Matt Weirich is CEO and Co-founder of Realync, the main video leasing and engagement platform for the complete resident lifecycle.
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It’s not surprising to listen to that content material consumption habits have modified over the previous yr, with digital experiences on the prime of the record. However this statistic might shock you: In 2019, the variety of digital video viewers worldwide amounted to over 2.6 billion viewers and is projected to succeed in over 3.1 billion by 2023.
Now, think about how tough accessing the online can be for individuals with visible and listening to disabilities. Fortunately, modern and adaptive applied sciences are rising to assist with on-line accessibility for these with disabilities, together with property know-how firms.
Since beginning Realync in 2013, I have been within the thick of the proptech emergence and evolution over the past eight years. In that timeframe, I have been lucky to see proptech firms which have come (and gone) and the way they’ve developed as shopper calls for and actual property firm wants have developed. A kind of important evolutions over the past yr is the significance of and want for accessibility in digital property know-how.
Accessibility In Property Expertise
Accessibility is a sizzling matter for actual property professionals, and getting this proper needs to be a prime precedence to make sure equal alternative throughout all prospects and shoppers. Actual property and multifamily professionals want to enhance accessibility with all video and on-line exchanges between leasing reps and prospects and/or residents. As a result of should you keep in mind proper, digital experiences are in demand.
With extra digital experiences at our fingertips comes elevated publicity to the probabilities of an inaccessible web site or video touring expertise. However I don’t say that to scare you; leasing professionals can accommodate anybody who needs to entry, browse and work together with the property’s web site and digital content material.
Let’s discover the modifications actual property firms and groups and proptech firms together with ours are making to boost and enhance digital experiences for everybody.
How To Make Your Digital Experiences Extra Accessible
• Property know-how: The Internet Content material Accessibility Tips (WCAG) is probably the most up-to-date advice for making net content material extra accessible to people with disabilities. When partnering with a property know-how firm, inquire about its compliance with WCAG. Product choices that point out the corporate is WCAG compliant would come with closed captioning, full transcripts of spoken dialogue and extra.
• Researching: There are lots of property know-how firms on the market providing nice digital and digital experiences, however not all present built-in WCAG as a part of their customary providing. This will depart you continue to needing to work with one other supplier in an effort to comply and supply the most effective video and leasing expertise in your potential residents. So be sure to do your analysis upfront and know what you’re getting (or not getting).
• Coaching: It’s important to grasp how your groups can adjust to WCAG greatest practices. To try this, ask about whether or not the property know-how of alternative is provided to assist prepare your leasing professionals.
Now, what if video leasing isn’t part of your leasing professionals’ advertising technique? That’s fantastic; you must then flip your focus to your property web site and different digital property to make sure these all conform to WCAG as properly.
With the rise in digital leasing and shopper calls for, it’s extremely prompt so as to add some kind of wealthy media expertise — a video or two at a minimal — to your property web site for customers to have interaction with. In line with a survey revealed by Hubspot this yr, 87% of entrepreneurs say video offers them a optimistic ROI, and nearly as many agree that video has a “direct, optimistic influence on gross sales.” So that is fairly an vital, related medium for speaking a message to your on-line viewers.
There’s a giant deal with video proper now for a motive. That’s as a result of it really works. Prospect preferences and behaviors are altering. Final March, one brokerage noticed a 494% improve in requests for video excursions of properties. And to assume simply 10 years in the past prospects didn’t even assume to ask for that!
Property Expertise Corporations’ Conformance With WCAG
Many property know-how firms in the marketplace assist clear up ache factors your leasing professionals, prospects and residents might really feel. Property applied sciences might differ barely, however basically, the foundational construction is to accommodate everybody’s wants in an environment friendly, efficient approach. So, conformance to the newest net accessibility tips needs to be on the prime of the record when deciding which property know-how resolution needs to be your subsequent accomplice.
Whether or not your property makes use of a hybrid strategy to leasing and fascinating with prospects and residents by means of video or your focus is in your property web site, these experiences ought to conform to Internet Content material Accessibility Tips. The easiest way to try this? Equip your leasing professionals with the right property know-how that does it for you.
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