Re: [MLUG - DISCUSSION] Viral Marketing

["Jonathan King" <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

On 12/1/06, Nathan Odle <EMAIL:PROTECTED> wrote:
> We have a bunch of townhome rentals that are coming online this January
> and I'm responsible for a large portion of the marketing effort.  The
> townhomes in question are large (2,000 sq. ft.) and affordable for their
> size in comparison to the market.  They're also much higher quality than
> the competition, with all-brick exteriors and other nice details.  The
> location is pretty as well, with many units backing up to a wooded creek
> and a clubhouse in a picturesque setting.

If I were you, I would not rent to undergraduates if you can possibly
avoid it. That said, I think you could do incredibly well renting to
graduate students, given a recent pinch in grad student housing and
the somewhat different needs (and more responsible behavior) of that
population. You're problem there, however, is the timing: January
isn't ideal. But if you can accept a slightly slower trickle of
tenants into the units, you should be able to pick up a lot of people
who are getting out of their leases at the end of the school year. You
can try posting ads in places like LeFevre and Stewart and the
Engineering school, and maybe send mail to the residents in places
like the massive apartment block on University across from LeFevre
(which is full of primarily foreign grad students who end up there
because they'll lease to you from a distance, but then most people
bail on them pretty quickly because of their stiff prices etc.

Another thing to try, based on January availability, is to make
connections with people at MU who need to arrange for visitors coming
in for a semester or two. This is generally an academic/family crowd.
And the last-last idea is to contact people at places like CenturyTel
and the large insurance companies that sometimes have to get employees
into short-ish term housing. That again would be mostly families, and
the location would be a big plus for some of them.

Just some random ideas. Now I'm off to buy component video cables and
other exotic stuff...

jking



> Whether we like it or not, a large percentage of our tenants are likely
> to be students and hence are prime targets for marketing of the viral
> variety.  I consider myself a pretty creative person and have plenty of
> my own ideas, but I'd be remiss if I didn't ask the ol' MLUG group if
> they had anything to contribute.  So, do any of you have any clever ideas?
>
> Also, if you're reading this and are an art student, e-mail me off-list :)
>
> -N
>
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