We kicked off our first ever G5 Women in MarTech Summit with a Five for Five Ignite! session: five topics for five minutes each. We heard from G5 experts in their fields about digital storytelling, search trends, social media, Google My Business, and compliance. Here are our top fast-talking takeaways. 

1. Be Authentic

Christine Church, Creative Director of G5 Studio, kicked things off with common mistakes and pitfalls in digital storytelling. At G5, we believe that good digital storytelling happens online, on your website. When done well, it promotes the product or services of your company, reflects the essence of your brand with authenticity, and connects with your audience. 

A common mistake of digital storytelling is inauthentic stories. An inauthentic story is essentially trying to be something you aren’t. It’s photos that are taken from misleading angles that don’t set appropriate expectations for your renters or residents. 

Pretending to be something that you’re not erodes trust with your audience. Plus, it makes current renters and residents unlikely to recommend your property or community to peers or to strangers online through reviews. Renters and residents expect your property or community to live up to the idealized, online version. No catfishing allowed. *wink* So, rather than trying to create a hollow, inauthentic version of your property or community online, focus on improving the actual property or community in real life — and then tout these improvements authentically. 

2. All in a Name

Megan Geiss, Director of Digital Strategy at G5, picked up the torch and ran through hot trends in search. The biggest is Google’s new algorithm update, which we covered in detail in this blog, so let’s dive into a search surprise she didn’t see coming: page titles.

Website page titles for the history of the internet were limited in length to only 55 characters. This arbitrary length rule is no longer a rule. As long as you’re focusing on naming your page title clearly to let Google know what content is on your webpage, you’re good to go! 

3. Choose Your Channel

Next, Natalie Dent, PR and Marketing Manager at G5, shared social media tips and tricks to humanize your property or community through social media. After a year like the last one, consumers are expecting a little more normalcy, empathy, and care from brands. Essentially, renters and residents expect us all to be warm-hearted humans rather than cut-and-dry businesses. Makes sense. But how exactly do you do this with social media? The first step is knowing which social media channel your future renters and residents use the most. Are they on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube? Focus your efforts there. 

According to Statista, people average 2.3 hours per day on social media, worldwide. Wow. Based on G5 data, the average customer journey for multifamily, self storage, and senior living is about 20 days. Sharing content and advertising on social media gives you 46 hours of opportunities to connect with potential renters and residents. Social media isn’t just for watching cute golden retriever puppy videos, it can also be an excellent marketing tactic to connect with researching renters and seniors. For more social media tips and tricks, check out this blog. 

4. Planning Based on One Online Review at a Time

April O’Rourke, Senior Director of Product Marketing at G5, shared Google My Business (GMB) strategies. We’ve all planned a weekend away, or found a new local restaurant via online search. Typically, we search for something like “best restaurants in ________ city.” From there we look at star ratings, reviews, photos of the food, etc. Updating your property or community’s GMB listing, and responding to online reviews ensures that your property or community puts its best foot forward in this online space. 

Data shows that 85% of consumer interactions with a brand happen on local listings (such as Google, Facebook, and Yelp). This means it’s important to create positive customer experiences wherever you can. Bottom line: first impressions matter. Often your Google My Business listing is the first thing a customer may encounter from your property or community. So, make sure that you extend your brand’s ethos into this online space by including photographs of your property or community, links to your website, and, of course, prioritizing timely, empathetic responses to reviews. 

5. Compliance Mythbusting 

Anne Arathoon, G5’s General Counsel, ran the anchor-interval of this five-by-five relay and shared information about digital marketing compliance. Being proactive and considering digital marketing compliance early and often is critical. It’s easier to proactively make changes, and talk to your legal counsel before problems arise, than after. There is a lot to navigate in this space with legislation — the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Simply put, the legal landscape around personal information and digital marketing is shifting quickly. But, one common misconception is, that if your business isn’t located in California then you don’t need to worry about CCPA. Nope, not true. CCPA provides California residents with rights that can extend beyond California’s borders. It’s important to work with your property or community’s legal counsel to determine what steps you need to take to comply with this law, future laws, and WCAG. 

Five by Five

Learn more from our five all-star G5ers, by watching the webinar, and mark your calendars for our next Women In MarTech Summit on April 20th.