Disqus - Latest Comments for 30lines

Re: 6 Things to Know About Using QR Codes in Content Marketing

Mike Whaling — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:18:57 -0000

Hi Cindy, I agree with Nate that you have to consider how you're using the codes ... I honestly wouldn't expect too many people to pull over just to scan a code. You may want to consider a SMS code, a short URL or a phone number in these cases.

That said, I think there are a lot of potential applications for QR codes in multifamily. Follow Nate's points, make sure your landing page is optimized for mobile and make it as easy as possible for the prospect to take the next step. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

Re: Comment on Your Brand’s Facebook Page as Yourself

Mike Whaling — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:26:43 -0000

Hi Annet, my guess is that your page is using the newer settings for editing. On your page, look over in the right column under Admins ... do you see an option to "Use Facebook as Page?" Click that, then you should be able to post as the page.

Let me know if that works. If not, send me an email to mike@30lines.com -- we'll do what we can to help you out. Good luck!

Re: #Apartmentmarketing: Blog for Juice

Mike Whaling — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:04:38 -0000

Good stuff as always, Mike. I'd assert that a blog serves many purposes beyond Google juice, which you allude to several times. For a business like yours, I think it's tough to not blog about your business and still get value out of the site, unless you view it as an opportunity to create a relationship with a new audience. I just had this conversation last week ... you might not necessarily want your blog to rank for a term like "apartments in st. louis," but rather "things to do in st. louis." Knowing who you're blogging for is just as important as knowing why you're blogging in the first place.

Re: Find Related Keywords with Wonder Wheel

Mike Whaling — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 13:10:46 -0000

Thanks, Pam! You'll find that there are lots of great ways to find keywords relevant to your business. One other thing I really like to do is look at what people are searching for *on* my site -- that gives me some indication of what they're expecting to find, so I know exactly what to create next. Good luck!

Re: Mike Whaling Talks Websites, Privacy, and SEO

Mike Whaling — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:13:56 -0000

#SwangIt

Re: Mike Whaling Talks Websites, Privacy, and SEO

Mike Whaling — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:59:28 -0000

You're too kind, Elijah. Thanks again for the opportunity and the great conversation. I hope we can do it again soon!

Re: Should We Be Un-Integrating Our Marketing?

Mike Whaling — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:28:28 -0000

I think the Old Spice campaign was actually a great example of integrated marketing, Eric. A lot of people would never know about that campaign if it was limited only to YouTube. But they introduced the character through mainstream TV spots, they tied in a number of different online channels, and they documented the whole process to extend their reach via PR after the initial campaign. If that's not integrated, I don't know what is.

Re: Should We Be Un-Integrating Our Marketing?

Mike Whaling — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:55:29 -0000

I'm making the assumption that most companies aren't doing things that are beyond their financial resources. No company can or should do everything, but I don't think you should stop doing something that works just because a new tactic arrives on the scene. Try it, measure it, then stop doing it if it's not getting you the return you expect.

Re: Should We Be Un-Integrating Our Marketing?

Mike Whaling — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:27:05 -0000

I've always liked the "Stop Doing List" ... assuming that you know what is and isn't working, and you stop doing the things that aren't working. That said, if there are things that *are* still working well as you bring social media into the mix, I fail to see why you wouldn't want all of those tactics working to complement each other.

Re: Be Real, Consistent, & Care – A guest post from Duncan Alney

Mike Whaling — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:02:41 -0000

Agreed, as long as the "authentic" you is interesting. If you're boring and authentic, people probably won't pay attention. Be real, but also be worth talking about.

Re: Are Twitter Chats The Future of Twitter Marketing?

Mike Whaling — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:08:10 -0000

I didn't say "don't capitalize on it" ... just don't be the pushy salesperson. You're *always* marketing yourself and your business in one way or another, but there's typically a culture of education (or at least something along those lines) in many of these chats that doesn't take well to sales pitches. Roll with the punches, show people *why* they need do business with you, and it will happen. That's what's worked for me.

Re: Heather & Mike Whaling on Love, Marriage and Business

Mike Whaling — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:27:23 -0000

I'm just waiting to hear what tips other people have to offer who might be in a similar situation. Thanks for doing the interview, Nate!

Re: Are Twitter Chats The Future of Twitter Marketing?

Mike Whaling — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:35:24 -0000

The future of marketing? I'm not so sure about that. I've found that most chat participants generally despise anyone who tries to market to them directly during the course of a chat ... it's often viewed as spamming the chat.

But the future of connecting with peers and building a reputation as an expert in your field? Absolutely. These chats are some of the best places to connect with an *incredibly* targeted audience that's full of people who are interested in the same topics as you and making time in their schedule to learn. Check the spreadsheet for chats that make sense for you, but leave the "marketing" at home ... instead, come ready to discuss, contribute and learn. Do that, and you'll soon get all the recognition you deserve.

Re: Comment on Your Brand’s Facebook Page as Yourself

Mike Whaling — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:28:50 -0000

Heh, I'd say you've already made an impact, my friend. I think this feature is perfect for what you're doing since you've made some wonderful personal connections with your audience. Keep up the great work on your page!

Re: Comment on Your Brand’s Facebook Page as Yourself

Mike Whaling — Wed, 25 May 2011 10:50:20 -0000

Great point, Charity. It's important to consider what's most appropriate for the situation. And I feel your pain about how easy it can be to forget how you're logged in!

Re: Comment on Your Brand’s Facebook Page as Yourself

Mike Whaling — Wed, 25 May 2011 10:31:03 -0000

Glad to help. Thanks for stopping by, Libby!

Re: the naked redhead - The Naked Redhead - Winners' Circle!

Mike Whaling — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 13:48:58 -0000

Excuse me? You had to beg us to watch you do amazing work? HARDLY. This trip has been a privilege, and I can't wait to see what opportunities come out of this for you. Thanks for putting up with the dudefest along the way.

Re: Social Media Policies

Mike Whaling — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:13:06 -0000

Thanks for the great resource, Doug! Can you share more about what
you're seeing from your clients? How are they handling their tweeting
and other social media efforts?

Re: Apartment Internet Marketing – Entertainment

Mike Whaling — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:04:39 -0000

Mike, I think this is a great series of posts. People participate in social media sites primarily to connect with friends and colleagues, not companies. That means that brands have to be even more interesting/entertaining/unique/engaging than the personal contacts of their audience. Jay Baer articulates this well over on his blog.

I'd love to hear more of your thoughts about how apartment marketers can develop a brand that embraces entertainment and rest of these principles in their content strategy, and I hope you can share your observations as you work these ideas into your own marketing efforts.

Re: The Resident Portal as a Communication Hub

Mike Whaling — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:50:04 -0000

Thanks for the update, Justin.

I hope that more property management software platforms become more open with their data. That's certainly the trend outside the industry, and it will allow companies like yours to keep innovating further. I still think the best option is going to be the solution that integrates the best features from the property management software, third-party services like yours and general social networking sites (possibly through Facebook Connect, Google Friend Connect or similar).

I appreciate the insight. Keep me posted as you roll out new features.

Re: Episode 19 - The ILS Conundrum

Mike Whaling — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:23:49 -0000

Kelly, your comment echoes the typical industry thinking, which focuses on the marketer rather than the apartment shopper. I challenge you to find one prospective renter using your site that can even identify the difference between an "A property" and a "B property."

As an admin for an ILS, you likely have focus group data telling you what users of your site want to see when they're shopping for an apartment. Would you be able to share some of that information with us without giving away too many secrets? The only way we move this conversation forward is to understand what your audience - future renters - want most. Shopping for an apartment on an ILS is not like any other shopping experience online, and I contend that that's not a good thing for renters for our industry.

Yes, it's a good idea for your advertisers to tell a story that sets their brand apart from their competition. It's also a good idea for those advertisers to tell the same story across multiple advertising outlets to maintain a consistent brand image. It's Mark's job to tell that story in the most effective way and in the most effective places possible. The problem is that companies like Mark's are basically restricted by the limitations ILSs put in place ... he doesn't even get to make his pitch unless he makes the cut based on price, location and number of bathrooms first.

If apartment marketers continue to put their jargon and their fears ahead of their prospects' needs, it prevents you and your competition from doing your job effectively. The sooner we start putting the needs of the apartment hunter first, the better off we'll all be.

Re: WordPress Under Attack: Are You Effected?

Mike Whaling — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:48:40 -0000

Glad to help, Mike. Let me know if you have any issues or if you have any other questions.

Re: Brett Favre Doesn't Control His Legacy, Just Like You Don't Control Your Brand

Mike Whaling — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:52:36 -0000

I think it's more interesting to see the apartment operators that insist on going through unique branding exercises for every new project, instantly sacrificing any brand equity that they may have created in their previous communities.

You make a great point, Eric. The resident/customer will always draw some conclusion about the brand (creating their own definition), but as marketers, we have many, many opportunities to stay in front of that customer and influence their perceptions. Our efforts to enhance our customer's experience should fit within some overarching brand message -- one that is reflected in what those happy customers say when they tell their friends about their encounters.

I don't believe that we have ZERO control over our brand, only that we should be doing a lot more to see how our customers, prospects and other audiences perceive us.

Re: Another data point in lead tracking: Print drives web traffic all by its lonesome

Mike Whaling — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:05:52 -0000

Dan, I appreciate the compilation of data here, but I think the conclusion you present is fairly common sense. You're essentially saying, "the more places where people can find you, the more likely you are to be seen."

I agree with your point: an integrated marketing program will almost always be more effective than one that puts all of your eggs in one basket. Even in the case of Urbane, I would argue that Eric has not abandoned print for an Internet-only approach ... much of his company's success can be attributed to their word-of-mouth efforts, which can be an incredibly powerful marketing "platform" in its own right.

What I would be more interested to see (and what was not mentioned in the MediaPost piece) would be the trend over time of those leads generated by the print ads. Is the percentage of website visits vs. calls increasing, and if so, by how much? I also like the idea of custom landing pages ... I'd be interested to see the differences in conversion between those ads that direct readers to a specific landing page vs. those that only point the reader to the advertiser's homepage.

Thanks for sharing the data and your perspective!

Re: Multifamily Brand: Energy Makes the Difference

Mike Whaling — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:29:53 -0000

@Mike: Love the post, but I can't say that I agree with your comment about the companies that you say have delivered on the brand building. Maybe they have within the industry, but not to residents and consumers in general. A few apartment brands I think an average consumer might be able to recognize would include Alexan (TCR), Avalon and Post ... and that's about it. (Guess what: all three of them are fairly consistent with what they deliver.) And I don't think there's any connection at all between the management companies responsible for the customer experience and the properties themselves.

Unfortunately, I don't think the advertising sites in our industry are helping much at this point. It's not a knock against them -- as Allison noted, they're mostly listing services. They primarily serve more as places to post prices and details, not articulate your brand experience. As a basic example, why isn't there an ILS out there that lets the advertiser add a branded background to their ads? I can do this on my company's Twitter page, and that's a free service. In general, I don't think any company should rely on the advertising platform to do the heavy lifting for them when it comes to brand building.

@Allison: I'm still thinking a lot about the auto brands as a comparison. Toyota developed Lexus to reach the luxury buyer, then they created Scion to reach the young hipster. It's smart marketing -- segment your message to appeal to a specific demographic.

You're right that there's a cost involved, but I think Eric is proving that, when executed effectively, the customer sees value in the brand and is willing to pay more to be part of it. (Another car comparison: check the price on a new Mini Cooper ... owning one is like being part of a club, and people pay handsomely to become a member.)

There's a real opportunity out there for the management company that can pull this off. If that third-party manager can show that people are willing to pay more for the experience they can deliver, that adds major value to that asset. Yes, it's intangible, but it's incredibly valuable. Now that's swagger.