How To Attract Young Renters
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Demographics, Real Estate Trends on April 18th, 2012
Millennials… the coveted demographic. Wikipedia says characteristics of the generation vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies.
It is believed that they will save the housing market, be it buying or renting. Builders are looking to attract them, so here are a few ways to reel them in.
Sleek and Sophisticated Design
Clean, modern lines and open, resort-like spaces are a way to catch the eye of Gen Y. Large community rooms and shared amenities are appealing. This generation is looking to be calm yet inspired.
Reach Them Where They Hang Out
Social Media is a must, not just to attract new residents but to also retain current ones. It helps them feel like part of a community that they can connect with us just like they would with their friends and relatives. Just like the general Social Media philosophy, they are not posting ads and specials, rather updates on community events like restaurant openings and shows, with a sprinkling of new promotions.
Live-Work-Play Still Applies
The way a building is designed establishes its position in a community. The most important aspects are proximity to transit or walking to work, street-level retail and special deals for residents at local businesses.
Eco-Friendly
Although young renters may not be willing to pay extra rent for green features, they expect them as standard. It’s a new value system. Things like providing recycle bins and efficient appliances will go a long way in building for the Millennial Generation.
How Do You Avoid Social Spam?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on April 12th, 2012
Does your company avoid joining the social web for fear of witnessing or being a victim of spammers? Or, conversely, do you just accept that social networks come with spammers and do nothing about it?
Neither is the solution for maintaining a smart social presence, so here are some tips to face the spamming miscreants head-on. Or, at the very least, avoid them.
Analyze your audience. We don’t accept any Twitter followers that have no bio, offer only links in their tweets, or only talk about themselves. Also important is the ratio of following to followers – if either side is too inflated you most likely are dealing with a spammer (or celebrity, but you’d know right away!).
Take the time to follow real people. Don’t get fooled into buying followers. Even corporations should have someone real tweeting on their behalf. It may be slow going, but this technique will foster steady growth of your target market rather than an inflation of numbers to show off.
Perform regular reviews of your audience. Every couple of weeks you should go through your followers and either follow them back or flush ‘em. We don’t recommend deleting everyone who isn’t following you back like some sites swear by, but take the extra few minutes to make sure you know who is following you.
You can’t avoid spam in its entirety – remember fax chain letters? As long as you know how to navigate and engage with the right users your company will not be marred by the spam experience.
How do you handle Twitter and Facebook spammers? Tell us by commenting below or posting your thoughts on our Facebook page. Just don’t spam us! 
Are You Making These Marketing Mistakes?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing on April 11th, 2012
Where’s my audience?
Did you rush out to create a kickin’ new website, Facebook page, and Twitter account? Great! You’re ahead of the game. Except, after that you sat back and waited for fans, followers, and customers to flood your contact page and phone lines.
Just because you built it doesn’t mean they will come! You have to actively market yourself with smart strategies. It takes time to cultivate relationships over social media by consistently tweeting, blogging and even setting up joint venture and affiliate programs. In addition, you must balance this with offline activities such as networking and speaking.
I put myself out there but no one responded.
Be consistent with your value, messages, and efforts. As with any marketing media, success takes time and regular exposure.
Jack of all trades, master of none.
Don’t try to be everything to everyone. You are an expert in your field for a reason. While your company may be more than capable of handling multiple roles and specialties, market to a specific audience with specific needs and you will start reaping the benefits. Be crystal clear about who you serve and you will attract the ideal clients.
You reel ‘em in and leave ‘em hanging.
Follow-up is where many small business owners fall short. A trusted connection takes consistent presence without pushing or spamming. The easiest way to do this is to set up a drip campaign that provides value over a series of regular emails. You will stay top of mind and establish yourself as an expert before ever trying to pitch your product or service.
Do you use drip campaigns? Follow up phone calls? What works best for you?
Newcomer Takes the Cake with Women
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on April 10th, 2012
As the new kid on the block, Pinterest seems to be already beating Twitter and Facebook when it comes to trust among women.
According to BlogHer’s annual study on women and social media, 81 percent of women said they trusted blogs and Pinterest, while 67 percent said they trusted Facebook and 73 percent said they trusted Twitter.
Interestingly enough, 61 percent said they’d made a purchase on a blog recommendation and 47 percent said they’d acted on one from Pinterest. Facebook and Twitter can only tout around 30 percent.
Women seem to trust other women in their circle when it comes to taking action online. Facebook is primarily used for fun and connecting with family and friends; blogs help them learn about new products and read reviews, which is a major part in the purchase decision-making.
The Pinterest community has more than 11 million unique visitors a month (according to recent numbers from comScore) – an impressively fast-growing social networking site. Its design plays a big role in that popularity.
What about you? Are you using Pinterest? Who do you trust online when it comes to making purchasing decisions? Share by commenting below or posting on our Facebook page!
Is Buying Cheaper Than Renting?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Real Estate Economics, Real Estate Trends on April 4th, 2012
With the market seemingly recovering, the cost of rental homes is rising. Is it smarter to buy or rent? A new study indicates that in 98 out of 100 U.S. housing markets, buying may actually be the more affordable option.
According to data from the real estate site Trulia, the only metropolitan areas where it still makes more financial sense to rent rather than buy are San Francisco and Honolulu.
Why is buying dramatically less?
High vacancy rates and land to spare indicate that prices are unlikely to improve much in some areas. It’s unlikely that certain markets reach the rule of thumb where renting makes more sense: if buying is 15 or more times more expensive than renting.
In contrast, qualifying for a mortgage isn’t as easy as it was in the past, making potential buyers skittish when it comes to pulling the trigger. The job market isn’t as stable as the return of real estate, so many also prefer to keep renting because they don’t want to tied to a mortgage.
With these numbers, what is the end result? People aren’t buying affordable single-family homes. Believe it or not, there has been a recent increase in construction of multi-family housing for… you guessed it: more rentals.
What do you think? Why aren’t people buying now? What would it take to convince them?
Is There More Than Just a Click-Through Rate?
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on March 29th, 2012
Many marketers resort to the basics when it comes to discernin
g the performance of an Internet display ad. The click-through rate (CTR) is not only easy to understand, but also easy to explain to clients, who typically expect a black and white “confirmation” of the money they’ve invested in advertising.
Of course clicks generate valuable traffic, but they require active participation from the user. Research actually shows that even with a low CTR, online advertising is still effective. Could it be the exposure itself, not the click that drives traffic?
In a study titled “How Online Advertising Works: Whither The Click?” comScore has shown that two-thirds of Internet users do not click on any display ads over the course of a month. It was determined that branding will drive users to the advertiser’s website even without clicking. Furthermore, exposed users were 17 percent more likely to make a purchase at the advertiser’s retail store.
If clicks are not the quick and easy campaign measurement for online campaigns, what metrics can you use to show your clients? Here are some things to pay attention to:
Reach
Reaching as many relevant people as possible should be your goal for every campaign. This was typically measured by counting the number of unique cookies placed on browsers that would be exposed to the campaign.
There is a problem here – 33 percent of users delete their third-party cookies (cookies used by ad servers) each month, making each user is count on an average of 5.1 times during that same period. Measuring unique users requires you to compensate for this cookie deletion so the number isn’t over-estimated. For 10 million users about 100 million impressions would be needed on average to equal the adjusted cookie metrics.
Traffic
For an online only campaign, site traffic is another gauge of advertising effectiveness, showing users who were enticed by your banner to seek more details about your product or service, whether they clicked your ad or not.
Simply measure the daily visitors before, during and after your campaign to estimate your site traffic as a result of a campaign.
ROI
ROI cannot truly be calculated unless you are selling your products online. Online-only retailers who can capture the full effect of online advertising should by all means track ROI.
But if you only collect leads only and do not sell anything online you can either calculate a value for each conversion (leads), or track your investment on advertising by calculating the average cost per conversion.
Although arguably more measurable than traditional media, online campaigns must be analyzed with a well-rounded approach, tying the big picture together. There is no magic bullet but a good agency will size up and present the big picture with all their campaigns.
Social Media Dollars Increase
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Social Media on March 27th, 2012
In an Advertiser Perceptions semiannual survey of nearly 1,200 people involved in deciding how ad dollars are spent digitally, 59% of respondents said they would increase social media ad spending in the next 12 months.
The survey also found that social media marketing will make up about 27% of digital budgets, compared with 22% in the previous 12 months. No other digital category will see this kind of growth.
Does this growth come at the expense of other ad dollars? We’re not seeing that currently.
The one true element that will make or break this new media for clients is essentially the “why”. If clients are allocating dollars to be on Facebook because everyone else is on Facebook they will not see the results to support the new distribution. Social Media must be analyzed on a client-by-client basis, creating a unique campaign on the networks that best reach their relevant audience.
This is a very labor-intensive and time consuming task, but when implemented correctly will yield a great “ROV” (Return of Voice). Idea Associates knows the balance needed and will manage the laborious task of keeping a constant presence on the social web, leaving you to do what you do best: run your business.
How is your social media budget divided? Do you foresee an increase in ad dollars spent on social campaigns?
5 Reasons People Leave a Website
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing on March 22nd, 2012
Getting web traffic can be challenging, but keeping people on your site long enough for them to become potential clients or customers is even more difficult. Here are some common mistakes that make people jump ship and what you can do about them.
Poor navigation. Nothing confuses or frustrates visitors more than a website that is not clear and hard to navigate. Scattering your information, being too wordy, having vague content, and making your main message appear below the fold are all reasons people will jump off your site before clicking any further. Make sure your navigation is logical and easy to understand. The biggest mistake businesses make is having no call to action present. Users need to be told what to do and where to go next.
Obnoxious use of video. People want to choose the content they view. Having a video (or audio) that loads automatically will most likely drive visitors away faster than you can say Vimeo. More demerits if it’s the type of video that doesn’t allow you to see the length or pause. Users want options. Make sure you provide them.
Excessive pop-ups. Many marketing gurus will tell you that pop-up registration forms are the way to get hundreds of subscribers. I find them to be disruptive and flat out annoying. Placing your registration form prominently above the fold on your site and offering a special report or free gift is a much better strategy. There is nothing worse than reading the second paragraph of an engaging article only to be interrupted by a full-page pop-up window telling you what to do. Abort!
Illegible fonts. Loud colors and fancy typeface can really discourage users from staying on your site. Avoid elaborate fonts, your goal is simplistic legibility. Furthermore, using words in a graphic instead of properly within the site diminishes SEO capabilities.
Stale content. You may have the perfect design, stellar content, and even great interactive comments, but what if you haven’t updated your content frequently? Whatever you do, never say “site under construction” – like familiar strips of your local interstate, this signifies to visitors that completion is probably not going to occur any time soon.
Keep your content fresh, which not only keeps visitors coming back, but enhances SEO as well. Blogging is a great way to achieve this goal.
If you’re struggling with your website design, Idea Associates can put all these elements together to create the best site for your business.
Small Houses, Living Large
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Demographics, Real Estate Trends on March 21st, 2012
Downsizing has been a trend over the last several years, whether you are an empty nester eliminating yard work or a family adversely affected by past economic conditions. Builders are making this trend work for them with new designs and plans. Today buyers aren’t looking for more house, they are looking for houses that do more. They will accept smaller space but not less finishes; they still expect a home that impresses.
Making smaller plans work means both using every space in the home and customizing the allocation of space so that the owners’ priorities are reflected in where square footage is allotted. Even if customization isn’t possible, builders can focus on adaptable spaces.
Flexibility seems to be on the top of the buyer priority list, such as a dining room that can be converted into an office or extra bedroom if needed.
Some examples of modern adaptations of space can include built-in storage for backpacks and bags at the side entrance commonly used by the family, hallways with extra cabinets, and the elimination of the formal dining room. An alcove near the stairs is perfect for mini home office needs.
Living smaller not only emphasizes the less is more principle, but it also encourages the implementation of green features and appliances, which make a real selling point.
How to Handle Negative Online Reviews
Posted by Sibet B Freides in Marketing, Social Media on April 17th, 2012
Removing negative comments is rarely the answer. Here are some suggestions to instead influence your customers and clients when a less than stellar review is posted.
Most Important – Join the Conversation
The first thing you should do is respond – in a timely manner – to each of the reviews publicly, addressing the issues while maintaining a professional tone. If you know the complaint is not essentially valid, respond saying you are sorry for their experience and will immediately look into it for them. Believe it or not, people want to be heard even more than they want their issue resolved. You’re already ahead of the game if you can publicly show them that you’re willing to hear their concern or issue. This is also where you can tell your side of the story, as long as you focus on the solution and stay professional at all costs!
Online reviews are not set in stone and often will be updated (and upgraded) by a customer who was given the dignity of a reply and an apology.
Ask Your Satisfied Clients for Positive Reviews
There is no shame in asking for testimonials – most people are more than happy to talk about their positive experiences on Facebook, Kudzu, Google and more. You are not bribing or soliciting positive feedback – you are honestly and genuinely asking your audience to share their experiences online.
Every website should have a section for “What People Are Saying”… just make sure you ask the party prior to posting their words. Make sure they tell you how they would like to be credited (initials only or full name, etc.) and if they would like to leave a link to their website at the bottom.
Have a plan
With online review sites providing a today’s of word-of-mouth marketing, reviews are essential but can be either helpful or damaging to a business.
The reality is, you can do everything right and yet still receive a negative review. It all depends on the customer’s expectations; they are either met or they’re not.
Following up by phone after the completion of a service can help head off unflattering reviews and provide an opportunity to satisfy frustrated clients before their feedback goes public.
Now it’s your turn: how do you handle negative comments on Social Media and popular review sites?
Tags: conversation, Marketing, negative comments, online, reviews, social media, testimonials
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