Tag: real estate marketing

Briar Chapel Hits the News

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, Real Estate PR, , ,

Real estate news hit the Triangle — and all about Briar Chapel, an amazing Clairemont client. Briar Chapel, one of the largest and best-selling master-planned communities in the Triangle, recently unveiled the newest addition to its growing, vibrant community. Blue Heron Asset Management will be launching gorgeous, high-end apartments at Briar Chapel, complete with an amenity center and Pinterest-worthy interiors. In fact, this will be one of the first major apartment complexes of this type on 15-501!

Aided by our pitch efforts, the Triangle Business Journal shared the full scoop below!

Raleigh developer plots apartments for Briar Chapel 

A Raleigh real estate investment development firm has plans for an apartment complex in one of the region’s fast-growing communities.

Blue Heron Asset Management has announced it will build a 200-unit apartment community in Briar Chapel, a 900-acre master planned development south of Chapel Hill and led by Newland.

The apartments will be spread across three buildings, each four or five stories. The complex will have a centralized amenities building. 

“Blue Heron is thrilled to be building at Briar Chapel, where we’ll be bringing the best-in-class finishes and amenities common in urban apartment projects to a more laid-back, gracious and community-centered setting,” says Kevin Wade, project manager for Blue Heron. “Residents will be able to enjoy the natural beauty of the Piedmont while maintaining a close proximity to the jobs and attractions in Chapel Hill, Durham, RTP and other hubs of activity in the Triangle.”

Apartments will range in size from 625 to 1,600 square feet — the company has yet to determine rental rates. Groundbreaking is slated for nearly next year, though the specifics of the timeline are still being worked out, as is the total cost of the project. 

Apartments will include features often found in single-family homes, such as built-in bookshelves, separate dining areas and kitchen bars, according to a release. Amenities at the apartments will include a main club building, fitness area, demonstration kitchen, library, a community pool and outdoor space.

Coffee bars, lounges, and pop-up workstations will be included in the lobbies of all three apartment buildings.

JLL commercial real estate brokered the project. 

Wade says as the popularity of mixed-use master-planned communities grows in the Triangle, so has interest from developers such as Blue Heron.

“It kind of proves out the attraction for tenants. People want to live in these communities and that’s attractive for us,” he says. “From a feasibility standpoint, Newland has laid an enormous amount of groundwork.”

Putting the project in Briar Chapel meant Blue Heron not only had the entitlements it needed to build the project, but the necessary infrastructure had already been put in place by Newland. 

“Few other apartment complexes in Chatham County have the benefit of a site with existing entitlements and infrastructure,” says Mike Scisciani, vice president of operations for Newland. “Briar Chapel offers both, which enables Blue Heron to create a large, urban multi-family complex not normally found in this area.”

Briar Chapel is currently entitled for up to 2,500 homes, with 1,900 already built, along with a senior apartment complex and assisted living/skilled nursing facility by Liberty Healthcare Management.

The development also features 500,000 square feet of commercial space, which includes a Central Carolina Community college campus and Veranda, Briar Chapel’s current commercial area. That area opened three years ago and features 42,500 square feet of dining and retail space, as well as health care, legal offices and educational institutions.  

Scisciani says another 400 residential lots are in the works, and Newland expects construction to continue for several more years.

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Marketing Real Estate in 2019

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Real Estate PR, , , ,

Change is in the wind, or in the case of the real estate market, it’s coming with a blustery gust. 

The Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate increase along with national and international economics have impacted the 2019 real estate projection in several ways.

The shift in real estate necessitates an adjusted approach to marketing and public relations. It’s an opportunity for exploration and creativity along with a re-invigorated look to specific tactics.

So what’s around the bend in 2019?

1. Drop in Sales, Growth in Price

Lovely news right out of the barrel, no? Affected by numerous factors, including rising interest rates, affordability will pose an issue to most demographics. According to Forbes, sales will likely slow with a simultaneous increase in demand for houses in the $250,000 – $300,000 range.

Since buyers will be much more wary of purchasing, communities and homebuilders should take the opportunity to showcase their differentiating factors beyond just products. Take a step back and highlight your community’s lifestyle. Pinpoint key, visceral ways to forge an emotional connection with the buyer, perhaps through tactics including resident stories, virtual tours or resident-for-a-day programs like those at Clairemont clients Briar Chapel and Wendell Falls. Social media plays a strong role in helping the young mother find her stroller-mom run club or the mountain biker set eyes on your community’s miles of trails. Play matchmaker — connecting homebuyer with their ready-made-and-waiting lifestyle.

2. More Millennials Buy Houses

Despite rising costs, millennials may become the highest home-purchasing demographic. With the millennial homebuyer comes millennial communication preferences. 

Millennials crave experiences; they’re willing to sacrifice resources for time richly spent with friends or loved ones. Often, connection drives decisions, and this group turns to social media to seek that connection. Now more than ever, companies should focus on a well-honed social media strategy that includes both organic and paid reach. Simple reposts or links to articles and blogs won’t cut it. This group seeks relatable, unvarnished peeks into your community — what will they feel, what will they see, who will they meet? Brands should hone an authentic online experience through videos, images, apps and even VR tools to bridge the gap.

In addition, millennials do their research — including online reviews. It’s time to revisit your online review process highlighting Google and even Facebook. Decide how you’ll make this program grow (referrals? direct asks? approved incentives?) and dedicate resources to improving that presence.

3. The Rise of Experiential Retail

Smart Cities points out that e-commerce has cannibalized physical shopping destinations. To combat this, developers will be beefing up the offerings of brick-and-mortar stores, positioning retail as an experience rather than just a transaction. As Tech Crunch says, stores must go far beyond functionality. Meaningful interaction plays a vital role; it’s about the doing, not the buying. For example, Casper mattresses recently opened a room reserved for 45-minute naps called The Dreamery.

In this case, thoughtful marketing can unveil the experiences that developers craft. Videos and even VR can provide a taste of the experiential retail online to attract customers to the brick-and-mortar location. Better yet, social media can help co-create the experience through apps, games, challenges and Instagrammable moments that translate from the physical into the virtual. 

As you adjust your real estate sales strategy into 2019 and 2020, take full advantage of the benefits a strong marketing plan can provide.

Looking for a new approach or want to bounce around a few ideas?

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A Spicy Peek into the 11th Pepper Fest

Cherith AndesBlog, Clairemont Client News, Real Estate PR, , , , Leave a Comment on A Spicy Peek into the 11th Pepper Fest

Spice and sweet heat. Bands and brews. Art and activities. Families and fun at every turn!

On September 23, 2018, Clairemont client Briar Chapel opened its Great Meadow park to host the 11th Annual Pepper Festival in partnership with Abundance NC. As one of the largest chef competitions in the Triangle, the Pepper Fest challenges top chefs and brewers to craft their most creative recipes using the locally bred and grown North Carolina pepper. This year’s Go Wild theme invited artisans to also showcase foraged ingredients to raise the awareness of North Carolina’s bounty.

Festivalgoers sampled a mouthwatering smorgasbord of bites and brews, from spicy mojitos to sweet pepper nut butter. The foodie roster featured culinary cornerstones ranging from Harvest 18, Saint Jacques French Cuisine and City Kitchen to Tribeca Tavern and creative food trucks. Award-winning brewers and distillers, such as Fullsteam, Mystery Brewing, TOPO, Carolina Brewing and Bull City Ciderworks, proffered a menu of zesty beverages, beers and liquor cocktails.

And this year, we crowned a new court of foodie winners!

2018 Pepper Festival Awards

Kids played the day away at Pepperpalooza, featuring bubble art, face painting and wacky storytelling. Guests jammed out to all-day bluegrass tunes from Elis Dyson and the Shambles, voted “Best Local Band,” along with ZamBamBooGee. This year’s festival welcomed a record 3,000 festivalgoers!

Best of all, the proceeds of the Pepper Fest benefit Abundance NC, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting sustainable food and fuels. We always love a good foodie festival, especially one that helps 200 local farmers who would not otherwise be in business!

Want to see some of our other fun work with Briar Chapel? Give it a gander!

Blog post originally appeared on BriarChapelNC.com. Cover image from Greg Stewart Photography.

 

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Coopetition in Marketing

Cherith AndesBlog, Marketing, Restaurant PR + Hospitality PR, , , ,

Marketing and PR teams are always eyeballing “the competition.” Product development, branding initiatives and consumer events all benchmark competitor growth as a key analytic. Sales strategies traditionally adopt an “us-versus-them” approach that certainly holds merit, since we’re technically all vying for the same market share.

Coopetition, on the other hand, asks competing brands to join forces in a strategic alliance to pursue a greater good. In essence, it’s an offshoot of the old adage, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” And with benefits such as synergy, cost reduction and innovation, coopetition proffers rich returns if applied smartly.

Coopetition Heats Up the Competition

With clients, we’ve tapped into the spirit of coopetition as a tool to boost event marketing — a less traditional yet equally effective application. The “product” in this case becomes the event. The Pepper Festival, hosted by Clairemont client Briar Chapel, got its start as a celebration of one farmer’s produce and a fundraiser for the nonprofit Abundance NC.

But the Pepper Fest didn’t make its name until it ventured into coopetition; the planning team turned an agricultural festival into a hot competition by challenging the Triangle’s top chefs to craft their zestiest pepper dishes. Chefs who typically competed for diners harnessed their collective talents to build a vibrant, engaging experience for the public. Competing brewers rallied and conceptualize a pepper-themed beer garden to enhance the festival’s appeal. And new to the 2016 festival, six chefs are joining forces with young chefs to host the inaugural Spicy Kid Chef Competition.

The results? Attendance skyrocketed from 40 to 1,500 people over eight years, raising more than $75,000 for Abundance and gaining wide-spread visibility and news stories.

Considering Coopetition

So what elements should you examine when considering coopetition in your marketing strategy?

1. The Vision

Forbes reminds us of the power of common-cause campaigns with examples like the “It Can Wait” anti-texting campaign that conjoined AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. Fierce competitors can quickly transform into close allies when united under the umbrella of a greater good. Invest the time on the front end to vet potential partners, examine their mission statements, discuss overlapping goals and create a cohesive picture that effectively harnesses the each party’s passions.

2. The Process

Coopetition, unlike simple collaboration, requires natural competitors to link arms and become voluntary partners. From the outset clearly define the end game for the venture, whether a product, event or campaign.

There will likely be an overlap in key demographics and shared audiences between partners. Take the opportunity to solidify cohesive key messages that enable the team to present a united front. Develop written strategies that will serve as a touchpoint to guide roles, responsibilities and execution throughout the partnership.

3. The Results

Celebrate. It sounds like a no-brainer, but take the time to broadcast the results of your combined efforts not only with each other but also with your audiences. Share benchmarks and data as well as anecdotal stories that paint the full picture of your endeavor. Honor each member of the team and prime the path for future, successful partnerships. Because at the end of the day, it just feels good to make a difference!

Looking for other fun tips for event marketing? Try quizzing your audience!

Image courtesy of Briar Chapel.

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