Multifamily leads require relationships as well as marketing strategy
Imagine meeting someone at a party who silently hands you a business card, without a word, and then walks away. While you might feel a touch intrigued, would you feel compelled to follow up and call that person? Too many property managers approach marketing for multifamily leads in the same way.
We can’t help your social skills for a party (well, maybe we can – we’re super fun), but we can help you develop more interest and follow-up for your multifamily brand. Read on.
Telling stories that lead to conversation
The business card scenario offers a simple example of how many brands miss some key opportunities to connect with their target audiences. That card might tell you the person’s name, number and email or website. Maybe there’s a pithy quote or a generic image. You don’t have much to go on. Sadly, many brands stop here.
If you want to engage people, you need a story and an opening to a conversation:
The story: You need to capture the attention of your audience, and you want the message to lead to an emotional response and a conversation that goes beyond basics. Even a static piece of marketing can evoke a story with some thoughtful imagery, key phrases and calls to action.
The conversation: As with any good story, you want to leave the audience wanting more. Maybe it’s a cliffhanger or the possibility of more development in a character, but your story shouldn’t give away every detail. As a multifamily manager, you want your story to prompt questions from prospective renters, such as: What is it like to live there? Will someone like me feel like part of the community if I rent with you? Tell me more about that amenity.
Even more effective: Leading your audience to imagine themselves as part of the story. If they relate to your message and can picture themselves living in your community, you have set the stage for a better relationship.
What’s missing in your marketing
Aside from beautiful images, colors and stunning graphics (all of which are achievable), we would bet your marketing lacks people and feeling.
Believe it or not, you begin developing a relationship with future residents when they read your sign, your website or your other marketing materials. They will form their first impressions and judgments from those first few lines, so make them count.
So, keep in mind the following when building your branding and marketing:
- Do your images represent a wide variety of people?
- Have you chosen a color story that evokes the right feeling for your community?
- Have you been able to move beyond the “what” to convey the “who and why” of your community? (e.g. you don’t just offer a pool; that pool connects neighbors and offers a lifestyle of carefree fun)
- Which elements compel the audience to want more and to ask questions?
- Do people feel an emotional connection to your brand story and what your community offers?
If you haven’t given these questions much thought before, start now. These questions will help you begin to develop a branding and marketing strategy that places the customer relationship – and the customer’s needs – at the center. When you begin to look at your strategy from a renter- and resident-centric lens, you will begin to develop a better understanding of their needs. This understanding helps you both attract new prospective renter leads and retain existing residents.
Take it live
A brand focused on people, lifestyle and emotion cannot live solely on paper or online. Bring that story to life by prioritizing in-person relationships.
Resident relationships
As RealPage notes, technology can meet a lot of needs for your residents, but you need to make an effort to maintain real-time and in-person interactions. Many property managers, they note, struggle with:
“…how to find organic and genuine ways to interact with residents when rent checks are no longer being dropped off at the office every month, maintenance requests are made through the resident portal rather than in person and packages are picked up at a package locker instead of from behind the leasing desk. While residents nowadays want (and expect) to be able to do such activities at their own leisure, property management teams need to find ways to mitigate the impact of reduced face-to-face interactions by making personal communication a priority. This includes maintaining open lines of communication, being responsive to resident inquiries and actively seeking opportunities to engage with residents in person or virtually.”
From resident surveys to hosted events, find ways to ensure that you know your residents and continue to cultivate those relationships.
Community relationships
Beyond the property lines, think about how you can connect in a meaningful way with the surrounding community and business leaders.
Consider these ideas as a jumping off point:
- Forge partnerships with local coffee shops, restaurants and hang-outs to create mutually beneficial buzz
- Work with area non-profit organizations on community events
- Host business events in partnership with small business organizations
- Find local guides who can help connect residents with memorable places and experiences nearby
- Offer discount or loyalty programs that include nearby businesses
These community relationships not only help you with visibility and marketing, but establish your property as a key stakeholder in the neighborhood.
We have only scratched the surface on how thoughtful multifamily marketing and relationship-building can boost your multifamily brand. If you want more, reach out to us to start the conversation.
