Property Management

GIS - Time to get familiar with it

What are you reading about these days is a question I hear often. Anyone who knows me knows that I read non-stop and the topics are all over the board.

As of late I am reading about GIS (geographic information systems).

Here is the Wikipedia definition:

A geographic information system (GIS), also known as a geographical information system,
is an information system for capturing, storing, analyzing, managing
and presenting data which are spatially referenced (linked to location).

I will be sharing some more in depth thought about this topic in the coming months and thought it would be cool if we could start a community discussion on the subject. I think it has far reaching implications for our business and how cool would it be if we were a part of shaping the uses.

Just a thought...

Trust Marketing

At the end of the day all of our marketing efforts should be grounded in gaining the trust of those we wish to attract. Every message we send needs to not only imply trust but outwardly demonstrate it.

That said, what if we embedded a feedback score in our advertising? What if we based it on one question, a question we published in a strategic position on our websites and print media. The question would be; Would you recommend us to your friends? It could be demonstrated in percentage form and also list the number of respondents.

Thoughts?

EveryAptMapped.com

Another interesting concept; EveryAptMapped.

MapsKrieg

I ran across this listing service this morning; MapsKrieg. Interesting concept. I will be digging in a little more later this week.

PicLens by Cooliris

This is a very cool way to surf the web. I did a quick search of Urbane Apartments and Boom, like a shot our of a cannon, there were tons of colorful pics displayed on my screen.

I am not sure if this will catch on but it certainly does have the cool factor...check it out here.

Go Rambunctious Into That Good Night

The Ruppies are upon us. Arriving at the pace of on every eight seconds, the Baby Boomers are coming and in full force. Armed with $2 trillion in annual income you better believe they mean business. Or, better, they can do business.

Earlier today I posed the question on Twitter, Do you think apartment residents care more about function or style? And, before I go on, I must admit that I don't know the answer. That being said, my gut tells me that style trumps function. I did get a lot of feedback on the question but still am uncertain of the answer.

I did come across an article today in Kitchen and Bath Business that spoke to my gut. Here is the article if you want to read it in full but the line that struck me is as follows:

---

When trying to appeal to ruppies, avoid ageism and labeling them as
"seniors" or "retired individuals." Make sure that your messages speak
the truth and communicate deeper meanings and emotional connections.
This group judges brands, products and services by the value gained and
expects more than just utility and functionality.

The Ruppies want more than utility and function which tells me they want style and cool. They want to be in the middle of it all.

What do you think?

FLIP Video

I picked this up off a tweet from 30lines. Nice find. It's classic marketing in my opinion and spot on!

What is Localism?

The best definition that I have read comes from Localism.com. Before I paste it, I wonder why For Rent, Apartment Guide and many of the other major ILS don't have some real localism built into their search.

Localism is the valued point of connection, a place of meaningful
interaction. It's where neighbors and local merchants share what's
happening in their community. It's people collectively communicating
the unique flavor and nuances of where they live, work, eat, and play.

Localism is 'Old-School' in a New World portal. It's reminiscent of
an earlier day when people shopped where they lived, and everyone knew
their butcher. Localism makes the world smaller and more personal. It
reacquaints and re-establishes the lost bonds between neighbors. It
revives and restores the relational elements of what neighborhoods used
to be, and should be.

Localism provides the environment where residents and business
owners can create a micro-social network uniquely attuned to their
individual communities. Together, they use multi-media to paint a
canvas of local color and texture. Their Localism 'Neighborpedia'
becomes an extension of who and what they are.

Twitter; the really relevant version of Google

Would it be fair to say that Twitter is not unlike Google in a lot of ways. The biggest difference being that you get 100% relevant information back. If you don't have a Twitter account, get one.

Yesterday I asked Lisa Trosien for a couple ideas on a pool party theme. She gave me a few and then put a Tweet on Twitter and in no time I received three of four new ideas. It was better than Google in someways because the results were completely relevant. Maybe there really is something to that hyper-localism trend flying around.

Park Station Welcome Kit

I signed up for a newsletter this morning and not seconds after I did this email arrived in my inbox:

As lead editor, I'd like to thank you for subscribing to SmartBrief
on Workforce, the daily briefing that delivers bright ideas for
managing people. You'll receive your first newsletter shortly.

In the meantime:

• Get a jump on today's most impactful management stories by visiting (and bookmarking) our Web site: http://www.smartbrief.com/news/workforce
• Show your colleagues how smart you are by introducing them to SmartBrief on Workforce. It's free of charge. http://www.smartbrief.com/news/workforce/passiton.jsp
• To ensure speedy delivery please add workforce@smartbrief.com to your address book and, if needed, white list the smartbrief.com domain.

I am so pleased to welcome you to our SmartBrief on Workforce
community and look forward to answering any questions or comments at workforce@smartbrief.com.

Best,

Megan Conniff

Lead Editor

Made me think: What if we had a (Insert Property Name Here) Welcome Kit? An email version. It would include all the obvious things not to mention a surprise or two. Now maybe this already exist and I just have not seen it yet. If so, pass on some examples for us all to see.

If not, I am giving the charge to one of the talented people I work with. Stay tuned as we will share what we come up with.

M