Brand consistency across digital and print marketing collateral is essential, and standards and tools that are easy to share across your team and across properties make that easier to manage.
What does #AptChat Nation use to keep their marketing consistent? How detailed do they get? How do they handle consistency when there are multiple entities involved?
We asked those questions and more during this week’s #AptChat; these are the highlights. (Click on the links to jump straight to a specific question.)
- Q1: Between all the digital tools, print materials and everything else, what do you do to keep your branding consistent today?
- Q1a: How detailed do you get? Are you creating a master “style guide?” Do you train staff on things like fonts, colors, etc.?
- Q2: What are some of your favorite tools for keeping collateral consistent? What helps you manage this across your team?
- Q3: What are all the diff types of use cases you need to consider? Signs? Flyers? Uniforms/apparel? Social media covers/icons?
- Q4: How do you balance brand consistency when there’s a property brand, a management brand, and sometimes an owner brand?
- Q5: What else do we need to consider when trying to keep our marketing consistent? Anything else you’d recommend?
- Q5a: Are there questions *you* have about marketing/brand consistency? Now’s your chance to get them answered!
Between all the digital tools, print materials and everything else, what do you do to keep your branding consistent today?
@AptChat A1- first step is to educate everyone else as to the “why” #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AthleteatHeart @AptChat Yes! The “brand standards” have to be taught at every level (and not just for new lease up communities, but also existing assets). #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
@Marketing_Mommy @AptChat Agree! And the why behind it. Some will stick to purely because they understand. #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat A1- I know that some don’t agree with this, but centrally control as much as you can. #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AthleteatHeart @AptChat I was just going to say there needs to be a “gatekeeper” #Aptchat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
@AptChat 1- Brand recognition (the more people see it the more they’ll know it’s you). #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat 2- The importance of things “looking good” and relating to the customer base. How you present impacts the customer you draw in #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat 3- Spelling, grammar, tone, voice, verbiage matter in regard to the customer you bring in #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat 4- You (and your team) are a part of your brand, so attire, how you answer the phone, how you treat people = your brand #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat A1- for print, promo, etc- fulfillment center with template products (think flyers) and set products that teams must stick to #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@Marketing_Mommy @AptChat One of the BIGGEST challenges as teams don’t always get that their cutesy flyer doesn’t hit the target & dilutes brand #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AthleteatHeart @AptChat This goes for consistency amongst email “blasts”, too. We see some pretty interesting designs out there. #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
@AthleteatHeart @Marketing_Mommy @AptChat Provide one for them with the ability to customize with property name. Ex: Marketing Flyers are easy without hurting brand. #AptChat
— Mindy Sharp (@MsMin) May 2, 2017
@Marketing_Mommy @AthleteatHeart @AptChat I disagree. Teams want consistency in the message and they LIKE things to look professional. #AptChat
— Mindy Sharp (@MsMin) May 2, 2017
@MsMin @AthleteatHeart @AptChat Sites fall back on creating their own collateral b/c they can’t get what they need fast enough (special events, last minute sales) #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
@Marketing_Mommy @MsMin @AthleteatHeart @AptChat Exactly! I think it’s fair to provide guidelines for these situations but allow them to be nimble. #aptchat
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) May 2, 2017
@Marketing_Mommy @MsMin @AptChat That’s why I love the speed that some vendors provide now. Design (get approved), pdf, print one and copy yourself. #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@MsMin @Marketing_Mommy @AthleteatHeart @AptChat Hmmm, I see lots of examples where ppl have the best intentions but *zero* eye for design. They need that guidance. #EndComicSans #AptChat
— Mike Whaling (@mwhaling) May 2, 2017
@mwhaling @Marketing_Mommy @AthleteatHeart @AptChat Maybe that’s the argument for having MARKETING DEPTs in PM. So tired of being told, Not in BUDGET. #AptChat
— Mindy Sharp (@MsMin) May 2, 2017
@mwhaling @MsMin @Marketing_Mommy @AptChat I know not everyone can do, but with bigger marketing dept. materials were routed through somebody in mktg for approval #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Speaking on behalf of clients – most provide brand guidelines applicable across digital and print #aptchat
— Dyverse (@dyverse) May 2, 2017
@dyverse @AptChat I see this more consistently w/new construction/lease ups & less for older/existing assets. The branding gets diluted over the years#AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
A1: Making sure everyone knows WHAT the brand is, and WHO the brand is. (Hint: it’s not just the name.) #aptchat
— Khara House (@kharahouse) May 2, 2017
@AptChat A1: coach everyone on messaging, and provide branded templates. Tools like @SigstrApp and @OctivInc help a ton! #aptchat
— Jordan Easley (@Uncle_Doodah) May 2, 2017
How detailed do you get? Are you creating a master “style guide?” Do you train staff on things like fonts, colors, etc.?
A1a: Personally when it comes to branding I try to keep the color/font palette as simple as possible. 2-3 fonts, 2-4 colors. #aptchat
— Khara House (@kharahouse) May 2, 2017
Thinking of the time one of our leasing associates applied multi-color gradient to our corporate logo. It looked tie-dyed. #aptchat
— Claire Collins (@clairec345) May 2, 2017
Does anyone require a standard template for site team members’ email signatures? They tend to get creative. #aptchat
— Claire Collins (@clairec345) May 2, 2017
@clairec345 We do here at @30lines and we also did this at @village_green. Consistent across the entire portfolio w/font, copy, etc. #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
@clairec345 Check out @SigstrApp – makes managing email signatures easy, and it’s a great marketing tool #aptchat
— Jordan Easley (@Uncle_Doodah) May 2, 2017
@AptChat I have seen libraries of approved templates online, color/style guides and some with just a logo they can use any way. Cont’d…. #aptchat
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Standards are good but sites should have some flexibility. Otherwise LPs could go rogue. I may or may not know from experience. 😉 #aptchat
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) May 2, 2017
@StephanieOehler @AptChat Sometimes the sites only have a photocopy B&W logo – that’s the extent of their branding – and sometimes why they go rogue. Ugh! #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
@StephanieOehler @AptChat Provide flexibility with a few approved templates, ability to swap photos (already approved photos in the system), etc #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
What are some of your favorite tools for keeping collateral consistent? What helps you manage this across your team?
A2a: We always utilized checklists & spreadsheets + audits to keep each marketing channel and strategy consistent (and updated) #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
A2: We use @canva for Work at @30lines. Lots of awesome pre-made templates, preset brand standards, easy to share across the team. #AptChat
— Mike Whaling (@mwhaling) May 2, 2017
@AptChat A2-1-fulfillment center concept-now offered by many of our industry vendors. Stationery, brochures, promo items set to be ordered #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat A2-2- also offering flyer templates that can have content customized for specific purposes, run through marketing for approval #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Most clients share photography/assets with us via @Dropbox #aptchat
— Dyverse (@dyverse) May 2, 2017
A2: I use GIMP to create banners, graphics, etc. It helps because I can store my color palettes and font choices. #aptchat
— Khara House (@kharahouse) May 2, 2017
@AptChat A2: we use @googledocs & use “Default Style” settings to make sure every doc is branded. Was recently intro’d to https://t.co/GDgL9pdArI
— Jordan Easley (@Uncle_Doodah) May 2, 2017
What are all the diff types of use cases you need to consider? Signs? Flyers? Uniforms/apparel? Social media covers/icons?
@AptChat A3- all of the above. How you “control” depends on company structure. I am a believer in controlling as much as possible centrally #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Provide as many templates as possible with some different formats, allow for swapping of approved photos… etc #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Color guide, good logo file, approved photos. Canva training. 😉 Boom. Done. #aptchat #NoMoreRogue #StillARebelOnTheInside
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) May 2, 2017
@AptChat I draw a Story Board, using exact fonts, color schemes, etc. & photos … Got to tell a story. #AptChat You have onsite TALENT. Use It!
— Mindy Sharp (@MsMin) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Fonts, colors, etc without structure/template will go unused. Freedom by constraint. Use software to provide branded structure #aptchat
— Jordan Easley (@Uncle_Doodah) May 2, 2017
How do you balance brand consistency when there’s a property brand, a management brand, and sometimes an owner brand?
@AptChat Good question! Is balance possible? Or is 1 prioritized? & what’s cost implications when MGMT changes & priority is MGMT brand? #aptchat
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) May 2, 2017
@StephanieOehler @AptChat Most possible for owner managed…. gets tougher with 3rd party #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@StephanieOehler @AptChat I think we cost ourselves huge (money and extra work) by not building the brand of the property mgmt company first. #AptChat
— Mike Whaling (@mwhaling) May 2, 2017
@mwhaling @AptChat Agreed- so how do you balance? #aptchat
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) May 2, 2017
@StephanieOehler @AptChat Use the property mgmt brand to build awareness across the metro market. From there, drive traffic to properties that need the attention.
— Mike Whaling (@mwhaling) May 3, 2017
@StephanieOehler @AptChat You approach branding like Camden. I think one of the best examples for multifamily to learn from is @Kimpton. #AptChat
— Mike Whaling (@mwhaling) May 3, 2017
A4: Choose to focus on the one with the most compelling story that will resonate with prospects/target audience. #aptchat
— Claire Collins (@clairec345) May 2, 2017
@clairec345 Is that typically the property brand? #AptChat
— Apartment Chat (@AptChat) May 2, 2017
Another difficult question! It depends. In some cases the asset is better marketed as a solo entity. #aptchat https://t.co/u1If0i2NgH
— Claire Collins (@clairec345) May 2, 2017
@clairec345 I think the corporate brand comes more into play for residents (transferring from one community to another). Keep them in the family#AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
We get a lot of play out of this too. It shows in our resident surveys when they call where they live “a Princeton property.” #aptchat https://t.co/qmwXkpWIfP
— Claire Collins (@clairec345) May 2, 2017
@clairec345 And through the products/programs/services offered from the corporate brand. I’ve seen people rent b/c of these corp. programs #Aptchat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) May 2, 2017
What else do we need to consider when trying to keep our marketing consistent? Anything else you’d recommend?
@AptChat A5- Inspect what you expect. Have to go out & see if guidelines are being followed. #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Pay LOTS of attention to the non-graphic parts of branding: social media strategy, reputation management, messaging, etc #aptchat
— Jordan Easley (@Uncle_Doodah) May 2, 2017
@AptChat Either need great training of everyone managing these things, or you need to centralize the responsibility to fewer individuals #aptchat
— Jordan Easley (@Uncle_Doodah) May 2, 2017
@Uncle_Doodah @AptChat i am a fan of training & centralized with finding a way to have social shared so that content is organic & suited to each site #AptChat
— Karen Kossow (@AthleteatHeart) May 2, 2017
Are there questions *you* have about marketing/brand consistency? Now’s your chance to get them answered!
@AptChat Does it dilute the image or branding if you overlay a URL in an Instagram pic post or Image on Craigslist? Seem too tacky? #AptChat
— RokitNow (@RokitNowInc) May 2, 2017
@RokitNowInc @AptChat Nope. Unless it’s Comic Sans … then yes. 🙂 #AptChat
— Mike Whaling (@mwhaling) May 2, 2017
Our next #AptChat is slated for Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 12 pm Eastern, and we’ll be talking about the hottest trends in digital marketing. In the meantime, be sure to sign up for #AptChat updates to get these recaps and more delivered straight to your inbox!
