The Best Apartment Marketing Strategies For Every Multifamily Property
December 15, 2021 8:00 am Leave your thoughtsDiscover the apartment marketing strategies that make all of the difference! The world of marketing continues to evolve, and new technology moves the needle further and further. However, not every method of apartment digital marketing is indeed effective. While there are many ways that you can spend your efforts and budget, it’s important to create a comprehensive strategy that places your ROI and property value at the forefront.
So the question is, what is the best apartment marketing strategy? Budget and resource restrictions make it essential to spend your time and money where it matters the most. A common goal and plan will ensure that your team is on the page and has a shared result in mind. Learn the top apartment marketing ideas to grow your community today!
1 – Local Content Strategies
You have most likely heard the phrase “content is king” when it comes to the online world and the Google algorithm. Your apartments need to provide the most valuable and compelling content with so much content online. Content that is “localized” means that it applies on a deeper level to your local area. It reflects your neighborhood and showcases everything that your community has to offer. It usually gives the reader more insights into your local neighborhood and informs them of more than just your property, but their neighborhood at a glance.
The goal of any content isn’t just to communicate. It’s to inform, educate, and shine a light on more fantastic experiences. Your future residents are waiting for a community that feels different. Chances are, they have lived in many apartment communities and have become tired of the same approaches. The benefits of using local content strategies in your apartment expand far past the rewards it will have online. You can increase your online presence while also increasing your resident’s satisfaction. Not to mention, the Google algorithm is greatly tailored to the amount of local content on your website. The better that Google can see the relevant local information, the more likely it will be to showcase your website to local renters during their search process.
Why does local content matter?
There are several reasons why local content matters and many ways that it will impact your results. The top benefits include:
- A clear depiction of your community.
- Better search results.
- A better user experience.
- More traffic to your website.
- More qualified leads.
The right local content will bring more people to your site. It will also ensure that everyone on your site reads accurate and enchanting information about your property. It’s no secret that people want to feel as informed as possible and will not move forward until they have all the needed information. Local content increases your online accuracy as well as your property’s attraction. It’s evident that the benefits are a win-win in many ways and can improve your online results and your current community experience.
The Role Of Google My Business
Your Google My Business has a direct impact on how well your local SEO will perform. Now with searches on mobile devices rising, your “map” placement within the search engine is crucial to gaining more traffic.
Google has recently proved that perhaps the most important ranking signal is the location of the user. Google My Business, along with other local listings such as Bing, and Yelp are still continually directing prospects. This makes it crucial to have a fully updated Google My Business. Along with, localized keywords for your apartment website as a whole.
Through Google My Business, you can monitor your reviews, add floor plans, share updates/specials, add photos, and gain important insights.
Making an appearance in a hyper-localized search is a major component to gaining new leads and leashes.
Did you also know that 91% of people read online reviews?
People are constantly looking for the experience others had within the apartment community. This may be how most people make their ultimate decision.
It’s more clear than ever that local listings do have the power to transform your apartment marketing. One of the reasons local SEO for apartments is so crucial to the traffic you receive is that prospects are searching on a local level. They’re searching with cities and zip codes or using a “near me” search. These types of searches result in hyper-local awareness, as well as more localized results.
2. Community Newsletters
Nothing is more stressful than living in a community where you feel like you don’t know what’s going on. You need to give your residents connection and information to thrive in your property. Community newsletters bring all of the information about your property to one place. It provides each of your current residents with the utmost updated information to feel well-informed. The best apartment marketing strategies increase your current resident’s satisfaction as well.
What to include in your community newsletter?
- Resident Events
- Maintenance Alerts
- New processes
- Employment opportunities in the area
- Local restaurant recommendations.
- Helpful information such as recipes, decor items, etc.
Worried about how you might get started with making monthly newsletters? Make a plan with our content experts below!
3. Social Media Marketing
The world of social media marketing can be overwhelming; however, it’s one of the most necessary tools to get your apartment community where you want it to be! Social media has the power to bring your local area to your page and also to make your current residents feel more at home. Utilize different social media channels to communicate with your future and existing residents. Social media will help you to build the following:
- Awareness – Get people interested!
- Brand Loyalty – Get people convinced!
- Community – Get people engaged!
New Social Media Apps On The Rise
Social media is still constantly on the rise as a way to bring in potential residents. In the last several months, many new forms of social media have become more popular. Social media forms that have typically been more of a “niche” are becoming more popular as mainstream ways to demonstrate apartment marketing.
Social media is about more than just posting. First, you need an effective content plan and the right content. Next, you need a posting strategy, so it’s all timed right. Finally, you will need to be consistent! The rewards of improving your social media will be completely worth it in the end.
4. Email Blasts
Attract more prospects through email blasts! Using the contact data collected, you can send details of your community right to your future resident’s inbox. An email blast may include details about your upcoming specials, available floor plans, and details about your local area. It’s a great way to get more information to your future residents’ fingertips. Communicating through email also ensures that you approach your residents from all angles! With the right email strategy, you can increase your leads and nurture the leads that you have so far.
What email blasts should you send to your future residents?
- Rent Reminders
- Asking For Reviews
- Scheduled Maintenance Reminders
- Resident Referral Information
Emails are one of the best forms of communication and an impressive form of marketing. Email blasts that are well-designed and professionally written can bring in traffic and also benefit your community as a whole.
5. Review Management
Don’t let bad reviews be why you can’t get new prospects. Implement a structured review process to enable your property to gain recent reviews and manage previous ones. Reviews are marketing materials that you can use in many different ways! The benefits of review management include:
- Identifying solutions to negative trends.
- Showing future residents you care.
- Showcases professionalism and proactive solutions.
Start turning your reviews into positive experiences for your property, your residents, and your prospects. With an improved review management strategy, you will then be on your way to greater apartment marketing success!
6. Monthly Blogs
It’s time to add a blog to your website! A monthly blog on your website will help your ranking on the search engines as well. Google recognizes the content that you have on your website and this will give your website a boost.
The benefits of apartment blogs include:
- Drive more traffic to your website.
- Provide unique and valuable content to more users.
- Set your community apart from the others.
- Encourage people to share your content.
Take your apartment website to the next level with a blog that’s full of helpful information for past, present, and future residents.
7. AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)
You need to ensure that your website is fully optimized for mobile devices. It’s no secret that the majority of web searching is done through a mobile device. The truth is, that younger generations are only using their mobile devices to scan the web. Accelerated Mobile Pages were introduced by Google in the fall of 2015. Since then, AMP pages have drastically changed the overall performance of mobile web usage. The framework consists of specific components that provide a mobile-focused delivery.
When a basic website has AMP, it substantially increases the mobile-friendliness and overall mobile-page speed of the website. This feature is highly convenient for loading 2D and 3D floor plans, and images.
Let’s look at an example of an apartment website utilizing AMP.
You will notice in this video that the entire web search experience is enhanced by the mobile speed. The pages load at almost an instant rate. This includes the full content on the page and the images. As prospects search the internet for a future apartment, their experience on a website paired with AMP will greatly increase their chances of signing a lease. The accelerated mobile pages allow them to review the content quicker, and easier.
8. Google Actions
Google Actions are directly correlated with Google Assistant. This method highlights an important aspect of the future of marketing. Most web searches are becoming mobile voice searches.
Websites that are designed to optimize voice search are going to have a far better opportunity to connect to their audience. Google Actions specifically allows the user to extend Google. By using voice search, a user can turn a basic web search into a conversation.
The truth is, that anyone can build a Google Action by following along with a few simple steps. In the photo below, you’ll notice that actions can be created for many different things.
An action may say something like “1 Bedroom Apartments in Sacramento“, or perhaps “Layton View Apartments Utah“. The idea is that the action will be perfectly catered to what individuals would say. This is the future of voice search and searching in general.
9. Schema Markup
Schema markup is a code or structured data that allows search engines to grab relevant information. Once schema markup is on a specific page, the page will then generate that information through the SERP (search engine results page.)
First, when you search Bella Grace Floorplans on Google you’ll notice the schema markup. In addition, the description now includes reviews, and you can also see the overall rating as well as the price for the floorplans.
With this method in place, web users can immediately see what the website content is about. Schema markup is going to benefit web users as they’re trying to navigate through a lot of information. It gives them the details they want to see the right upfront.
This allows prospects to make quicker decisions and motivates them to select your website.
10. Page Speed
Have you ever gotten on a website only to click away because nothing on the page was loading? This experience may be one of the most frustrating parts of searching the web.
When a prospect is searching online for an apartment, they’re looking for immediate answers to their questions. Lease decisions are also often made in a matter of seconds. Through specific page speed coding, your website can load almost immediately, which is ideal for every prospective resident.
A slow page speed means that you will lose prospects in their search. It also means that search engines will spend longer crawling your website, to see what information is there. The video below demonstrates the benefits of page speed.
11. Next Generation SEO
It is crucial to stay up-to-date on SEO information and optimize your website for new changes. The web has entered a new generation of SEO, that is full of modern adjustments to reach a new, and younger audience. One of the most prominent changes has been the evolution of “zero-click searches.” As an SEO agency for apartments, we use advancements to enhance your property’s visibility, driving more potential tenants to your listings.
What is a zero-click search?
A zero-click search is a process of finding a full snippet of information located in the SERP (search engine result page). This means that you don’t have to click on anything to understand more about the property, floor plans, reviews, etc. This type of SEO gives prospects the best opportunity to grab the information they need.
As you’ll notice in the example, someone can immediately see the price of the floorplans. The information was instantly available.
This is possible through custom website designs and an effective SEO strategy.
12. High-Quality Content
When SEO and content strategies combine, a website will perform better. Plus, all websites should have professional content that is very easy to read. All content should be informative, punctual, and professional, and maintain the integrity of a thorough SEO strategy.
In this example below, you’ll rapidly notice the huge shift in this website’s position ranking. This increase comes from creating high-quality SEO content. Website content can deeply impact the position of a website on the SERP (search engine results page.)
As hard as it is to believe, Google is just getting smarter, and smarter. Website content that isn’t focused on SEO is going to have a very hard time getting ranked on visible pages. Google knows what your website is about, and it has to be able to interpret the content, and context of your information. It is looking for the website that has the most relevant and best content.
Using keywords that are central to your apartment identity is essential. Despite many years of Google reminding us that content is everything, there are still websites that exist in this world with very low-quality content. Content can be easily forgotten as many people will write paragraphs themselves or depend on content from previous sites that they had.
So what separates mediocre content from powerful content? Google looks for content that is centered on the user’s experience. This means that your website’s content needs to be relevant and local to the user’s search. For example, if your prospect searches “1 bedroom apartments in Denver”, the content on your website should be able to connect to that search accurately. The ideal combination includes professional and well-written content, along with the right SEO strategy. The blend of technical and descriptive words can make all the difference on your site!
13. Interactive Content
The world today is looking for entertainment and involvement. Video marketing is one of the many ways that you can grab a prospect’s attention, and make an impact. It should be noted that prospects no longer have the patience to sift through a ton of material, and they want to be more entertained.
You can create interactive content through many different forms. You can implement interactive content by including video marketing, apartment virtual tours, and 3D Renderings. Try to develop ways that you can include interactive content in your regular apartment marketing ideas. It will change the way prospects view your community. Above all, you want to help give prospects enough confidence to move forward.
Why should you prioritize video apartment marketing?
It’s no secret that video has been evolving as one of the top digital marketing methods in the last several years. Video is such a broad category of advertising that it’s essential to narrow it down to the aspects that matter the most. Not to mention, there are various ways to incorporate videos directly into your website so that you can give every prospect an immersive experience.
Take videos a step further this year and incorporate them into your floor plans. The typical way of doing this is by including virtual tours on your website. However, this year you should get more creative by using apartment video tours! An apartment video tour is a floor plan that comes to life. Rather than just seeing an image as a floor plan, an apartment video tour walks through the entire layout. It accurately shows the space and allows prospects to have an interactive journey while searching for the floor plan of an apartment that is right for them.
There are a variety of other ways that you can incorporate video into your apartment marketing. This year you will want to think outside of the box when it comes to video. Use it everywhere, and compile professional and entertaining videos that will make your property shine.
14 – Page Experience
A page experience is exactly what it sounds like! It’s based on the user’s experience as they move throughout the entire website.
So what does page experience include exactly? Page experience includes different elements that account for the functionality of each page on your website. These factors include mobile-friendliness, page speed, along with other core web vitals. The upcoming Google algorithm changes will be focused on loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability.
With these website changes on the horizon, it is crucial to ensure that your website’s functionality is where it needs to be. While many sites continually focus on Internet Listing Services, this route is expensive and does not have the same benefits as your own website ranking. The new update will bring an increased focus on making sure your page development is technically and aesthetically fantastic.
15 – Interactive Maps
Property maps have been a staple in the apartment world for a long time. However, many properties still rely on outdated maps to show to prospects. These older maps are often tough to read and don’t accurately display features.
Paper maps are becoming more and more outdated and will be a low addition to your apartment’s online marketing strategy. To level up your property for the upcoming year, you will want to include an interactive map on your website. An interactive map is beneficial for various reasons, but most importantly, it gives your prospects an interactive experience. It allows them to engage with your community’s layout more accurately, select a floor plan, and discover more about your property. Interactive property maps are also a fantastic way to show what availability you have. You can demonstrate your community’s current status, which helps both you and your prospects. It’s the time to upgrade your map to one that is interactive!
16 – Apartment Text Messaging
Text messaging is the way to communicate now more than ever! Many properties have now implemented texting as one of their primary forms of resident communication. However, you can use many ways to use text messaging to take your property to the next level.
- Review Generation: Are you using text messaging as a form of resident communication to collect reviews? After a resident event, move-in, work order, or more, you could use texting as a way to ask for reviews. Include the link to where your residents can leave a review to make the process as easy as possible.
- Community Announcements: Texting is the quickest and easiest way to get your message across to all of your residents. Whether it’s an update that your entire property needs to hear or a reminder for our upcoming resident event, texting is efficient and comfortable.
- Resident Satisfaction: Better communication always results in better resident satisfaction. Your residents genuinely want to feel informed about what is going on in your community. Being unaware of changes in your living space is not fun, and many negative reviews for apartments lend the idea that resident communication was not handled well. If you want to communicate faster and better with your residents, text messaging is the way to go.
17 – Prioritize Gen-Z Marketing
With more Gen-Zers on the move than ever before, a crucial, multifamily advertising strategy will be targeting Gen-Z renters. These strategies and ideas can include things like certain move-in perks, amenity upgrades, and resident programs. This age group is typically drawn to extras that will make your community unique and special.
Properties that focus on giving Gen-Z “experiences” will naturally do better. This generation gravitates towards brands that are authentic and unique. Think outside of the box for what you can do to make your community one of a kind. Perhaps it’s initiating a resident program, installing a community garden, or including more merchandise with your move-in. These small changes will make all the difference when it comes to captivating the Gen-Z audience.
Measurable Apartment Marketing Results
The best apartment marketing means measurable results! Unique content that sets your community apart from the rest creates better visibility, resulting in more traffic to your website and more qualified leads. With a content-based strategy, you will be able to see your success and then analyze exactly where you’re at. You can measure your content by views, clicks, comments, shares, and reach. Ensure you have a data tracking strategy in place to have a clear idea of your efforts and results.
Transform Your Apartment Marketing
Now is the time to use creative apartment marketing ideas that make your property hard to resist. These strategies have proven to increase your ranking on search engines. They also lead to a larger influx of prospects, which results in more leases. The internet is constantly flooding with apartment marketing ideas, and it’s important to narrow it down to the ones that will help your multifamily community the most. In a competitive niche, it’s crucial to stay up-to-date on the latest marketing strategies that can take your apartments to the next level.
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Categorised in: Apartment Marketing
This post was written by Isabella Housel
Isabella Housel is a passionate and versatile professional writer with a deep love for words and a commitment to crafting compelling content that engages, informs, and inspires. With many years of experience in the industry, she has honed her skills across various genres, from creative storytelling to informative articles and technical documentation.