5 Things Every Marketing Plan Should Include

The days of the cookie cutter marketing plan have long past. In fact, 2011 is proving to be an exciting year for the apartment industry. Most of our markets are showing tangible improvement as many are raising rents and the concessionary sales pitch is a thing of the past. This means it is time to think about how to capitalize on this marketing opportunity to make money for you and your owners. Here are 5 ways to make certain your 2011 marketing plan is poised for success.

Mobile Mayhem - Mobile marketing is here to stay! Have you noticed that smart phones navigate your life? Just this weekend I booked a dinner reservation on Open Table, acquired directions through Google Maps, paid my American Express bill and tracked my Mother's Valentine's Day gift and never even turned on my computer. I made all of this happen with my Blackberry. The same is true when searching for apartments and leasing them online. Our residents are using their smart phone. This begs the question, if your web site optimized for mobile technology? It's time to check into this and make your Website a powerful tool to lease apartments in the palm of your customers hand.

Public Conversation - This is what social media is all about. But first, you have to be prepared to have a conversation with a concerned resident in public. Remember, this is your chance to address negative reviews that people post online concerning your apartment community. The truth is, even brands and services we love most often let us down and we feel the need to complain. So, take that feedback and think of it as breakfast to fuel for improvement and maybe even set the record straight! Allow your residents to post on your Facebook wall, Websites and other social forums. But don't stop there, address EVERY comment, praise or complaint and show your renters that you care about them and their thoughts and needs matter. A simple response will show the entire viewing public that you are a solid manager and will act on their needs. Make certain your marketing plan addresses this new forum for customer service and uses it to get more leases and renewals.

Traditions - It is sad to think about all the fun resident events that did not make the budget during our recessionary years. It is time to bring those back and I encourage you to start a tradition with your events. This means that you don't just to these events once in a while when you are fully staffed and feel like it, you commit to it every week or month. It will probably take a few events to get a following but imagine how something as simple as a pancake breakfast could take off and really mean something to your community. Budget for your signature event to happen on a regularly scheduled basis.

Get Relevant - Adjust your advertising to not tell them what you offer but rather why they should buy it. Today more than ever, the customer knows they have a choice and they exercise their right to choose or not choose every hour of every day. Our sales and marketing efforts should now shift to make a case for why someone should buy your widget versus your competitors.

Be Unique- It's hard to capture and maintain people's attention today when the world around us is so distracting. This means that smart marketers are adding unique bling to their print and online advertising by changing up their graphics to include 3d Floor Plans (see www.Matts3DFloorplans.com) or virtually furnishing a model through www.VirtualStagingSolutions.com. I am also impressed with new tools offered by the Internet Listing Services such as www.ApartmentGuide.com where you can offer visitors to your Web page a unique view of your property through the Community Carousel tool. Check out these unique ways to improve your advertising.

Stay tuned for more great sales and marketing ideas from Kate Good.