Our industry has become heavily focused on digital marketing and social media to bring in traffic. It’s definitely become a high-tech world out there, not only in apartment management but in all other parts of the business world as well.  However, there is an argument to be made that humans still crave high touch interactions. Our residents certainly expect it. Our marketing plans should also include a particular high touch technique that’s proven to be effective in generating traffic and keeping your brand in front of the customer. It’s an old-fashioned strategy called outreach marketing.

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Literally every prospect who walks through the doors to your leasing office these days brings along their smartphone. And it seems as though they can never, ever put it down. Granted, they may have used it to navigate their way to your property. Or perhaps they have some notes so they know what to ask you as you demonstrate the model and tour them around the community. But seriously…the phone NEVER LEAVES THEIR HAND. A recent report from USA Today even proves it: “Almost 90% of Millennials say their phones never leave their sides.  The first thing that 80% of Millennials do every morning is reach for their smartphones, and 78% spend more than two hours a day texting, surfing, talking, tweeting and – more importantly for businesses – shopping, banking, and more.”

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Five Simple Steps to Making Sure Your Emails Get Read

Remember when you got your first email account? You were so happy! You FINALLY had email! And you told everyone about it and gave your email address to anyone who could possibly ever send you an email. You loved getting emails that had LOL Cats, videos of squirrels chasing each other and endless MEMES. But not anymore. You, like everyone else you know, gets waaaaay too much email. So how can you make your emails to your residents and prospects stand out from the crowd? If you know these simple tips, it’s not that difficult.

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What is your brand? Not your company’s brand, or your apartment community’s brand, or even your management company’s brand. What is YOUR personal brand? This is the brand that your residents see when they call or visit the office. This is the brand that prospects experience when they tour your community and the brand that businesses encounter when you conduct outreach marketing. You may not be Coke or Pepsi, but people buy from people and this makes your brand one of the most important parts of the customer experience.

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For quite a few years now we’ve been told that we need to build for and market to the Millennial generation. Many have jumped on the bandwagon and are building nothing but smaller apartments (to try to keep absolute rents down while still meeting the rent per square foot investors are seeking) in urban locations with marketing/advertising campaigns geared mainly towards those between 18 and 34 (one of the definitions of the Millennial generation).

If this is your current strategy, stop for a moment and take a look at your submarkets and the demographics within as you might be missing out on and ignoring a huge opportunity. Although, according to numerous sources, Millennials will surpass Baby Boomers this year as the largest cohort, Boomers still make up close to the same percent of the population as Millennials (and we forgotten X’ers are only a couple of percentage points behind). And, guess what? Boomers (and X’ers), in general, are more established and so have the income to afford the higher rent apartments.

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Below, we go over three ways to market your apartment for under $100!

Apartment managers have a lot on their plate. From troubleshooting and housekeeping for units in their community, to actually finding new residents and ensuring that occupancy stays high, the list of responsibilities for an apartment manager can seem daunting, even to the most dedicated! Now, picture a moment where you’re really put to the test: How can you attract community members to engage with the property to help build your brand and ensure you keep events packed and units occupied? Today, we explore three potential ways to draw traffic to events in the immediate area and build a loyal following through events. Don’t worry— the marketing budget for each of these ideas is no more than $100.00!

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Nothing says “welcome home” like a nail in your tire, painters scaling your balcony and concrete trucks at 6am. If this sounds familiar, you might have worked – or lived – on a new development. It’s not always glamorous, but seeing a property rise from an empty plot of dirt to a thriving community can be one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll ever have the chance to be a part of.

But in today’s flourishing world of new construction, it’s more critical than ever that PMC’s (Property Mgmt Cos) have a credible playbook; one that not only meets and exceeds owner expectations, but has the capability to set a new standard in the market. Everyone wants to be on the A-Team, and these are just a few of my tips to ensure you get there:

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Trivia – You can either post random little facts and tidbits, or you can ask your residents questions. If you run out of questions to ask, just Google for more. Try grouping them by common theme, week by week. Questions are also a great way to get a feel for what your residents are thinking. Which machine in the fitness center do you use the most? Which do you use the most: the pool, the fitness center, our bike trail? Would you rather have a resident pizza party or tax party (and learn new tax rules before filing your 2014 return?).

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Here are some examples to support Heather’s Vintage To Vogue Idea

Remember it’s more than just a corny mint with a saying. It’s reaching out to a resident to show you care and to remind them that you are there for them! Tweak these to support the message you would like to send.

Mints: “Wishing you a season filled with sweetness!”

Rootbeer or Soda: “We’re “soda-lighted” to wish you a happy holiday!”

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