How Edmund Cude Uses Mobile to Rent Apartments
While we were walking around St. John’s Wood, London, a few months ago, I came across this sign.
I hadn’t seen anything like that before, at least in the U.S., so I did a double-take. When you think about it, though, it makes perfect sense. Texting is on the rise among “older people” in the U.K., as reported by MediaWeek a while back:
The research claims texting is becoming more prevalent among older people, with 44% of 35 to 44-year-olds and 14% of 45-plus ages sending more than 30 text messages every week.
However, texting still remains the most popular among 25 to 34-year olds, with 40% of this age range more likely to use their mobile phones for texts rather than talking.
Conducted by Tekelec, a provider of mobile messaging solutions, across three groups; under-35s, 35 to 44-year-olds and 45-plus, the study shows texting is more popular among women than men.
So: you have an affluent neighborhood, the rise of texting among the age group that’s most likely to be able to afford living in said neighborhood, and texting being more popular with the gender that’s more likely to actually look up the real estate.
In that context, that sign makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?
I asked my networks if they’d seen any creative uses of mobile/social media here in the U.S. Jason Falls put me in touch with Mike Whaling, who has an interesting post on how apartment companies can use Foursquare – but I haven’t actually seen any of this in action (then again, I’m not in the market for an apartment).
Via Google Buzz, Renee Revetta said:
You know what gets me about this? It’s so simple. It takes the behavior of Edmund Cude’s target market, puts it together with its penchant for technology, and delivers a call to action that’s quick and easy to implement.
From the horse’s mouth
Thanks to my cohort, Bryce Keane, I was able to get in touch with Edmund Cude after returning to the States, and Alex Vinter, a manager with the company, told me a little more about their approach to this form of marketing (all emphasis/italicization mine):
“The texting service was launched only recently. It triangulates the potential Tenant’s location and send them to top matches within the area and links to the relevant properties. It also registers their details on the system. We contact the potential Tenant during the week, to discuss their preferences and register them exactly for what they are looking for.
“Even though it’s a fresh new service, we have received lots of inquiries. From our property sources currently it accounts for 2% of all inquiries. Incidentally, a further 2% of inquiries come from callers who see boards on properties.
“This is roughly the same amount of inquiries from one of the large referral websites we use, of which we pay a subscription to, so that’s great news. Furthermore, it’s just launched and there will be more and more boards with this information on soon, so we expect enquiries to rise.”
How much does this cost?
“The costs are quite minimal to run day-to-day; it did obviously have the set up costs and the IT expertise behind that. Each prospective Tenant that sends us a text is charged at their normal standard rate, and we are charged a similar amount to return information to them via the same medium.”
How do prospects respond?
“The prospects respond well to the calls and appreciate the service. If they are not for whatever the reason, we take them off the registration system straight away. I have not come across a case where this has happened though!”
Can you say “good customer service,” anyone?
Why they’re doing this
“We decided to use this as it registers their interest on our computer system in real time. It also gives them instant feedback to their interest. Most potential Tenants do not leave a message registering their interest, so this really is important. The more potential Tenants details we have, the better rents we can achieve for our Landlords and the urgent properties can be let faster.”
What about mobile applications?
“We are trying out some new ideas in regards to possible mobile applications and other uses of mobile technology to make it easier for Tenants to access our available properties. But nothing is due to be released at the moment.”
What’s working?
“In terms of marketing, I think the most important thing we do well and which directly helps our business is by registering all callers and registering their requirements in the best detail possible. They are then called often to update them with new properties and to keep our lists up to date.
“This allows us to generate viewings as soon as new properties become available, rather than advertising and waiting for the enquiries to come along. This proactive approach, allows us to give us a very low void rate on all our properties and get the best return on our client’s investment.”
What’s the goal and ROI?
You can see from Alex’s comments this approach is all about ROI. Elaborating further:
“Our goal, as always, is to give the best possible service levels to our clients (the Landlords). If we can capture information for as many potential Tenants as possible, then we stand a much better chance of doing this. Hopefully also, by showing this proactive approach and using different methods, then more Landlords will choose to use our service, which in turn drives our business to grow.
“The success will be judged on how many inquiries are received; these have been initially promising and partly depend on how many boards we actually have out there, which would not be for 100% of our recently or currently available properties, because of certain restrictions in London on which properties can and cannot have boards attached to them.”
Now, that’s smart measurement. None of this AVE crap.
How else are they using social media/networks?
“We have recently launched our own Landlord portal on our website, where Landlords can log into and find out a various wealth of information about their portfolio/properties. I think the next step is moving into some other popular mainstream ways to get our name out there, like Twitter, Facebook and possibly a blog version of our quartile newsletters.”
Pretty cool, huh? Why isn’t everyone doing this, or some version of it?
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so do chime in. And Bryce, thank you so much for helping me get in touch with Edmund Cude. I owe you one.
Filed under Business, Communication, Marketing | Tags: bryce keane, edmund cude, jason falls, mike whaling, mobile marketing, renee revetta, texting, texting in the UK, using mobile to rent apartments | Comments (5)
Five Ways to Land a Job in Social Media
This is a guest post from Chuck Hemann, someone I’ve enjoyed connecting with in the online world, and whom I very much hope to meet offline soon. Read on for great tips on landing a job using, and in, social media.
Social media jobs are popping up around every corner, and so are the people looking for those jobs. Unfortunately, the economic downturn took a heavy toll on the PR profession. Jobs aren’t as available for the experienced, or entry-level, professional. Because of the dearth of opportunities, many pros have taken to the Web in an effort to network and potentially land a new career.
If you’ve ever connected with me online or offline, you’ll know that I recently accepted a social media associate position with WCG, global media services company focused on the corporate and product marketing and communications needs of leading healthcare companies. I have enjoyed my current role as manager of research and online reputation for Dix & Eaton, but was hoping to land something more social media-focused.
If you currently have a job, or are recently unemployed and looking for something new, or even a recent college graduate who is trying to break into the workforce here are five tips that helped me land my job in social media.
1. Identify your niche
Social media may be new, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a host of cottage industries within the space. Are you interested in measurement/monitoring? Are you interested in community management? Are you interested in SEO? For me, that space was in monitoring and measurement so I made sure I got to know the folks from Radian6, Katie Paine, Don Bartholomew, Ken Burbary and a host of others you can find through my Twitter lists.
Do not try to be all things to all people. The end result will be you’ve spread yourself too thin, and probably not become noticeable in any one category.
2. Identify the “influencers”
I usually hate the term “influencers” as there’s really no standardized method to determine who’s truly influential, but in this case it makes sense to determine the 10-15 people in your niche that you’d like to read, and interact with. A Google search for any of the topics I’ve mentioned above will certainly help in that process, but don’t be afraid to ask. Use LinkedIn forums or Twitter or your own blog to ask people who they find influential.
3. Take a position
One of the pieces of advice I give to entry-level pros, and even more experienced professionals, is take a position. Nobody likes the guy/gal who waffles (unless you’re Switzerland), so figure out what your position is on the hot topics within your niche and express them.
Is this potentially dangerous? Sure, but prospective employers are looking for the ability to articulate and defend an argument. My first opportunity to do that on a large scale came when Jason Falls allowed me to share the approach to social media listening that I helped cultivate here at D&E on his blog. Search for those same opportunities within your niche.
4. Engage those “influencers”
Social media, regardless of the particular tool, does not come with an engraved invitation.
You either take the time to get to know the folks who are influential or you don’t. I haven’t “met” a person yet who is unwilling to engage people who engage with them. Take the time to get to know the influencers in your space and then engage them where they live.
5. Take it offline
Your online interactions can only take you so far. At some point, you need to meet the influencers in your space in real life. Whether you meet them at a conference, a tweetup, or just strolling through their neck of the woods you’ll no doubt gain more value from the relationship after you’ve met them in person. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many social media folks over the last two years and wouldn’t trade those experiences for the world.
These are just five things that worked for me. If you’re interested in other takes on landing a job, I’d encourage you to check out the posts from Teresa Basich and Lisa Hoffmann, both of whom have recently started new jobs in social media.
If you’ve recently landed a job in social media what worked for you? Do share!
Chuck Hemann, a 2010 Society for New Communications Research Fellow, is currently the manager of research & online reputation for Dix & Eaton, a communications consultancy with specialized expertise in social media strategies and tools. On February 15, Chuck will begin a new role as social media associate for WCG, a global media services company focused on the corporate and product marketing and communications needs of leading healthcare companies.
Image: Laurie Nadeau, Creative Commons
Sun, Sand and… Measurement
In a few days I’ll be Westward-bound; one of several hundred (or is it thousand?) PR and communication professionals converging on San Diego for PRSA’s 2009 International Conference (that’s me on Coronado Beach a couple years ago). My first experience of PRSA’s annual shindig was last year, when I was lucky enough to co-present with Katie Paine on measurement in Detroit.
The entire experience was a blast, and it will also live forever in my memory because that’s where I first met the beauteous and brilliant Shannon Paul and Lauren Vargas, caught up with the dynamite Kami Watson Huyse, first encountered Jason Falls, and was dissed (and defended, thank you Kami!) at my first tweetup. Ah, the good old days.
This year I’m lucky enough to have been selected by PRSA as a solo speaker and will be presenting on measurement on November 9 (here’s an interview I did to promo it a while back). If you’re attending the conference, do come by.
But more than plug my session, I want to pick your brains.
See, the thing is, my take on measurement is very simple (and yes, has been strongly influenced by the afore-referenced Sashet, the Measurement Goddess, aka Katie Paine).
You start at the end – what are your measurable objectives? And by “measurable,” I mean quantifiable and time-bound, not “increase buzz” or some crap like that.
You focus on what outcomes you’d like to achieve, not just outputs (like media impressions) and, if possible (because usually this takes some budget dollars), outtakes as well. A lot has been written about these recently, but I believe in going to the source, so here’s a great dictionary from the Institute for Public Relations (you should bookmark this).
And then you map out your strategy and tactics, track everything along the way, and then analyze the results of your program, based on what you were trying to achieve in the first place.
I like to use a couple of case studies, showing how this has been done both with “traditional” and social media, sometimes on a very tiny budget.
I show how, at my last job, we patiently tracked our communications against organizational key performance indicators, and how we were able to calculate – using a formula that was given to us by the equivalent of the marketing department – the value we added to the organization’s bottom line.
And I will tell you to stay away from ad value equivalency or AVE, which I hear IPR’s Measurement Commission recently voted down as a no-no when it comes to PR measurement.
My presentation’s probably not going to be earth-shattering for anyone (and I kinda hope it won’t, because the measurement debate’s been going on long enough).
What I hope it will be is engaging, and show practitioners who might be overwhelmed by all the jargon out there that measurement is not necessarily tough, mind-blowingly expensive, or tedious… and how to get started, or get back on the right track.
Looking for the Wisdom of Crowds
Here’s my question to you: are there any other questions you think I need to address? What else can I add to my presentation so that attendees can walk away with tips and ideas they can really use?
I can’t promise I can answer all of them, but I’ll try; if I can’t, I’ll try to find resources who can. Or, do you have tips I can include?
The bottom line is, I want the presentation to be about you, not me. So I’m asking you to help me deliver the content that will be most useful to you. I’m sure I can go it myself, but it’ll be so much more fun this way.
I’d very much appreciate your thoughts and feedback; just send me a tweet, or leave a comment below. I promise to give credit where credit’s due, and will be uploading it to SlideShare so that you can all see it.
Thank you!
Filed under Communication, Measurement, Speaking
| Tags: ave, IPR, jason falls, kami huyse, katie paine, lauren vargas, Measurement, Public Relations, Shannon Paul |
Comments (14)
