The Last Impression is Lasting

We are a society that loves firsts: first place, first kisses, first apartment, being first in line, first to adapt, the list goes on. What about last? It’s not quite as exciting to be in last place, last in line, or last to the party. It seems natural then, that marketing efforts focus on first. The power of a first impression cannot be refuted. It is incredibly important to setting the stage and justifying value.

Equally important is the last impression we make. People remember most your last point of contact. What is the last thing a resident experiences from your company/community? A bill? You waving from the office? The dead shrub at the back entrance? Think of it like a book - the cover page, the pages in between and the back cover. The cover visually attracts and serves to create the vision and lifestyle expectation. The pages contain the story, or the living experience. The last lines and the back cover summarize and reinforce the book’s quality and content, and leave a firm impression on the reader.

Have you given as much thought to the last impression as you have the first? Don’t let another day go by without determining your strategy to deliver. What is the last thing you want your residents to remember about you after they say "goodbye"?

Get a Foot In The Box

I came across this product this week and just had to share. TheShoebee.com offers protective liners for your shoes with a twist - just put your foot in the portable shoe box, and the plastic wraps around your feet! Love it! I can think of a dozen uses for this - (client tours of ready apartments the first that comes to mind), and at $29.95 per box it's a no-brainer. Plus, the liners are free...forever. You might even decide to slap your logo on the box! I wonder if I could train my dog to step in the box when he comes in from outside... www.theshoebee.com.

If Your Community Were an Album, How Would You Sell It?

I read with interest a recent USA Today article on the new Susan Boyle CD, Dream. Despite being released in November, it has shattered numerous sales records and is the top selling release for 2009. I personally purchased one for my mother-in-law, and she for her friend. Marketed aggressively in a campaign that didn’t play by the rules, rather, was promoted almost exclusively through word of mouth, TV and the Internet, it became the must-have gift of the season.

A CD. Aren’t CD’s supposed to be dead? Isn’t the new word “download”? Here’s the thing: in an age in which digital is all the word, there are still people (and based on Dream sales, plenty of them) that don’t own an MP3 or IPod and don’t have the first idea how to download Itunes. They own CD players, and would value the gift of a CD by an artist they enjoy hearing. Antiquated they may be, but they have money to spend, and loved ones who will spend on them. While everyone else was going digital, Dream was marketed almost exclusively through word of mouth, TV and the Internet. Labels are recognizing each album is unique and tailoring campaigns accordingly.

As a lesson for our business, take a look at your desired consumer. Analyze how they buy, and what they desire, and develop a campaign that speaks to them. Should a new One Republic album be marketed the same as Susan Boyle? No. Different strokes for different folks. Don’t get so caught up in the rules that you miss a market that is right there, ready to buy.

Are You Talking About You...Or Talking To Them?

I have blogged numerous times about the power of powerful copy, but until now, have not been able to provide resources, (other than hiring a copywriter), that will assist you in preparing more powerful and compelling messages geared toward the consumer, rather than about you or your property. In other words, making it about them, and not about you. (If you have ever had a friend or colleague that can't stop talking about themselves, you know what I am saying here. They rarely understand what a true turn-off they are.)

Future Now offers a WeWe calculator that will help you discover what your word choices say about where your focus really is, and provides a sense of the impression you are making on clients. The tool won't make you a powerful copywriter, but it will allow you to see whether your messages are about the client...or about you. I tested 10 random apartment sites, and not one scored above a 46% in utilizing customer-focused words in their messaging. In other words, every community talked more about themselves using words like "I", "we", "our", and company name (just like a "we"), than they used words like "you" and "your". According to the tool's inventor, there seems to be a clear difference in the clients that score above 60%. That said, other influences can have an effect on your copy,and it's not always what you say, but how you say it, so use the tool simply as a fun exercise in seeing your words through the client eyes.

Have fun. Test each part of your site. Then, take a close look at your text, and make whatever changes you need to make to ensure your visitors feel your only focus is their satisfaction. If you want the consumer to perceive that you are focused on them, talk about them, their needs, their wants, and how they can get those needs and wants satisfied. Make it more about them...and less about you.