A global pandemic can make an already tough season for multifamily communities even tougher. On top of that, the winter weather in some areas can make it much more difficult as well. Apartment marketing and leasing teams need to find impactful ways to keep traffic high for their communities. So how do they do that? There are many ways such as:
- Using video
- Surveying or involving residents in your content
- Leveraging virtual leasing
We saw leasing teams get creative during the COVID-19 pandemic when they continued marketing their communities. But, it may be time for new, creative ways to close leases, market effectively and keep residents engaged.
Here are a few apartment marketing ideas to help kick off 2021 strong and keep the momentum going through the year.
Use Video
Now is a time teams can really focus on video as a key apartment marketing idea to attract prospective residents and keep traffic high. You can use video:
A) On social media
B) In email campaigns
C) On the website homepage
D) In an apartment marketing blog
E) All of the above
Video allows your property to be seen by prospects who may not be able to get there in person. Video puts your property in front of their eyes in a way that converts to leads to signed leases — virtually. Right now, video is the medium that’s working. By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017. It is by far the best means for communicating your message.
Multifamily teams can also look at using video beyond unit or community tours. You can use video to capture resident events, resident testimonials, or just to introduce the leasing team. It’s going to help showcase the vibe and personality of the property. But, be real and authentic about it. Don’t post a video of a summer event in the winter. Unless, it’s a “dreaming of the summer months when the pool is open” concept. That can definitely make for a fun social post!
Overall, aim for realness and transparency in your video marketing strategy. If there’s fresh snow, shoot a fun video capturing the magic and beauty of the property in winter. However you use video, make sure you’re being authentic. That’s critical in converting leads now and throughout the year.
If you’re looking for more tips on using video to maintain traffic to your property, we’ve got you covered here.
Survey and Involve Your Residents
We can give you new and improve marketing ideas for apartments all day. But, one way to guarantee you’re hitting the highlights is to ask your current residents. Survey them and find out what they’re looking for. Not only will that give you ideas for how your current residents want to engage, it’s likely to give you unique insights into your target prospects. Think about it. If you’re also targeting prospects interested in living in your community, host events that your current residents will find fun or exciting. It’s likely that those ideas will resonate with your targets as well.
Lean into your current residents knowledge and make them sort of in-house apartment marketing companies. They know the audience best because they ARE the audience! Not to mention, we’re still in a pandemic. And cute apartment marketing slogans aren’t going to cut it. People are tired of COVID-19 restrictions but still want to stay safe. So, apartment marketing and leasing teams need to get creative with engagement and involvement.
The same ideas many apartment communities started last March may not fly anymore. Leasing teams need to consider that when thinking about how they are reaching out to prospects, hosting resident events, or getting residents out of their units safely and engaging with one another. Virtual resident events can still be fun and engaging but not if they are the same ones over and over. We all have a little bit of Zoom fatigue. If you’ve already done a social distanced trivia night, or prepackaged meal in the courtyard, think differently this time. Use ideas from your resident survey and also so some research with what other multifamily communities are doing.
Or, as we mentioned above, have them stop by for a quick video testimonial. Many of your residents are working from home or aren’t going out, whether due to COVID-19 or just not wanting to be out in the cold. Have them shoot a quick, socially distanced testimonial. Finally, if they do shoot that testimonial, or you end up using one of their great ideas, reward them for providing top tier apartment marketing services! Offer a meal, a drink, a gift card for a few months of Netflix – anything that will show them how much you appreciate and celebrate their help and involvement.
Virtual Leasing
One of the most impactful apartment marketing ideas for 2021, and one that will likely go beyond that, is virtual leasing. That means tripling down on online engagement. In particular, if you’re looking for apartment marketing ideas during COVID-19, this is a critical one.
Set your onsite leasing teams up through the right technology platforms, training and relevant knowledge to connect with leads the way they want to connect. Whether it’s an entirely virtual interaction, including live video or pre-recorded video, a 3D tour, or a self-guided tour, teams need to be equipped with apartment marketing software that allows them to create an effective virtual leasing funnel. That funnel will connect marketing qualified leads with the leasing team in the way they want to engage. While it seems simple, that will help immensely to make as high a conversion rate as possible, providing as much value as possible when those leads do come in.
All of these apartment marketing ideas truly ladder up to one overarching takeaway. The environment of 2021 is unlike any we’ve dealt with before. Whether it’s video, surveys and resident engagement, or leaning in to virtual leasing platforms, your outreach and apartment marketing materials should support and engage prospects in how they are looking to be engaged with.
Get In Touch!
Close more leases, market more effectively, engage with residents and, as always, keep it real. Do you have a question or suggestion? Or want to learn more about what you read? Email us at contact@realync.com. We’d love to hear from you!
