Featured Blog Post of the Month Apartments.com SEO Manager, Ken Shafer, discusses how there is more to on-page keyword optimization than meets the eye in a blog post he penned "Using Related Keywords for On-Page Optimization." Read Ken's post now.

Ask About Chat

"We are booking appointments with renters faster through Apartments.com Live Chat than the phone. Prospective renters want instant access to the leasing office during their apartment search and Live Chat makes this possible. The days of renters submitting online guest cards and waiting for an email response are becoming a thing of the past." John Slattery Assistant Director of Marketing, Weinstein Properties

10 Simple Social Etiquette Tips for Live Chat Conversations

On the heels of the launch of its Live Chat feature, Apartments.com recommends the following 10 chat etiquette tips to help guide leasing professionals through meaningful conversations with prospective renters. Because Apartments.com visitors initiate chat conversations, the following tips focus on responding to renter inquiries in a way that will result in scheduling a visit to the community. Don't miss out on turning instant-messaging fans into residents.

1. Make Introductions. Conduct yourself similar to how you would in any other social situation. Whether attending a networking party, on the phone or responding to an online chat, always introduce yourself. When conducting business with renter prospects, tell them your name: "Hello, I'm Brandon Smith from The Willow Apartments" not just "Hi" or "Hey." Also, don't forget to ask for the name of the person you're chatting with right away.

2. Anticipate Questions. When the online chat button reads "Available," anticipate questions that may come up about your apartment community. A chat could start any moment. Have all the relevant apartment and community information close at hand. People contacting the leasing office via Live Chat don't want to wait for an answer. They want immediate responses to their questions.

How to Make Ads Pop Using Short and Specific Text

Does the little blurb that appears on the search results of an Internet Listing Service (ILS) affect advertising performance? According to Jim Davoren, a statistical analyst at Apartments.com, it can have a significant impact. With competition only an inch away, optimizing short description text is imperative to stand out to renters scanning search results. A well-worded, short description can increase click-through rates by 4%. According to Davoren, here are five tips for writing short descriptions that will drive more renters to an apartment community listing.

1. Be specific and concise. Name the neighborhood, town or intersection that makes it a great location. And, remember to keep the short description what it is: short.
2. Don't take the reader in multiple directions. Focus on one key selling point. Highlight either proximity to interesting areas or include a special offer.
3. When spotlighting a special offer, spell out the details while keeping it concise. "$50 off move-in" is more impactful than "ask about specials."
4. Avoid fluff. Words like "luxurious" and "beautiful" might be reflective of the community, but flowery language in and of itself doesn't move the needle on clicks.
5. Exclude amenities unless they are free amenities included in a special offer. The same tip applies to floorplans.

Based on Apartments.com research of renter search behavior, Davoren has listed some examples of Do's and Don'ts for drafting short description text.

Short description text makes a difference when the competition is just an inch away.

Login to the Apartments.com Property Updater today to update your short description. Changes will appear on Apartments.com within one hour. Not sure about your Property Updater login and password? Contact Customer Support at support@apartments.com for assistance.

Apartments.com MyMedia Customers Sound Off on the Craigslist Ad Builder

Still posting apartment community listings to Craigslist? While Craigslist is free, costs add up quickly once all the hours and dollars involved in the overall process are tallied. For larger apartment communities with hundreds of units, the time and money required to keep ads current and prominently placed in search results can amount to a significant investment. Why work this hard when the MyMedia Craigslist Ad Builder can do the heavy lifting? Sound too good to be true? Not for these Apartments.com MyMedia customers. Check out what they have to say about reaping the benefits of increased exposure on Craigslist minus the hassle.

	"With so many properties using Postlets and VFlyer, ads start to look similar. The MyMedia Craigslist Ad Builder gives you the option to select from different styles to upload your ad design. The process is easy. It takes less than five minutes to modify so you have a crisp ad that is consistent with your other online advertisements. It is a way to check and balance your advertising so that you aren't sending out multiple messages." Anna Snitchler Senior Community Manager, Collier Companies

	"If you have not tested the MyMedia Craigslist Ad Builder yet, what are you waiting for? I'm truly impressed by how much time it has saved me. Now, I can build and customize ads that meet my needs in a few clicks of my mouse. I especially like to use the "Fancy" template as it thoroughly showcases my community in a way that makes me proud." Sam Schaefer Leasing Consultant, The Lodge at Stone Oak Ranch

	"MyMedia is the reason why we have one of the most visually-stunning ads on Craigslist to date. When you are busy running a community, time is precious. The Craigslist Ad Builder comes with a schedule, which makes planning easy, and recurring reminders of when an ad needs to be updated. In addition to the Craigslist Ad Builder feature, the overall MyMedia product has made our experience of contacting the prospects effortless, interactive and fun. We use it every day!" Corey Williams Property Manager, Lake Crossing Apartments

The Craigslist Ad Builder is one of the most recent enhancements to MyMedia. Using the MyMedia Craigslist Ad Builder, professionally-designed postings can be created with ease, showcasing the same apartment community photos featured in Apartments.com ads. Never sort to the bottom of search results again! With the help of the Craigslist Reminder, recurring emails will let employees know when it is time to repost ads.

Take a quick video tour of MyMedia today or contact your Apartments.com advertising consultant for more information and to set up a complimentary MyMedia training.

Apartment communities interested in becoming a MyMedia subscriber can contact their Apartments.com advertising consultant for more information or email sales@apartments.com.

Apartment Shoppers Are Shying Away from Social Media During Their Apartment Search

Americans spend nearly a quarter of their time online on social networking websites and blogs - or 906 hours each month - according to research released from The Nielsen Company¹. This is a 43% increase up from just a year ago. While the audience of social media users continues to gain momentum, renters nationwide are slow to incorporate social media into their apartment search as evidenced in the latest What Renters Want survey of nearly 850 Apartments.com website visitors. Survey insights revealed 71% of renters are active social media users, but only a quarter apply it to their apartment search. Additionally, less than 10% of social media users are connecting with their apartment community through a social media website.

Given the growing popularity of social media in the day-to-day lives for many, it may be surprising to learn more renters are not using it to find a place to live. However, this does not mean renter online search behavior will not trend toward a more social apartment shopping experience. According to the survey, nearly 70% of renters who have not used social media to search for an apartment previously indicated they would either consider using it or are on the fence.

Like most savvy shoppers, renters consult multiple online sources before choosing where to live. Of the 71% of apartment hunters already active with social media, obtaining supplemental information including recommendations, visuals and special offers topped the reasons they tap these websites during their apartment search. These survey respondents ranked the top five benefits of using social media during their apartment search as:

1. Finding additional apartment community information and recommendations (58.1%)
2. Seeking photos and videos of apartments (54.7%)
3. Searching apartment listings (52.7%)
4. Hunting for special incentives and offers (46.8%)
5. Share apartment information with friends and seeking feedback (20.7%)

In addition to not using social media channels during their apartment search, more than 90% of survey respondents said they are not connected to their apartment community on any social media websites. Reasons for why this number seems high can be attributed to the lack of apartment communities participating in the social media space, or not getting the word out to residents, and the growing number of new renters hitting the market. Nearly half of all respondents said either their apartment community does not have a social media presence or they simply do not know. More than 40% said they do not currently live at an apartment community.

Chris Brown, vice president of product management at Apartments.com, weighs in on how he believes social media will play a role in the multifamily industry.

	"As social media continues to evolve online communications, we believe more apartment communities will follow suit and become more visible in this space. Residents will likely be receptive to interacting with their apartment communities in this way, especially if the content is meaningful. Our survey tells us that residents want to connect with their apartment community through social media to receive special offers, gain access to other residents and to keep current on community news and events." Chris Brown VP of Product Management, Apartments.com

While nearly two-thirds of survey respondents indicated they are social media users, most are only active on Facebook. Nearly 35% check Facebook as often as every couple of hours and 32% daily. This is a sharp contrast compared to activity on other social media websites. On average, more than 65% of survey respondents have never logged on to Yelp! or Foursquare and more than half have never visited Twitter or MySpace.

Apartments.com advertisers interested in gaining exposure on Facebook are encouraged to contact their advertising consultant to ask about Facebook Designer, a recent enhancement to the MyMedia product. View demo now.

Apartments.com advertisers interested in becoming a MyMedia subscriber can contact their advertising consultant for more information or email sales@apartments.com.

ApartmentHomeLiving.com, a part of the Apartments.com network of apartment rental websites, increases advertising exposure by making it easy for renters to find a new place to live on Facebook. Without ever leaving Facebook, apartment hunters can simply visit the ApartmentHomeLiving.com Facebook page and click the "Find a Place" tab to begin searching all Apartments.com listings. Facebook-loving renters can also share the details of their apartment search with their social network to garner feedback from the people they trust.

1 - Nielsen Online, June 2010

Read the social media survey press release now | Check out all survey results now

Apartments.com Increases Bay Area Advertising Exposure Through San Francisco Chronicle Partnership

Apartments.com announces a new partnership with the San Francisco Chronicle, a Hearst publication and the most popular news source in Northern California. As a benefit of being a featured partner in the San Francisco Chronicle, advertisers will enjoy increased exposure to rental prospects in the Bay Area. In addition to appearing in print, Apartments.com advertisers will now reach an audience of 3.6 million unique monthly visitors by being featured in the rentals section of the SFGate.com website. This partnership is another example of how Apartments.com provides unmatched advertising exposure by creating easy access to its listing through its ever-evolving distribution network.

Apartment shoppers looking for apartments in the Bay Area can begin their online search by logging onto SFGate.com and clicking on Rentals in the Real Estate section. Apartments.com will appear as one of SFGate.com's featured apartment providers, alongside San Francisco Chronicle and California-based realtor listings.

Through this exciting new partnership, Apartments.com underscores its commitment to advertisers by ensuring its listings are seen by more people in more places.