{"id":17996,"date":"2017-05-18T05:00:57","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T12:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=17996"},"modified":"2020-12-24T22:17:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-25T06:17:20","slug":"insights-from-aim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/insights-from-aim\/","title":{"rendered":"Insights From AIM"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AIMMultifamily marketers from across the country converged in Huntington Beach for the 2017 Apartment Internet Marketing (AIM) Conference<\/a> on May 7-10. Several hundred professionals gathered to explore the industry\u2019s latest marketing trends and best practices.<\/p>\n

Here are three ideas from this year\u2019s event that might buoy your marketing efforts:<\/p>\n

Tell Your Story<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marketing is not just an exercise in generating the lowest cost per lead. It\u2019s a complex combination\u00a0of creativity and strategy that ultimately tells a story to potential customers. In a world of constant digital distraction, today\u2019s marketers need to have the skills to create content that will rise above the noise.<\/p>\n

When it comes to creating engaging content, authentic storytelling and video rule.<\/p>\n

AIM panelists Jamie Matusek, President of Catalyst, Lori Valenti Webb, Director of Marketing at Wood Residential Services<\/a>, and Anna Geary, Founder of Show My Property TV, explored the ideal customer experience.<\/p>\n

Matusek explained that experiences progress through the Happiness Halo framework<\/a>, from anticipation to interaction to afterglow. Anticipation is the process of building excitement, teasing potential customers into wanting to know more. This can be seen in pre-event promotion\u00a0and behind-the-scenes videos.<\/p>\n

Interaction immerses customers in an experience, providing emotional direction to aid in decision making. Multifamily application could be a time-constrained promotion, such as a rent discount, or highlighting property perks, such as free recreation classes or dog-friendly happy hours.<\/p>\n

Afterglow focuses on creating a positive memory, reinforcing brand positivity. As Matusek explained, bad things will happen, such as a poorly executed maintenance request or a negative front office visit, so it\u2019s important to positively direct the sentiments with each resident touch point.<\/p>\n

\"20170508_172237015_iOS\"
AIM attendees mine for\u00a0storytelling ideas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Crafting an effective story can combine these three concepts into any medium, from a blog or social media post to a video. At AIM, video was clearly the preferred medium for creating authentic, attention-grabbing stories.<\/p>\n

What is the one story everyone tells about your community? A few questions to consider when mining for story ideas:<\/p>\n