We get it – new, fun, shiny things excite people – but there is nothing that beats comfort and charm when moving into a new apartment. Stable properties (compared to lease-ups, which we explored in a blog recently) are great because of their stories and the people that already call it their home. Reviews exist, there is a community built up, and you know your market. Stable properties do present a number of challenges that you may not find with lease-ups, but there are a number of steps you can take to ensure your property is as fresh-faced as a lease-up but with more vibrant stories to tell.
Make Sure Your Local Presence is in Order
You’ve been around the block and you’ve made lots of renters happy that live in your building, but making sure you get new residents in the door can be challenging. Do you have the following for your site?
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A Google My Business listing with enhanced information – such as added hours, community info (in the description), and some really nice looking photos. These are critical to making sure you show up when prospects search.
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If you don’t have a listing – hop to it! We gave you the 4 easy steps in our lease up blog linked above.
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Local citations – like a Facebook, Yelp, and local site listing. Don’t forget that people also use these types of sites to find a new place to call home. Keep the same tactics in mind as mentioned above: community info, hours, and really nice photos can help you stand out against your comps.
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Are you within walking distance from the city’s football stadium or 5 minutes down the street for one of the state’s famous pizza joints? Add a little pizzazz to your on-site content if it’s lacking. Put any information about your neighborhood or city that your renters will be looking for. You can even add in public transportation routes and pricing for bigger metros where you know people will need a lift to get around.
Refresh Your Creative
Newer and more updated apartments will always be coming onto the market – it’s a given. Make sure that your paid ads and any images or videos on-site look just as good as the young comps out there.
Are you running display campaigns for audiences using old logos or a sad, blurry picture of the front of your building? Load some new high-quality images in and you’ve given your brand a facelift. Is your main homepage image your pool that shut down six months ago for a big renovation? Switch out the picture with a beautiful picture of your front lawn and signage or your massive entryway and lush layout in your leasing office.
This is good practice to keep up with every few months or at least bi-annually. As you upgrade your property to make a comfy home for your renters, make sure your online presence gets the same kind of treatment and feels the same kind of love.
Try New Channels (Where it Makes Sense)
Your community will change over time based on some factors that you control (like rent prices, renovations, etc.) and some that may be out of your control completely (like gentrification of a neighborhood, big business coming in nearby, economic changes, etc.). With those changes come changes in how your prospects find you.
Are you seeing a huge influx of much younger tenants? You may want to explore Snapchat or Instagram to show off your property and your fancy lazy river pool. Social channels in general may be a new shift in budget compared to your past campaigns to keep up with your audiences online.
Conversely, say your tenants change from singles to families. You may want to try out new paid campaigns that cater to their searches: proximity to schools, neighborhood parks, and kid-friendly fun nearby. You’ll want to see your ad at the top of the page for any of those types of searches when your prospects are evaluating their family’s next home.
Stable properties can offer a wealth of great features just as any new lease-up, but you have to make sure your property is putting it’s best foot forward online. Need a friend to help you freshen up your look? We can offer some help.
