To commemorate 2013 I wanted to reflect on the year (that seemed to fly by) and put together a social media retail real estate roundup. Below, I'll point out companies in the industry that I think are making their social media mark and why. These companies seem to be making social media a bigger part of not just their marketing budgets but actually spending quality time on building relationships and trying new things in the social media world.
Cushman & Wakefield - Though they tend to stick to the basics of authenticity, consistency and engagement, Cushman's blog (http://blog.picor.com) has been tremendously important to their outreach, branding and thought leadership according to Barbi Reuter, commercial real estate marketing & operations executive at Cushman & Wakefield. Barbi said, "We also recognize that people like to connect to people more than brands, thus, the dual-pronged approach with corporate and personal tweets, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+." Barbi, I couldn't agree more.
Walmart Realty - There are many things that Walmart Realty is doing right in social media but I had to include them to note their Twitter excellence @WalmartRealty. They are not only big tweeters at the ICSC shows but they keep up their account tweeting about social good, congratulating folks on accomplishments, sharing photos of new locations and more. The biggest development with corporate Walmart tweeting is their new SWAT team approach, politely fighting back to negative tweets. According to DIGIDAY, Walmart has a 24 person team managing their Twitter and Facebook accounts. This is a bold move but I love how real it is...we can't always play nice, right?!
Regency Centers - One of my favorite things about Regency Centers has been the rebranding they did. Take a look at their site, it really looks sharp http://www.regencycenters.com/. The Jacksonville, Florida based company has 333 centers with 17 regional offices in most major U.S. markets. I have to commend them on their creativity and attention to detail. They do a great job with video too. One that particularly stands out is their "A Day In The Life" video where they show how hard they work but in a comical way utilizing great graphics.
ICSC - In the last three and a half years, ICSC has come a long way incorporating social media into our dinosaur industry. A large part of that has been the hire of Sarah Malcolm, director of new media for ICSC. Sarah helped pave the way bringing the MOCIAL (Mobile, Social, Local) Conference to the world of retail real estate educating professionals in the industry on what social media is and how to apply it to retail real estate. She has also put in place iTech Lounges - social media and tech lounges at large ICSC shows including RECon in Las Vegas and the New York National Conference. The lounges feature all day, one hour presentations from various social media experts. ICSC has also instilled a very useful blog incorporating social networks like Instagram, Vine, Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo and launched an awesome mobile app.
The Peterson Companies has definitely been a standout for awhile. Serving the D.C area, The Peterson Companies has many years of experience on board with VP of corporate marketing & communications, Angela Sweeney, SCMD. Angela has represented The Peterson Companies at various social media focused industry events including ICSC MOCIAL and ICSC iTechLounge presentations focused on social media and public relations and mobile marketing.
Linear Retail - After just being promoted to vice president of marketing and social media at Linear Retail, I had to note what sets us apart. We are a company out of Boston, Mass. with a portfolio of 70+ properties. Linear Retail has been an industry leader in social media and marketing for two years. It recently launched a mobile compatible website, one of the only responsive designed sites in the entire industry. The site is filled with call-to-action buttons driving visitors to its blog with many posts written by its CEO including: how to lease the right space and how much square feet you need for your business. Linear even has a "Get Social" tab where visitors can connect to its social sites and join in on the conversation. You'll also notice Linear's "Comic Strip Center" section on the blog poking fun at the industry and themselves.
Diana Podaski is vice president - marketing and social media at Linear Retail Properties, Burlington, Mass.