How would you like to win $500? Totally Toni and Ellipse have teamed up in search for the best idea for social networking in multifamily. Social networking, also know as Web 2.0, is the latest way to pass on information and photos to individuals and groups who share similar interests and/or activities. Web 2.0 is so easy that even the Ellipse's Cow Bear has gotten in on the action! You can visit Ellipse's Facebook or MySpace and join in the fun!

Imagine using your social networking account such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter to share all of the latest happenings and special events with your residents and prospects. What ideas can you come up with to make social networking an active part of multifamily? How can you use the sites to get residents to participate and to spread the word to prospects that your community is the place to live?

Winning the $500 is this simple...join the Ellipse Group's Facebook fan page or become a friend on MySpace. Post or comment your idea on our Facebook or MySpace wall. All entries must be posted by 11:59 PM CST on May 27, 2009. Ellipse will notify the winner via email on June 1, 2009.

The best part about this contest is all of the great ideas you can learn and start implementing to make social networking work for your community. Don't waste any more time, join today and start posting those ideas!

Do you want to be the best deal, or the best place to live?

In this time of economic woes, businesses from dry cleaners to grocery stores are dropping prices to gain customers. Unfortunately for multifamily, we are not cleaning sweaters or selling a head of lettuce. We are the place people call home. This is a much more important decision and has a huge impact on the person's overall quality of life. This is not the time for us to follow the retailers off the cliff. It is the time to increase our service by stepping up our sales and marketing efforts.

While reading the new book called Tuned In – Uncover the Extraordinary Opportunities that Lead to Business Breakthroughs by Craig Stull, Phil Myers, and David Meerman Scott, the statement "[f]ocusing on your competition is a tit–for–tat game that very rarely produces a market leader" stands out.

When I consult for companies who offer "specials" and then suffer from an unusual amount of "skips", I try to help them to see how they create their own troubles. There are enough problems right now, and we do not need to cause unnecessary dilemmas with poor business strategies. When the best reason to get someone to rent is the "special", watch them disappear when the free rent is gone. You must give your customers a BETTER REASON to rent!

Every decision you make should be about creating value for your residents. Why not wrap your entire sales effort showing an exceptional customer service program? Rename your leasing agents "Customer Service Representatives", or all of your amenities shown along with customer service "Best Practices". Paint the picture of "being a resident" as their best reason to rent. Build a desire in them to say, "Hey, I want to live here!" WHAT A CONCEPT! What if along the tour route there were posters featuring resident testimonials that all started with "I love living here because..."

Community managers today look for a plan of action that will retain more residents. My current research goal is to look at the business of retaining residents with fresh 2009 eyes. What I have found is that answering the resident's question of "why stay" is much the same as when they asked "why rent?" I have begun using the example of CSI crime and posing the questions, "If CSI came to your property to collect evidence of customer service, and you weren't there with your smiling face, and a resident wasn't there to share their experience, how would they discover your customer service?"

Twenty years from now, I imagine someone teaching the history of what happened during the down turn of 2009 and saying, "There was a price war and everybody died." Your energy, resources and efforts need to be focused on creating the best life for your residents. How can you improve service and make sure everyone knows? You can accomplish this by producing evidential marketing that vividly communicates your customer service.

Just as I started building my new service program, my mother-in-law was hospitalized. My husband (and business partner) knew of my new plan and program. He called me from the hospital excited because he took photos with his cell phone of posters around the hospital that declared their "Best Evidence-Based Practices". Each advertisement briefly stated one of their "best practice" nursing procedures, and how this hospital takes extra care. I went immediately to their website and found a press release on the program, and the National Award they had just won. The award was promoted in key locations like the reception area, lobbies and cafeteria using a free standing 16 x 3 banner. WHAT A CONCEPT! I love awards!

Companies have often used awards to promote communities in trouble. This can be an effective tool that begins in a brainstorming session with the team about what sets their community apart. What is unique and what are the key reasons for renting there? Create an award titled with the same language. A big beautiful wall plaque is presented at a celebration featuring key company executives, perhaps the local mayor or other dignitaries, and a ribbon cutting ceremony. It's even possible to attract press coverage! Once the celebration is over, advertisement of a new "referral plan" begins, featuring this latest award! YEAH – You WIN!

Before you think I've lost my mind, think about the last time you were in a business and saw an award – Ford gave the Ford dealer a "Best Service" honor, Holiday Inn gave one of their hotels the "Best Place to Stay". You can create a winning strategy that includes an award. I would like you to know that right now, as you read this that, I, Toni Blake, by the power invested in me (by me), do hereby recognize you as, "AWARD WINNING"!

Do you want to be the best deal, or the best place to live? It's up to you! Now as Captain John Luke would say, "MAKE IT SO"!

Last month's More Than Just A Newsletter featured an article with five reasons that your community is boring, and this month we'll continue that list. Below are more reasons why your community is not only boring but also what you might be doing that leads to failure.

In this economy it's important to focus on making your community unforgettable and making your marketing presence a statement about who you are. Why should people be interested in your community and not your competitor. Take a look at the list and make sure you are doing all you can to survive in 2009.

1. Your answering machine says your community name, office hours, and address. Okay we get that you want us to have that information but come on we need to have a reason to call back or leave a message. Give us your specials or tell us what sets you apart and don't make it an hour long message just to get to the beep.
2. The only marketing you do is in Apartment Guide because that's what you've always done. Why change a good thing, right? It's time to rethink your marketing strategy and get one that really works. We're not saying drop your ILS (that could spell death) but it's definitely time to bulk up your marketing.
3. You have a tri-fold brochure with free business cards that you got at some free print website and you give them to everyone. It's important to save money but it's more important to make money. Enhance your materials and make sure they do your community justice.
4. You refuse to use any new product or new idea until your competitor does it first. Playing follow the leader was fun in school, but trust me, it's always better to be the leader. Would you rather be the company who starts their meetings by reviewing what everyone else in the industry did or the company who everyone talks about in those meetings?
5. All your collateral material looks different and there is nothing to pull it together. You've got a special running that requires them to pop a balloon, your brochure talks about $100 off their first month's rent and they are decorated in a nice tropic theme, but your office looks more like a Tuscan villa. It's easy to see the problem here, too much, too different, too bad. Figure out what makes your community pop (we're not talking balloons here) and use that to sell apartments.

Stay tuned for more reasons Why You're Boring! in upcoming in next month's issue.

Do you need assistance, updates and/or changes to your Ellipse website or web services? You can request help online anytime using Ellipse Service Advisor^SM by creating a service ticket via EllipseInc.com, or view the status of an existing ticket. Ellipse Service Advisor^SM was originally designed for maintenance request tracking at the property and corporate levels, but we have customized it in order to better assist our clients.

Here how to use Ellipse Service Advisor^SM to put in service tickets for Ellipse:

1. Click on Ellipse Help Desk in the top right hand corner of the EllipseInc.com. You will be prompted to log in.
2. Log in with the same Username and Password that you use to login to your Apartment Toolbox®.

Using the Ellipse Service Advisor^SM is beneficial for tracking purposes and your tickets are automatically assigned to the correct person in our office depending on the category you choose and the nature of the update that you are requesting. In addition, you will receive auto-responder email notifications each time a change is made to your ticket. If you are interested in learning more about how Ellipse Service Advisor^SM can be used in your organization, please call us at 888-678-3869.