THE DIGIBLE DUDE

Welcome to the Digible Dudes podcast. We’re back with another short interview packed with insights from AIM 2021 conference. In this episode, we chat with with Stephen McFadden, the President of Perfect Promotions, which offers a unique blend of innovative branding solutions to the multifamily industry through branded merchandise. In this interview, we talk about some of the recent industry trends and how they affect consumers.

[03:19] Pandemic & Supply Chains – Stephen shares his insights on how the supply chains and distributors were affected by the pandemic and the current status of getting things back to normal.

[06:00] Logistics – Logistics challenges the apparel industry is facing at the moment and how they might affect the industry and consumers.

[09:39] Domestic vs. Outsourcing – Stephen explains how and why some tasks and processes in the apparel industry are carried out domestically while some others require international business.

Geofencing is one of the newly emerged technologies that allow marketers to utilize location data to carry out marketing with increased precision. However, some businesses in the real estate industry seem to be reluctant to utilize geofencing due to concerns about complying with fair housing regulations. At AIM 2021, David and Reid conducted a short interview with an expert on this topic. Matthew Kilmurry, CEO of Apartment Geofencing joins us to talk about how apartment marketing can benefit from geofencing.

We start the conversation with a brief review of Matthew’s background in the agency world, the story behind his company, and what it offers to the market. Talking about the technology, Matthew shares with us how his company is able to provide geofencing while being compliant with fair housing and privacy regulations. We also talk about integrations with multiple platforms, how attribution works when it comes to integrations, and Matthew’s take on being in a niche market. Wrapping up the interview, Matthew shares some of the interesting sessions he attended at AIM 2021.

[03:06] Matthew’s Background and Apartment Geofencing – Matthew shares with us the story of starting ApartmentGeofencing.com, his experience before that, and what his company offers to the apartment marketing industry.

[05:50] Methodology – We dive into the strategies Matthew’s company uses to provide geofencing abilities to marketers while maintaining compliance with fair housing and privacy regulations.

[10:25] Niche Markets – Matthew shares his take on the experience of working in a niche market as a company and the challenges associated with it.

[12:44] Integrations and Attribution – We dive deep into some of the tactics and strategies for utilizing integrations between multiple technologies and platforms and ways to attribute and track the success of these integrations.

[16:50] Matthew’s AIM Experience – Matthew talks about some of the interesting things he experienced at the AIM conference.

The Apartment Innovation and Marketing Conference 2021 (AIM), was held in October 2021, and the Digible made their way to the conference in Huntington Beach, California. In this short podcast episode, David and Reid share their first impressions of the event and some of the interesting sessions they attended at the conference. Stay tuned with the Digible Dudes podcast, as we’ll be sharing more highlights and takeaways from other sessions from AIM 2021 in the next week.

We start the podcast today with a recording David & Reid did at the conference, just before the first day’s sessions started. They talked about the first impressions of the event, the agenda, and the sessions they looked forward to. In the next part of the podcast, David & Reid shared their thoughts on a couple of interesting sessions at the conference and what they learned from the sessions.

[01:31] Agenda – David & Reid go through the agenda and talk about the sessions they were looking forward to and the guest speakers who were attending.

[08:13] Hot Takes – Reid shares his hot takes and bold predictions for the event.

[12:20] Participation – For David, the crowd at the conference was more than he was expecting. He shares why that was the case, given that the country is still with COVID and what some of his favorite sessions included.

[17:21] Google My Business & Single-Family Rentals – David shares his experience on the sessions he attended on how Google My Business can be utilized for the apartment marketing industry and the trends in the single-family rentals sector.

[20:03] Final Thoughts – David and Reid share their thoughts on some other trends that were brought up in the sessions they attended.

Building a credible online reputation is an essential component of every industry, especially multifamily. Regularly generating positive reviews is one of the key ingredients of a successful plan to build a reputation. Our guest today is a Co-Founder of a company focusing on helping businesses generate reviews. Alex Bennett, the Chief Revenue Officer of Opiniion Inc, joins us today to discuss what apartments owners and operators should keep in mind about building reputation and generating reviews.

Opiinion was founded in 2017 with Alex and a few other co-founders who were in different industries, from property management to medical offices. Focusing on these key industries gives Opiniion the ability to implement specialized features to match the unique requirements of these industries that generic review systems do not offer. Throughout the episode, we cover how Opiniion is creating this unique value proposition and learn about how property owners can improve their reputations.

We hear about the inception of Opiniion and Alex’s career journey leading up to the start of Opiniion. One of the key concepts we touch on is the value of proactive measures and how it contributes to the growth of reputation more than reactive measures. Talking about the solutions Opiniion offers, we dive into some of the special features Opiniion offers specifically for the property management industry. We wrap up the session with Alex’s thoughts on what the future of reviews might look like.

Continuing with a tarnished reputation from previous ownership or management can be a frustration for new owners of a property. Alex shares his wisdom on strategies new owners can utilize to build a reputation over time. One of the ways Opiniion has made life easier for consumers is by making the review process easier. We dive into how this happens and the features Opiniion has implemented in order to achieve that. We also talk about how people behave in negative experiences, how keywords in the reviews affect the reputation and opinions of consumers who refer to the reviews.

[09:59] Opiniion – We start the discussion by taking a look at Alex’s background, how Opiniion was started, what it offers to the multifamily industry, and problems they strive to solve.

[16:32] Reactive vs. Proactive Measures – Alex shares his wisdom on why proactive measures contribute to getting positive reviews and a good reputation more than reactive measures.

[25:01] Features for Property Management – Alex shares with us some of the unique features Opiniion had to implement in order to serve the property management industry and how they solved those problems.

[29:00] Reputation & Ownership – When a property’s ownership changes, their online reputation remains from previous management. This is an issue that new property owners frequently face. Alex shares his thoughts on how new property owners can improve their reputation.

[37:47] Resident’s Journey – Alex shares his thoughts on how a consumer approaches researching apartments and what marketers can learn from consumer behaviors to improve their marketing efforts.

[43:44] Keyword Research – The role keywords play in reputation building for property management and some of the key findings of Opiniion’s work related to keywords.

[48:38] Internal Feedback – Alex shares his take on private feedback in an internal system and how it relates to the public feedback the potential residents see on websites.

Welcome back to another episode of the Digible Dudes podcast. We always keep in touch with the new innovations that happen in the real estate industry and bring you info about the latest developments. In today’s episode, Jonas Bordo, co-founder, and CEO at Dwellsy joins us to talk about platforms that focus on creating a quality experience for renters as well as property owners and the innovative solutions they offer to the multifamily housing market.

Throughout his career, Jonas has gathered tons of experience in several roles related to the property management business and that experience came in handy for the beginning of Dwellsy. Founded in 2019, Dwellsy grew to become a very successful platform with their unique value propositions of providing quality and relevant results to their users. We start today’s conversation with a brief overview of Jonas’s background and how Dwellsy was started.

Dwellsy has a few unique aspects that clearly makes it stand out from platforms. We dive into how Dwellsy is different from traditional internet listing services, current issues, and available solutions that Dwellsy is tackling, along with Dwellsy’s unique value proposition. We also talk about how Dwellsy continues to be a free platform while making a profit through additional services they provide to property owners.

One of the areas Dwellsy is heavily improving is the quality of leads. We talk about why the quality of leads matters, what measures Dwellsy has implemented to improve the quality of leads and the results they’ve been seeing. We also talk about some of the strategies they are using to mitigate fraud on their platform. Wrapping up the episode, Jonas shares some memories and lessons learned from his journey of building Dwellsy.

[06:00] Jonas’s Background and Dwellsy – We start the conversation by diving into Jonas’s background in real estate, how Dwellsy started and what problems they solve for property owners and renters.

[11:00] Numbers for Multifamily Market – Jonas breaks down some numbers of multifamily properties listed in ILS platforms and the level of scaling Dwellsy has achieved.

[16:00] Dwellsy’s Business Model – We talk about the unique value proposition of Dwellsy and how they make money through the platform with the optional services they’re offering.

[21:05] Competitors – Why Dwellsy is different from its competitors and current industry issues Dwellsy is addressing.

[31:29] Syndication – Dwellsy is not syndicating their listings on any other platforms. Jonas shares his thoughts on the reasons behind this decision and how it relates to their business model.

[38:00] Quality of Leads – Why Dwellsy is focusing more on improving the quality of leads for property owners via Dwellsy.

[51:00] Demographics – Jonas shares his thoughts on the demographics of renters they’ve been seeing in the market and how that information is used in their marketing strategy.

[1:01:32] Combating Fraud – Jonas dives into what strategies they’re using at Dwellsy to mitigate fraud and make their platform a safe place for users.

[1:07:59] Startup Life – Jonas shares what it was like to start and build a business no one has done before and the valuable lessons he learned on his journey.

[1:13:54] Renter Experience – We look at how property listings could be updated to create a better experience for the renter by using tactics such as combining listings for rentals with other content that helps people make decisions about where to live.

Resources:

Check out Dwellsy: dwellsy.com

Housing legislation was first introduced in order to battle the issues related to discrimination in the real estate industry. Since then, complying with fair housing regulations has been one of the most important concerns for people in the multifamily marketing industry. In today’s episode, we're giving a recap from our Digible Summit, where we talked extensively about how to maintain fair housing compliance in the age of digital advertising. Joining us today are David Lerchbacher, Digible’s Chief Data Officer, Doug Chasick, fair housing consultant, and Professor Scott Burris from Temple University.

We start the conversation with a brief review of the history of fair housing legislation and the motive behind implementing these regulations. We also talk about Digible’s Fiona platform and how It helps with fair housing complaint-related activities. Then we moved on to a small FAQ session where Lerch answered some of the questions we received from the audience.

We discuss some of the confusing points related to maintaining fair housing compliance regarding digital ads. We also talk about some of the consequences of not maintaining compliance, and our thoughts on protected classes, and how we could improve their advertising initiatives.

We asked Scott about some of the research he was a part of a few years back and what they discovered in that research that reveals some of the voice trade issues related to fair housing across the country. We also talked about the efficacy of self-policing versus government regulations and Scott provides insight on a common set of rules across the country at the federal level. Wrapping up the episode, we talk about what are the most efficient ways of taking action against housing violations.

[01:45] History of Fair Housing – The purpose behind fair housing legislation and how it evolved over the years.

[04:28] Fiona – What Digible’s Fiona platform offers in terms of fair housing-related features and the results of the tests conducted by the Fiona team.

[09:50] FAQ – Lerch answers a few questions we have received regarding fair housing compliance, complaint handling, and lawsuits.

[15:02] Wording - Our second guest, Doug Chasick, explains one of the confusing aspects of using terms related to walkability in a way that is not discriminatory.

[21:56] Squeaky Clean - Doug emphasizes why it’s important to be squeaky clean in terms of marketing efforts. He also shares his take on how training comes into play for compliance.

[29:56] Third-party Agencies - We asked Doug who would be liable in a complaint about a scenario where a property owner hires a 3rd party agency and that 3rd party makes a compliance mishap.

[32:12] Consequences - Doug explains the consequences of complaints and federal lawsuits related to fair housing discrimination.

[35:00] Protected Classes - Doug shares his thoughts on what protected classes he’s like to see being added to the national protected classes that are currently protected only in a handful of areas.

[38:27] Future Changes - We asked Doug about what changes he sees coming in the next few years for the real estate marketing arena.

[54:45] Federal Fair Housing Laws - Doug asked Scott about his thoughts on implementing one set of rules across the whole country and the pros and cons of it.

[58:17] Tools and Issues - Scott shares his take on the use of technology to identify the scale of fair housing-related issues and the most efficient ways to implement the most effective auditing procedures for finding issues and taking action against fair housing violations.

Welcome back to the Digible Dudes podcast. In March 2021, Nicole was approached to be on the advisory board for the Customer Experience Certificate Program at the University of Colorado - Boulder. The University connected with leading experts in the industry, and none other than Nicole, one of our founders, was selected. In today’s episode, we talk about what Nicole learned while following the course and some of the concepts it teaches marketers about maintaining customer success.

We start the discussion with a brief review of the course structure and Nicole’s initial impressions of the course material, and the ideal audience for the course. We also talk about how the universities are introducing more and more new programs that are related to new technologies, concepts, and emerging industry trends.

Two of the key concepts Nicole emphasizes are high touch and tech touch:

The perception of customer success is something all businesses must take seriously. According to Nicole, some of the stats gathered from the industry show that 80 percent of companies think that they’re providing a superior experience, and 92 percent of customers disagree with that. Nicole dives into why it’s extremely important for companies to take a hard look at this behavior and how to improve their customer experience.

[01:00] Structure – Nicole starts the conversation with an overview of the structure of the course and her thoughts on the course content.

[03:57] Trends in the Academic Arena – Nicole shares her thoughts on how universities are evolving by offering new programs to match newly emerging sectors.

[07:18] Learnings – Nicole’s takeaways from the program related to the onboarding process for customers.

[10:15] High Touch & Tech Touch – The pros and cons of the two concepts and the influence they have on customer success, along with Nicole’s predictions about how the nature of touchpoints may change in the near future.

[14:16] Perception – Nicole identifies perception as a crucial aspect of customer experience. She talks about the huge gap between how service providers think of the success of their service and how customers think about it.

[17:40] Pain Points – The value of identifying customer pain points and how marketers can do it better.

[20:03] Progress – Nicole talks about key takeaways so far and the curriculum and the timeline of the course.

This year’s Digible Summit is just around the corner. In today’s episode, we share what multifamily marketers can expect at the virtual Digible Summit, session topics, and featured guest speakers. Joining us today are David Staley, Reid Wicoff, and Nicole Staley.

Fair housing has been one of the key topics in the real estate landscape throughout the year 2021. And it’ll be one of the key topics we focus on at the Digible summit as well. Starting today’s discussion, David dives into some of the sessions planned around fair housing and maintaining compliance with fair housing regulations. We talk about the guests that’ll be attending and what specific areas we plan to explore in these sessions.

The future of technology is one of the crucial aspects and challenges of the multifamily housing industry. We’ll have some interesting sessions about websites and other technologies. Today, Nicole and David talk about some of the areas they plan to cover at the summit in relation to technology. Reid will be moderating a few sessions, and one of them is on the impact consumerization will have on the multifamily markets. We dive deep into what his session will include and the different perspectives he plans to bring into the conversation. Wrapping up the episode, we talk about how properties with zero amenities may influence the future of the industry.

[00:31] Fair Housing – In past episodes on the Digible Dudes, we have discussed many topics related to fair housing. And it’s one of the flagship topics for the summit as well. David talks about the aspects of fair housing we’ll cover at the summit.

[05:35] Compliance – One of the specific areas we’ll dive into in relation to fair housing is maintaining compliance with fair housing regulations. We talk about what to expect at the summit in terms of compliance.

[07:40] Websites and Technology – David & Nicole share their thoughts on plans to explore new possibilities for websites and other emerging technologies that help us better serve the customers.

[12:05] Consumerization – Reid talks about what he’s planning for a session he’ll be moderating on the impact of consumerization on the multifamily market. Reid also talks about the guests who will be in the session and the different perspectives he plans to bring into light through the session.

[15:47] Amenities – Something that David has recently noticed is that properties with zero amenities seem to be popping up in some locations. David and Reid share their thoughts on what this trend may mean for consumers.

Resources:

Register for the Digible Summit:

Apartmentalize, the annual conference from the National Apartment Association was held from August 30th - September 2nd. Although Digible wasn’t present at the conference as a vendor, David, Reid, and Nicole made sure to be there as attendees. Throughout this episode, we dive into the highlights of the conference, interesting solutions presented at the conference, and some of the key takeaways.

We start the conversation with how the general ambiance was at the event. David, Reid, and Nicole share their thoughts on their first impressions about the event and how the logistics were handled compared to past NAA conferences. We discuss the unique vendor-to-vendor interactions and how this allows vendors to build partnerships.

Nicole shares her thoughts on the possibility of having a Digible booth at the next iteration of the conference. Building on that, Reid and David share their thoughts on how NAA and other industry events open up opportunities to connect with potential customers and stay up to date with the newest innovations in the industry.

The way businesses get information about their markets has been drastically changed over the last decade, and the real estate industry is no exception. We talk about how marketers are relying more and more on statistical analysis and AI tools and how this trend may shape the future. Wrapping up the episode, we cover the interesting concepts that made the conference memorable.

[01:02] First Impressions – David starts the conversation with his first impressions about the event, the ambiance, and the attendance compared to the previous one.

[06:23] Vendor to Vendor – Reid & Nicole share their takes on how the event facilitated vendor-to-vendor interactions and opportunities for building partnerships and collaborations.

[06:23] Next Year – Nicole talks about the possibility of Digible having a booth at the next NAA.

[11:44] Digible & Events – Reid shares his take on how Digible might be attending industry events in the future and possible opportunities that might emerge.

[19:07] Consumerization – How consumerization is impacting events such as NAA and how new technologies are coming into play.

[24:33] Analytics – Reid shares his thoughts on what he’s seen at NAA 21 about surveying statistics and how AI tools featuring in-depth analytics features may lead the future of marketing strategies.

[29:07] Highlights – We talk about some of the interesting, innovative solutions and new technologies presented at NAA along with key takeaways from the event.

On July 20th, RealPage, Inc, a leader in providing software and data analytics tools to the real estate industry, announced that they have entered into an agreement to acquire G5 Search Marketing. G5 is a SaaS company that provides AI and other new technologies to marketers to help them amplify their impact. In today’s episode, Reid and David are here to talk about the potential outcomes of this acquisition and how it may affect the real estate industry.

Reid starts the conversation by sharing the thoughts he had when he first got the news about this acquisition. He shares that it came as a bit of a shock and a surprise because of some of RealPage’s previous acquisitions and the area of business they’ve been focusing on. RealPage has a long list of businesses they have acquired since they went public in 2010. David talks about the history of RealPage’s acquisitions, the nature of businesses they’ve acquired, and how these acquisitions may have contributed to their growth.

Another area we touch on is the commonalities among RealPage’s acquisitions. Reid shares his thoughts on the ‘common denominator’ of RealPage’s acquisitions and what RealPage may be hoping to do with these acquired businesses in terms of growth. David talks about what this recent acquisition may look like in a best-case scenario. Toward the end of the episode, we talk about how these acquisitions may affect the consumer, industry, and some opportunities for investors to make use of emerging technologies for growth. Wrapping up the episode, David and Reid share their thoughts on what they’d do in case they received an acquisitions offer for Digible.

[00:48] First Impressions – Reid starts the conversation with what his thoughts were when he first heard the announcement that G5 is being acquired.

[03:34] RealPage’s Acquisitions – RealPage, the company that is acquiring G5, is not a newbie to acquisitions. David talks about their previous acquisitions and how they contributed to RealPage’s growth.

[08:48] Value of Websites – Reid shares his thoughts on the value of websites and online platforms operated by the companies that are being acquired by RealPage.

[14:04] The Common Denominator – Reid shares his thoughts on what all the businesses acquired by RealPage have in common and where RealPage may be headed with all these acquisitions.

[16:06] The Bull Case – We talk about what it may look like if this acquisition ends up in a best-case scenario and some of the issues RealPage may have in terms of integrating with these newly acquired businesses.

[21:44] Effect of Acquisitions – How acquisitions affect the buyer business, consumers, and the industry.

[28:00] Opportunities for Investors – Reid shares his thoughts on some of the things that might get investors excited, such as opportunities to grow businesses through automation.

[33:57] Acquisition Offers – David & Reid shares their thought on how they’ll react if they received an offer of acquisition.