BACKGROUND

Celebrated for its urban revitalization projects and its contributions to Gastown’s revival, the Salient Group is an award-winning Vancouver developer. The Salient Group has demonstrated a sincere desire to understand the neighborhoods they join and the authentic history they work to restore and is celebrated for bringing innovation and livability to their projects.

In 2012, Salient Group started marketing Trapp+Holbrook, a 20 storey residential building with panoramic views of the Fraser River. Trapp+Holbrook is the Salient Group’s first new home development in New Westminster and a cornerstone of downtown New West’s economic revitalization.

OBJECTIVE

In addition to increasing awareness for the Salient brand and for Trapp + Holbrook, Dunn PR’s goal was to create buzz about downtown New Westminster and build confidence for the once challenged district. A major transit hub and only 26 minutes away by Skytrain from downtown Vancouver, New West is rapidly reclaiming its reputation as the Royal City and once again becoming an active city with new shops, restaurants and services opening almost daily.

The goal was to reach homebuyers looking for an urban experience and good value, a mix of young professionals who may not yet be familiar with the transitional progress of New West. Salient also wanted to reach first-time investors and local realtors.

STRATEGY

Salient engaged Dunn PR both in social media strategy and PR services.

Public Relations

Dunn PR reached out to New West and Vancouver media with various news stories about the project.  To reach investors, Dunn PR connected Salient to business and real estate journalists while providing updates to the local New Westminster media about the project’s progress. We also worked to help introduce Robert Fung to key online influencers in Vancouver.

To reach tech-savvy and young consumers, Dunn PR worked with key Vancouver bloggers for online promotions that showcased downtown New Westminster and generated buzz for Trapp+Holbrook.

Leveraging the company’s industry awards and philanthropic efforts, Dunn PR worked with the Salient Group to generate additional profiles. Tailored pitches to the Vancouver Courier and The Westender generated buzz for the company’s president Robert Fung for his City Shaper award from the Museum of Vancouver.

Social Media

Dunn PR updated the look of the Salient Group’s social media platforms to showcase Trapp+Holbrook and the thriving New West community.

Connections were made with media, bloggers, and community members on social media platforms, and Dunn PR helped the Salient Group identify conversations where the company could join the dialogue and make connections. Keywords and hashtags were monitored to see what the community was saying about the Salient Group, New West, and the industry.

Working with Dunn PR, the Salient Group connected with local New West businesses and organizations by promoting their services and milestones and working with them to create dialogue about the hot neighbourhood.

In addition to posting industry and company news, Dunn PR helped the Salient Group showcase thought leadership by producing a variety of original content for its blog.

The Salient Group and Dunn PR worked closely to address questions about the project posted by community members to online platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Dunn PR established Salient’s Pinterest account, where the company showcased the New West community, its passions, current and past projects, and its people.

Additional social media buzz was generated for the client through live tweeting of events and posting photos to social media platforms.

RESULTS

• Contributed to the overall success of the project: Trapp+Holbrook was the best-selling new home development in New West in 2012 and the developer met its pre-construction goals.
• Produced at least 942 traffic referrals to the Salient Group website and blog through social media alone. On average, these visitors viewed more than one page on the site per visit, indicating that they engaged with the content.
• Built the company’s Pinterest community, visually showcasing the project, the company and the Gastown and New West communities.
• Generated features in national print publications, including National Post and The Globe & Mail.
• Worked with the popular website Vancity Buzz to get community input about Trapp + Holbrook’s retail space, generating 142 entries and social media buzz. Dunn PR drafted blog posts and created a short video to support this contest campaign.
• Generated hits on major Vancouver and New Westminster blogs: Vancouver Is Awesome, Miss604, Foodology, Hummingbird604, and Tenth To The Fraser, to name a few.
• Increased Twitter following by 62.5% and Facebook likes by 41% through active participation in topics relevant to the brand and the project: New Westminster, real estate, etc.
•  Features in the Vancouver Sun’s Trade Talks column, The Westender, Royal City Record, BCBusiness Magazine, BC Homes, New Condo Guide, and Georgia Straight.
• Utilized social media to cross-promote the project’s online marketing efforts: Trapp + Holbrook was the third most-viewed BC real estate development on BuzzBuzzHome in 2012.

ABOUT DUNN PUBLIC RELATIONS

Dunn Public Relations specializes in the development of traditional and digital communications strategies that build profile and awareness. We work closely with our clients to create strategies that capitalize on profile opportunities ranging from national newspapers to popular bloggers.

Our reputation is built on results, fair pricing and a real sense of partnership.

For more information, visit the Dunn PR website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.