HOMESTEAD HAPPENINGS
Homestead U prepares for Turns
July ended with mass move-outs across Homestead U, and the official kick-off of 2020 turns! In student housing, this is a 3-week grind to prepare for the next wave of incoming residents. For HU, it's the culmination of 10 months of hard work, preparation, and dedication to our communities. Turn represents the epitome of teamwork and leadership and sets the tone for move-in day and the upcoming renewal and leasing season.
With COVID presenting extra challenges for this year's leasing season, it has also pushed our team to think creatively and strategically. It's also created an opportunity to streamline aspects of our operations, which will definitely be a part of our "new normal" moving forward.
"While this year has certainly been a challenging one, it's also magnified the strength and resilience of our onsite team members across the organization. I'm so proud of how our team has adapted to this ever-changing environment and the resulting streamlining and efficiencies in our operations. One great example: express move-ins! While necessitated by COVID, I think this will set the standard for student housing move-ins and the resident experience going forward. " - Laura Formica, Vice President of Operations
Thank you to our student housing teams for working so hard during this year's turn! We're sending you lots of good luck wishes and positive vibes for an awesome 2020 move in!
Homestead Village's Warm Welcome
Homestead Village Active Living 55+ opened its doors to the Grove City community and welcomed future residents and prospects. The goal was to have an engaging event that showed off the Village and community while keeping COVID protocols in place to keep everyone safe.
"We wanted to tap into experiential marketing. In a nutshell, experiential marketing is about transforming a standard event into a standout experience—experience prospects will want to tell their friends about and share on social media". - Ryan McGahan, Vice President Of Marketing.
After a quick "think tank" session, the team looked at events that that would resonate with the demographic. Eve Gustwiller, Lead Graphic Designer, stated, "We really wanted to invoke a sense of nostalgia and create normalcy during a time of uncertainty."
The team decided on a Village Fair that had a carnival-type atmosphere. There were games, prizes, balloon, and character artists, and the local favorite Bubbas Shaved Ice served snow cones to attendees.
The Homestead Village team Tanya Brand, Lindsay Herrick, Jessah McDuffie, and Greg Burchwell put a lot of time and preparation into the event. It shows the power of what a strong team can do to bring a community together.
Employee Spotlight: Tanya Brand
Name: Tanya Brand
Job Title: Senior Manager
Property: Homestead Village - HSL
1.) How long have you been with Homestead? 10 Years
2.) What were you doing before Homestead? Property Management (23 years)
3.) Where are you originally from? Kentucky
4.) What are your two favorite hobbies? Photography & Hiking - Spending time in nature.
5.) What would you most like to tell your 13 year old self? Be yourself and don't worry about what they think.
6.) If you could have coffee with three people, dead or alive, who would it be? My grandmother who passed, My mother who I don't get to spend much time with due to this busy life & My step-mother in Kansas City, MO.
7.) Who is the most famous person you have ever met? The New Kids on the Block - Many times! LOL
8.) What is your dream vacation? England - Would love to see the castles of the middle ages!
9.) What is the one THING, you can’t live without? Insulin! Haha!
10.) What is your proudest moment at Homestead Companies? Many proud moments but winning The Ben Franklin at Hampton Woods (older community which required a lot of TLC) last year was great!
Captain John’s Bootcamp: Health tips
Everyone knows the common fact that the body is made up of 60-70% water. Therefore, water consumption is important to help maintain a healthy mean and lean body. However, not everyone drinks the daily recommended water amount. The lack of water consumption can lead to the body weakening.
While summer is here and water consumption is very important, make sure you are replenishing those electrolytes! With winter around the corner, it is just as important to keep up with your daily water consumption. Good times playing army life in the blistering cold has taught me that even though you are cold and don’t want to drink water, it is important to do so and keep those organs and muscles saturated and full of that H2O!
Hungry? Try drinking a glass of water instead and see if that doesn’t quench your hunger.
1. Water boosts energy. Water delivers important nutrients to all of our cells, especially muscle cells, postponing muscle fatigue.
2. Water helps weight loss. Water helps you feel full longer, without adding any additional calories. Drinking water or eating foods with a high water content can be a big help in managing your weight.
3. Water aids in digestion. Water aids in constipation and other abdominal issues, especially those suffering from IBS. Water helps to move the digestive process along and through the system.
4. Water detoxifies. Moves toxins through your system faster, and optimizes kidney function. Inadequate hydration means inadequate kidney function.
5. Water hydrates skin. Forget expensive creams and cure-alls, water is the best defense against aging and wrinkles in the skin.
The guideline recommended amount is eight glasses per day, though this varies from person to person. Those who exercise regularly, work outside, or have chronic medical conditions should consume more water to compensate for more water loss.
Remember, water is your friend, and proper hydration is a key to good health.
Marketing transforms social media campaigns
With the lease-ups of Harlow and Homestead Village, building brand awareness and pushing traffic is the primary focus. With digital spend on the rise, running effective campaigns that stand out in a crowded space can be challenging.
Samantha Hume, Digital Designer for Homestead Companies, assists in building out and executing social media campaigns. "Launching our social media campaigns has helped us target our audience at a much faster rate and has increased our brand awareness within our customers. We've used a variety of techniques and tools to maximize our exposure while minimizing costs."
The two campaigns that ran July for Harlow and Homestead Village produced 542 leads, 169,000 impressions, and increase engagement by 20%.
Do you want to know how to increase your social media presence? Don't forget to review the Homestead Companies Social Media playbook. If you need a copy, please email rmcgahan@homesteadcos.com
Champ Chain
Congratulations to CJ Heller at River Annex. CJ is this month's recipient of the HU Champ Chain. He goes above and beyond to demonstrate our mission statement of providing the best resident life experience possible.
Check out our new website!!!
The Homestead Companies marketing team celebrated the launch of the new Homestead Companies website. Check out homesteadcos.com
Over the next year and a half, all communities will be getting a new website to revamp that will allow more customization to enhance the user experience. Our marketing team does a great job recognizing emerging technologies, and we are excited to see what they come up with next.
Harlow On Main: Gets the iconic look it deserves.
Last week, Danite sign company installed the final piece to the Harlow exterior. An 18 ft by 19 ft logo on the front of the building! The process during COVID took 3 months and a crew of 4 men to install. The community already has an iconic look, but this really puts Harlow on the map. There is no other building like it in Columbus.
Harlow features studios and 1 bedroom apartment homes at an achievable price point for the young professional or a design-conscious person who thrives in an urban environment. It's especially ideal for those who want to live with a smaller footprint.
You can find more information at www.HarlowOnMain.com
Champ Chain Winner: Amanda Matchett
Amanda Matchett! Amanda is a leasing consultant at University Village, and even in her off-hours she is committed to our residents and property. Thank you, Amanda, for not only taking care of our residents, but taking care of your fellow teammates and making them feel appreciated!