Have you heard the buzz about responsive website design?  What is responsive design you ask?  With the plethora of mobile and tablet devices on the market today it’s a huge challenge to create mobile versions of websites that work for everyone.  Or is it?  In comes responsive design where a website automagically adjusts to fit your device.

We’re currently working on an all new J.C. Hart website using a responsive design for WordPress.  We’re really excited about this new path for our sites and to leverage this technology.  This type of design is also helping us focus on photos and video, and we look forward to updating our strategy in those areas.  Stay tuned for more on the progress of the J.C. Hart sites.

In the mean time, we’ve recently changed over The Resident Connection website to a responsive design.  Feel free to check it out on your smart phone, tablet, or computer.  You can even adjust the size of your browser window right on your computer to see what the design would look like on smaller screens.  As part of our new offerings at The Resident Connection we will be the first company to bring WordPress Responsive Website designs that specifically cater to the apartment industry.  Please contact us for more information and look out for updates coming soon for these services.

I trust your year is off to a good start.  I know mine has been busy with beginning to plan out the website overhaul for J.C. Hart, planning new social media strategies, and evolving our email marketing efforts.  As I plan out all of those initiatives for J.C. Hart I’ve also been working on my new business, The Resident Connection.  What’s great about The Resident Connection is that we specialize in all these same marketing areas that I’m working on for J.C. Hart.

In conjunction with 30 Lines & Firebelly Marketing, The Resident Connection provides the following products and services.

- WordPress Websites & Search Engine Optimization

- Social Media Strategies & Services

- Customer Lifecycle Email Marketing

We selected these 3 areas of focus for the multifamily industry as we believe these areas of your marketing efforts must be in line with each other to work best.  There are plenty of other pieces that fit into your marketing mix of course, but insuring these 3 are all working well together is critical.

We’d love to talk to you about any or all of these services and how we can help your company create synergy with these marketing areas.

Yup!  It will be here before you know it.  This is THE ONE conference I don’t miss each year.  Great minds, great information, nerdy stuff, friends, and fun.  If you haven’t been then I highly recommend it.

Last year we had fun with an impromptu recess session, and Mike and I have some other plans for some fun this year (beyond the conference fun of course).  We sure hope to see you there.

The learn more and register for the conference go to www.apartmentinternetmarketing.com.

People make bad decisions.  This is reality.  Unfortunately, when people take to the internet to proclaim their dissatisfaction (due to a bad decision) it can become a PR nightmare for a company today.  Papa John’s took an absolute beating the past few days since the “lady chinky eyes” racial slur debacle.  Here’s a bit of the story: Papa Johns Apologizes

It seems like these situations are rarely handled well, and a PR superhero has to try and swoop in to save the day.  And when they do we see little success as the damage is already done.

So what do you do if this happens to you and your company?

- Take your licks.  You or a representative of your company was wrong.  Admit it and don’t dance around it like a politician.

- Respond.  A simple apology is probably best, but if you’re taking some type of action a brief and general description of what you’re doing can be shared.

- Apologize some more.  Dedicate some time to apologizing to everyone you can and you’d be surprised at how that can help your situation.  I like what Vaynermedia is doing apologizing to New York Jets fans for not making the playoffs.

- Don’t get caught up in the hate.  There will be plenty of people that never forgive you.  GoDaddy still lost over 20,000 registrants in one day after their apology and flip-flop on SOPA.

- More marketing can just make it worse.  Sorry NY Jets.  Great Twitter responses, but a terrible call on the Pepsi Max deal.

- Get over it!  From what I’ve witnessed, very few people are talking about these things 2 weeks later.  It will likely pass.

- Help it pass.  Focus on new initiatives to help customers and enhance their experience.  You can’t fix what happened, but you can make your next customer’s experience even better.

I’ve handled a few of these things in my Toyota/Lexus days and now in my J.C. Hart days.  They feel like doom and gloom in the moment, but you can live for another day by innovating and changing how you do business tomorrow.  Some things are more difficult to change than others, but caring more is always a possibility.  Too often we try to ignore things we can fix or make right, but many times just acknowledging a situation can be the solution.  I hope you don’t have any of these nightmare issues, but if you do at least know that they can be overcome without the Justice League needing to save the day.

Pic courtesy mhaithaca on Flickr.

Look beyond the tools in front of you.  Please!

View on YouTube

Duncan, Mike, and I were discussing 2012 and what we’re looking forward to.  I will tell you that we don’t predict for the world to end, but we may see some things begin to fall off that seem tried and true today.  Enjoy my 2012 marketing predictions and listen live to our podcast 12/20/2012 at 5:00 p.m. EST to hear more.

Social

Niche social sites (ie- Instagram, Pinterest, Path, Quora, etc.) will gather more momentum, but stay niche much like Tumblr.  Facebook currency may take on another dimension, but more importantly Google+ will finally become something that we can’t afford to ignore.

Local

Local businesses that seize the opportunity to leverage Google, Foursquare, Yelp, etc. will begin seeing distinctive advantages in those efforts.  And, we’ll find out if Groupon and LivingSocial can compete with Google Offers.  I still don’t understand the deep discount craze, so I can’t predict if there will be a winner or if the whole concept will blow up.

Mobile

If you haven’t really explored this space or put much effort into it as yet don’t get left behind.  It’s so much more than text messaging, so dive in.  However, be smart with what you invest in here.  We don’t need an app for everything, and from what I’m seeing you don’t need a separate mobile website either.

Search

Page 1 of Google isn’t as important if you can leverage social discovery over search discovery.  Search engines are still important, but the social factors are becoming critical.  There is more than one way to skin a cat, but SEO is evolving.  Updating your status on Facebook, Twitter, or other channels with a question is now part of the search process, and marketers need to understand and leverage that in 2012.  One could even say that what people share is more important than what people find.

Apartment Marketing

Marketing budgets are shifting because we’re measuring everything and eliminating waste.  Commodity marketing won’t cut it in the consumer’s eyes, and they want more than listings.  Craigslists success may begin to fade.  We’ll continue to measure more and more of our marketing efforts and communications.  And finally, the ideas today for using a tablet or smartphone in the leasing process will look much different by the end of 2012.  Make sure what you invest in today can evolve with the trends and your needs.

Would love your thoughts on these topics as well!  Thanks for following in 2011, and cheers to 2012!!!

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In case you missed it, check out the Best of MarkJuleen.com 2011.

And if you really want to be overwhelmed by where technology is going, watch this video. Networked Society ‘On the Brink’

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a video because Flip camera number 2 is kaput.  So here goes another video try with the Sony Bloggie Duo.  As I mention in the video, I’m linking up the 3 most visited posts of 2011 as well as the 3 I think maybe flew under the radar.  Enjoy.  If you don’t mind, let me know which was your favorite and what you’d like to see more of from Mark and The Resident Connection in 2012.  Thanks!

Top 3 Visited

The Good and Bad of QR Codes

Apartment Marketing Cited Source Comparison

Is the ForRent.com, Oodle, & Facebook Marketplace Partnership Another Nail in the Coffin for Print Marketing?

Top 3 You May Have Missed

2012 Apartment Marketing Checklist

How Much Are Your Two Bedrooms

Stop Apologizing for Your Price

Sure, many of you that know me well know it’s not surprising for me to share videos and posts from Gary Vaynerchuk (follow him on Twitter).  This video is one that I’m more excited to share than any other.

1. Because it’s for a real estate crowd.

2. Because he made it PG and left out the cursing.

3. Because he always hits it out of the park and this is no exception.

I was chatting with Mike Whaling yesterday, and we both agreed there are definitely some quick wins out there to help optimize your brand, stores, properties, etc. online.  It can be time consuming, but claiming your businesses pages on Google, Bing, Yelp!, etc. can be quick ways to get some SEO juice for your websites and help promote your business on those additional channels.  Where I struggle from there is with a content strategy ongoing.

Here’s the honest truth, you can’t half-ass it anymore.  Search as we know it today is changing, and if you aren’t trying to be part of or help create conversation then I will predict that drive-by may become your best lead source.  OK, that could be extreme, but the algorithm is changing from a keywords model and more value is being put on conversation and connections with real people to a brand.  Criticize Google+ all you want, but even if that doesn’t do exactly what they hoped it most definitely highlights how Google is giving more credit to social connections.

If this really is the case then I believe it’s time to revisit your marketing spend.  Mike and I created an Apartment Marketing Checklist a couple months ago for people to really think about.  It highlights much more than Craigslist and ILSs when it comes to your marketing, and I hope it begins to help you think about the next steps in growing your online presence.  There are plenty of opportunities and strategies to consider, but what I will tell you is that there is an investment necessary to get it all done.  While we may believe because a website is “free to join” that the cost to market there is free, I will tell you that’s not the case.  As I said above, you can’t half-ass it anymore.  This isn’t a one and done type of play, and your strategy has to be solid.

I can tell you from my personal experiences over the past few years at J.C. Hart that social media and online marketing all have costs associated with them if you want to do them right.  I do believe that the costs compared to traditional media (TV, print, billboards, etc.) is less, but you have to invest some dollars to make your efforts worth while.  If you think you can just have an intern or your son or daughter that just graduated college handle it all, 9 times out of 10 I think you’ll be disappointed.  Those young bucks can definitely be helpful assets, but they can’t handle it all and they need direction and guidance.

It’s almost a new year.  Many of us make resolutions.  If you’re going to make any marketing resolutions for 2012 I most definitely suggest you take a hard look at what you budget for social.  That includes social strategy, social content, and the man power to do that internally and externally.  You may not have to look far to find those dollars, but you may need to decide to give up on some advertising sources you’ve always thought to be tried and true and reallocate.  We’ve made those dollar shifts at J.C. Hart and I can tell you our traffic hasn’t been affected in the least.  It’s actually gone up and we’re getting more referrals.

If you think search isn’t changing then I’ll just conclude by asking you a question.  Did you ever foresee someone just asking their in-phone digital assistant a question and trusting that the answer coming back is the best answer for them?  That’s where we’re headed.  It’s not necessarily about being on page 1 to be relevant, it’s more about just being relevant.

A quick thank you to all my friends, family, colleagues, and connections for all the inspiration you continue to give me.  It does not go unrecognized.  Have a great holiday season!