Considering the costs of running an apartment community, it has never been more important to optimize your marketing budget. The oversaturation of billboard, television, and online ads make it seem like marketing is only for those with a never-ending budget. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are many ways you can market your apartment community and its services without having to shell out the big bucks.
Here are some marketing tactics to help maximize your current marketing efforts if you are working with a tight budget.
Publish Quality Content
Publishing quality content directly on your apartment website is key. When you’re creating content for your website, write with your potential residents in mind. Attempt to read the minds of prospective residents and try to answer their questions through your content. (i.e. What is the neighborhood like? What are some nearby attractions? What kind of amenities are offered?)
Also, be sure to optimize your content for search. Even with social media, the majority of web traffic is driven by major commercial search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo with Google being the most popular out of the three. Google’s number one priority is to provide its users with the most relevant search results. To increase your visibility in search engine results, make your content extremely useful for your potential/current residents, including information about your amenities, community events, and services.
And last, but certainly not least—produce fresh content regularly and consistently. It is not enough to have a static website, you have to provide users with a stream of new, original content to keep your audience engaged and encourage search engines to craws, index, and serve your website’s pages in its search results.
Stay Active Online
Maintain a solid online presence. The benefits of online engagement are endless these days! You can create an online presence through a social media marketing strategy. Keep in mind that a strong online presence allows you to attract new prospects, adds credibility to your brand, and promotes events, specials, and any additional information you find to be necessary.
Boost Your Reputation
Provide the best customer service you can. Quality customer will encourage satisfied residents to market your community by word of mouth. Contented customers will tell everyone about the wonderful experiences they had while living in your apartment community. And with online reviews being pivotal to your online success, it has never been more important to keep your residents happy.
Update Your Website
Nothing is more important than having a high-quality, easily-navigable website. Upgrading an outdated website is a great option for a small budget. If your site is over two years old, it might be time to modernize your website and rejuvenate your online presence. Technology is moving fast, and you don’t want to be left behind. You may not need a complete overhaul, but you should consider small upgrades that will make your site faster and easier to use for browsers.
If you are in need a modern apartment website to attract today’s renter, there are a number of providers that specialize in multifamily housing solutions. These companies offer an array of services inside a single platform. To obtain the greatest reach across the Internet, look for a solution that is not only able to provide a marketing website, but can also integrate with housing search engines, social media, and a lead tracking system. Once you convert those prospects to residents, you need a provider that has a resident services platform for rent payments, service requests, and methods to communicate with your residents.
In conclusion, you don’t need a big budget to create a successful marketing plan. It may take a little extra time and dedication, but with these helpful tips, you should be able to leverage your community, attract prospect leads, and gain new residents without an extensive budget.