They have been talking about it for a while, but Facebook Timeline is officially launching. This new view for profiles takes your life and puts it into; you guessed it, a timeline layout. There are a lot of people asking why all the changes and can’t Facebook leave good enough alone? It’s about providing a more user-friendly experience, said Kate Aronowitz, director of user experience and design for Facebook, in an interview yesterday morning. Using the right hand control, users can quickly scroll through events, friends, photos, wall posts and more from any year in their life. Although Facebook wasn’t around in 1970 (come to think of it, Zuckerberg wasn’t even around then), users can upload photos from that year to truly create a timeline of their life.
Timeline is still in its opt-in phase, but all users will be transitioned over soon. I enabled it a few months ago to play with the usability and I really do like it. I easily found wall posts from my college roommates that I had completely forgotten about. Sure, I could have found these with my wall today, but the key word is easily. These posts and other content are called Stories in Timeline. You can star your favorites to highlight them and hide others you don’t want people to see. Read More
With the holiday spirit all around, this is a great time of year to get your residents together and show them your appreciation. Here are a couple fun ideas that you can do around your apartment community:
1. Resident gifts: A small gift for your residents is an easy way to say thank you for living in your community and the holidays are a great time to surprise them. Order T-shirts or sustainable bags with your branding on them for each resident. Print some festive notes to say Happy Holidays and put them in your resident mailboxes. Each resident can use the note to redeem their gift from the leasing office. This would also be a great time to have them update their contact information with you. Your residents will love their new swag and your branding will be all over the city. Read More
During a special Thanksgiving episode of Dr. Drew’s Lifechangers, Apartments.com is recognized as an official life changer for donating Free Rent for a Year to the King family. Burdened by financial hardships, the family of four (with a baby on the way) have been living out of a motel for almost four years. Watch now to see how the King’s lives will change for the better by receiving a gift from an Apartments.com representative, Dick Burke, in this touching segment, sure to tug on the heart strings.
This is the time of year to reflect back on what we are thankful for and to reach out to the ones we appreciate. You do so much to keep me updated and looking wonderful, I wanted to write you this letter of thanks.
Thank you for the professional photos you had taken! I get so many happy renters visiting me daily because of my eye candy. The fantastic lighting in my community room photo has made me the envy of all the other ads. Not to mention the full list of amenities you keep updated. It’s hard to stand out in a crowd and that nice long list of amenities helps everyone narrow down their search to me. You really do know how to keep me happy. My Check Availability button is a flutter every time you update my pricing! Read More
Although it’s not always top of mind, homelessness is everywhere. On my morning run, I pass the man singing My Girl. On my way out the door, I see the woman selling newspapers outside the grocery store and then the man who sits just outside of the train station every morning, wishing everyone who passes by a wonderful day. That’s already three people affected by homelessness and I’ve only gone a few blocks from my apartment.
Volunteering is a passion of mine but what can I possibly do for someone living on the street? Lucky for me, I work at one of the greatest companies; Apartments.com. From helping families in need through the Ellen DeGeneres Show, to the Campaign to Help End Homelessness, I’m thankful to work for a company that gives back and really cares. You can join us in the fight against homelessness. Here are some ways you can replicate the efforts and make a difference in your community: Read More
As much as we talk about the importance of recycling, the United States is the number one trash-producing country in the world. This means that 5% of the world’s population generates 40% of the world’s waste! With this being National Recycling Week, I thought it would be fun to show you some ways to conserve waste and save money by repairing, versus replacing, your appliances. The below infograph, from Part Select, shows the cost to replace some common appliances. If you click on the buttons, possible symptoms and their fixes are shown. Have fun playing around with this and maybe next time one of your resident’s dishwasher leaks, you can save some money by repairing it.
Apartments.com is reaching more renters in more ways with the launch of our first-ever TV commercials. The Need an Apartment? themed commercials showcase awkward living situations, which many young and first-time renters can relate to. Airing during popular television shows on networks like ESPN, MTV and Comedy Central, Apartments.com is reaching millions of households. This marketing initiative is unique in the multifamily industry and we’re excited to be leading the way. Check out our first two commercials and let us know what you think.
Facing tough financial hardships in response to medical bills for their son, the McLean family of Wichita Falls, Texas struggles to make ends meet. With only a week left before they lose their apartment, they are elated by a surprise visit from Ellen’s Swaggin’ Wagon. Watch their relieved reactions when presented with a check for $15,000, from Ellen and Apartments.com, to help them with their rent for the next year.
Do you know where your residents are coming from? Knowing the source of your leads – especially the ones that convert to leases – is critical in terms of determining where to spend your advertising dollars. Here are five friendly suggestions on how to keep track of your various lead sources:
1) Just ask – It may seem obvious, but providing a quick and simple survey as part of your leasing process will go a long way in determining where your residents are coming from. Keep your survey short, but specific. For example, knowing that someone found your property online isn’t quite as helpful as knowing if they found you on and ILS like Apartments.com or Craigslist. Keep in mind after visiting several apartment search websites, your residents could be confused about which ones they used. Try giving them a visual representation of websites that you advertise on to help jog their memory. Read More
