What Brands Can Do During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Pivot your marketing strategy to handle coronavirus by producing digital content, airing television ads and OTT ads, and a communication strategy. Shift focus from events to digital On top of major events like NBA games and Coachella being cancelled or postponed indefinitely, conferences, expos, and trade shows have also been cancelled. According to a Demand Gen Report, 53% of B2B marketers say in-person events are the most effective channel for driving conversions, so many marketers are now searching for new channels to connect with target audiences. Google Cloud Next, Adobe Summit, Y Combinator Demo Day and more have opted for a digital-only approach. Although digital-only events do not offer the same traditional networking opportunities as in-person events, marketers can experiment with their event strategies to still capture those audiences. Consider these tactics: Produce digital content that can still influence your intended audience. Even though your company will not be able to interact with your audience in person, you can still reach them through digital channels. Target attendees with email campaigns or direct-mail. These channels provide the personal messaging that audiences look for while attending events. A/B test everything to measure the effectiveness of attending events in the future. You could find valuable insights from changing your strategy this year. Opportunity for television and OTT advertising Social distancing and work from home mandates mean more people will be at home watching television and streaming content. Audiences are tuning in to reporting on the coronavirus pandemic and searching for ways to stay entertained while limiting contact with potentially affected areas. Although ad spending is projected to slump across the board, reallocating budget to television and OTT advertising could pay off. Many brands are cutting ad spend in preparation for lower sales projections, which means there could more inventory available. Between self-quarantines, cancelled events, and precautionary measures, potential consumers are on the couch in front of the television as a captive audience. Communicate any service disruptions to the customer In the event your supply chain is disrupted, you have to cancel your event, or any other major changes, clearly communicate to your consumers why your regular service may be affected. Your customer will understand if your company has to make changes in the current situation as long as you are clear on why the package is taking longer to arrive or you are issuing a refund. The last thing the consumer wants is to be left in the dark and without the proper information. Dispel misinformation about your brand Misinformation about COVID-19 is multiplying across all social media channels. In-depth social listening for mentions about your brand will help you monitor untrue information that could be harmful to many people. For example, some people are attempting to make their own hand sanitizer using Tito’s Handmade Vodka and aloe. However, the CDC recommends that hand sanitizer needs to contain at least 60% alcohol and Tito’s only has 40%. To stop this unsafe information from spreading, Tito’s is replying to all tweets with a statement disproving it and recommendations from the CDC. Don’t sacrifice safety for the bottom line It’s hard to predict what kind of long-term impact coronavirus will have on our economy, but it’s important to keep acting with brand values in mind. At the end of the day, the safety of the public is the most important thing and companies should act accordingly.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Marketing to Gamers
Want to dive deeper into community-based gamer marketing? Connect with a full-service agency to help you launch your gamer marketing campaign. Pop quiz: How familiar are you with Discord, Twitch, and Fortnite? If your answer is “not very,” you’re probably not in a strong position to market to the gaming community. That’s a significant loss, as gaming has long transcended its geek subculture roots. Roughly 67% of Americans (211 million people) play video games. Nearly half of those people play video games at least three hours each week. Consumer spending on video games reached $19.5 billion in the first half of 2018 — a 40% year-over-year increase, which is exceptional for a mature market. Numbers such as these provide a window into the massive size of the gaming market. Video games, aided by the ubiquity of smartphones, have become an ingrained part of our culture. As such, it’s now a critical —and under-leveraged — segment for marketers. To help you better understand how to market to gamers, let’s take a closer look at some critical “dos” and don’ts” involved with the process. Why Twitch-ing is Essential Live streaming platforms (like the aforementioned Twitch) have been critical to the growth of gaming. These platforms allow gamers to broadcast their own in-game exploits to a global audience, earning feedback — and often donations — in the process. It’s a business model that older demographics don’t always immediately grasp (people really pay to watch other people play video games?) The answer is yes, and in massive numbers. Twitch’s growth has been nothing short of explosive (Amazon paid nearly $1 billion for the platform, which now has 15 million daily users). Twitch and other live streaming platforms have been a vehicle for another market experiencing extraordinary growth: Esports. For the uninitiated, Esports are the gaming equivalent of professional sports leagues. Pro gamers compete in leagues based on popular titles (such as Overwatch and NBA2K) and earn significant sums of prize money and endorsements as a result. Leveraging Twitch as a marketing channel is certainly a “do” if you’re seeking to engage gamers. The easiest way is through influencer marketing — a practice that’s extremely popular within live streaming circles. Brands seeking to appeal to gamers through influencer marketing will have no shortage of possibilities on Twitch, as influencer monetization is one of the primary goals of many of the platform’s 3 million monthly broadcasters. Brands can partner with influencers and run pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll ads. Commercials can also be run periodically. The roster of brands pursuing influencer marketing on Twitch is impressive: KFC, Kellogg’s, and Duracell are just a few. One important Twitch marketing “don’t”: Failing to do your research. Twitch broadcasters can be pretty freewheeling in terms of content, so it’s important for brands to vet each potential partner by reviewing archived content. The Power of Community-based Gamer Marketing Discord is a voice and text app that targets the gaming community. If you want to find where hard-core gamers spend their time online, look no further. Because Discord allows you to create communities, it can be an indispensable tool for brands that are seeking to engage with gamers. You can easily create groups, assign admins and moderators, and invite new members. Once a new group is up and running, brands can share information about upcoming events, offer special promotions and simply engage with the community. Access to gamers isn’t the only benefit of the platform; its native features make the platform more conducive to community building, and a better option for reaching the most dedicated gamers, than more limited platforms such as Twitter or Instagram. When launching a new Discord channel, it’s important to garner as much attention as possible. Prizes or special offerings for the first 100, 1,000 or 10,000 members is a smart way to encourage participation — and a gamer marketing “do.” Once a channel is operational, core marketing principles need to apply. Brands need to ensure Discord channels are engaging, active, and conversant with the natural environment. Gamers have an uncanny ability to sniff out brands that make ham-handed attempts at relevance or connection. Engaging gamers without doing your homework first is a definite marketing “don’t.” Brands that want to be successful with the most hard core gamers need to make sure that their marketing efforts are sufficiently steeped in the culture. Mobile Games and Cultural Sensations When creating a marketing strategy for gamers, it’s also important to remember that the world’s most popular gaming platform isn’t a Nintendo Switch or Playstation 4 — it’s the smartphone in your pocket. Ignoring mobile gamers is a serious “don’t,” as they comprise an enormous chunk of all gaming activity. Mobile apps such as Candy Crush, Pokemon Go, Words With Friends, etc. are used daily by a staggering 78% of smartphone users. One final do: Leveraging the brand power of the world’s most popular games. Fortnite, for example, is a global phenomenon, generating more than $300 million each month for its publisher. Fortnite has also generated countless amounts of fan-generated content: Fail videos, viral dance challenges, etc. Brands are working overtime to integrate their marketing and advertising efforts with cultural juggernauts like Fortnite — making such practices a certifiable “do” for anyone seeking to reach gamers. The Takeaway Given the size and growth of the space, gamer marketing has enormous potential. Yet many small to mid-sized businesses have failed to pursue this strategy because they lack subject expertise and a deep understanding of gaming culture. That’s where Bigeye enters the picture. We help brands target the gaming market by devising engaging marketing strategies that gamers find relevant — and businesses find profitable. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today for more information.
Your Property Branding Is All Wrong
If your property branding isn’t expressing the identity of your multifamily development, you’re not communicating your value to new or existing residents. Why bother with branding? Executive Magazine contributor Samantha Chalmers realizes that residential real estate managers may view branding as less important than optimizing operational efficiency and offering attractive amenity packages. “But make no mistake,” she warns, “one of the most crucial elements of your portfolio is your brand.” Ask yourself how your apartment complex or multifamily development differs from other residential properties within a radius of five to ten miles. Then set yourself apart from the competition by launching a branding campaign that capitalizes on your specific strengths and driving values. Do you own or manage a LEED-certified green community? Ms. Chalmers stresses the importance of engaging in comprehensive and highly strategic multifamily marketing to establish a brand name that is consistent with energy consciousness and environmental sustainability. In other words, when promoting “composting stations and community gardens,” property managers would be unwise to “place a print ad in a Range Rover catalog” or “serve coffee or water in Styrofoam cups in the leasing office.” Use what makes your residential complex unique to tell a compelling brand story with a memorable organizational identity. The challenge is to make your brand come alive in the hearts and minds of your target audience. With a solid property development marketing strategy, you can develop a meaningful and evocative brand that consumers can see, feel, hear, taste, and even smell! What follows are just a few key tips to help you make the most of your branding efforts and tell a cohesive story across all elements of your marketing plan. Lead with your logo and put your best foot forward Although small in size and scope, the logo may be the most important component of your branding efforts. After all, if your multifamily property development were a person, your logo would serve as its public face. This critical representation of your marketing identity should communicate the values that your complex holds as well as the benefits that your complex offers. Jessica Ervin, professional digital designer and contributor to the leading Internet marketing blog The Next Scoop, presents the Apple logo as an ideal embodiment of this principle. “The apple bite is a perfect example of brand storytelling,” she writes. “Apple defined their core values of user-friendliness, good-looking designs, and simplicity through their simple logo design, product design, packaging, UX and UI.” Craft your messaging with your narrative in mind With your brand firmly united under an appropriate and captivating logo, you can begin crafting on-brand messages across all facets of media marketing and customer interaction. In her Executive Magazine article, Samantha Chalmers identifies differentiation as the most critical aspect of your messaging strategy. In other words, you must communicate a company narrative that is unlike those of your closest competitors. Your company messaging embodies everything from the promotions that you present to the advertisements that you place to the face-to-face interactions that you have with your residents. Although it is great to set yourself apart with your unique qualities, Ms. Chalmers warns against relying on cheap gimmicks to brand your residential complex. She quotes LMC West Region Marketing Director Kristen Mete Kingi, who says “I think there are circumstances where you can become too ‘theme-y’ with a building or brand, and that can turn people off.” Design your website as the hub and heart of your brand “Owned media” is a buzzword in the worlds of marketing and public relations for a very good reason. Encompassing all online media channels that a company maintains directly and controls entirely, owned media includes your official website as well as all of your social medial pages and blogs. Among its other benefits, owned media gives businesses the distinct advantage of carefully crafting and strategically curating all content and messaging. This makes it the best place to spell out the narrative of your brand. Although your digital outreach should have multiple arms, consider establishing links to drive all traffic to your website. By making your website the hub of your online marketing efforts, you can also make it the heart of your brand. Using finely honed text as well as collaborative graphics, pictures, and videos, you have the power to tell your brand story on your website with absolute freedom and precision. Consider environmental branding and signage with care Just like your logo, the promotional and identifying signage that you display on-site goes a long way toward defining your residential property development in the hearts and minds of your consumer base. But signs and banners are just one component of the larger marketing category of environmental branding. Briefly defined, “environmental branding “ refers to all efforts to represent brand values and communicate brand narratives on company grounds and within the brick-and-mortar environment. In the multifamily residential housing sector, environmental branding is a key driver of both resident loyalty and on-site sales conversions. Use your property grounds as an opportunity to tell the story of your brand, whatever it happens to be. From the color of your interior walls to the types of refreshments in your sales office lobby, everything you do and say on-site reflects upon the power and quality of your brand. Secure quality professional marketing assistance If you want to learn more about the benefits of real estate branding that tells a compelling story, contact a representative of Bigeye today. This innovative marketing agency has the knowledge and skill to develop a brand narrative for your multifamily property development that captures its unique spirit and remains consistent across all marketing channels.
Why You Should Craft a Longer Media Plan for Senior Living Communities
The unique values and sensitivities of the senior living sector require a specific media outreach and marketing plan with a decidedly long-term approach. Short-term vs. long-term marketing approaches As defined by the independent news source Business 2 Community, the fundamental difference between shorter and longer outreach/marketing plans is goal orientation. Put simply, a shorter plan will seek short-term results, while a longer plan will seek long-term results. From effectively managing costs to meeting immediate business demands, the short-term marketing approach certainly presents many distinct benefits. The value of long-term marketing, however, simply cannot be underestimated. This is true in all industries and market sectors, but it is particularly true in the world of senior living. Although it requires a bit of patience, a longer media plan for your senior living community will gradually build the brand credibility and trust factor that you need in order to attract a loyal consumer base. Key long-term strategies for senior living marketing Seniors and their families are not generally quick to place their faith in any random living facility. It takes a bit of time to establish trust and build confidence in this particular business sector. In light of this fact, senior living community owners would be wise to concentrate on the following long-term marketing elements: 1. Branding From Coca-Cola to Apple, the brands that we love the most share one thing in common: familiarity. By building brand awareness and recognition over time, a company can firmly establish a positive reputation. This is particularly important in senior living and other business sectors that provide essential, sensitive, and/or emotionally charged services. To find true and lasting success with your senior living, you must take care to build your brand across a full spectrum of media channels from print to broadcast to digital. 2. Content Marketing A key component of brand-building in the digital realm is content marketing. By maintaining a current blog and offering downloadable informative content online, your senior living community can both attract new clients and strengthen relationships with existing clients. Just maintain consistent branding elements (logo, slogan, etc.) on all content marketing outreach and make sure that all content marketing connects to a central pillar page that represents your brand with strategic precision. 3. SEO Another long-term marketing strategy that is absolutely vital to senior living community owners is search engine optimization. Better known by its acronym, SEO, search engine optimization is a specialized and time-consuming process that improves your company’s overall ranking on Google and other popular search engines. In short, when someone in your area searches for a senior living community online, you want yours to be among the first that appear at the very top of the page. SEO is your ticket to this type of immediate visibility. 4. Consumer Reviews Another great way to generate credibility over the long haul is to accumulate positive online reviews. In addition to building a good reputation on independent consumer rating sites such as Caring.com and SeniorHousing.net, you should consider posting positive reviews on your official website and/or social media pages. Go beyond reviews from current and former residents by adding reviews from family members and loved ones. For more information If you have further questions about the value of a long-term media plan for your senior living community, contact a skilled and knowledgeable senior living marketing professional at Bigeye today. Bigeye has a state-of-the-art approach to good, old-fashioned credibility building that is perfect for the senior living sector.
How to Strategically Target Students for Your Apartment Community
Students have long been a key driver in the rental real estate sector, but how do you reach out to this crucial consumer demographic through an effective marketing campaign? Why should you target students? The very thought of renting to college students strikes fear in the hearts of some apartment community owners. The international real estate firm Joe Fairless acknowledges that student-focused rental properties “may end up with messes, parties, and careless behavior,” but this detracts little from the awesome power of the student demographic in the apartment complex sector. Because students are often far from home while attending college, they must find temporary housing either on campus or off. And as the price tag on dorm living continues to rise, more and more students are turning to off-campus apartments. Other benefits of specifically targeting college student renters include predictable periods of annual tenant changeover and frequent upfront rental payments from parents/guarantors. Tips for reaching out to college students Here are just a few things to keep in mind when targeting college student populations with your apartment community marketing campaign. 1. Consider Price and Value First and Foremost On the subject of cost, Multifamily Executive Magazine quotes Campus Advantage COO Scott Duckett, who points to the fact that many students grew up during the Great Recession. “That turned them into more cost-conscious consumers,” he says. Whatever the reason, today’s college students are more price-conscious than ever before. However, apartment marketers would be wise to keep class differences firmly in mind as well. In short, different students will have different lifestyle expectations, but they will all want to get the most apartment value for their buck. 2. Remember the Importance of Location Is your apartment community close to campus? Is it close to public transportation or trendy shops, bars, or entertainment options? Students often get around on foot, so be sure to highlight location in your marketing materials. 3. Mitigate the Risk of Property Damage Because student renters are typically less fussy than other consumer demographics, they may be perfectly satiated with older appliances and more basic decor. This can significantly reduce your overhead costs. To help protect your property, be sure to collect a reasonable deposit and clearly explain your deposit policy to every tenant. 4. Offer Key Amenities Basic and practical amenities such as fast Internet and dedicated parking spaces may be deal-makers for some students. Other perks that commonly attract students range from on-site fitness centers to secure bicycle storage. 5. Take Advantage of On-Campus Advertising Depending on the specific policies of the colleges/universities near your property, you may be able to advertise on-campus and/or on official college/university websites. This is a great way to specifically target your consumer base and save big on your overall marketing costs. 6. Focus on Social Media Multifamily Executive Magazine echoes countless researchers in declaring social media the absolute best place to reach the modern-day student. Not only do students use social media heavily, but they tend to respond positively to social media marketing. For more information If you want to learn more about the value of college student renters and how best to target them in the consumer marketplace, contact a skilled and knowledgeable apartment marketing and property development marketing professional at Bigeye today. A foreword-thinking agency with an eye on the future, Bigeye has a proven ability to connect with students of all ages.
10 Essential Digital Marketing Tips for Your E-Commerce Store
No matter what you sell from your e-commerce shop, you have a great opportunity to grow your business – follow these steps to gain a competitive edge. Amazon, the world’s e-commerce leader, enjoyed over $280 billion in revenue during 2019, a 20-percent increase from the prior year. Even much smaller, independent digital shops can do very well with the right e-commerce marketing strategy. For instance, Shopify powers over half a million e-commerce stores, with over $40 billion in sales and an average yearly growth rate of 74 percent. New or established, large or small, these e-commerce and Shopify marketing tips will help bring more customers to your virtual front door and keep making purchases once they have found you. Ten effective e-commerce marketing strategies to grow your online business The success of established online stores should offer you encouragement. On the other hand, you should also understand that you’re going to need to compete with other digital vendors for attention and dollars. To do that, you first need to make sure people know what you’re selling and why they should choose your e-commerce shop over another source. Some of you may also offer new or unique products, so you’ll also need to introduce an audience to the value of whatever you’re selling. Once you’ve achieved some brand and product recognition, you will also probably have to keep testing and refining your e-commerce digital marketing to enjoy continued growth. In that way, you should view digital marketing as more of an evolving process than as something you can just set and forget. Good e-commerce marketing can take considerable effort. In the end, your effective marketing strategies will also help you enjoy the competitive edge that will help you stand out, profit, and grow. If you’re just getting started or haven’t enjoyed the success you hoped for, consider trying these 10 e-commerce marketing strategies: 1. Create Buying Guides These days, consumers spend time researching purchases online. You could engage online shoppers with helpful content that helps people find the perfect gift for their dad, which air fryer features are worth the money, or types of swimming suits that flatter various kinds of bodies. Whatever you’re selling, people certainly have questions about it. Position yourself as the expert and make shoppers aware of your store by posting helpful buying guides on your social sites, website, and digital store. Besides buying guides, you might also create useful guides to using or caring for various products. For instance, you might sell heirloom seeds and could offer seasonal planting guides or even recipes. This sort of helpful content can improve your marketing and your customer service. 2. Host Giveaways, Contests, and Quizzes You might think it’s counterintuitive to increase sales by giving things away. At the same time, giveaways give you a chance to spark interest in your brand and hopefully, get some positive feedback from lucky winners. Quizzes, giveaways, and contests can also give you a chance to build your subscription list by capturing names and email address. You can also use quizzes to gather marketing information and target your offers and communications to specific interests. Obviously, you should try to tailor any of these events to the type of audience you hope to attract as customers. 3. Offer Promos, Coupons, and Discounts Offering limited-time promotions for some or all of your products can have a profound psychological effect on consumers, according to Psychology Today. The article mentioned that with newer and weaker brands, shorter and more urgent calls to action more effectively overcome buyer’s resistance. Stronger and more established sellers may profit more by extending their sales longer. As with other marketing, you might need to test your limited-time offers to see which promotions and durations provide you with the best results. Also, you can use these limited-time sales as content to promote on your store, blog, and social media. Be certain to encourage your audience to share your coupons and promo codes with their own social circles. Even if one person isn’t in the market for something, they might think of a friend who is. 4. Convert First-Time Buyers into Repeat Buyers Attracting repeat buyers can help you maximize the returns that you will enjoy from your e-commerce store marketing budget. The sooner you can convert first-time purchasers into loyal customers, the more you can profit. If you offer consumable goods, you might start off by offering a substantial discount or perk for people who take advantage of your offer to send your items by periodic subscriptions. Such consumable items as soap, razor blades, and coffee do very well with this sort of marketing plan. Make certain that you clearly demonstrate the savings that subscription purchasers will enjoy on the order page. 5. Encourage Testimonials and Reviews Plenty of successful online stores encourage reviews and testimonials from their customers. They may even go so far as offering a gift card or special discount code in exchange for posting a review on a product or service page. It’s even more helpful if the review form encourages the reviewer to share their feedback on their own social media pages. Either way, today’s online shoppers do use reviews to help inform purchases and even a mix of great and not-so-great reviews may look more credible than a page with no reviews at all. 6. Practice Enlightened Self Interest By associating your brand with a worthy charity you can help improve your community and your positive brand recognition. Figure out what kinds of causes your audience is likely to value and lend your support. One recent study found that Millennials, for example, are even likely to spend more on purchases when they associate the company with worthy causes that they also support. Also, some charities will help promote their sponsors by mentioning the company on a sponsor page or in a newsletter. Your sponsorship of worthy causes also gives you more content for your social media, blogs, and email or text subscribers. That way, subscribers don’t
Investing in Your Resident Retention Efforts To Reduce Turnover
While the majority of apartment complex owners understand the importance of reaching out to a targeted consumer demographic in order to fill vacancies, far fewer place enough emphasis on avoiding vacancies by effectively marketing to existing residents. Financial and business experts agree that keeping current tenants in place is one of the best ways for apartment complex owners to build long-term value and boost overall ROI. Citing market information from Forbes Magazine, the National Apartment Association discusses many reasons that this holds true. For example, attracting new residents often requires the delivery of contract signing bonuses, initial rent discounts, and other marketing tactics that can significantly damage your bottom line. By retaining your existing tenants, you can not only avoid these profit-destroying offers, but also eliminate costly vacancies and foster a climate of ongoing community satisfaction and togetherness. Key tips to keep residents engaged and avoid costly turnovers So what measures can you take to increase tenant retention? Here are just a few key marketing tips. 1. Show Sincere Appreciation with a Gift The value of saying “thank you” far exceeds the monetary price of a small seasonal gift or renewal bonus. Consider showing your appreciation for loyal residents with a gift card for a local shop, restaurant, or coffee shop. This can go an incredibly long way when it comes to fostering a positive community environment, increasing overall tenant satisfaction, and reducing your turnover rates. Although more costly than a gift card, apartment upgrades, such as a new carpet or a fresh coat of paint, will also increase your overall property value, making them gifts that truly keep giving. The property video tour app Real NYC suggests thinking outside of the box with gift ideas like making a donation to a worthy charity in a resident’s name. Just be sure that you are tailoring your gifts to meet the specific wants, needs, and values of your customer base. 2. Keep Residents Informed From distributing regular newsletters to sending text messages, there are countless ways to reach out to your tenant community with pertinent information. Discover your residents’ preferred channels of communication and keep them informed of matters of importance that relate to the property and its surrounding areas. Residents who feel that they are kept “in the loop” by a fully transparent real estate company are generally far more comfortable in their living environments. You can further the retention marketing potential of your resident communiqués by ensuring that your messaging remains consistent with the defining values of your organization and brand. 3. Build a Sense of Community In the words of the property management software company AppFolio, “a true sense of community can really keep residents around.” Help your tenants feel as though they belong in your apartment complex by hosting appropriate resident activities and/or appreciation events. Holiday parties, donut breakfasts, and fun “how-to” classes are just a few ideas of on-site gatherings that can generate a true sense of togetherness and mutual appreciation. Consider welcoming new residents with social “meet-and-greets.” Get professional guidance For more information about the importance of resident retention and for assistance with resident marketing and resident advertising in general, wise apartment complex owners will secure the services of experts in these fields. An incredibly innovative multifamily marketing agency, Bigeye has the knowledge and skill necessary to keep residents happy and dramatically slash those dreaded turnover rates!
What College Renters Really Want from Apartment Communities
Often in need of relatively short-term housing while completing their studies, college renters have long been key drivers of the apartment rental market. But what, exactly, are they looking for in an apartment? From short-term tenet agreements to increased risk of property damage, renting to college students has its obvious pitfalls. However, college towns remain one of the best markets in the United States to own rental property. This is particularly true of states, like Indiana, in which people generally own homes rather than rent. Forbes Magazine points to Indiana as a prime example of this fact. Although the percentage of renters in most Indiana counties is less than 25 percent, in Monroe County (home to Indiana University at Bloomington) that rate rockets to approximately doubles to 48 percent. So what can you do to capitalize on the key college student rental sector? Here’s a brief look at what college renters really want from their apartment communities. Cost, location, and overall value As the cost of a college education continues to skyrocket, students are generally wise beyond their years when it comes to choosing rental apartments that are reasonably priced. Surveys of students and recent graduates have increasingly shown that on-campus dorm living has become incredibly expensive. In light of this fact, more and more students are turning to off-campus apartments as a way to stick to their budgets. In addition to overall apartment cost, college students list location as one of their top concerns, indicating that they may be willing to pay a bit more for a place that is close to campus. Security, home technology and access to public transportation After coast and location, renters are highly concerned with security and convenience, ranking gated access high on their list of must-haves. They also value high-tech security measures such as app-controlled door locks. Other home technology devices and infrastructure that renters list as important include built-in USB charging outlets, smart digital thermostats, and Amazon lockers. Among renters who must live a considerable distance from campus, the convenience of nearby public transportation is also a top concern. According to Apartment Guide, 31 percent of renters are seeking properties with shuttle service to public transportation. Specific amenities Reaching out to a consumer base that tends to value practical concerns, apartment communities can forget about frivolous incentives. Apartment Guide points out that lease-signing gifts such as free iPads or gift cards may have effectively filled vacancies in the past, but today’s students are looking for something far more substantial. However, there are many apartment amenities that might be potential deal-breakers regardless of their inessential nature. With 92 percent of renters listing it as a priority, air conditioning is an amenity that many renters simply won’t live without. Other top amenities, such as automatic dishwashers (86 percent) and in-unit washer/dryer combos (77 percent) are equally practical in nature. When it comes to less practical amenities, renters particularly value outdoor spaces such as patios, balconies, and rooftop terraces. In addition to these key on-site features, apartment complexes can benefit from close proximity to a variety of off-site amenities. For example, 32 percent of renters want to be close to a café or coffee shop while 24 percent of renters want a library nearby. For more information If you want to learn more about the top concerns of renters in the college environment, you should talk to an agency with specific expertise in the fields of apartment marketing and resident advertising. A highly innovative and forward thinking marketing firm, Bigeye has countless ideas when it comes to reaching college students in the residential housing marketplace.
What’s the Difference Between Co-Living and Co-Housing?
Two up-and-coming buzzwords in the worlds of residential real estate and property development marketing, co-living and co-housing draw upon the best of historical traditions and new trends to create shared living environments and communal spaces. There is certainly nothing new about shared living spaces. Offering co-living home options in major cities that span the United States, the residential property firm Common points out the fact that people have chosen to live in shared spaces since before the dawn of recorded history. From the hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age through the public homes of the Middle Ages to the boarding houses of the Industrial Revolution and the World War II era, shared living has been a prominent part of the human experience. While there is certainly nothing new about shared living, it has recently emerged anew as a highly popular concept among millennials and other people who are looking for something different in the residential property sector, both urban and rural. What is co-living? The shared living organization Open Door has locations in both Portland, Oregon and the San Francisco Bay Area of California. It offers a definition of co-living that is both nuanced and succinct. In its attempt to clear up any confusion, Open Door calls co-living “a modern form of housing where residents share living space and a set of interests, values, and/or intentions.” In short, co-living gathers individuals and/or families in residential environments that offer private sleeping quarters but shared bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and other common areas. As previously mentioned, co-living is particularly popular with millennials who have come to age in an era of social networking and the sharing economy. Many young adults view co-living as the natural progression of these ideas and appreciate its emphasis on values such as openness and collaboration. It is important to note that modern co-living environments differ from the “hippy” communes of the 1960s, which tended to be activist-oriented and isolationist in nature. The co-living of today stresses the value of interconnectedness within the community and without. What is co-housing? The California co-living housing development Kindred Life resorts to Wikipedia to draw a clear distinction between co-living and co-housing. While both promote communal residential life, co-housing allows for substantially more privacy, keeping certain, more personal spaces (such as kitchens and bathrooms) separate. In addition to sharing significant indoor living spaces, co-housing places a strong focus on integrating shared features such as specialized work spaces, gymnasiums/health clubs, and game areas. Co-housing, as we know it, first came to the United States in the late 1960s from Denmark. It generally tends to exist in suburban or rural settings rather than urban centers. The prototypical co-housing setup consists of a cluster of small private homes that share one or more common buildings. These common buildings often consist of common recreational areas, guest rooms, dining rooms, and/or kitchens. In many co-living situations, the community is planned and managed by its residents and governed by consensus-based decision-making. To learn more Despite its inherent value and growing appeal, shared living remains a decidedly niche market. If your residential property company is interested in pursuing this trendy new living style, you absolutely must have a clear and forward-looking plan to promote and market it. For more information about co-housing and co-living marketing, contact a knowledgeable Bigeye representative today.
Teamwork is an Essential Part in Marketing Communication
Marketing can be defined as all the different activities that are involved in making products available to satisfy the needs of the customers, while at the same time generating profits for the manufacturers and distributors. It is a complex process and it involves the following: Designing a product that meets customer specifications which many need the use of marketing research to determine what the customers needs. Promoting the products so that people may get to know the product through marketing communications and Advertising. Setting the price and making the product available to the population through vending outlets. Marketing communications can be described as the communication that is used in the promotion phase of the product. It is the communication between the marketing division or the marketing efforts of a company and the market and it is usually geared towards the promotion of the product. Marketing communication can usually be handled in-house or can be sub-contracted to a marketing agency. The people in the marketing communication sector that are involved with advertising, branding, direct marketing to customers, graphic design of the product and product containers, packaging, sales and sales promotion. They are generally involved with creating and delivering messages to the public in an attempt to move them to develop an affinity with the company and to buy the products of the company. They are usually known as marketing communicators, and it is more usual than not a team effort, than the work of a single individual. This can either mean having a team of people to work in these different processes or taking on one marketing agency that does this, or coordinating the efforts of different specialized agencies like graphic design agencies, advertising agencies and market research agencies. Marketing communication can be said to be divided into 5 stages from the time the message is conceived and delivered to the time the messages are received and then possible action taken by the receiver to change him from the receiver of a marketing message to a consumer. The stages in the process are: Sender – which represents the marketing team that delivers an idea to the marketing communication team Encoding – represents the part of the process where the communicator takes the message and transforms it into eye-catching or step-changing visual adverts or tunes or a mixture of all as in audio visual ads Transmission – which represents the stage where the messages are transmitted through radio, tv the internet and any other device chosen by the company Decoding – represents the stage when the consumer receives the image and decodes it; usually, it has to do with thinking in the pattern that the marketer wants them to think Receiver – the message is now with received by the target audience and the receiver can then make a decision to respond and buy, take the subscription or develop a way of thinking as desired. Therefore, from the processes above it can be seen that teamwork is essential in marketing communication as the process will be almost impossible for a single individual to create and deliver successfully alone. In general, the people who develop the ideas and strategies in marketing research are usually analysts, and those that take the results of these ideas and recommendations to create a new product are usually different from those that will also use these same ideas to create advertising for the product. “Without a clear idea of what the company goals are, or the kind quality of the product and who they are trying to reach, marketing communicators will not be able to create and transmit a convincing message to the consumers. Therefore teamwork is very much essential to the success of any marketing campaign.” A marketing campaign team will usually involve people from account planning, account management, creative talent production, media departments and specialist in TV ads, radio ads, billboard advertisers as well as internet and social media advertisers. All these people need to be managed and they need to work with each other. Without a collective team spirit, and coordination it will be a chaotic situation and so the marketing communication team has to work with coordinating these heads and assigning tasks to each individual so that the team works flawlessly and delivers the end products as required. Good coordination of the team will usually lead to convincing messages being sent to the consumer which will ultimately end in making sales and to convert the receiver of the messages to a client. Looking for a comprehensive partnership with an agency that understands the importance of teamwork in marketing communication? Contact us today to build your synergistic strategy.