Mountain Lofts PR Campaign

7/21/2019 Mountain Lofts PR Campaign

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/mountain-lofts-pr-campaign 1/21

Elevated tudent ivingPR Plan & Media K

July 201Skylar Olive

Mountain Lofts



Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Situation Analysis

o Client Description

o Client History

o Geographical Factors

o Past and Present Advertisingo Main Competitors

S.W.O.T Analysis

Target Audience

Marketing Goals

Promotional Goals

BudgetTimeline

Survey

Media Alert

Creative Items

o Poster

o Direct Mailo Banner Ad (Online)

Media Kit Included in Back

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Executive Summary

Mountain Lofts apartment complex opened in the Fall of 2014 and is BYU-Idaho

approved student housing. The complex is one of the biggest in Rexburg, with 1,072

beds and over 100 units. Mountain Lofts opened under Innovative Property

Solutions, and has since undergone a management transition. A corporate

management company, Cardinal Group, now manages the complex.

Currently, Mountain Lofts has a successful social media presence, however it can be

improved. It needs more followers on all platforms in order to reach more of it’starget audience. To achieve this, objectives, strategies and tactics have been laid out

in the following plan to help with social media expansion. The objectives include:

o Increase followers on all social media accounts by 200 followers.

o Increase attendance at complex events by 25% through social media

promotions.

Mountain Lofts also needs to improve its leasing numbers, and retain residents. Its

current reputation includes poor management relations with residents, which isresulting in large turnovers each semester. In this plan, recommendations have

been made to help with this problem, and improve the complex’s reputation. Some

of the objectives for leasing include:

o Increase leasing numbers by 5%.

o Retain 70% residents for multiple semesters.

With this plan, Mountain Lofts will excel in upcoming semesters and will improvenot only its social media and event attendance, but will also keep residents and

students living there for multiple semesters.

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Situation Analysis

Client Description

Mountain Lofts is an approved student-housing complex for Brigham Young

University – Idaho. Mountain Lofts is currently the biggest student living complex in

Rexburg, and has 1,072 beds and 161 units. There is both a men’s and women’s

building, which are connected by a five-story parking garage. Mountain Lofts has

many amenities for its’ residents, including a two-story clubhouse, two workout

facilities, a study lounge, yoga room, game room, movie room, fire pit, and more.

Mountain Lofts also is the only apartment complex that has dual level floor plans,

giving residents the option to live in a townhome style apartment. The complex is

pretty competitive with surrounding complexes price-wise, but is definitely on the

more expensive end of the spectrum. Currently, the complex is at 62 percent capacity,

but stands at 92 percent pre-leased for the upcoming Fall 2015 semester.



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Situation Analysis

Client History

Mountain Lofts first opened in the Fall of 2014, and is one of the newest apartment

complexes in Rexburg. The construction and completion of the complex was made

possible by Kayne Investment Group, who also hired Innovative Management

Solutions to be the portfolio manager of Mountain Lofts. Ben Rhodes was the first

property manager, along with Ashley Boyd and Kristen Schaat, under the direction of

Innovative. In early April of 2015, Innovative declared bankruptcy and Kayne

decided to take Mountain Lofts in a new direction. An all-new management team was

hired, along with a new corporate management company. Today, Mountain Lofts is

under the direction of Cardinal Group Management, a national portfolio management

company headquartered out of Denver, Colorado.

The general property managers of the complex are Danielle Felten and Vanessa

Johnson, along with the help of the Leasing Team Lead and Marketing Director,

Alexa Hollman. The complex also has six Community Assistants and a maintenancestaff, who are all students at the university and live on-site.



Situation Analysis

Geographical Factors

Mountain Lofts is considered off-campus housing and is located at 538 South 2nd

West, right by The Gates and across the street from Nauvoo House. Its location is a

great selling point for students, considering it is approximately a five-minute walk to

campus from the complex. It’s location is also desirable because it is on the South end

of Rexburg, which is known to be the more social side of campus, and it is within

walking distance of many other complexes.



Situation Analysis

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Past & Present Advertising

In the past, the Mountain Lofts team mainly used Facebook, fliers and posters for

their advertising and marketing. Since the grand opening, they have been working

with the Dealio, who runs all of their social media, as well as promotes various

complex events.

Currently, Mountain Lofts uses direct mail and social media, and has active accounts

on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Also, Cardinal Group has a corporate creative

team who is in charge of the Mountain Lofts website, as well as designing all of the

complexes’ promotional posters and fliers. The complex also has recently invested in

promotional products with their logo that they give to residents and future residents

that take a tour of the facility. These products include tumbler cups, EOS lip balm,

and protein shaker cups.

In regards to their social media, Mountain Lofts will need to increase its’ followers inorder to reach its’ target audience. It will also need a more cohesive social media

timeline, so that the team members post more frequently and consistently. Also, a lot

of the monthly budget goes to the Dealio, which is unnecessary spending when

Mountain Lofts has the staff and resources to manage it’s own social media accounts.

There is also a lot of miscommunication in regards to the corporate creative team

sending their designs to Mountain Lofts, and then Mountain Lofts having to send

those designs to the Dealio. Mountain Lofts could cut out the middle-man, and have a

more unified brand if they fired the Dealio and took control of their social media

themselves.



Situation Analysis

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Main Competitors

Mountain Lofts main competitor is NorthPoint, a complex that is located on the

North side of campus. NorthPoint is owned and managed by the Vandersloot family,

who also own Melaleuca Inc. NorthPoint is almost the same size as Mountain Lofts,

and also houses both men and women. NorthPoint has a lot of amenities as well,

including restaurants on its lower level, which is a disadvantage to Mountain Lofts

because it doesn’t have a competing feature. The only thing that comes close is

Mountain Lofts’ micro-mart, located in its leasing office, which is a 24-hour market

with drinks, candy, and various snack items.

Because NorthPoint is owned and managed by a singular family, its budget is bigger

than Mountain Lofts and it is able to give discounts and gifts whenever because it

doesn’t have to consult with a corporate company. Fortunately, even with its extra

amenities, NorthPoint is at almost the same leasing numbers as Mountain Lofts for

the upcoming semester, meaning that students like Mountain Lofts just as much asNorthPoint.

Other competitors include The Willows, The Towers, The Gates, Nauvoo House and

Windsor Manor.

NorthPoint



S.w.o.t Analysis

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Strengthso Micro-Mart

o Location

o Size

o Corporate funding

Weaknesseso Poor communication with residents

o Weak social media marketing

o Poor attendance at planned events

Opportunitieso Very nice apartments

o In-house laundryo Multiple floor-plans

o Competitive pricing.

Threatso Competing apartment complexes

o Fewer amenities

o No rent discounts



Target Audience

The target audience for all of Mountain Lofts advertising and marketing is young

adults, ages 18-25. They are currently enrolled in college, and either are working

part-time, or not at all. They are single with no children, and have an annual income

of less than $20,000. They are heavy Internet users, and spend the majority of their

time on social media and other websites. They are religious, predominately Mormon,

and are mostly Caucasian. They enjoy being outdoors, gathering with friends at social

functions, and dating.

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Marketing Goals

Marketing Objectiveso Increase leasing numbers by 5%o Retain 70% residents for multiple semesters

Marketing Strategieso Ask residents through questionnaires and surveys what they like and

dislike about living at Mountain Lofts.o Improve resident/management relationships through events and

activities in which residents feel their voice will be heard.o Run renewal and early bird specials, encouraging students to sign

contracts for a discount. This will increase leasing numbers.

Marketing Tacticso Email survey to all residents mid-semester. Provide incentive for

answering survey questions honestly.o

Hold a “Meet n’ Greet” luncheon twice a semester where free food isprovided. Managers will be at the luncheon ready to talk with residentsand create relationships.

o Email all current residents about discounts and specials, and use word-of-mouth advertising every time residents and future residents come intothe leasing office.

o Post discounts and specials on all social media, as well as on theMountain Lofts website.

o Place fliers in all mailboxes detailing rent specials, as well as upcoming

events and activities.

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Promotional Goals

Promotional Objectiveso Increase followers on all social media accounts by 200 followerso Increase attendance at complex events by 25%

Promotional Strategieso Utilize social media contests to encourage residents to follow Mountain Lofts on

all social media platforms.

o Offer prizes to people that come to an event.o Ask residents through a survey what events they would enjoy attending.o Hold contests throughout events to keep residents and friends at the event the

entire time.o Utilize content writing on the Mountain Lofts website to increase SEO.

Promotional Tacticso During check-ins for the upcoming semester, offer prizes for the best picture

posted with a specific hashtag, and give away free promotional merchandise for

residents who “like” the Facebook page or follow Mountain Lofts on Instagramand Twitter.o For every event, advertise up to a month in advance on all social media, and

use fliers and posters to spread the word that prizes and giveaways will happenat events.

o Give away raffle tickets to residents upon entry to an event, and do drawingsthroughout events. Give away desirable prizes such as headphones, T-shirts,long boards, etc.

o Create a hashtag for every Mountain Lofts event so that students can postpictures on their own accounts while helping advertise.

o Go through the Mountain Lofts website and make sure that the content writingguidelines are being followed with the use of key words and phrases, and createa Google+ account for Mountain Lofts to help boost Google SEO.

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Budget

Advertising/Promotional Budget

Social Media Advertising FreePromotional Merchandiseo T-Shirts with Logo (175) $400o Tumblr Cups with Logo Free (already have)o EOS Lip Balm with Logo Free (already have)o Protein Shaker Cups with Logo Free (already have)

Promotional Fliers (2000) $71.59Online Ads (1 year) $307.22

Total 778.81

Event Budget

Prize Budget for various events $300Music DJ (per dance) $300-$500Decorations $200Food and Drink $500

Total 1500

Grand Total 2278.81

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Timeline

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All of the above strategies and tactics should be put into effect immediately for

the greatest success, with the exception of check-in promotional offers. Because

the target audience is BYU-Idaho students, the timeline will run on a semester

long basis, with some of the strategies repeated to gain more of a following on

social media, and increase overall resident satisfaction.

Social Media Timelineo September 11, 2015 – September 13, 2015 (Check-in for Fall semester):

Promotional giveaway. Free merchandise given to residents if they “like”

the Facebook page, follow on Instagram or Twitter.

o September – December: Daily social media posts with various hashtags,

as well as one hashtag competition per month. Best photo posted on any

social media with assigned hashtag gets a prize.

o Twice a month resident shout outs on social media. This improves

employee/community relations.

Event Timelineo September 2015: Back to School dance.

o October 2015: Halloween carnival with games, entertainers, haunted

maze, dance party, etc.

o November 2015: Hashtag contest for Thanksgiving #begrateful. Winner

receives Beats by Dre Headphones.



Suggested Survey

This survey is intended to measure how satisfied residents are with living at

Mountain Lofts Apartments, and if they will live at the complex in future semesters

and/or refer friends to live there.

For the following questions, please circle the best answer.

1. What is your gender?

o Male

o

Female

2. What year are you in school?

o Freshman

o Sophomore

o Junior

o Senior

3. How long have you been living at Mountain Lofts?

o This is my first semester

o This is my second semestero This is my third semester

o This is my fourth semester

4. Upon move-in, how satisfied were you with the check-in process?

o Extremely satisfied

o Very satisfied

o Somewhat satisfied

o Slightly satisfied

o Not at all satisfied

5. Upon move-in, how satisfied were you with the cleanliness of your apartment?

o Extremely satisfied

o Very satisfied

o Somewhat satisfied

o Slightly satisfied

o Not at all satisfied 3



Suggested Survey

6. How satisfied are you with the management?o Extremely satisfiedo Very satisfiedo Somewhat satisfiedo Slightly satisfiedo Not at all satisfied

For the following statements, please indicate whether you agree or disagree.

7. I feel like the management knows who I am and cares about my problems.o Strongly agreeo Agreeo Neutralo Disagreeo Strongly disagree

8. I am comfortable going to the office with questions and concerns.o Strongly agree

o Agreeo Neutralo Disagreeo Strongly disagree

9. I enjoy living at Mountain Lofts, and will return in future semesters.o Strongly agreeo Agreeo Neutralo Disagreeo Strongly disagree

10. I will refer others to live in here future semesters.o Strongly agreeo Agreeo Neutralo Disagreeo Strongly disagree

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Media Alert

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July 1, 2015

Mountain Lofts “Back to School” Carnival Event Expected to be Biggest Event of

the Year in Rexburg

REXBURG – Idaho

Who: Mountain Lofts Apartments

Sponsoring “Back to School” carnival with community vendors and entertainers.

When: September 19, 2015. Street carnival 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Rooftop Dance 8 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Where: Mountain Lofts. 538 S. 2nd W. Rexburg, ID 83440

Additional Information

o Community vendors including Karie Annes, Snoasis, Wells Fargo, Broulim’s, etc. to attendand have booths and food.

o Taylor Chevrolet of Rexburg to give away brand new car in raffle.o Rooftop dance party after the carnival event with DJ Cub.

About Mountain Lofts

Mountain Lofts apartment complex opened in the Fall of 2014 and is BYU-Idaho approved studenthousing. The complex is one of the biggest in Rexburg, with 1,072 beds and over 100 units.Mountain Lofts opened under Innovative Property Solutions, and has since undergone amanagement transition. A corporate management company, Cardinal Group, now manages thecomplex. Mountain Lofts is known as being a social complex, and wants to become more involvedin the Rexburg community.

To purchase tickets, please go to Mountainloftsrexburg.com, or visit the leasing office today.

Contacts

Community ManagerDanielle Felten, [email protected]



Poster

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Party on the

Roofto

[September 12, 2015] [Mountain Lofts Roof] [8 pm–1 am]



Direct Mail

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Looking for BYU -I Approved Housing This Fall?

Mountain Lofts Has G ot You C overed.

Take a TourW ith Us Today!

208.356.5638

538 S . 2nd W .Rexburg, ID

Approved Men and W omen’s housing. G ym

fac ility, micro-mart, townhome style floor plans,and more!



Banner Ad

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Live Life Elevated at Mountain Lofts Rexburg

208.356.5638 Mountainloftsrexburg.com



Media Kit

News Release

Fact Sheet

Backgrounder

Pitch Letter

Graphic Elements

Documents

Mountain Lofts PR Campaign