For Rent's foray into social media
I received this email from Meredith Mobley the Marketing Communications Coordinator at For Rent Media Solutions. I thought about paraphrasing it for the blog but Meredith says it so very well.
Meridith, thank you for taking the time to respond to our recent post and keep up the great work.
Here is what she had to say about social media and it's role in the multi-family space:
Hi Mike,
My name is Meredith Mobley, Marketing Communications Coordinator with For Rent Media Solutions. I read your blog yesterday about our new Click to Call and Save and Send features. Thanks for your support! As a bloggers, it is obvious that you know that Web 2.0 is a growing trend. Judging by the success of Web sites like Myspace.com and Facebook.com, it is obvious that social media is growing and showing no sign of stopping! Market research company, eMarketer projects that the number of user-generated content creators will rise from 77 million in 2007 to 108 million in 2012. With products like Community Theater™ and Text Messaging, it is evident our company has embraced social media as another way to deliver our message and our client’s message to apartment seekers.
Statistics have shown
that social media is particularly popular with generation Y (18-27). This is
also the main demographic for ForRent.com, which is why we are proud to
announce the first major ForRent.com video contest, which is now live at http://www.WinApartmentFurnitur
Feel free to read the information below and review the attached document for more information on social media and how property managers can benefit. If you have any additional question that I can answer, feel free to contact me. Thanks!
Regards,
Meredith
Meredith Mobley | Marketing Communications Coordinator | For Rent Media Solutions™| 150 Granby Street, 16th floor
Norfolk, VA 23510|(757) 351-7366 | Fax: (757) 961-4826 | meredith.mobley@forrent.com |www.FRMediaSolutions.com |IM memobley
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
For Rent Media Solutions an Industry Pioneer in Social Media
“If Only Your Apartment Furniture Could Talk” video contest now open
NORFOLK, Va.—(May 6, 2008)—For Rent Media Solutions, a leading apartment resource for searching apartments nationwide, and a division of Dominion Enterprises, announced today that its “If Only Your Apartment Furniture Could Talk” video contest (http://www.WinApartmentFurniture.com) is now open for entries.
“Social media is a proven promotional tool which enables us to build our brand effectively,” said Brock MacLean, vice president of national sales and development for For Rent Media Solutions. “With this contest, we are reaching out to our consumers and giving them the opportunity to create their own Web 2.0 user generated content. This helps strengthen our consumer relationships, build brand loyalty and solidify our position as an innovative leader in the industry.”
The consumer video contest—in which the grand prize winner will receive $10,000 to re-furnish their apartment home—is intended to leverage the power of social media to the benefit of ForRent.com’s apartment community clients. The video contest is the latest addition to For Rent Media Solutions’ commitment to social networking as a complement to print and online advertising. In November 2006 For Rent launched Community Theater™, a streaming video product, and in July 2007 it launched Text Messaging, a mobile media product.
Directly Benefits Property Managers
Participating property managers should see an increase in LEADS™ from the boost in site traffic on ForRent.com. The contest also provides an opportunity for property managers to interact more with their residents—increasing the residents’ brand loyalty in the community and the property management company—and can be used as an extension to their existing Resident Retention Program. Collateral pieces announcing the contest may be requested by e-mailing contest@forrent.com.
The furniture promotion is supported by online and offline advertising including billboard advertising in select markets, national print advertising targeting college students and a public relations campaign that incorporates social media placement.
The consumer promotion utilizes a variety of social media features, most notably in its ability to quickly become a viral marketing campaign. After the contest closes on June 15, visitors to WinApartmentFurniture.com will vote for their favorite video. Voters have the opportunity to comment on each video and e-mail videos to friends to encourage them to vote. Consumers can also use a syndication widget to easily distribute their favorite video to more than 20 popular social networking Web sites, including Myspace, Facebook and Friendster. The contest will help entrants build a sense of community through the exchange of personal stories and ultimately better match the right apartment seeker with the right apartment.
Utilizing Branded Watermarking™ a unique technology provided by Vitrue, the leader in branded social media communities and promotions, each video will be tied back to ForRent.com. The ForRent.com branded videos can move from one social network to another, live on third-party video sharing sites, be e-mailed through anyone’s list of contacts and still retain the stamp of approval and an active link back to the ForRent.com community.
How It Works
Participants are asked to creatively tell ForRent.com through the eyes and voice of their current apartment furniture why they should win $10,000 towards new furniture. Videos must be original and 2 minutes in length or shorter. Acceptable formats include MPEG, QuickTime and Real Media, among many others. Maximum file size is 100 MB.
The winning video and the top ten finalists will be announced on or around July 22, 2008.
The grand prize winner will receive $10,000 to be used towards the purchase of new apartment furniture. The top 10 finalists will take home an iPod Shuffle. The grand prize video and the runners-up will be posted to WinApartmentFurniture.com and other social networking sites.
To learn more about
ForRent.com’s “If Only Your Apartment Furniture Could Talk”
video contest, log on to http://www.WinApartmentFurnitur
About For Rent Media Solutions™
Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., For Rent Media Solutions is a division of Dominion Enterprises. As the multi-family housing solution for apartment seekers, property/apartment managers and owners, For Rent Media Solutions provides superior products, outstanding customer service, and tangible results. For Rent Media Solutions is a leading resource for choosing your next apartment for rent, townhouse, condo, duplex, efficiency, studio or loft and provides a free customizable apartment search from more than 50,000 apartment listings nationwide. For Rent Media Solutions operates For Rent Magazine®, as well as ForRent.com™-The Magazine, and publishes 94 magazines covering more than 190 markets nationwide, including After 55™ Housing & Resource Guide, Apartamentos Para Rentar® and Florida Condominium and Townhome. For Rent Media Solutions operates five additional Web sites: ForRent.com®, SeniorOutlook.com™, CorporateHousing.com®, ParaRentar.com™ and FLCondoGuide.com. For Rent Media Solutions is a company dedicated to the needs of the apartment industry, bringing prospective residents and apartment communities together.
About Dominion Enterprises
Dominion
Enterprises, a division of Landmark Communications, is a leading marketing
services company serving the automotive, real estate, apartment, recruitment
and marine markets. The company operates a variety of businesses that offer
Internet marketing, Web site design and hosting, lead generation, CRM, and data
capture and distribution services. The company has more than 40 market-leading
Web sites reaching more than 12.5 million unique monthly visitors, and more
than 500 magazines with a weekly circulation of over 5 million. Headquartered
in Norfolk, Va., the company has nearly 6,000 employees
nationwide and annualized revenue of more than $946 million. For more
information, visit http://www.DominionEnterprises
Contact:
Meredith Mobley
Marketing Communications Coordinator
Phone: 757-351-7366
Fax: 757-961-4827
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