Earlier today, we promised a special offer for the apartment industry.

If you follow the discussions and blog posts on sites like Multifamily Insiders, you know a lot of people are paying close attention to this new game, trying to gain as much knowledge as they can. They’re learning about these new tools … some are jumping in with both feet, while others have major concerns about how to use them within their organization. When it comes to things like this “social media stuff,” it seems as though many of our friends in the apartment world have a lot more questions than answers. To us, that’s not a bad thing.

Of course, the Internet Listing Sites aren’t sitting still. They are utilizing social media to drive traffic to their sites (as they as should be). But does this help their clients build their brands? It doesn’t. I’m not telling you to dump them … not by any means. Effective advertising is a critical piece of most marketing strategies.

Website designers are also reacting to this new game. They’re talking to their clients about these new tools and working to incorporate more interactive features into their designs. But today’s world requires honest, frequent communication with a conversational tone … those flashy buttons linking out to your company’s Facebook and Twitter pages are not an effective online marketing strategy.

Before you entrust an ILS or a design shop with your online marketing strategy, ask yourself if they’re the right partners to help you build your comprehensive online presence. Google — and sites like ApartmentRatings.com — remember public mistakes for an awfully long time … it will be your brand that will suffer, not theirs. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?

You absolutely can (and in almost all cases, should) keep the traditional tactics, but you cannot ignore the trends. Customers expect more from the companies they do business with, while prospects demand a reason to care — online word of mouth is one part of the “new game” that cannot be ignored.

So if you are a multifamily marketer, we think you should take a hard look at your online marketing strategy, then you should take a look at 30 Lines. Our team would love the opportunity to work with you, even if it’s alongside your more traditional marketing partners … we believe strongly in an integrated approach that taps into best-of-breed partners from all disciplines.

Get in touch with me here at the conference, and I’ll set a time when we can provide one hour of free consulting to discuss any or every aspect of your online communications strategy. Social media, search engine optimization, reputation monitoring, mobile … we can cover whatever you like. Give us some time in advance and we can even provide a brief analysis of your current online presence, plus some initial thoughts on how to best move forward. If you like what you hear, figure out a way to work us into your lineup alongside your existing marketing vendors. The types of services we can provide on a per project or ongoing basis can be found here.

So how can you meet me at the conference? Grab me anytime (Friday before #AptChat would be good), send a tweet to @30lines or call 386.795.8000.

Couldn’t make it to the conference this year? Get in touch with us, we’ll be happy to work something out.