summits Meet & Greet Tweet-Up, Sponsored by For Rent Media Solutions, will be webcasted live online and FREE, featuring interviews with several of our Workshop Leaders! Monday March 22 6:30pm central time.  Register today!

Social Media Optimization Summits Meet & Greet Tweet-Up
Not able to travel? You can still join us for a portion of our Optimization Summits event live and online! We're webcasting from the Meet & Greet Tweet-Up, sponsored by For Rent Media Solutions, from 6:30-7:30 pm central on Monday, March 22nd! Sign up to receive your FREE username and password for access!

Hosted by Tami Siewruk, the webcast will include interviews with several of our Workshop Leaders, including Jason Falls, Mack Collier, Chris Penn, Erica Campbell, Mark Juleen, Duncan Alney, Brent Williams, Charity Hisle, and more!

Please note that each free registration will generate password access for only one computer (controlled by IP Address) and cannot be shared for access by another computer simultaneously. Attempting to share your username/password will result in cancellation of your access. Multifamilypro reserves the right to cancel scheduled broadcasts, should unforeseen technical difficulties arise.

Companies spend millions each year asking agencies and marketers to brand their companies in order to reach more prospects. But, how often do these same companies look carefully at the brand that is already built for them by their loyal, current customers? Like it or not, your "fan base" already has built your brand and holds your company's reputation in the palms of their hands through an aggregate of blog posts, review sites, videos, and social media platforms stating what they love and hate about your brand. In the event that this is prominently positive, how do you get everyone to collectively support your brand as a community of evangelists for your company? The answer is to start loving your devotees, and to give them what they want, a place to network, talk, share advice and continue to preach about your brand. In end, this is what large corporations pay the big bucks
for- reverse marketing by and for your already loyal customers, and it's something you can do yourself.

Take for example a small company in a predicament. Company founders had built a tremendous brand and had a huge following, however, the brand was fragmented and un-controlled online. For years the owners had been known for their passion and love of their business, but they had struggled to produce a web site that would support their loyal fans as well as perpetuate a brand that would speak to new prospective customers.

Their problems sat with an incomplete vision of their online audience & potential reach. Their website spoke to current brand enthusiasts, however could not provide enough of forum for their fans to express their devotion.
As such, YouTube videos, blogs, un-official Facebook fanpages, etc., were appearing across the web and were, in many cases, pulling away from the core values and mission of their business.  Additionally, unless a prospect knew to search for their specific company name or slogan they would not find any official webpages in search results.

How do you build and "feed" a community of loyal customers to continue to build your brand from the inside out as well as open the market and build brand awareness to new, valuable prospects?

Sometimes you need to go big or go home! So in an effort to establish your online brand, sometimes you have to decided to redesign your web site, rewrite all the content for SEO (search engine optimization) and start aggressively utilizing social media to congregate followers! It can be a big job with a big payoff.

Tip #1: Love Your Domain Name & Show the Search Engines You Care: Select a Domain Name For Findability - It Matters!

What is your current domain name?   Does it reflect who you are and what you
do?  Does it reflect how your customers are trying to find you?  Does it include any of your key words for SEO?

Tip # 2: Build New Web Site Look and Feel Consistent with Mission

Does your old site lacked focus with too much going on? The example company included over 60 "options" immediately of what the user could do- so essentially the clear action for a user to take was "do everything … now."
Also, their home page would be used as a clearinghouse for products on sale, giving them the image of being the Wal-Mart of their industry. People who came to the home page who needed help with a specific subject would have to search over several pages to find the answer. A very confusing messaging overall and not consistent with their message.

Their new site has cleared out the clutter and cuts to the chase. Four primary conversion opportunities are presented on EVERY page of the web site. Additionally, their background is consistent with their other product lines on the home page and every interior page. The goals is to present a cohesive user experience that appeals to both the long time devotee, as well as the first time visitor looking for guidance.

Tip #3: Setup Social Media for huge community of followers waiting for your lead.

Have you established a social media presence? Large communities of devoted followers are building their own Facebook pages and are looking for someone like your company who already has a presence. Establish "THE" credible, official place on social media sites your followers can trust.

Taking the dive and reinventing yourself or your business is scary, but even more scary is the inability to adapt and change over time. The Internet is a very fast paced environment and you must stay in touch with mistakes you may have made in your branding and be willing to make it right. Ultimately, you'll see big payoffs and great findabilty for being bold and taking a stand for who you are as a company.

About the Author:
Heather Lutze has spent the last 10 years as CEO of The Findability Group, formerly Lutze Consulting, - a Search Engine Marketing firm that works with companies to attain maximum Internet exposure. A nationally recognized speaker, she is the author of, "The FindAbility Formula: The Simple and Non-Technical Approach To Search Engine Marketing" (Wiley and Sons).
Heather is a lead speaker for Pay Per Click Summit, and previously spent two years speaking for Yahoo! Search Marketing. For more information, visit www.FindabilityGroup.com.

Happy Friday, everyone!  To end our week with a little food for thought, I wanted to share a quick exchange that’s kicking up this morning on Twitter about our upcoming Dallas Optimization Summits because it opened the door to a conversation that I want to have with every single one of you!

The conversation started while we were tweeting on another subject entirely @Multifamilypro, and one of our followers chimed in with “A Disruptive Post about what conferences that claim to be apartment internet marketing are verses what you are offering” followed by “One is about Socializing, Yours is About Doing, backed with Internet Marketing folks, NOT Apartment Mktg Consultants.”

My immediate response?  ROCK ON! That’s exactly what I’ve so wanted to say for so many weeks now!  Yes, we’ve created a ROCK STAR event about social media, and it’s absolutely NOT about socializing.  It’s about DOING!   One of our Optimization Summits Workshop Leaders said it the best:  “2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls .  Now that we know what social media can do for us, it’s time for our industry to get a huge kick in the proverbial butt, get the skills we need, and get moving!  We have a lot of guiding principles around here, but one of our favorites is that a little revolution now and then is a necessary thing.  Revolutions aren’t about sitting back on the sidelines.  They’re about putting ideas into ACTION.

Folks, there are other industry events that address technology, and we all know that our business can be a small world when it comes to bringing together the talent.  After all, our industry is rife with incredible, amazing talent… we are fortunate in never having to look that far. But that’s terribly UNFORTUNATE, too, because too much of that causes us to turn in on ourselves while huge changes are happening in the world outside.  We need to go outside of the comfortable boundaries of our community (to use an apt metaphor) and get kicked in the seat of our collective pants by the huge world of incredible know-how that’s available outside this home we call multifamily.  I invented the Optimization Summits with the mission for us to learn how to DO, and to learn from the very top social marketing experts not in our industry, but in the United States.

If you don’t know about the Optimization Summits yet, please visit www.OptimizationSummits.com and learn more; but first, you need to know that we’re totally blown away by the people who have agreed to present this event for us. Unless you spend a lot of time reading around outside our industry like I do, you might not know that these guys are Rock Stars in the social marketing world at large, but they absolutely are, and I’m devoting the next couple of weeks to helping you get to know them through our own blogs and other social networking efforts so you’ll come to know what others already agree will be THE breakthrough learning and DOING opportunity of 2010!  Thanks for your time, and for keeping the conversation going!!!

Tami

“If You want to improve your marketing and Operations this is THE Multifamily Event you need to attend in 2010. I think you are going to get more out of this event than any other!” – Jamie Gorski, Sr. VP of Corporate Marketing, The Bozzuto Group