Resident Connections
Magazines for customers gain popularity. Many properties produce newsletters for residents, but that’s usually where it ends. In Irvine, Calif., though, residents who live in The Irvine Co. Apartment Communities receive both a magazine and a newsletter from their landlord.
Each of the two publications has a slightly different focus. The news-letters, for example, are more local; The Irvine Co. produces a monthly newsletter for each specific community. “The newsletter will tell residents about the yoga class at the fitness center in their clubroom or the movie night at the resident theater,” says Nicole Conniff, the marketing director for Irvine.
The magazine, in contrast, goes to all of The Irvine Co.’s 68 communities in Newport Beach, Irvine, and Tustin Ranch, Calif. Called Avenues, it is published bimonthly. “In Avenues, you will find articles about The Irvine Co. Apartment Communities auto-debit program, new restaurants, local theater productions, and discount tickets offered to all residents of The Irvine Co. Apart-ment Communities,” Conniff says.
If a company can’t produce separate publications for individual properties and its entire portfolio, it should try to mix both in one publication, says Dan Cummings, a product manager for Illustratus, which is a full-color newsletter service in Overland Park, Kan.
“Branding is important to a big national company,” Cummings says. “If a resident goes from one AIMCO community to another and knows they’re at an AIMCO community [because of the newsletter], it’s important. But the resident at one AIMCO community wants something in there that’s unique to them. Typically we encourage a bigger management company to leave space for the local community.”
While it may be difficult to get the correct mix, in the end, it can prove very valuable. The corporate message can help boost things like ancillary revenue, while the local message can increase retention. “The more you can touch people, involve them, and make them feel a part of their community, the more likely they are to stay in that community,” Cummings says.
