An Example of This "Internet Thing" Done Well
Mural Apartments is owned by Harbor Properties of Seattle, a company that, according to the property manager, believes in deep community integration. This is VERY obvious by their website at www.muralapartments.com. Let me tell you what I like about this site:
Kudos to Harbor Properties and Indigo Management for their keen online presence with Mural Apartments!
What this property has done isn't difficult, but it took more than 5 minutes to accomplish. Ask yourself today, as you're looking at your site, do we look like we are personal and care, or do we look like we were in a hurry to move on to the next project? It's a good possibility that your potential residents may gravitate to one of these appearances more than the other.
- The community blog, which actually focuses on the community (novel idea no?)
rather than the apartments. - A well done site that mirrors the feel of the artsy West Seattle area
- This site will show well on a Netbook sized screen, and that's something a lot of traditional property sites don't do now.
- This site kicks even more butt because THERE IS NO FLASH PROGRAMMING!
- They actively promote their ACTIVE Facebook Fanpage on the site (and twitter feed!)
- The layout is clean and crisp, yet still has awesome personality to it.
- If you click on the Neighborhood tab, you see just how committed to community integration they really are, and it's very well done!
Kudos to Harbor Properties and Indigo Management for their keen online presence with Mural Apartments!
What this property has done isn't difficult, but it took more than 5 minutes to accomplish. Ask yourself today, as you're looking at your site, do we look like we are personal and care, or do we look like we were in a hurry to move on to the next project? It's a good possibility that your potential residents may gravitate to one of these appearances more than the other.
Posted by Heather Blume at 1/29/2010 6:19 AM 
Categories: Clean Communication,Customer Care,A+ Advertising,Social Media Savvy,Intelligent Internet Information,Marketing Madness
Tags: Advertising and Marketing apartment marketing Facebook Social Media
Categories: Clean Communication,Customer Care,A+ Advertising,Social Media Savvy,Intelligent Internet Information,Marketing Madness
Tags: Advertising and Marketing apartment marketing Facebook Social Media
But where is the information that a renter actually needs to choose an apartment? Touchy-feely community/green-speak marketing copy is fine but where are the apartment rates? If you're going to market on price (one month free) then include the actual price. Are there even any vacancies? Why is the rental application link in squint print at the bottom of the page? A PDF download of the floor plan and floor plan planners but no pricing? I don't even know if I can afford to live there but I'm going to map out my furniture on a floor plan?
Why are rental rates kept a secret on the property website but readily available on ApartmentGuide.com? Frustrate consumers and they'll take their clicks and money elsewhere.
Where is the call to action? What differentiates this property from any of the other like-minded community driven properties in Seattle or for that matter across the street?
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Yawn-
You know those are some pretty fair questions. With the current market being as difficult as it is in the first place, I think that it's a shrewd move of them NOT to publicize their rates directly. Most sales people are better on the phone than a web page is, so to give yourself the most leverage over the deal, it makes sense to encourage the higher level of contact.
The other problem with the rates availability as they are posted on many ILS sites comes from the volatility of the current market combined with daily pricing programs like LRO or Yieldstar where the prices on the ILS or website aren't correct or kept up to speed. I think it's even more frustrating for customers to think a price is one thing and then to call a property and find that the website "lied" to them.
They must be doing something right, as they've been able to retain an occupancy in the high 90s throughout the tough market. A call to action doesn't have to be in your face, it can be subtle, like a push from a gentle wind, as opposed to being bowled over by a hurricane. Subtle sells right now. People are tired of in your face tactics.
Thanks so much for your thoughts! Great questions!
-Heather
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Solid example, Heather, but I agree with Yawn's point regarding the call to action. Can you back up your comment that subtle calls to action work better on a site like this? I haven't seen anything from usability studies that would agree with that statement. If you have a reader on the site, you want them to be able to find the information they're looking for as quickly as possible.
In general, I like the site a lot. I'm a little confused by the blog (Can someone leave comments? Who is writing the posts?), but overall, it's well done. (It even looks OK on a smartphone!)
Do you have any idea what kind of traffic they get to the site, or how much of that traffic converts to a qualified lead? They're clearly trying to communicate a certain vibe, and I would think that people who come into the leasing office after seeing the site are probably more likely to rent there. Any data you can share with us?
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Mike-
I guess I define a call to action differently. I'd rather be inspired to do something than directed to do it, but that's definitely a personal preference. I know that the demographic in West Seattle is a high arts community and other professionals who are more usually reached by subtle marketing, so that's why I think that the subtly on the site is perfect.
I don't think they allow commenting on the blog, but they have a professional published author writing their blog entries, which I think gives it an edge of class. As far as the blog being used as an interactive tool, I think that's what they are reserving for Facebook.
I can't share any data unfortunately, because it isn't my property. You could contact the Mural directly to find out the answer to your question though. I just know that with their high occupancy, it's definitely a successful property with a good community integration.
Thanks for the Comment!
-Heather
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Thanks for the clarifications. I know what you're saying about being inspired -- I've just seen too many sites that hide their contact information. Not a good user experience.
That's interesting about the blog. I like the fact that they're using an author, but it seems like they could get more out of it. Allowing comments isn't a requirement, but it's a great way to let your community have their say. I also think they could increase their reach by offering some way to subscribe to future posts ... there's no RSS feed or way to subscribe by email.
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Mike,
The thoughts about comments and the RSS feed are great! I'll pass that along to the community manager... or she might see it here herself, since I know she reads the blog
On hiding the contact info, you might be correct. It can be kind of frustrating when you're trying to get tech support someplace and you can't find the right number to call. Amazon used to be like that back in the day (I don't know if they still are or not).
Thanks for the conversation! I love seeing so much collaborative thought!
-Heather
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