You could spend a fortune on going through a marketing agency to build the brand awareness of your apartments, but there’s no really need to spend that kind of money. What you need to do is just focus your marketing efforts on the things you do well with your apartments. When targeted at the prospects that are considering a move-in, you’ll build your consumer base up over time and never have to worry about your vacancy rate again!
The first step in the process is to just be honest, helpful, and authentic with people. Sometimes you have to pay a little sweat equity to get a return, so don’t be afraid to get out there and create a little goodwill for your apartments.
Marketing Ideas for Apartments
1. People won’t just come to you because they need an apartment. Some believe that enough good work will bring people into the office, but it isn’t true. You need to encourage them to make the choice.
2. You need to contact renters yourself, even if they say they’ve decided to go elsewhere. The more you stay in contact with a potential renter, the more likely you are to stay at the top of their mind and be able to fill a vacant apartment in your complex.
3. When you blog about your apartments, you’re automatically giving people extra value because they can see first-hand what life would be like if they lived there. People today are driven by information and value. Having a blog for your apartments might seem silly… until you get RSS subscribers looking for openings.
4. Staying in contact with people can take many forms, including the sending of holiday cards to your renters and even past renters. It’s just another way to separate yourself from the rest of your competition in the community and as an added bonus, you show the recipient that you care about your relationship with them.
5. Go where your targeted audience happens to be, because otherwise you’ll be spending money that will just go to waste. If you’ve got apartments that rent at $1,500 per month, going to a low-income neighborhood won’t attract many renters. The same principle works in reverse as well.
6. Focus on the needs of a renter first, because when you do so, you’ll communicate that you care about them as a person. Sometimes that need might not even involve a vacant apartment and that’s fine. If you can point someone in the right direction, there’s a better chance that they will later on point someone in your direction.
7. Organize events at least once a month at the apartments. Even though renting apartments is a business, it’s good to mingle with the people who are your customers because it furthers the relationship they feel they have with you. This builds loyalty, trust, and usually lower vacancy rates when applied consistently.
8. You can actually ignore people, especially if you get the feeling that they might not be a good tenant. If an initial conversation feels like it is a bit forced, then you’ll likely come across and desperate. That puts you at a disadvantage in trying to get a lease signed! If you are on the fence, take down their contact information instead and you can get back to them on your own time.
9. People need to be convinced by you that your apartments are better than any other apartments out there in your community right now. It’s also good for business to turn away someone when your apartments might not be able to adequately meet their needs.
10. Use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites to drum up awareness of your apartments. People engage more often today online. A comment on someone’s post is seen as the old school equivalent of a handshake. The more you engage, then the more opportunities you’ll develop for yourself through outreach marketing.
11. Get involved with your local community and give back in some way. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it will show potential renters that you’re willing to go the extra mile to make your community great! If you’re willing to put in that kind of effort for others, then people will imagine the kind of effort you’ll put in for your own business too and want to be part of it.
12. Actively listen until the renting prospect has finished speaking even if the only thing they’re talking about is their Great Aunt Martha’s dog that passed away 15 years ago. The moment you interrupt someone, even if it’s to get them back on target, is the moment that you’ll turn a positive outreach encounter into a very negative one.
13. Get on housing lists everywhere in your community, especially if there’s a military base nearby. Off-base housing is a critical need for many military personnel and if you’re not on the housing list, then you’re not going to get business from that military base.
14. Speak with your local job placement specialists to see if they help to relocate professionals into your community for open positions. If they do, then your apartments will get added exposure and an unspoken recommendation, two priceless outreach marketing outcomes.
15. Visit just about every business you can find at least once per month and just hand out something nice. Drop off some donuts with a few brochures. Bake some cookies and just stop in. People might remember you as the apartments that hand out sweets, but they’ll remember you!
16. Don’t forget about optimizing your web presence so that you stand out in the local results for apartment searches in your community. Smartphones and tables make accessing this information incredibly easy and if you are near the top of the results, you’ll automatically get more clicks, more prospects, and more conversions.
17. Just ask questions to see what the answers might be. How long do you plan on renting? Do you want a large apartment or a small one? What does your dream apartment look like?
Although millions of people visit Brandon's blog each month, his path to success was not easy. Go here to read his incredible story, "From Disabled and $500k in Debt to a Pro Blogger with 5 Million Monthly Visitors." If you want to send Brandon a quick message, then visit his contact page here.