Eric Hawthorn - Professional Writing Portfolio

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Eric Hawthorn Copywriter | Content Marketer

Professional Portfolio

Eric Hawthorn | [email protected] | linkedin.com/in/erichawthorn

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Eric Hawthorn | Writer I am a copywriter and content marketing professional focused on language that captivates and subject matter that resonates. I create engaging, informative content that is carefully tailored to each business, its message, and its audience. My writing has two goals: to start conversations and to drive relationships. I have extensive experience with both B2B and B2C content. These are some of the industries and subjects I have written about: Commercial and residential real estate Real estate finance Green living and sustainability Hotels and hospitality Business and the economy Millennial culture Digital and relationship marketing strategies Literature and creative writing My content strategy is founded on precision, versatility, and creativity. Enjoy this sampling of my work, and please feel free to reach out with any questions. I look forward to discussing your content-marketing goals. ~Eric Hawthorn

Blogs Social media Website copy Thought leadership articles White papers Infographic copy Magazine content Press releases Speech writing Newsletters and e-blasts


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ReminderMedia Marketing Blog

Reach More Millennial Homebuyers with this Marketing Playbook Understanding Millennials America's 80 million millennials wield a buying power in excess of $200 billion per year. Loosely defined as the generation born between the early 1980s and late 1990s, millennials are now America's largest generation. The business world is obsessed with them—and you should be too. Many millennials are getting ready to buy their first home. For real estate professionals, the rewards of attracting this demographic are tremendous. But reaching and advising millennial homebuyers requires a unique approach and a thorough grasp of this group's unifying traits. Consulting group CEB observes that this generation tends to be motivated by internal goals like happiness or fulfillment more than material desires. They measure success by the way they live, not by their possessions or tax bracket. For millennial homebuyers, a vibrant community is often more important than a traditional picket-fence arrangement in the suburbs. The Great Recession significantly influenced millennials' financial reality. This is one reason millennials tend to postpone major life changes like starting a long-term career, buying a home, and raising a family. As adults, they may not follow the same playbook that their parents did. Marketing to Millennials When courting tech-savvy millennials, your online presence is crucial. Focus on these key areas: Responsive website: more internet searches take place on mobile devices than desktops, so

make sure your site has a responsive design for easy viewing and higher search rankings. This tool will tell you if your website is mobile friendly. If it isn't, here are some of the top-rated website builders for responsive design.


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Personalized content: maintain an attractive, easy-to-navigate website that highlights your

accomplishments and the specific neighborhoods you serve. In your bio, include details about who you are as a person: hobbies, roots in the community, support of local organizations, and so on. Video introductions are a great way to help millennial homebuyers get to know you.

Millennial-centric listings: highlight property details that appeal to millennials, such as

energy-efficient appliances, open floor plans, a home office, access to public transportation, and a bike-friendly neighborhood.

Engaging social media: give your social media a design aesthetic that matches your website

and brand, with website links and contact info readily visible. And don't just post about real estate: lifestyle-focused content like recipes, crafts, tips for homeowners, and ideas for green living will drive post-sharing and engagement among millennials.

Local insight: don't just sell homes, sell their neighborhoods. Start a blog on your website to

highlight local amenities: parks, farmers' markets, restaurants, schools, and community events. This can position you as a market expert and help boost your local search rankings as readers link to your content.

Be part of the research process: online research is second nature to millennials, so ensure your

brand is visible every step of the way. Keep your contact info and property listings up to date on Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, Yelp, and Angie's List.

Let previous clients do the selling: 71 percent of consumers check online reviews before

making certain purchases. Encourage past clients to review you on sites like Zillow and Yelp. Your website should feature the very best testimonials—the ones that describe specific ways in which you made a difference for your clients.

Working with Millennials Tailor the house-hunting process to your clients' specific needs. Communication: many millennials are not phone people. They may prefer text message, e-

mail, or alternatives like Skype, FaceTime, and Google Hangouts. Know the best way to reach your clients, and get comfortable with a variety of communication options.


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Finances: millennials are entering a very different market than we saw before the recession.

Help them understand today's real estate landscape, and get a sense of their financial parameters, risk tolerance, and wants versus needs.

Location and home size: a large home is often less important than a walkable community with

plenty of amenities. In that case, don't rule out small-footprint homes, attached housing, or densely developed neighborhoods. Nontraditional usage may be a factor too: some millennial homeowners offset their expenses by renting out a room to a tenant or Airbnb traveler.

Closing a deal should never spell the end of a professional relationship. Stay connected to your millennial clients via social media and periodic check-ins, and maintain a presence in their household with memorable gifts. As always, encourage them to tell their friends about you, and thank them for referrals with a phone call or gift. Habits and technologies may change from one generation to the next, but lasting relationships are as valuable as ever.


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Inman.com – ReminderMedia Real Estate Marketing Blog

Future-proof your business with relationship marketing How to ensure repeat and referral business—even as technology changes the game

Being an agent in the Information Age A couple years ago, an article in Forbes asked, Are real estate brokers obsolete? Search engines and listing portals now give the general public easy access to key data such as home listings, valuations, sales comps, and community-specific info about school districts and crime rates. Agents, the author contends, have lost their monopoly on information. But real estate professionals are not and never were simply gatekeepers for data. Clients rely on agents for their transaction experience, local insight, and ability to interpret and respond to information according to clients' needs. Real estate listing platforms are not brokerages; they are only information portals. But their reach and popularity have made them de facto intermediaries between homebuyers and agents. Because of the ongoing growth and consolidation of the online listing space, a small handful of platforms receive the bulk of real estate search traffic. This gives sites like Zillow and Trulia enormous influence over the visibility of listings and agents—with many professionals spending large monthly sums to maintain a presence on these sites. While competing for clicks on real estate sites has become an unavoidable reality for many, this costly strategy should never replace efforts to cultivate long-term client connections. Personal relationships—which lead to referrals and repeat business—are the backbone of this profession. Last year, American homebuyers used agents they found through a relationship 61 percent of the time. Nurturing client relationships is as essential as ever. Here are four crucial ways to build and sustain client connections. 1. Personalize your service Buying or selling a home is a very personal endeavor. Clients want an agent who appreciates and responds to the financial and emotional complexities of this process. Substantive communication,


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attentiveness, and unique insight will set you apart as an indispensable advisor—not just another commodity. The bond created through such personalized service is the best way to generate word of mouth and repeat business. 2. Stay relevant New clients will certainly command the majority of your attention (after all, last year's commissions won't pay this year's bills). But neglecting older relationships is the most costly marketing mistake you can make. Keep track of your previous clients with a detailed spreadsheet or CRM (these are some products worth exploring), and send friendly reminders in the form of gifts and online communication (see #3 below). The holidays are a natural time to send a card (with a brief, handwritten note), a gift, or a quality promotional wall calendar. If a former client is celebrating a new baby, that’s another great reason for a card or gift. Your CRM should include notes to help you choose the right gift: clients' ages, interests, dietary restrictions, and so on. My company publishes a customizable, high-quality magazine that agents use to keep their brand present in clients’ households. 3. Connect on social media I said connect—not advertise. Neglecting this distinction is a reason many agents’ social media campaigns fail. People don't want ads or property listings on their newsfeeds unless they are actively shopping for a home. Your social media strategy should keep followers engaged even when they don't currently need your services. The best content for sharing are lifestyle items (recipes, crafts, tips for homeowners) and neighborhood-specific content (about the local art scene, that new eatery that recently opened, or community events). Here are some more tips to use social media effectively. When reaching out to former clients, do so in a way that isn't simply a request for referrals. A good pretext for a check-in is to send a recipe, information about a local event, or anything else of specific interest to that client. 4. Highlight your local expertise Experienced agents offer nuanced, personalized insight into local real estate markets. This isn’t something clients can easily get from an online search. In your one-on-one relationships (as well as social media and website content), demonstrate your knowledgeability when it comes to individual neighborhoods, homes, and local amenities. When discussing the local market, paint a picture based on people and lifestyle, not simply the data points that clients can find online.


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Relationships are key Admittedly, no business is entirely future-proof. No matter how popular your services may be, ignoring new trends and technology can prove catastrophic in the long term. Just ask Blockbuster. Just ask Borders Books. But even as the pace of innovation accelerates, the secret behind an enduring real estate business remains the same: lasting, quality relationships. Despite the enormous popularity of third-party listing services, most people still rely upon agents. A 2015 NAR survey found that 87 percent of buyers and 89 percent of sellers used an agent. Demand remains strong. The question is, when someone needs an agent, will you be the first person they think of?


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Issue 81: Green Living (copy for back-cover infographic)

Go Green: Sustainability Tips for the Home and the Office Earth-friendly living is easier than you think. From avoiding wasteful packaging to conserving electricity, the little things we do add up to big things: lowered energy consumption and decreased greenhouse gas emissions. Take up these Earth-friendly habits at home and at work: Green Your Home: Try this bright idea. Replace old-fashioned light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs or LEDs—which

use a fraction of the energy and last more than ten times longer. Hydrate smarter. Americans go through thirty billion bottles of water each year. Switch from

bottled water to clean tap water by installing a filter on your tap. Dispense with paper towels. It takes seventeen trees to produce one ton of paper towels. Opt

for durable cloth napkins and towels instead. Repurpose containers. Items like glass jars make great leftover containers, drinking glasses,

and even vases. Cool it with the laundry. Wash your clothes in cold water instead of hot to reduce CO2

emissions by 1,600 pounds per year. Your laundry will be just as clean. De-clutter your mailbox. Paper manufacturing is the third largest user of fossil fuels.

Communicate and pay bills digitally to save energy and trees.


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Green Your Workplace Green Computing. Idle electronics waste as much electricity as twelve power plants produce

in a year. Set computers to sleep mode during idle time and shut them off for longer periods. Create a recycling culture. Recycling is less common in the workplace. Put bins in convenient

locations and encourage all team members to pitch in. E-cycle. Old electronics (“e-waste”) often contain toxins like lead and mercury. Many

manufacturers e-cycle their older products, or you can drop off old computers or monitors at certain retailers.

Think before you print. An office of only nineteen people goes through one ton of paper each

year. Go paperless with digital-only documents and correspondence. Commute smarter. Ride a bike, take the bus, or work from home to reduce carbon emissions

and save money. Enjoy the daylight. Lighting accounts for 44 percent of a building's electricity use. Rely on

natural light when possible.

→ For more ways to green your home and workplace, visit americanlifestylemag.com.


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(Ghostwritten article, September 2015) Yes, Airbnb Will Change the Independent Hotel Sector—but Its Effects Will Vary

By Andrew Benioff, Founder and Managing Partner, Llenrock Group, LLC

If you’re tired of hearing about Airbnb’s impact on the hotel industry, you have probably already skipped this post upon reading its title. On the off chance that you haven’t, I’m going to suggest something that may put a different spin on this whole conversation. I’m going to focus on independent hotels, since I suspect these properties and their operators naturally respond differently to Airbnb’s onslaught than their large-chain peers. Here is my prediction: Airbnb will ultimately prove a positive influence in the evolution of the independent hotel sector. Airbnb versus hotels has been a major topic in both hospitality and mainstream media, and for good reason. The company’s influence in contemporary culture is undeniable: it’s wildly popular among both budget-conscious and experience-minded travelers, it holds huge investor appeal (though the company’s skyrocketing market valuations warrant some skepticism), and its sharing-economy structure is disrupting everything from local politics to international hospitality. Airbnb is doing to the international hotel scene what Amazon did to brick-and-mortar retail. The silver lining is that this challenge impels more nimble and creative companies to pursue different strategies and adapt to the new status quo. Independent hotels are uniquely positioned to grow from Airbnb’s pressures. Dispensing with a long-winded debate on what constitutes an “independent” hotel—does independent imply a specific ownership structure, a boutique design, a company culture?—let’s compare the category to the traditional big-chain segment of the market (i.e., Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Starwood, etc.). According to data presented by STR at last year’s Hotel Data Conference, the disparity between independent and chain hotels’ revenue and occupancy numbers varies according to location and market class. On the national level, midscale independents have seen better RevPAR than midscale chain properties, while luxury chains have traditionally outperformed their independent peers with higher ADRs. Still, comparative revenue, rates, and occupancy are going to vary according to whether the property is in Miami or some outlying market.


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Roughly one-third of the five million (give or take) guest rooms in the U.S. are independent, STR reports, and of these independents about 34% are economy or midscale and about 2% are luxury. The majority of the nation’s independent lodging inventory is either upscale or upper-upscale, which means most U.S. independents have a particularly unique situation when it comes to the long-term impact of Airbnb. Airbnb is popular for two reasons: affordability and experience. As Provenance Hotels’ Bashar Wali explains in his insightful LinkedIn commentary, travelers who use this service may rely on it because they merely seek the functional side of lodging—the bed, the roof over their heads—and are most interested in saving money. Or they may be more interested in getting a local’s experience of a particular city, an experience that may be less attainable at a traditional hotel. An independent hotel cannot compete with Airbnb when it comes to pricing, but it can compete with experience. This is why the effect of Airbnb on independent hotels varies according to market scale. Hotels that offer a luxury or upper-upscale product feature service, design, amenities, and atmosphere that make them invulnerable to Airbnb’s competition; they attract a consumer that privileges experience over room rate. Economy and midscale products, on the other hand, are in a particularly difficult predicament since they don’t offer the unique or memorable environment of a boutique, luxury, or lifestyle hotel. Speaking to Hotel News Now, Erik Warner, a principal with Eagle Point Hotel Partners and cofounder of the upcoming Independent Lodging Congress, points out, “Independents that offer meaningful guest experiences will be less impacted by Airbnb, because Airbnb only offers a static physical experience—a place to stay.” For this reason, upscale independents are in a challenging but not impossible situation. On the one hand, a so-called “upscale” property may not offer much more than overall quality, and may not include any such “meaningful experience” to differentiate itself from its competition. On the other hand, an enterprising operator will work to create that meaningful experience. Rebranding, specialized amenities, and unique, location-specific offerings can make hotel properties more competitive. While Airbnb’s future is uncertain, its present influence is undeniable. Some hotel professionals may disregard the threat of this technology, but they would be wise to take it seriously. As we’ve seen in the traditional retail space, those that are willing to evolve—to offer an experience that can’t be replicated through online commerce—are best equipped for survival.


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Llenrock Blog, November 2015

EB-5: CRE’s Favorite Political Quagmire There are programs at both the state and federal levels designed to encourage investment and development in economically sluggish neighborhoods–both in major cities and rural areas. These programs range from state tax-incentive programs such as Pennsylvania’s Keystone Opportunity Zone (KOZ) program to major foreign capital grabs like the 90s-era EB-5 Immigrant Visa program. Along with the 1031 exchange, which has spawned an entire industry focused on structuring tax-incentivized real estate deals, state and federal economic stimulus programs have ignited quite a bit of controversy. The KOZ program was created to foster investment in places like Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s numerous rust belt towns (Lancaster, Bethlehem, Allentown, and so on) by giving tax incentives to developers and tenants of qualified projects. Examples include Brandywine Realty Trust‘s (NYSE: BDN) multiphase Cira Center project around 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and Liberty Property Trust’s (NYSE: LPT) sprawling Navy Yard mixed-use complex in South Philly. Both have attracted some of the most desirable tenants in the city (tax credits working their magic, naturally). Things got a little hairy with the KOZ program when some of the big REITs sought tax-favorable KOZ district designation for centrally located, economically healthy neighborhoods. Surely these areas did not qualify as “economically depressed” or “blighted” or anything that would justify this sort of development welfare. Which brings up the issue that has mired both KOZ and EB-5 financing in controversy. There is a tension between the purpose of the program (funding and renewing poor neighborhoods) and the aims of a for-profit developer, which wants the most high-margin, high-rent project possible–in the most economically healthy submarket available. The developer’s priorities naturally conflict with its state-sanctioned capital efforts, and often lead to “creativity” at best and abuse of the program at the worst. It all comes down to gerrymandering.


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Gerrymandering typically refers to politicians’ imaginative redrawing of voting districts in order to control who wins elections–often making American democracy a tenuous notion at best. Gerrymandering is an ugly but legal political strategy that is rooted in conflict of interest and political expediency–not the public good. When redistricting of this variety occurs in urban planning and development, the results are equally corrupt. Let’s consider the EB-5 program. EB-5 rewards foreign nationals who invest in approved development projects by giving them permanent residency in the U.S. A pretty sweet incentive for someone seeking a green card, provided they have the capital. If the deal is a strong one, they are further rewarded with a significant ROI. So it’s basically a win-win for foreign investors, and it encourages non-institutional investment in the capital-hungry U.S. development market. There are two different tiers of EB-5 investment. The lower tier lets an investor place a $500K commitment for a project in an economically distressed area, including statistically low-income neighborhoods and closed military bases. The higher-tier $1M investment option allows investors to put their money into projects in more vibrant neighborhoods. If you’re looking for attractive fundamentals, go with the higher-tier EB-5 option; if you’re simply looking to buy a visa and less interested in making a buck, the former option is naturally preferable. But EB-5 investors want the best of both worlds: higher returns with a lower required commitment. When you have a huge developer like NYC’s Related Cos. (the most glaring example, in a recent WSJ article) building a massive project in mixed-use mini-city Hudson Yards, it’s easier to raise equity if one can convince investors and regulators that this high-return opportunity is in an “economically depressed” development zone–rather than a CRE boomtown with no need of government assistance. Gerrymandering to the rescue! Through extensive lobbying, Related Cos. and other developers are redistricting healthy development zones to seem “economically depressed” through their relative proximity to low-income neighborhoods. This way, they follow the letter of the law, if not the spirit. More than one critic, and a scathing WSJ article, have decried the use of EB-5 and gerrymandered development zones as blatant theft from needy communities to finance multimillion-dollar condos in Manhattan. Smaller stakeholders, those for whom EB-5 is intended, are pushed out of competition for EB-5 capital by their larger competitors. The EB-5 program is obviously broken. Numerous critics and communities throughout the


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country are calling for the program’s reform–if not complete dismantling. Next month, EB-5 legislation will expire. The jury’s out on just if or how the visa-for-investment program will continue. The controversy over how this system can be mended has Balkanized the real estate industry, with trade organizations like the Real Estate Roundtable, EB-5 advocacy groups, and EB-5 arrangers fighting over the best way to proceed. Bipartisan legislation is being drafted that its sponsors believe will create a compromise among the warring factions in this debate (no doubt leaving everyone unhappy, as compromises do). What’s clear is that EB-5 is corrupt; what’s unclear is how (and if) it can be repaired.


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Press Release Independent Lodging Congress Announces 2015 INDIE Hotel Awards

May 13, 2015 NEW YORK CITY--Independent Lodging Congress™, the annual conference for the lodging industry's leading professionals, has announced its first annual INDIE Hotel Awards, a national award campaign recognizing achievement and innovation in the independent hotel space. The Independent Lodging Congress™ takes place October 21-23, 2015 at The High Line Hotel in New York City. The Awards presentation takes place October 22 from 4:30-6:00 PM. Award nominations are open to the public via ILCongress.com until July 15, 2015, in the following categories: Best of the Best in Independent Lodging Innovative Hospitality Design Best Hotel Bar or Restaurant Best Digital Marketing Campaign Nominees will be narrowed down to the top five finalists in each category. Beginning July 25, anyone with a valid email address will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite in each category. For more information, please visit ILCongress.com or email [email protected].

About Independent Lodging Congress™

ILC is an annual conference for the lodging industry's leading professionals. Featuring three days of panels, breakout sessions, and social events, ILC offers a vibrant community for anyone working with independent hotel assets—whether a first-time investor or industry veteran. The 3rd Annual Independent Lodging Congress™ takes place October 21-23, 2015 at the High Line Hotel in New York City.

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Eric Hawthorn | Writer

To see more of my professional and creative work, please visit: Llenrock Blog | Award-winning commercial real estate blog Llenrock.com/blog ILC News | Blog of the Independent Lodging Congress ILCongress.com/news Fiction Feed | A review of online fiction and discussion of narrative craft FictionFeedArchive.wordpress.com Quietly Bonkers: Fiction by Eric Hawthorn | Creative writing portfolio QuietlyBonkers.blogspot.com

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