Twitter is an emerging social media site that provides a quick, easy and low-cost way to deliver targeted messages to current and prospective customers. I recently spoke with Alison Rice (@freshbrewedit) from Builder Magazine about the various ways Urbane is benefiting from Twitter … here is an excerpt from that article:
“Twitter offers builders more than a platform for brief announcements. Users say the site enables companies to create deeper relationships with their customers by responding publicly or privately to “tweets.” Just listen to Eric Brown, owner of Urbane Apartments in Troy, Mich. “I believe the way people are purchasing things is changing, and not very many people are paying attention to that,” says Brown, who dropped all traditional advertising several years ago in favor of social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Flickr (a free photo-sharing site), Twitter, and others that allow users to connect online with friends and acquaintances.
“He believes making social media successful for business purposes, though, does require a different attitude than many companies have had in regard to marketing or customer service in the past. “The more transparent you are [in terms of providing information to customers], the faster you can build your community,” Urbane’s Brown says. “But corporate executives are not very attuned to being open and transparent with customers.”
“Those that are can reap tremendous benefits. Urbane, for example, has saved significant amounts of money in recent years by opting out of print advertising and using social media instead. “Most larger operators’ marketing budgets are eaten up by print ads and rental apartment catalogs,” Brown says. “Those are very, very expensive whether or not anyone reads them.”
“Urbane has also used social media to create a vibrant sense of community at its properties, where Twitter-using residents can get the latest on neighborhood happenings and other events by following the company’s Twitter feed. Can users post negative things about their apartment or the property? Sure, but Brown says that risk is worth taking. “Our most interesting consumer evangelists seem to come from situations where we have dropped the ball,” he says. By being on Twitter, Facebook, and other sites, Urbane knows when a customer or prospect is unhappy and has the chance to respond privately and publicly and, ideally, resolve the problem. “It gives you a chance to participate in the conversation and start creating community,” Brown says.”
You can read the full article here.
Connect with Urbane on Twitter:
@Eric_Urbane
@Kim_Urbane
@Heather_Urbane
@UrbaneApts
@UrbaneHotlist
Eric’s background is rooted in the rental and real estate industries. He founded metro Detroit’s Urbane Apartments in 2003, after serving as senior vice president for a major Midwest apartment developer. He established a proven track record of effectively repositioning existing rental properties in a way that added value for investors while enhancing the resident experience.
He also established The Urbane Way, a social media marketing and PR laboratory, where innovative marketing ideas are tested. Eric has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and Business Week Magazine.
You can connect with Eric_Urbane on Twitter.
Eric also writes regular articles for the following publications;
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