(This story is the second part of a special social media and commercial real estate focus. Part I was Can Pinterest find its Commercial Real Estate Niche?)
NEW ORLEANS-At this point, it’s beyond apparent that information sharing is a different animal than back in the days of AOL and dial-up modems. And with these changes comes a new set of networks. The wave kicked off with the now-ghost town of Myspace, slid into the sometimes too-social Facebook, and then exploded in under 140-character bursts on Twitter. Now there’s the entirely graphic Pinterest, which can seem like a collection of pretty pictures at first glance. However, one commercial real estate -related company has found that behind these eye-catching images is a powerful marketing tool – and one that is well-suited to the modern multifamily industry.
The New Orleans-based 365 Connect, a company that provides technology solutions for the multifamily sector, recently integrated client images and sites with Pinterest. It’s special and pertinent to the multifamily industry, according to 365 Connect President and CEO Kerry Kirby, because the platform fills the “need to broadcast information constantly” - a desire that those born and bred in this internet age not only require, but demand.
“Social media’s a great marketing avenue for apartments,” Kirby says, “especially with what we call ‘today’s renter.’ There have been a huge influx of Generation Y renters [recently]. My feeling is that you need to go to them, they’re not going to come to you.”
But how can Pinterest help multifamily properties and marketers hit this demographic? Kirby feels that the platform’s incredibly visual focus is ideal for those of a certain age looking for a new place to call home.
“What better industry is there to match with Pinterest than one that is so graphically oriented? We want people to use Pinterest when they’re looking for an apartment. We tagged images to drive people back to the apartment sites. You can also share floorplans on Facebook too. And why? Peer recommendations are huge with gen y renters: people want to exchange information. Pinterest is a viral marketing tool we can give to our customers.”
So it seems Pinterest is not all fuzzy bunnies and magazine-perfect hairstyles. Presently, it may not be ideal for every commercial real estate sector, but those hoping to generate buzz, drive site traffic and entice consumers with heart-stopping property images rather than intense descriptions may find it a boon. Whether Pinterest's adoption will be universal is another story, but Kirby concludes, “we’re now down to a social media site that exemplifies that a photo speaks 1,000 words, and because of this, I think Pinterest is ultimate platform for the multifamily industry.”
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