Multifamily Tech Trends Update February 2014

In today’s technology-dominated marketplace, the only constant for businesses is change. Adapting to change is key to survival in the tech world, which now encompasses the multifamily housing industry. VAMA’s Tech Trends Update will provide helpful insight into the tech changes that affect your communities.  

• Google Algorithm Change (Hummingbird): On the eve of its 15th birthday in late September 2013, Google revealed its new search algorithm, Hummingbird.  Unlike previous algorithm updates, Penguin and Panda, Hummingbird represents a complete replacement of the previous algorithm. According to Google’s Search Chief, Amit Singhal, this is the most dramatic re-write of Google’s search algorithm since 2001. What does this mean for your website? Google has increased its ability to handle complex search queries and can now better relationally link search queries and web documents. From a strategy perspective this means that businesses must create web content that clearly identifies and disseminates their unique selling perspective (USP). Businesses must demonstrate through their web content that they are authoritative in relation to their USP. This means that content cannot be left in isolation. Instead, content must be shared (and appropriately linked) across social networks and through identified influencers. This means, create relevant content for your business and create a strategy that shares this content through links and backlinks to your social network and within relevant industry websites (like multifamilyinsiders.com, linkedin, Google , etc.). Move away from quick SEO, or tactical SEO, toward a strategic website management strategy; but, remember that SEO is not dead. This move toward semantic search falls inline with an increase in mobile and voice search. If you manage your website and digital marketing strategy correctly through quality, shareable and linkable content, it means a better search experience for your prospects. It also means that search becomes less about the keyword and more about the intentionality of the search. Overall, this creates actionable search results, which is what any marketer ultimately wants.   
  
  
• Facebook Tweaks News Feed Algorithm: Most of you are probably already aware that not all of your fans see all of your updates on Facebook. Facebook determines what shows up in your fans’ newsfeeds through an algorithm called, Edgerank. Edgerank scores your posts by affinity (has this fan liked or commented on your posts previously), weight (how many likes or comments has this post received) and time (how long ago was it posted). Like Google, Facebook makes changes to its algorithm on a regular basis to ensure the best user experience. Facebook just made another important (but easily actionable) change to its algorithm for company updates. Although Facebook says that it is difficult to answer the question of what type of content should I post on my page (photo, video, link, general status update), they have answered a procedural question about how best to post links to external websites. Facebook found that link shares get more engagement than links embedded in a status update. As such, link shares will be favored more highly in the Edgerank algorithm. What’s the difference between a link share and a text update? A text update is simply text based. It could include a link but there are no images. A link-share shows a preview of the webpage. Since link shares are the default way of sharing a link on Facebook, it shouldn't be difficult to optimize your social media strategy to incorporate this change.
  
  
• Craigslist Changes: In November 2013, Craigslist made a series of changes that rocked the multifamily housing industry including disabling the image tag, disabling the hyperlink tag, removing links and disabling tracking codes. Now, Craigslist has also changed how users post contact information, adding contact information to its webform (pulling it out of the body of the ad) and allowing posters to specify how they wish to be contacted (including via text message). What does this mean for multifamily housing providers? If you’re still using a third party posting platform, touch base with your vendor representative and make sure that they have made the appropriate changes to their posting interface. All photos must now be manually uploaded through Craigslist’s photo tool. Make sure you’re using quality photos, as this will serve as the lone splash of color on your ads. In addition, Craigslist now allows you to post more photos. The more photos you post, the more successful your ad. You can still utilize URLs in your ad; but, you have to give prospects a reason to visit because there is no longer an automatic link. Don’t include your contact information in the body of your ad. Use the contact information webform and consider additional mediums for contact (like texting). TRACK! TRACK! TRACK! Data indicates that ghosting is more prevalent than ever; but, without the ability to track clicks and views of your ad on Craigslist, you must utilize tracking phone numbers and emails and watch for decreases in traffic.   

Authored by: Lauren Curley, Landmark Property Services