Your residents and the prospects you are targeting, are a lot different than they were in the past. Online social networking sites have revolutionized the way people interact with each other and gather information. Renters are talking about your communities, sharing options and making referrals via new media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Foursquare. Maintaining an on-going positive relationship with consumers is critical to any brands long term success. Today companies must be a part of the consumer dialogue. Learn how to build a customer engagement strategy.

1. Leveraging Social Media Marketing in the Apartment Industry Erica Campbell Director of Marketing For Rent Media Solutions

2. Agenda Did you know? Debunking social media myths Benefits of social media 11 steps for building a social media strategy How is social media being used? Tips & advice Examples of brands using digital and mobile media

3. Did you know?

4. Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30 years old Source: US Census Bureau

5. 96% of Millennials have joined a social networking site Source: Mr. Youth and RepNation Media (April 2008)

6. Average family phone call today

7. 50 million tweets per day — that's an average of 600 tweets per second Source: Twitter Blog

8. YouTube is the second largest search engine

9. 99% of companies use social media for recruitment Source: Survey by OSCAR, talential, squeaker.net usage

10. Russia has a population of 142M. That’s not even half of Facebook’s user base Facebook has more users than there are people in the U.S. If Facebook were a country, it would be the 3rd largest country in the world (behind China and India) Source: Facebook

11. 4 billion+ photos hosted & 4.8 million things were geotagged this month Source: Flickr

12. People who use mobile devices are 50% more active on social sites 4 mobile phones were sold for every PC sold in 2009

13. 25% of search results for the world’s Top 20 largest brands are linked to user-generated content Source:: MarketingVox and Nielsen BuzzMetrics

14. Social media marketing spend will reach $3.1b in 2014 Source: Forrester Research

15. “ A conversation or experience shared between people, powered by technology and online tools ” Social: Human interaction Media: Vehicles to carry messages

16. Debunking Social Media Myths

17. Social Media Myths MYTH! Social media is free Fact: While most social media sites are free to use, the time dedicated to maintaining these efforts is not. Sites like Facebook® and Twitter® need to be updated just like print ads. Social media takes time and time is money! MYTH! Anybody can do it Fact: While anyone can participate in social media, you must determine your brand’s social media strategy. Who is the best person to represent the brand and implement the strategy? MYTH! Build it and they will come Fact: Social media is NOT an overnight process. It requires time and dedication. Give consumers a reason to flock to your page! This requires engaging with them on their terms.

18. Social Media Myths MYTH! Social media is all I need Fact: Social media is not meant to replace other marketing efforts, but rather complement them. It is more successful in combination with other media (e.g., print, mobile marketing, text messaging, web site, email marketing). MYTH! Social media is just for young people Fact: The fastest growing segment on Facebook is 55-65 year old females. Determine your demographics and find them in the social space; participate and engage! MYTH! Social media invites negative comments Fact: Negative comments can be posted on social media sites whether your brand is there or not! Don’t combat or ignore a negative comment; respond by providing customer service. Turn those customers into brand evangelists by listening and taking action.

19. Benefits of Social Media

20. Increase Brand Exposure & Site Traffic Encourage Referrals & Build Loyal Advocates Create Buzz for Events & Promotions Gain New Influentials Build Relationships Gain Customer & Market Insights Google Juice, Google Juice, Google Juice! Benefits of Social Media

21. Social Media Influences Purchase Decisions 91% say consumer reviews are the #1 aid to buying decisions1 78% of consumers trust their peer recommendations2 Online social network users were 3X more likely to trust their peer’s opinionsover advertising when making purchase decisions3 26% of search results link to user-generated content4 77% of prospects use reviews and ratings when shopping Source: 1 JC Williams Group, 2 Marketing Sherpa, 3 Jupiter research, 4Nielsen Buzz Metrics

22. 11 Steps for Building a Social Media Strategy

23. 11 Steps for Building a Social Media Strategy Listen Develop Internal Resources Define Objectives & Goals Identify the Landscape Discover the Influencers Develop a Content Strategy Select your Channels & Tools Publish & Integrate your Content Engage your Customers & Critics Measure your Results Tweak your Strategy

24. Step 1 Listen

25. Listen: Monitor and protect your brand on the Internet using these tools: Global Internet: Google Alerts, SocialMention, RSS Feeds, Trendrr, monitorThis Blogs and Microblogs: Twillerts, Technorati, Twitter Search, Google Blog Search, SocialOomph, TweetDeck, HootSuite, Seesmic, IceRocket, Monitter Facebook: Facebook Insights, SocialOomph Video Sharing Sites: YouTube Insights, YouTube Comment Alerts Paid Services: Nielsen BuzzMetrics, Radian6

27. Listen: Community Chatter Do you care? Will you respond? Will you apologize? Will you rebut? Who will be in charge of responding, apologizing and rebutting? What will you do if someone says something bad but it’s not about you, its about their neighbors or your prospects?

28. Social Media Training Step 2 Develop Internal Resources

29. Develop Internal Resources: Publish and Distribute a New Media Policy When are your employees your employees? Are you responsible for their actions when they are “on the clock”? Are you responsible for their actions when they are on their own time? Consider your audience and be authentic Remember to protect proprietary and confidential information Develop a Training Program What training are you going to provide for your employees? Proper use of your social media Proper use of social media in their lives

30. Friending your manager on Facebook and then complaining about your job can get you fired

32. “ There’s nothing new about employees behaving badly, but technology will always offer up new avenues to shock, intimidate and offend. ~ Shanti Atkins, CEO of ELT, Inc., specialists in online ethics ”

33. The legal stuff: Social media marketing is advertising, so the rules and laws related to advertising apply… Use the logo!

34. Remember Fair Housing Do not suggest “any preference, limitation or decimation” based on: Race Color Religion Sex Disability Familial Status National Origin

35. Step 3 Define Objectives & Goals

36. Define Objectives & Goals: Increase Brand Awareness: Create a general hype & enhance a product or service Increase Reach: Broaden reach of core company's target audience Generate Leads & Data: Improve referrals & retention Gain Content or Consumer Insight: Repurpose for future marketing initiatives Humanize your Voice: Engage socially, build relationships, reward your customers, and drive fan acquisition Gain Competitive Edge: Offset new competition

37. Step 4 Identify the Landscape

38. Identify the Landscape: Where are your consumers engaging with your brand? Online searches Social networks and video/photo sharing sites Mobile websites and apps Email Outdoor Print media Review sites and local business sites: Yelp.com, Foursquare, ApartmentRatings.com, Amazon.com, Edmunds.com, TripAdvisor.com, YellowPages.com ASK THEM

39. Step 5 Discover the Influencers

40. Discover the Influencers: Here are some tips on how to identify them: Identify key players online and off: Are they young, tech-savvy professionals, bloggers, trendsetters, students, locals? Conduct research: Use search, keyword and analytic tools, consider inbound links, surveys Look for patterns: Who is retweeting, Facebooking, bookmarking and commenting? Share of voice: Look for high follower/subscriber counts, multiple active discussion threads or responses, frequent posts/updates

41. Step 6 Develop a Content Strategy

42. Develop a Content Strategy: Things to consider in your strategy: What is your mission statement, brand position or brand promise? What is your brand personality? What is your brand identify? What differentiates your brand? What is your company story? What do want your customer experience to feel like? Identify types of content

43. Use the power of storytelling and information to market your ideas

44. Content strategies must be supported by tactics: Strategy: Communicate Tactics: content, blogging and microblogging, video sharing, photo sharing, podcasting, media assets Strategy: Connect Tactics: social networks, print, Internet, mobile, outdoor, radio, TV Strategy: Collect/Categorize Tactics: social bookmarks Strategy: Customize Tactics: RSS, Widgets, Share Strategy: Conversation Tactics: comments, Q&A sites, reviews, forums

45. Content Creation Essentials Earn consumer trust. Stop talking, start listening Quality over quantity. Visitors need to be impressed with your content Offer value. Validate your commitment to knowledge and not sales Keep it relative. Fresh relative content increases search and attention Get friends. Gain a fan base in advance Don’t over do it. Content should be relative to your overall theme If at first you don’t succeed… Try again and again and again. Experiment with the call to action Cut out the noise. Keep your content clear, simple and easy to understand Keep your voice in tune. You’ll connect more effectively with your consumer Integration is key.Don’t forget traditional marketing

46. Step 7 Select your Channels & Tools

47. Select your Channels & Tools: Connect them to your goals and objectives: Increase brand awareness and reach: Facebook, Twitter, blogs, mobile, email, video sharing sites, print, TV, radio, outdoor Humanize your voice: YouTube, Flickr Provide thought leadership and credibility: LinkedIn, Plaxo, forums, niche sites Improve search engine rankings: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RSS, blogs Improve sales/services/retention: Email, surveys, social networks, online communities

48. Step 8 Promote & Seed your Content

50. Internet

51. Email

52. Display Ads

53. Video sharing sites

54. Photo sharing sites

55. Mobile

56. PR

57. Internal promotion

58. Blogs & social networking sites

59. Social bookmarking sites

60. Outdoor

61. Radio

62. TV

63. On-Site

64. Contest & sweepstake sites

66. Hello! Step 9 Engage your Customers & Critics

68. Vary content types and sources

69. Determine your frequency

70. Add value

71. Keep content timely

72. Post credible content

73. Offer incentives and reward customers

74. Ask for feedback

76. Encourage Sharing

77. Use RSS

78. Step 10 Measure your Results

80. Impact- how your efforts change consumers’ actions or opinions

81. Quantity- how many consumers interact with your initiatives

82. Quality- strength and depth of consumers’ interactions with your initiatives

83. Sentiment-how did they feel about what they read?

85. Step 11 Tweak your Strategy

87. Evaluate the content and frequency

88. Evaluate the landscape and tools

89. Trends come and go

90. Be nimble and adaptive

91. Consider your budget and time

92. Continue to identify key influencers

93. How is Social Media Being Used?

94. ForRent.com®

97. “If Only Your Apartment Furniture Could Talk”Video Contest 20% boost in college age visitors to site Direct navigation increased 57%

98. “Ready2Move?” Video Contest 24,000 79,000 335,000 Votes Unique Visitors Pageviews

99. Viva La Vie Boheme

100. Pet Pads Unleashed

101. Contest Comparison Matrix

102. Starbucks

105. =

106. Express

110. Nine West

113. Social Networking Sites

114. Facebook

115. Facebook: Photos

116. Facebook: Videos

117. Facebook: FBML, Polls, Quizzes, Tweets & Notes

118. Facebook: Promotions, Contests & Giveaways

119. Facebook: Events

120. LinkedIn

121. LinkedIn: Groups

122. LinkedIn: Recruiting & Hiring

123. Industry Social Networks

124. Blogs & Microblogs

125. Blogs 34% of Bloggers post opinions about brands and products

126. Twitter: Customer Service, Feedback & Rewards

127. Twitter: Promotions, Contests & Giveaways

129. Twitter Chat: #AptChat Every Friday from 4-5 pm ET @ AptChat Hosted by Mike Whaling (30Lines.com) and Lisa Trosien (Apartment All Stars)

130. Twitter: Events

131. Online Video

132. Optimize Videos

133. YouTube Search

134. Video: Integrated into SERP’s

135. Video: Integrated into SERP’s

136. Google Universal Search

137. Outdoor

139. Location - Based - Marketing

140. Foursquare Primary: Let your friends know where you are and figure out where they are. When you walk into a bar or restaurant, apartment community or mall, you "check-in“ on your mobile device, and your friends will see where you are on a Foursquare map. Secondary: It's for collecting points, prize "badges," and eventually, coupons, for going about your everyday business.

141. Foursquare: Location-Based-Marketing This “check-in” notification can also be cross promoted on Facebook and Twitter.

142. Foursquare: Facebook and Twitter

143. “millions of people are now walking around with a gizmo in their pocket that not only knows where they are but also plugs into the Internet to share that info, merge it with online databases, and find out what—and who—is in the immediate vicinity…simply put, location changes everything.” ~Matthew Honan, Wired Magazine

144. Tips & Advice

145. Allocating Resources Assign internal social media guru Determine budget Establish policies and guidelines internally Leverage existing content Integrate with traditional marketing Use tracking and syndication tools Get employees and residents involved

146. General Lessons Learned Your viewers want to help – just give them incentive Content is king and contacts are queen – make connections with your brand advocates, local film schools and media institutions One media or one profile is not enough to see the effects With depleted resources you must be creative Top management must be on board Everyone needs to work together Set realistic goals and don’t expect overnight results Resolve to respond to customer service issues within three hours It’s ok to fail Have fun

148. Create an account on networks and sites where you find your residents, prospects, partners and influencers

149. LISTEN to what’s on top of their mind – think beyond your product sale

150. Be approachable, let your connections know how to connect with you

151. Share your thoughts, interests – get social

152. Measure results and track your brand mentions

153. Tell your colleagues what you learn from your residents and prospects – encourage them to also listen and learn

154. Help your residents and prospects with helpful links and information

155. Stay focused on the people who are RELEVANT to you – otherwise you get distracted and spend 24 hours per day browsing around

156. DO NOT waste your time and be sure to follow your business objectives

157. …& always remember Fair Housing!

158. Stay Connected with Trends http://mashable.com/ http://www.socialmediatoday.com/ http://www.techcrunch.com/ http://technorati.com/ http://www.hubspot.com/ http://www.delicious.com/ http://digg.com/news http://www.stumbleupon.com/ http://www.reddit.com/ http://slashdot.org/ http://www.propeller.com/ http://www.killerstartups.com/

159. What We Learned New Media Facts Debunked social media myths Benefits of social media 11 steps for building a social media strategy How social media is being used Tips & advice Examples of brands using digital and mobile media

160. Follow Me slideshare.net/ericacampbell @ericacampbell linkedin.com/in/ericawcampbell facebook/ericawcampbell blog.forrent.com youtube.com/user/apartmentsforrent

161. Q&A

162. http://www.flickr.com/photos/markkenny/4612192724/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/spacelion/2875145978/sizes/l/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/giesenbauer/3954123536/sizes/l/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/scarlet-ortiz/2908128232/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachklein/90665127/sizes/m/in/pho http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/facebook-world.jpgtostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sparktography/2485147794/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/markknol/2568436053/sizes/o/in/photostream/ http://robertallen.com/blog/?cat=12 http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindes/270568027/sizes/o/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrenhester/3901158717/sizes/m/in/photostream/ Photo Credits