darcy jacobson- buildium- brand storytelling

Buildium’s contact info

Brand storytellingLeveraging transparent storytelling to compete & win

www.buildium.com

Everyone needs a brand.

In a big data world, brands provide a shorthand placeholder.

Volvo = safetyGoogle = dependable answers Target = style on a budget

They allow you to claim an area of the marketplace.They allow you to own an area of the customers mind.They allow price premiums, easier movement into adjacencies, greater internal alignment, and increased customer loyalty.

People build them out of the random, memorable interactions they have with a brand (e.g. ad, article, WOM, experience, etc.)

Emotions are more attention grabbing and memorable than facts.

The more unified your theme the stronger your brand.

The key to brand building is therefore the identification and repetition of an emotional theme that is supported by your brand experience.

Brands are like birds nests.

Buildium had a brand.

Competitors were controlling it.

Folks seem to enjoy Buildium since they are going from spreadsheets to their first management software [...] you may hit a limit with Buildium and start to look elsewhere for something more robust.

-Rob Boese

Appfolio seems to be for bigger players. You can start with Buildium.

-Ahmad Hijazi

I currently use Buildium […] If money was no object, I might have gone for Appfolio instead [...] I don’t think Appfolio would make sense until I had 100 (properties)

-Dawn Brenengen

We needed a brand takeover.First, we set out to understand ourselves.

Embody the brand.Align company culture to customer value.

Dedicated

Committed

Genuine

Responsive

Driven

Alive

Focus on customers first

Be helpful and supportive

Communicate openly and

honestly

Be nimble and flexible

Take initiative and work hard

Be passionate and have fun

Our core values

Our brand values

Next, we set out to understand our

customers.

What are our hypotheses?*Align company culture to customer value.

Today’s buyers aspire to be professional (therefore the need for a more professional image).

Buyers wants a solution that they can trust to help them grow.

Buyers are looking to identify with a brand that understands them.

Appfolio is perceived as the ‘best in breed’ solution and has portrayed Buildium as ‘entry’ level.

A simple, straightforward and transparent pricing model builds trust.

Buyers are easily distracted on buildium.com.

*Based on remote unmoderated user testing of 14 users completed in Q4’15.

So what do Buildium’s customers & prospects care about?

Connecting with people

Simplifying their work

Growing their business

Keeping property rented, and keeping tenants and owners

happy.

Staying organized and in control of tasks, so they have

time for what matters.

Building a profitable and thriving business for the

future.

Then we created a new story.

Stories are hardwired into our DNA.

When we process information Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas of our brains light up. When we hear stories, our whole brains light up.

We actually experience the emotion and the sensory triggers as if we are there.

Our brains experience neural coupling. Our brain waves begin to mirror those of the tellers of the story.

We begin to think of the story as our own.

Our brains want to turn information into a story.

Emotional themes are logical.At the core of every great brand is an emotion-laden truth that the brand rationally answers.

A great truth resonates with your unique target audience.

Dove - You are only as beautiful as you think you are. Apple - Creative people think differently. Nike - Everyone can be an athlete.

They allow you to claim an area of the marketplace.They allow you to own an area of the customers mind.They allow price premiums, easier movement into adjacencies, greater internal alignment, and increased customer loyalty.

Visuals + words = telling a storyCreating stories that are unique, authentic, and inspirational--and drive behavior.

Brand story in content marketing

Creating stories that are unique, authentic, and inspirational.

Plan

Audience

Story

Channels

Process

Conversation

Measurement

Source: Content Marketing Institute

Here is the story we created.

Positioning statement

Target Category reference Benefit Reason to believe

Buildium is the only property management solution that helps real estate professionals win new business from property owners and

community associations seeking services. Backed by expert advice and relentless support, Buildium enables you to outperform across all

facets of your business with intuitive software that balances power, simplicity, and ease of use.

Plan

1 2Refresh corporate to reflect the needs of our target customer

Redesign APM and Buildium websites

to align with product interface

3User test brand perception and

usability

4Optimize

websites for optimal

navigation and conversion

4Redesign marketing collateral (currently underway)

We understand property management. Because we are property managers.

At Buildium, we’re a lot like you. Our company history is simple. We began as property managers in the ‘90s—a little stressed, a little overwhelmed, and growing fast. We needed help controlling the chaos, managing our accounting, and our relationships with tenants. We needed software that would take away the headaches and let us focus on growing our business. We wanted something powerful but easy to learn. Something secure and accessible from anywhere. A cost-effective solution we could trust to grow with us and help us to grow our portfolio and our business. We didn’t find it. So we built it.

Story

Property management is about controlling the chaos and thriving: Managing tasks. Managing relationships. Managing time. Managing growth.

Buildium is an intuitive property management solution crafted by seasoned property managers—who understand what you’re up against, and who you can trust to have your back. Partnering with us means you can simplify, control and streamline the chaos, and focus your time on what matters most.

Promise