Outreach marketing can reap a lot of rewards for your apartment community, but it’s important to remember that the reason you partner with another business is just as important as what you stand to gain.
Knowing why you’re working with them clarifies the purpose of your relationship, which makes it easier to get your team on board and to set goals, which are crucial for measuring success.
During our latest #AptChat, guest moderated by 30 Lines Vice President of Marketing & Training Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy on Twitter), we discussed the ins and outs of outreach marketing in today’s digital world; these are the highlights. (Click on the links to jump straight to a specific question.)
- Q1: What are your biggest challenges when it comes to outreach marketing? (Time, money, training, etc.) What are the pain points?
- Q2: How are you tracking your outreach efforts and tying that to ROI? Are you using any tools to better track its effectiveness?
- Q3: How are you incorporating “digital” into your outreach efforts? Ideally, how would you like to incorporate digital?
- Q4: Do you incentivize your teams in some way for completing outreach marketing? If so, what do you do? Or why not?
- Q5: Where does the resident base come into play? How can they be better utilized for outreach marketing?
What are your biggest challenges when it comes to outreach marketing? (Time, money, training, etc.) What are the pain points?
A1: Making it productive. WHO are we reaching out to, and what impact does it have? The full team needs to buy into the value #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 Many times outreach is an afterthought & not planned. If there’s no plan, there won’t be value #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
A1: From what I’ve seen, it’s often getting the team to see the value, rather than just pulling a “drop & run” with the brochures. #AptChat
— Mike Whaling (@mwhaling) September 20, 2016
@mwhaling Yes! The team needs to know not only WHAT they’re doing, but WHY they’re doing it. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@mwhaling Training comes into play too – some just aren’t comfortable w/it – that’s why they drop…and RUN! 🙂 #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
@AptChat @mwhaling I have them answer it themselves. “Why do YOU think we’re doing this?” It builds both understanding & passion. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 @mwhaling Some leasing people get discouraged w/outreach b/c the B2B sales cycle is much longer than they’re used to #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy @leftnwrite08 @mwhaling they also get discouraged bc they don’t know what they’re looking for in the relationship #aptchat
— Heather Blume (@artchickhb) September 20, 2016
@artchickhb @Marketing_Mommy @mwhaling They need to be enabled to BUILD the relationships. See personal invest. in their actions. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 @artchickhb @mwhaling Do you think there are some who WANT to get out & do this but aren’t allowed to get off site? #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy @leftnwrite08 @mwhaling oh there are for sure… but there are also people who have zero desire to leave the site #aptchat
— Heather Blume (@artchickhb) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy I’m sure there are! I doubt it’s deliberate crippling but we spend so much time delegating tasks we can easily … #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy @artchickhb @mwhaling (cont) … miss the real passions of our teams. I try cycling tasks. At least give the opp. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@AptChat Finding the right medium (social media, print, physical outreach, etc.) is a huge challenge these days
— Trinity (@JCOeCommerce) September 20, 2016
Outreach tip: a good relationship goes both ways. Don’t ask unless you have something valuable to offer #AptChat
— Heather Blume (@artchickhb) September 20, 2016
@artchickhb You can NEVER go in just selling. There are so many other things apt communities have to offer other than apts for rent #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
https://t.co/eZKUhDJL18 great resource for ur team if they’re trying to build ORM relationships: Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi #AptChat
— Heather Blume (@artchickhb) September 20, 2016
@artchickhb Best networking I ever did was going to a conference ALONE (no co workers). Forced me to cultivate new relationships #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
It’s also about not just having those one off relationships. ORM only works if the relationships are constantly kept warm #AptChat
— Heather Blume (@artchickhb) September 20, 2016
@artchickhb Yes! And ORM requires MORE follow up and touch points than traditional apartment prospects do. Interesting stuff! #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
How are you tracking your outreach efforts and tying that to ROI? Are you using any tools to better track its effectiveness?
A2: We buy-in to mkt focuses. Gift cards, giveaways. It’s easier to track where those things go. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 So offering those 2 the ppl you’re outreaching to? Then if they visit you’ll know the foot traffic came from outreach?#AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy It varies. I’m primarily tracking social engagements. Are our followers paying attention? Are the businesses? #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy (cont) If I do a contest, I’m looking at EVERYONE who engages w/ it. How are we gaining exposure. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 @Marketing_Mommy have you looked at the Amazon Sweepstakes tool? It’s a great help for online contests #aptchat
— Heather Blume (@artchickhb) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 So do you share and connect with your outreach partners via social? Anything in particular working well? #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy Yep! I’ve found the less formal it is, the better it works. i.e. Joking w/ a business on their Instagram page. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy Recently one joke w/ a business’s Mkt director led to a business connect, mutual shares, and increased following. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
How are you incorporating “digital” into your outreach efforts? Ideally, how would you like to incorporate digital?
@AptChat My team has been leaning toward #VideoMarketing – Not only are people more engaged, but all major platform algorithms favor #Video
— Trinity (@JCOeCommerce) September 20, 2016
@AptChat Ask some renters for a short interview. Put together some questions that people want answers to and get the word out! #AptChat
— Trinity (@JCOeCommerce) September 20, 2016
For ORM, look for residents who work at a biz you’re targeting – have them do Q&A around living there, the city, nightlife #AptChat https://t.co/yxkd6JIOQq
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
People love real life #video that flows! Not to mention it’s cheaper to #advertise. #FB video views cost as little as $.02 per view #aptchat
— Trinity (@JCOeCommerce) September 20, 2016
A3: Ironically I think digital marketing gets overly complicated by site teams. A lot of it is so organic. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 It can get overwhelming & it shouldn’t be.Just add some better tracking 2 the style of ORM you’re already doing-BOOM!#AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
Do you incentivize your teams in some way for completing outreach marketing? If so, what do you do? Or why not?
A4: Not currently. I’m looking at options: i.e. rewarding the building of a meaningful local/business relationship. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@leftnwrite08 Metrics may not show actual increase in rentals – may be shown in + referrals, + website traffic, +social engagement #AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy @leftnwrite08 Right! You know it’s a good partnership when other active biz social accounts share your stuff! #aptchat
— Fresh Apartments (@apartminty) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy @leftnwrite08 for sure! LPs should be able to see & understand impact of those KPIs too. #aptchat
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) September 20, 2016
@StephanieOehler @leftnwrite08 Sometimes I think they’re left in the dark & metrics aren’t shared with them so they can see progress#AptChat
— Kristi Fickert (@Marketing_Mommy) September 20, 2016
@Marketing_Mommy @leftnwrite08 which is why they stop doing it or keep doing the wrong things. #aptchat
— Stephanie Oehler (@StephanieOehler) September 20, 2016
Where does the resident base come into play? How can they be better utilized for outreach marketing?
@AptChat they can connect you to HR dpts at work places. Easier to get in the back door than knock on the front #aptchat
— Heather Blume (@artchickhb) September 20, 2016
A5: Digital marketing comes into play huge here. Get them to check-in, post pics, engage w/ marketing partners, etc. #aptchat
— Khara (@leftnwrite08) September 20, 2016
@AptChat treat residents like you (should) treat your employer and #WordofMouth will spread like wildfire. They are everything #AptChat
— Trinity (@JCOeCommerce) September 20, 2016
Our next #AptChat is slated for Tuesday, September 27, 2016 at 12 pm Eastern. In the meantime, be sure to sign up for #AptChat updates to get these recaps and more delivered straight to your inbox!