Press

FGBC Virtual Booth at #RESNET2022 Draws Crowd Interested in Green Certification

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (May 7, 2022) – Public relations client Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), the state’s leading certifier of green residential and commercial construction and local governments, was a media sponsor for the 2022 Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) Virtual Building Performance Conference.

Mike Bonts Public Relations created a virtual booth for the three-day conference. The booth included video, links to resources and contact information. FGBC also ran a campaign promoting #RESNET2022 to members, industry leaders and Florida media.

“For the past five years FGBC has been a staunch supporter and promoter of the annual RESNET Building Energy Conference. As we all navigate a “new normal,” they continue to innovate and find ways to adapt to an ever-evolving environment to provide education, networking and a robust experience built on the traditional conference model with added benefits,” said FGBC President Ralph Locke.

In 2000 FGBC brought together industry professionals from the construction, government, academic and research communities to create green standards tailored specifically to Florida.

To date it has certified over 27,000 residential, commercial, high-rise, land developments and local governments participating in its certification programs.

FGBC certification programs are the only standards developed with state specific criteria to address Florida’s hot-humid environment, climate, distinctive topography, unique geology, resiliency, and natural disasters.

St. Johns Housing Partnership Hits the Air Waves to Discuss Affordable Housing

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (May 2, 2022) – First Friday, a monthly program about the lack of affordable housing and other housing issues in Northeast Florida, began airing this Friday, May 6 at 8:30 a.m. on WFOY 102.1 FM and AM 1240 in cooperation with PR client St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP).

“Being a local station with a long history of focusing on the needs, issues and problems affecting our listing area, First Friday gives us a chance to really create some awareness and discuss solutions to the affordable housing crisis, said Matt Kraycinovich, President, WFOY 102.1 FM and AM 1240.

The half-hour program is scheduled the first Friday of the month and streamed live on the station’s Web site and Facebook page.

Guests will include SJHP Executive Director Bill Lazar and staff, county and city elected officials, housing advocates, researchers and officials, builders and developers and members of the business community to discuss the negative effects of the affordable housing shortage.

“We must do a better job of planning and creating affordable housing. The housing shortage is most acute among affordable homes, where low- and moderate-income renters and younger first-time homebuyers are losing faith that they will be able to experience this part of the American dream,” noted Lazar.

Many in the local workforce, ranging from teachers to restaurant workers, are not able to find decent, safe affordable housing in one of the most prosperous counties in our state. Local businesses are also suffering.

Even first responders, who we rely on for our safety and well-being, are struggling to find affordable shelter. The devastating trickle-down effect is resulting in a loss of qualified employees, recruiting of essential personnel and employees, and reduced hours or even shuttering of local stores, restaurants, and businesses.

If you have property or land, contact the St. Johns Housing Partnership. If you are not able to donate for affordable housing SJHP can possibly purchase and build affordable housing for community members. You can also make a cash donation. SJHP can give you further information about the tax and financial benefits of these and other gift methods.

Creating Original and Personalized PR Campaigns

Most companies these days understand how important personalization is when it comes to their PR and marketing campaigns. Consumers these days prefer to interact with any type of content that’s catering to their needs and fits their specific interests.

Many consumers have reported that they’re also a lot more likely to make purchases from brands that give them personalized offers and recommendations.

To keep consumers coming back and remaining loyal to a brand, companies have to invest in personalization strategies that will provide consumers with personalized experiences. By using different types of AI tools and technologies, companies can more easily develop personalized messages and experiences for their consumers– as long as they have clean and concise data for audience segmentation.

However, one of the biggest struggles that companies face when it comes to personalization is being able to toe the line between giving audiences useful recommendations and content, and being accurate to a point where the business is considered creepy by its consumers. Since most customers these days tend to leave bits of their own data on every website they visit, companies can utilize that information to get a better idea of the right personalization strategies for their campaigns.

ADDING PERSONALIZATION TO PR CAMPAIGN
While it’s not always easy to make consumers feel comfortable and achieve the right degree of personalization, as long as a company is transparent in the type of data it’s collecting and how that data is being used and processed, it should leave audiences at ease about the data they leave behind.

However, after a company is able to precisely pinpoint the sweet spot between creepy and beneficial recommendations for its consumers, there’s the new challenge of distributing relevant and new content to audiences.

Companies looking to make every piece of content they distribute useful for audiences should be implementing audience segmentation strategies. After learning about their target audience, companies should proceed to analyze the data from consumers in order to identify similarities and differences between them and to categorize those consumers into different groups.

This is what makes personalization a lot more efficient, as different groups of consumers will get different recommendations regarding products, or will even receive different content that more precisely caters to their needs or interests.

Additionally, through social listening strategies, companies can also learn more about their consumers. They can keep track of what consumers say about a brand, and what they say about their likes, and dislikes, and get a better understanding of potential consumer trends for its target audience.

Aside from that, companies can also ask the consumers themselves what they do and don’t like in order to add further personalization. This can be done through consumer surveys or polls.

In the ideal scenario, all of these tools and strategies can be utilized at the same time in order to create content and ads that will grab the attention of the consumer during the right point of their buying journey. They can then elicit the right emotions that will inspire them to take an action into the next step of that journey.

DEVELOPING AN ORIGINAL PR CAMPAIGN
These days most news outlets tend to sound so similar that anyone can open one of the media outlets and immediately figure out what content they’re consuming. Every journalist seems to look alike, talk in the same manner, and cover the same topic, day in, day out.

In fact, the same is true across many other industries, not just news – people look and sound the same, and talk about the same topics in everything from lifestyle to investing, to healthcare. That’s mainly because every industry has its own set of technical terms that people use, and then reuse, so they all end up sounding the same.

Since there are thousands of hours of content uploaded to the internet every minute, being monotone, boring, and repetitive is not how companies can grab the attention of news outlets or consumers. In fact, all it takes these days to have everyone start talking about a campaign as soon as it has launched is for it to stand out from the crowd.

While a campaign might be covering the same topics as everyone else in a particular industry niche, as long as it’s fresh and original, it’s going to grab attention.

That’s why it’s important for companies to create and develop original PR campaigns which can truly grab the attention of the right people and generate success for the business. Instead of looking at other brands and how they’re navigating their PR strategies and campaigns, companies should strive to be more original, and it’s fairly easy to achieve that.

AVOIDING CLICHÉS
One of the best ways to pursue and develop original PR campaigns is to avoid cliches. Although every single marketer and PR professional is always going on about the importance and the power of storytelling, plenty of businesses tend to ignore that fact.

While it’s a fact that’s important, the fact that it’s been said a million times is probably how it ended up losing meaning for people.

However, the best way to utilize the power of storytelling and avoid clichés is to speak to the audience in a way that they understand. Listening to how audiences communicate and learning about the stories that interest them are great ways to learn more about them. Companies should use the language that consumers are already using and connecting with.

EMPTY STATEMENTS
No consumer will support a brand that constantly repeats itself and talks in circles about its products or itself. That’s why when it comes to creating original PR campaigns, companies should cut away any unnecessary and empty statements and words, and should narrow down their messages to get to their very core.

Although this isn’t an easy thing to do, as adding more words to anything seems a lot easier than removing them, it’s essential because it’s important for consumers to understand the core message instead of getting lost in long-winded sentences that have no value.

Flag-Raising Highlights Dedication for SJHP Project for At-Risk Vets

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (November 17, 2021) – – On Tuesday the St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP), creating safe, clean, affordable housing in North Florida since 1996, took part in a dedication and flag-raising ceremony at Patriot Place, a new housing option for at-risk veterans in St. Johns County.

The six-unit apartment community under construction at 79 Masters Dr. in St. Augustine, Fla. will be administered by Flagler Health+’s social health program, Care Connect+, which links area residents with resources like safe housing, food pantries, counseling services, workplace readiness and transportation.

Patriot Place has been more than three years in the making, including finding and purchasing an appropriate lot; securing financing for construction; and permitting and zoning regulations.

“For years, our local veterans’ office has struggled to help local veterans who need a one-bedroom apartment to remain living in St. Johns County,” said St. Johns Housing Partnership Executive Director Bill Lazar. “Our hope is that this unique partnership with Flagler Health+ will provide a level of case management and stability for our residents to get back on their feet. This is an effort to thank them for their service and stand by them while they integrate back into the community.”

Lazar said getting homeless vets on the path to affordable housing is just one of the goals of the St. Johns Housing Partnership in its collaboration with the Flagler Health+ and MountainStar Capital.

“As the country’s only hospital to serve as the lead agency for the continuum of care, our team at Flagler Health+ deeply understands the significant impact housing security has on an individual’s overall health and wellbeing. It is extremely rewarding to see Patriot Place come to life, specifically supporting veterans in our community who have given so much,” said Jason Barrett, President & CEO of Flagler Health+. “We are grateful for our alliance with the St. Johns Housing Partnership, all those involved with the Continuum of Care, and many others as we collaborate to end homelessness in St. Johns County.”

The total cost of the Patriot Place project, including the purchase of land, lot preparation, design and construction is estimated at $900,000. Ponte Vedra Beach-based MountainStar Capital purchased the land for $100,000 and donated it to the project.

“Our commitment to projects like Patriot Place goes well beyond development and investment. We have collaborated tirelessly with partners like Flagler Health+, St. Johns Housing Partnership and St. Johns County to make this affordable housing a reality for the most in need. Today is another step in our pledge to provide affordable housing and support of charitable causes,” said Chris Lazzara, co-founder and CEO of MountainStar Capital.

The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), the state’s leading certifier of green residential and commercial construction, land developments and local governments, announced that Patriot Place will be certified FGBC “Florida Green.”

FGBC President Bill Kachman and FGBC President-Elect Ralph Locke were on hand at Tuesday’s ceremony.

“We are excited to be part of this important project. Six one-bedroom residences for transitional veterans, built on a beautiful infill lot with an incredible live oak for them to sit and relax under,” noted Kachman. “To be involved with this project means so much knowing that Patriot Place will be able to house an at-risk or homeless veteran and possibly a few family members after everything they have done for our country.”

According to Lazar the one-bedroom apartments will measure 630 square feet and each veteran will pay about 30% of market rate with the balance subsidized through SJHP fundraising efforts.

Members of the community have donated their time and materials including Bo Strange and Lovely Loo and Snodgrass Family Foundation for three sets of appliances. Financial partner Ameris Bank arranged construction loans.

To donate to Patriot Place contact Bill Lazar at (904) 824-0902 or blazar@sjhp.org.

ABOUT THE ST. JOHNS HOUSING PARTNERSHIP

Founded in 1996 the St. Johns Housing Partnership (SJHP) is committed to providing safe, decent, and affordable housing in North Florida. SJHP creates partnerships between public and private sectors including investors on projects that create low- and moderate-income housing, rebuilds neglected homes and revitalizes neighborhoods in disadvantaged areas while supporting programs that enhance community economic and social development including counselling on homeownership and finances. For more information visit www.sjhp.org.

How Builders, Developers Can Enhance Their Brand by Leveraging Long-form Storytelling

Storytelling is a delicate and meaningful art form that has the power to position a brand within the greater context of the world around it. Increasing amounts of consumers are becoming more aware of their social responsibility and the power their personal spending habits have on global and social issues. Consumers are taking the time to research brands more thoroughly, and make sure that a brand’s values align with their own.

This shift in behavior, wherein consumers are paying more attention to corporate social responsibility than ever before, highlights the need for brands to develop narratives and practices that demonstrate their key messaging and core values in an entertaining and engaging way.

Long-form storytelling through film

One of the best ways for brands to get their message across is through long-form storytelling. A great example of this is Johnson & Johnson’s 2019 film “5B,” a documentary exploring the 1983 opening of nurse Cliff Morrison’s Ward 5B, the first dedicated AIDS unit in the country amid the 1980s AIDS epidemic. J&J commissioned the film in 2019 as a way to support the company’s mission of helping the international fight against AIDS and supporting nurses on the front lines. The film won the Entertainment Lions Grand Prix at Cannes, which celebrates films that present unskippable ideas and connect with consumers in new, innovative ways.

The success of “5B” demonstrates how J&J is dedicated to the individuals they serve in the healthcare community. As J&J Vice President of Corporate Equity Sarah Colmarino said, “5B bears witness to their stories of courage, of innovation and of a tireless motivation to find a positive outcome in even the most dire situation. We are committed to creating content that advocates for healthcare workers who support the most vulnerable.”

Storytelling through corporate initiatives

Another example of corporate storytelling to demonstrate core values can be seen in the recent initiative announced by employment website Indeed, which recently partnered with screenwriter and actress Lena Waithe’s production company Hillman Grad Productions for a new “Rising Voices” initiative.

The project aims to share stories created by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) storytellers about the meaning of work and how jobs have the power to change the world. “Rising Voices” shows the world that Indeed and Hillman Grad Productions are dedicated to contributing to a more inclusive work environment in the film industry, as Waithe said of the project, “Our mission at Hillman Grad Productions is to provide opportunities for the filmmakers that Hollywood has ignored, support the talent that hasn’t had access to the business, and advocate for the artists who aren’t on studio lists.”

The solution is simple: Long-form storytelling shows the consumer that a brand has invested in the effort and research to build a better future, and is actively finding ways to communicate those commitments to audiences around the world. Long-form storytelling in advertising and marketing campaigns gives a brand the creative and narrative leeway to demonstrate what role they are choosing to play in shaping a collective future, for the people they directly touch and the world around them. Not only can documentaries and docuseries help exercise brand responsibility, they can also captivate a viewer’s attention and spike engagement rates through cinematic and compelling production.

The takeaway?

Consumers want to be educated, engaged and inspired. In the next advertising campaign you pursue, consider opting for a 20-minute explorative documentary rather than just a 30-second ad. While a short spot might help a consumer remember the name of your brand, they will gain a more personal and emotional relationship with the company as a whole through a video or short film that leaves them feeling ready to take action.

The future of our post-pandemic world and “new normal” is on everyone’s minds, so there is immense opportunity for brands to take the reins and create content that will motivate employees, audiences, and the next generation of consumers.

Shaun MacGillivray is the president and producer of MacGillivray Freeman Films. He produced MacGillivray Freeman’s “Into America’s Wild,” “America’s Musical Journey,” “Dream Big,” “We The Marines,” “National Parks Adventure” (highest grossing documentary of 2016), “To The Arctic,” “Humpback Whales” and many more. Shaun also leads the business development and partnership team for MacGillivray Freeman, working with destination marketing organizations, Fortune 500 companies, associations and nonprofit organizations tell their stories, from IMAX to the iPhone.

Defining and Reaching Your Target Audience

One of the most important things that we help clients do is to develop a clear understanding of the their target audience.

Who they are. Where they are. How to effectively reach them.

This information is the base for all the other elements of a public relations, social media and marketing strategy.

Defining a target audience means we help clients identify and understanding their niche, and then dominating that part of the market.

We do this by learning about your goals and objectives and through audience research.

We are able to create relevant and insightful content, ads, and messaging in earned, paid and owned media. All of that leads to higher conversion rates, as well as improved return on investment (ROI).

Researching a target audience isn’t too complicated, as what it mainly entails is narrowing down the a brand’s focus while also expanding its reach.

Contact us to learn more.

What Is Green Marketing? Some Sustainable Examples to Know

We are concerned with environmental issues now more than ever. Air pollution, plastic in oceans, global warming, and food waste all are among the major threats, making us worry and think of being kinder to the planet. In support of environmental health, millions have begun purchasing socially responsible products despite their higher cost.

Gripping the trend, companies are turning to a marketing strategy that helps to hook such consumers in, addressing their social responsibility and, therefore, influencing their purchasing decisions.There are many types of marketing, but this strategy is known as green marketing.

What is green marketing?
In plain English, green marketing refers to selling products or services by highlighting their environmental benefits. Some call it eco-marketing or environmental marketing, and consumers recognize such brands by terms like “organic,” “eco-friendly,” “recyclable,” or “sustainable”.

The concept of green marketing appeared as the after-effect of humans’ negative impact on our planet. Brands illustrate how they change their missions and practices from revenue-driven to environmentally aware by business processes that have the least impact on the environment as possible.

Goals of green marketing
Implementing sustainable business practices
Demonstrating social responsibility
Reducing expenses (packaging, transportation, energy/water usage, etc.)
Demonstrating how safe and mindful products or services are

In the tradition of green marketing, brands launch eco-friendly products or create the corresponding environment around them by using eco-friendly packaging or refuse from it, make products recyclable and reusable, use green energy for product production, design products from recycled materials to reduce waste, choose local selling to reduce transportation energy, and more.

As a part of green marketing, brands also often participate in recycling programs, become more scrupulous about waste disposal practices, donate to different green movements, and don’t forget to educate their customers about what they do to protect the environment and why it matters.

To integrate green marketing into your overall business brand marketing strategy, you can do the following:

Communicate your green message through advertising (digital, TV, radio)
Promote green aspects of your company through content assets at all points of customer contact (a website, blogs, e-mail, social media, mobile marketing, coupons, word-of-mouth, cold calls, retargeting, etc.)
Initiate market research and visualize the results to educate consumers and recommend green improvements to your niche
Partner with like-minded businesses for cross-promotion
Support eco-friendly programs and corresponding community initiatives

Focus on green production
In other words, twist green into a part of your brand’s identity. To make it work, become fully committed to the concept of green marketing in your marketing plan. This includes green design, positioning, pricing, logistics, and disposal. When making environmental consciousness a number one focus of your business, you succeed with both sales and consumer loyalty. In the long term, green brands get more profits and establish a reputation of being trustworthy.

The green marketing paradigm
Green marketing is not only about promoting products or services with environmental characteristics. It involves brand modification and changes in the manufacturing process.

It’s about taking a different perspective on marketing, considering the global consequences we have on environmental degradation. It’s about a brand’s ability to satisfy customer needs with minimum harm to the environment. Given that, a new marketing paradigm emerged, with the concept where consumers have an active role in brands’ green initiatives – obtaining sustainable benefits from them.

Sustainable examples of green marketing
The examples listed below are socially responsible, considering the long term environmental impacts of their business practices. They have launched green marketing campaigns to promote sustainable core values. They surpass traditional marketing strategies, educating conscious consumption to people. Here’s how.

Patagonia
Patagonia contributes to climate change issues and works on discovering sustainable ways to produce products. At the same time, the brand’s honest with customers, admitting it’s not entirely green: The shell of coats are made of fossil fuels. But this fact doesn’t influence the positive image of the brand, as the community sees its sincere passion for helping the planet.

Patagonia’s green marketing strategy and involvement in the Go Green movement is stated in the company’s mission. Also, it regularly donates millions to initiatives supporting sustainable agriculture practices, protecting endangered species, and restoring forests.

Starbucks
Starbucks has been certified by LEED since 2005, but it has move beyond that by planning to eliminate all plastic straws by 2020 and open 10,000 environmentally friendly stores by 2025.

Starbucks tries hard to engage its community in sustainable issues. It uses green materials for producing, packaging, and delivering its product to customers. As part of its Green Store initiative, the brand also plans to reduce waste and use 30 percent less water and 25 percent less power during production processes.

The brand designs disposable coffee cups, is involved in recycling and green building, supports farmers and the environmentally sustainable community, and has been hard at work on communicating this message to its target audience.

Timberland
World-known clothing manufacturer and retailer Timberland uses sustainable stories to introduce its products. As active LOHAS supporters, its clients wouldn’t choose the brand if there was no green element in it.

“We’ve done a lot of consumer research, and we know that if we put two products side-by-side – one from our brand and one from a competitor’s – and if they’re comparable in price and quality, the majority of the time, a customer will choose our product if it’s made with some sort of ‘green’ element,” said Margaret Morey-Reuner, director of Timberland’s strategic partnerships and business development.

To develop and implement the corresponding green marketing strategy, the company continues to expand partnerships and test materials for its products. It has established environmental standards (TEPS) across all product categories and 100 percent organic and renewable material in the near future.

IKEA
This brand uses many tactics and sources to manage waste and renew energy. Ninety percent of its buildings have solar panels, it uses wind farms to generate energy, and it has planted millions of trees, while sending only 15 percent of waste to landfills.

Ikea has developed a strategy known as People & Planet Positive, encouraging consumers to be environmentally conscious. It manufactures products through eco-friendly practices, which relieves us from the necessity to choose between stylish design and sustainability.

The brand holds many rewards for its green efforts. It’s recognized by the Impact Company for showing respect for human and economic rights, as well as its contribution to the environment through regenerative efforts. And Ikea isn’t going to stop there, it is currently working toward 100 percent renewable energy and spending a fortune on its green initiatives.

The Body Shop
This brand is known for its effective green positioning. The Body Shop is approved by Leaping Bunny, the gold standard for non-animal tested products. It also supports farmers, defends human rights, initiates health treatments and training events for employees, identifies its values as to protect the planet, and – what’s more important – actually lives up to those values.

The Body Shop is known for promoting awareness of domestic violence and AIDS, and it doesn’t use demeaning-to-women images in ads. The brand’s goal is to develop a new sustainable package for its products, use 10 percent less and 100 percent renewable energy in stores, green building, and more.

For those willing to join green marketing and show love for our planet, focus on brand content to let the world know about your endeavors. The most effective platforms are your website, blog, and social media pages.

Promote your eco-friendly marketing to environmentally aware consumers, build an emotional connection with them, and make green efforts a part of your brand’s story. Show the audience what’s in your business beyond money-making and marketing

Practical Strategies for Marketing Green Homes

Selling green homes and communities is about trust, and those with the best, most trustworthy stories win over clients. Builders need to clearly articulate the reasons potential buyers should hire them.

Confused consumers do not buy, so builders need to clarify the reasons why to purchase a green home or remodeling project.

Do not Go to Market Without a Plan

Know the market.

Select a target audience. “You can’t be all things to all people.”

Do a thorough analysis of competitors.

Understand the challenges and opportunities to building green.

Communicate your objectives.

Have a clear and compelling message.

Become the go-to green source for local media.

Develop a realistic marketing/advertising budget (about 2% to 5% of sales).

Write a timeline for implementing the plan and decide who is responsible for implementation.

Develop metrics for success.

Develop a Compelling Message

Builders and contractors who have earned green certifications, or whose homes are certified or use green products, should tell everyone–from potential customers to suppliers to subs.

Client News: Jeff Goldshine Launches Real Estate Consulting Firm

DUMFRIES, Va.  (December 3, 2020) – Real estate industry veteran Jeff Goldshine has announced the launch of Goldshine Management Consulting, LLC offering multifamily owners, property management companies and developers’ insight coupled with an actionable menu of services and strategies designed for data driven decision making to enhance the operational performance of people, properties and organization.

This is accomplished with a comprehensive focus evaluating and addressing all business facets designed to maximize financial performance, NOI and the value of the assets owned and managed.

“Our partnership will better position our clients for managing the fast-paced changes taking place across the industry,” noted Goldshine.

Having managed over 70,000 apartment units in his long career, Goldshine partners with clients to help them adapt, thrive, and seize new opportunities in a highly competitive marketplace. Goldshine Management Consulting, LLC assists small and medium size organizations in navigating an evolving business environment, recently characterized by significant disruption.  

“The value creation formula of real estate ownership has been, in my estimation, oversimplified by many in terms of buying right with low cost of capital, and selling at the correct time in a given real estate cycle. What is underappreciated is the importance of a strong property/asset management presence, along with a business plan and continuing evaluation of the asset performance and its’ relative positioning in the marketplace,” said Goldshine.

Goldshine Management Consulting, LLC takes an inclusive approach for Performance Improvement. We provide owners, managers, and developers our best-in-class practices in strategy, organizational efficiency, marketing, sales, risk management, capital-expenditure optimization, procurement, and resident experience. The recommendations are combined with a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses and Threats) to recognize the nuances and individuality of each assignment.

“Our perspective is from the ground-up, providing clients with a more complete understanding of how the business is operating, and where emphasis needs to be directed for improvement. Combining observational strategic recommendations along with business intelligence platform providing key performance indicators for ownership,  our clients receive the benefit of data and our expertise to provide for continuous innovation and improvement of their business model,” said Goldshine, who has led property management companies for most of the past thirty years.

Goldshine has been a featured speaker, moderator and panelist on property management issues including, proactive and forward-thinking management, problem solving, human resource positive communication, product management and revenue management at multifamily industry conferences. As an operator he has pioneered the use of call center technology, resident background screening and a branded approach to marketing and advertising.

With close to 45 years of industry experience, Goldshine Management Consulting’s principal is adept at providing clients with timely and actionable data, along with strong communication to improve and expedite decision-making in an extremely driven real estate sector including operations and property management.

“Access to strategy and ideas shouldn’t be dependent on size and capital. I’m looking forward to empowering small and medium multifamily operators to smoothly and transparently monetize our recommendations and concepts,” Goldshine added. “Our practice has been introduced to meet the myriad of needs on the part of these owners and investors, as well as users of multifamily real estate.”

One of the most valuable and unique aspects of Goldshine Management Consulting, LLC is our ability to help clients manage monthly financials with laser concentration on areas to prioritize and trending of key categories.  

Goldshine brings a solid track record of property management results and organizational leadership that will provide property health checks, organizational structure review, property audits, capital improvements and customized training.

Goldshine holds a B.A. degree in political science from George Washington University (1974) and the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management.

For more information  please call (240) 426-2605 or visit www.goldshineconsulting.com.

ABOUT GOLDSHINE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING, LLC
Based in Virginia, Goldshine Management Consulting, LLC was founded by Jeff Goldshine, a real estate professional with over four decades of experience. The firm provides property/asset management consulting services to multifamily ownership, property management companies, and developers. We provide experience and insight coupled with an actionable menu of services and strategies designed for data driven decision making to enhance the operational performance of your people, properties, and organization. This is accomplished with a comprehensive focus evaluating and addressing all facets of your business designed to maximize your financial performance, NOI and the value of your assets or organization.   Please visit www.goldshineconsulting.com.

Why Your Marketing Campaigns Must be Centered on Content Going Forward

The coronavirus outbreak challenged and shook the fundamentals of business practices and functions. Marketing, which is at the center of managing growth and revenue, has mostly felt the brunt — and is thus expected to scramble for newer ways to connect with and convert prospects

Based on the changes we have to adopt in the new normal, it’s expected that content will play a pivotal role and emerge as the most important lever for any marketing campaign. In the pre-Covid world, your marketing campaigns revolved around content, even when you had to employ experiential or influencer marketing.

Now, with new ways of doing things, you must understand the importance of focusing your marketing campaigns on content. Entrepreneur reported on a study of Covid-19’s impact on consumer behaviors and attitudes: Reach3 Insights found that 76% of respondents have recently picked up new habits, behaviors, and routines as a result of the pandemic.

Out of that number, 89% said they plan on keeping some of their new habits, while 36% will want to go along with the new brands they’ve tried since the start of the pandemic. In either case, what matters is the story you tell your consumers.

The American Association of Advertising Agencies revealed in a study that 43% of consumers find it reassuring to hear from brands. While 56% said they like learning how brands are helping their communities during the pandemic, only 15% said they’d rather not hear from companies.

Campaign US advises that instead of focusing on sales, brands should build and reinforce relationships with customers. The best way to build solid relationships with your customers is through your content — information you get across to them.

Due to social distancing, you may not be able to continue some old practices such as experiential marketing campaigns. This is one of the new norms businesses must learn to live with. But content can still help power your business through.

In the new normal, more people will rely on search engine results for brands to conduct business with — and your content is one surefire way of getting your brand on top of that list.

If your content can solve a big problem for your readers, they’ll remember it. This enables you to get loyal subscribers and potential brand ambassadors, especially now that the display advertising and search advertising space is very cluttered with an increasing number of advertisers.

Getting hundreds of thousands of visitors is nice — but not if low-value content keeps them from turning into customers.

These three factors will help make good content the focal point of your marketing campaigns in the new normal.

Educating your customers is key to good marketing content
Your content should primarily be intended to educate your customers. Now that the internet expanded their choices, they can easily determine whether your company is right for their consumption. They will want to fully understand what you have to offer before making a choice.

Despite tools like Northfy, which algorithmically tweak the variables so that your content is prioritized for customers to see, you still need quality content. This can be in the form of blog posts, product pages, your home page, and your company’s “About” page.

The more you include tutorials, reviews, infographics, and other resources to help customers make good purchasing decisions, the more educational it will be. Quality content addresses the concerns and pain points of customers.

Your target audience should not have to seek content from other sources to satisfy their needs and wants. Your content should clearly communicate how you intend to solve their problems and make their lives easier.

Good content boosts SEO

Consumers use search engines any time they want a viable resource. Optimizing your content to appear in relevant searches will be a big boost in attracting new leads to your website. You must ensure your content is always of high quality in order to boost your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy.

SEO is centered on keyword placement, backlinks, and website visitors. And only quality content will enable you to create web pages that fuel each of these components.

Content enables you to utilize keywords that draw customers to your pages, and ensures that your target audience is regularly engaged and finds the value they seek.

Good content and SEO can help put your business among the top search engine results.

Content creates an avenue for social media feedback

Sharing content on social media platforms is an effective way of reaching your customers, but you must tread carefully. Once your content is available on social media, anyone — including your competitors — have access to it; and if your content lacks quality, a backlash can harm your business.

Interactions and customer feedback can be insightful and enriching. Social media is also a good means of attracting new leads and conversions for your brand. Compared to a Facebook post or tweet, you can do a comprehensive analysis that will further enlighten customers with your content.

Quality content gives you the leverage to better connect with customers who visit your website. The data you gather from such visits can be useful in bringing them to your sales funnel.

Whatever social media strategy you employ, your content should provide value to your customers, as well as allow them to participate. If your content is insightful, it will generate backlinks from other websites.

In order to generate backlinks and ensure your information stands out, your content should offer unique perspectives on issues. Infographics and videos will ensure that your content is rated highly.

In the new normal, quality content should be the foundation of any marketing campaign you embark upon. It will be your most effective tool in attracting leads and converting them into loyal customers.

James Jorner is a ENTREPRENEUR LEADERSHIP NETWORK CONTRIBUTOR.

Why PR Is Fundamental in Scaling Your Business Rapidly

“If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations.” —Bill Gates

Every year, millions of startups are launched across the world, each with its own unique selling point, each with a new solution. We hear about some of them, but some we never find out about. These startups use all the latest technology, understand the basic business principles, and spend months, if not years, perfecting their services or product.

Many of these businesses show early-stage promise. They have customers, their technology works, or their service is being bought. Where they lack or get stuck is scaling that initial success and interest from their target audience. Translating that potential into a successful and established business is where most entrepreneurs struggle.

This is where PR comes into play, and every entrepreneur should invest in it. Here is why.

1. Build confidence in your brand

For entrepreneurs, it is important to understand what the target audience reads, what it watches and which digital platforms it uses. It is also crucial to understand where consumers get their information.

For example, if you are a business that targets entrepreneurs, you know that most aspiring entrepreneurs read publications such as Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., and Business.com.

If you own a restaurant, you want to make sure your restaurant is listed on platforms such as Yelp (and has positive reviews), because that’s where people go to assess whether a restaurant is worth going to. Two aspects of PR come into play here: thought leadership and profile listing.

With thought leadership, you can build your own persona and following as an entrepreneur. This gives you an edge when you talk to potential clients who are choosing between you and one of your competitors. Potential clients look at your brand on the internet, and when they do, they should be able to see you as an entrepreneur and your brand listed on reputable platforms.

This creates the perception that you are trustworthy, an industry leader and an expert. This gives you a competitive edge, increases your conversion potential, and boosts your revenue, active user count and the number of clients you have.

With profile listing, it is essentially the same, except instead of positioning yourself as the entrepreneur on an entrepreneurial platform, you directly position your business on a more business-oriented platform. At the end of the day, the benefits are the same.

2. Establish yourself as an industry leader

PR is not just about writing fancy articles. As an entrepreneur, one of the best things you can do is to leverage opportunities to become a guest on a podcast or get interviewed by a reputable network or organization.

Here, you first must identify the mediums your audience is most active on. As the co-founder of an app-development company, I am always looking to leverage opportunities to appear as a guest on podcasts that most aspiring entrepreneurs or small business owners listen to (for example, Mixergy).

Similarly, someone who owns a design, or an animation studio would leverage platforms such as 99designs or Design Rush. This tells your target audience that the platforms they consider trustworthy consider you trustworthy, establishing your business and brand as an industry leader.

3. Become a part of the conversation

If you look toward the more retail, digital products, or ecommerce side of the world, you will see another trend.

If your product has good quality and you are an industry leader, you are more likely to be part of conversations between friends and family. When a few people in the circle of a potential customer talk positively about your brand, there’s pressure on that potential customer to join in on the conversation, be it about one of Nike’s most famous football shoes series, the Hypervenom, or about the new collection that H&M recently launched.

If your brand is part of conversations, your target audience is psychology pressured to engage with you simply because all their friends and family are doing the same.  Facebook was not always the tech giant it is today; neither was its tech as exquisite as it is today. Yet, because some people were on Facebook, and Facebook was able to create a digital lifestyle unlike any other platform, two people using Facebook meant that their friends felt that they were missing out on that lifestyle or experience.

Thus, they joined Facebook, then their friends joined Facebook, and then theirs joined Facebook. This is a cycle that PR helps to create.

Another example is Apple. Apple’s PR team has successfully created the narrative that the Apple experience is like none other. That is why everywhere you see; Apple products are the standard and their experience as unique.

This is because Apple’s communication in establishing itself as the ultimate benchmark matched their incredible technology. Their identity and positioning became viral and their users reverberated and validated their claim of producing superior consumer tech, helping the company scale rapidly from its initial potential.

4. Create a narrative

Your communication and PR activities are not a substitute for great tech, products, or services, but they are essential for you to transform from a great company to the benchmark in the industry. Your product quality can convince people to engage with you, but it is your PR that compels them to become ambassadors for your brand.

Once you invest in your communication and PR, you can convince people that their positive opinion of your brand is not just an opinion, it is a fact.

Once people within your target audience understand what makes you the best and are willing to spread the narrative, you can successfully take that initial potential and use it to scale rapidly within your niche.

(Abeer Raza is an ENTREPRENEUR LEADERSHIP NETWORK WRITER and Co-Founder & CMO at Tekrevol)

Client News: Presidia Announces Major Renovations at Morris Manor Apartments

GREENSBRO, N.C.  – PR client Presidia Asset Management, a full-service real estate firm offering brokerage, property management and consulting services, has announced nearly $1 million in renovations and the management of Morris Manor apartments in Greensboro, N.C.

“Since we are renovating an apartment community with an existing resident base our value-add strategy on this substantial project comes into play. “Owner and resident satisfaction are our top priority, and these renovations certainly reflect our company’s ongoing commitment to that principle,” Presidia President Gina Hensley, RPA, CPM, CCIM.

The 51 two-bedroom garden style apartments in five buildings are located at 4228 United St. in Greensboro NC. The Managing Partner is Ryan Daigle of Flywheel Equity. The upgraded property will reflect a wide range of improvements undertaken at many of the properties managed by the company, and highlights Presidia’s commitment to reliable and responsible property management.

“Renovations will include luxury vinyl plank flooring, new appliances, vanities, new lighting, additional upgrades to the residences interiors, improving the exterior of the property and  heightening curb appeal,” according to Tony Margetta, Presidia’s Director of Construction and Renovation.

Margetta has overseen the rehab of multifamily communities throughout the South East consisting of portfolios up to 1,100 units. Models should be available later this year.

Built in 1973, Morris Manor epitomizes affordable, quality living in the heart of Greensboro, conveniently located at Holden and Wendover.   Minutes from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Guilford College, residents have easy access to major highways, downtown, entertainment, shopping, dining, and the Greensboro Coliseum.

Presidia has been helping investors create wealth through real estate since 2009. Presidia specializes in repositioning and restructuring the operations of retail and multifamily assets. They provide a hands-on approach focusing on quality versus quantity.

Presidia executes its mission through its integrated operating platform comprised of property management, investment, asset management, acquisitions, and construction and recently announced an affiliation with Alliance Commercial Property Management of Greensboro, N.C

For more information, explore www.presidiagroup.com.