When was the last time you heard a really good story? I’m talking about one that absolutely captivated you, one that evoked genuine emotion, or one that made you really think or question something. Storytelling is an extricable part of almost every culture in the world, and, in most societies, verbal artistry is revered because entertainment is a high value experience, despite the intangible nature of it.
We chatted with FPI Management’s Jill McNiesh, Social Media & Reputation Manager for the Pacific Northwest, and asked her for 5 things a property can do to directly and positively impact their online reputation management efforts.
What is it that you want? You might be surprised by how many people in this world have no idea how to answer that question. We focus so often on the things that are disappointing us, making us unhappy, or angering us that we lose sight of our own goals. Without an endpoint, we cannot create a map to our success.
Once you finally do know what you want or where you’re going, the challenge of asking other people arises. If you don’t know who to ask to get what you want, then start asking people who they think you should talk to. If you’re not asking for what you want because of pride, that’s a tougher problem to fix, because you have to make a decision whether or not your pride is more important than your goal. (Psst! Your pride should always be second to your goals!)
At Rent & Retain Magazine, we love companies that spend time on training and professional development, but we also know that some companies just don’t have those resources quite yet. We’d like to help you with that – here are three books, one for each month in the quarter, which we think are great professional development reads for people in the property management industry. We invite you to join us in reading these books, and tell us what you think of them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rentandretain during our book post each month. We want to know what was useful to you, what good ideas you found, or what behaviors that month’s book inspired you to change or begin. Did you agree with the author or not? Was it a good read? We want to hear from you!
How is your occupancy these days? A New Year brings new opportunities to raise rents, retain more residents, increase traffic, and close more leases. But how many leases are you really closing? Are you closing 50% of your prospect traffic…25%?… even less? Are the challenges of increasing costs, online reputation, and market competition driving your closing ratio down? It doesn’t have to be that way. Raise your closing percentage back to amazing with these Take5 closing tips.
There is a fantastic old Saturday Night Live skit that centers around the need for more cowbell in the Blue Oyster Cult song, Don’t Fear the Reaper. “Fellas,” says a brilliant Christopher Walken, “I’m tellin’ you, you’re gonna’ want that cowbell.”
It’s true folks. You’re gonna’ want that cowbell. Those little things that you do that make your community stand apart – chilled towels in the fitness center, package delivery, truly great resident events, an active and interactive Facebook page – they’re as signature to you as the overindulgent cowbell beat is to Don’t Fear the Reaper.
Pop culture is a powerful ally in marketing, but all too often we try to tug on the most common cultural thread that we can grasp, only to find that our carefully woven marketing plans unravel when wrapped around the lowest common denominator of resident. While this type of broad shotgun approach has been shown to work, it is hardly what could be considered a targeted approach. Tightening in our marketing sights will help us achieve a higher rate of success – this isn’t a case of a good idea versus a bad idea, but rather a good idea versus a better idea!
We love companies that spend time on training and professional development, but we also know that some companies just don’t have those resources quite yet. We’d like to help you with that by continuing with Rent & Retain’s Book Club! In each edition of Rent & Retain, we’ll be posting three books, one for each month in the quarter, which we think are great professional development reads for people in the property management industry. Join us in reading these books, and tell us what you think of them on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/rentandretain during our book post each month. We want to know what was useful to you, what good ideas you found, or what behaviors that month’s book inspired you to change or begin. Did you agree with the author or not? Was it a good read? We want to hear from you!
