Month: July 2021

apartment welcome packet apartment welcome packet

Apartment Welcome Packet for Move-Ins and What to Include

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 26, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing. 2 Comments on Apartment Welcome Packet for Move-Ins and What to Include

You’ve wowed them enough with the first impressions, and move-in day has arrived. Now how to keep those positive vibes flowing? Ensure their move in is seamless, and they have all the need-to-know details that they could ever use. Here are the essentials to make your apartment welcome packet for new move-ins shine and what exactly to include!

Branded Folder

Take some design cues from your property’s brand style guidelines, and create a streamlined folder. This will serve as a branded carryall for your apartment welcome packet that you’ll stuff with info, offers and goodies.

Pro Tip: double the useful life of these folders and use them to send touring prospects home with your floor plan sheets and other marketing materials.

Business Card

Include your business card in the apartment welcome packet folder flap so they have all of your contact details on hand. You’ve worked up a rapport with these new residents, and they will probably reach out to you, directly, with their first few questions and requests.

Welcome Letter

Future residents may not have met the manager on their leasing journey. Provide a nice introduction to your management team so they will recognize the friendly faces. This is also a perfect opportunity to showcase some of the highlights of your management company – your mission, vision, and values. Residents like to have a trust factor with management so they can feel at ease in their new home.

Info Sheet

Provide a simple one-pager with the essentials your new move-ins are going to need – their apartment number, parking space number, gate code, community rules and amenity hours. This is also a great place to include emergency maintenance information – no one likes to get locked out or have their AC go down, but it happens. Provide hours and contact info for your emergency procedures.

Property Sitemap

Your big meandering property can be a maze to new residents. Include a branded sitemap in the apartment welcome packet, and mark their new apartment, carport or garage space. Demonstrate the quickest ways to get to the amenities, clubhouse and mailboxes from their new home.

Valet Trash Flyer

Keep residents in the loop on important days like trash pick-up times and etiquette if you offer a valet-trash service at your community. They will be happy to know how to recycle all those move-in boxes, and make it easy to haul away the trash so they quickly transition into their new space.

Concierge Services Flyer

If your community offers concierge services – include a flyer in your apartment welcome packet outlining your menu of these extra amenity add-ons! Present some of the most-used services and any applicable fees.

Package Service

If you provide a package receiving company as an amenity, such as Luxer One Package Lockers, walk them through how to retrieve their packages. New residents often have incoming shipments and this handout will make it easier for them at move-in time.

Event Calendar

The fastest way for new residents to feel welcome is by attending a fun event. Show them how to jump in, meet new residents and keep up with the events you have taking place in your community by including the current month’s calendar of events.

Local Business Information

Consolidate all of your favorite local spots in one document, and have this handy in your apartment welcome packet. Residents will appreciate knowing the closest hospitals, vets, airports, schools, etc. When it comes to restaurants and bars, connect with your community to provide custom discounts or specials. Sure, residents could just google a new Thai restaurant, but it takes your service up a notch when you provide a thoughtful package of deals tailored to your residents’ busy lifestyles!

Welcome Door Hanger

Deck their doors with a door hanger welcoming them to the community – it will be the first thing they see in their new home. It’s the thoughtful details that go the extra mile to ensure your residents feel they’ve made the right decision leasing at your community.

Welcome Gift

A beautiful welcome gift placed inside their apartment will feel like the nicest touch when they first walk in the door. Gifts don’t have to be extravagant – include something personalized to your brand or simply deliver a fresh baked bag of cookies from a local shop.

Reviews Notecard

Statistics show, residents are happiest on move-in day. Ask them to write a review on the website of your choice. Include a ‘leave us a review’ card in your welcome packet folder asking them to rate their experience on Yelp, Apartment Ratings, Google or the property website.

Resident Referral Flyer

It’s never too early to start asking for referrals. They may know plenty of other people in the market for a new apartment, and they’ll be excited to show off theirs. Include a resident referral incentive flyer in your apartment welcome packet to let them know from day one how they will be rewarded for inviting their friends to become neighbors.

As you assemble all these pieces for your bustling Welcome Packet, no need to get overwhelmed. A professional like zipcode creative is always able to pretty them up so it’s cohesive, informative and on brand!

Avaire valet trash flyer, The Eugene concierge services flyer, and Share Your Experience reviews notecard are ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

Realtors and Apartment Locators Helping Generate Leads

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 12, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

In multifamily housing, the competition is stiff. In 2019, over 400,000 new apartment units were under construction—and that number is only expected to grow and grow. That means that, when renters are on the hunt for their next apartment, they have plenty of options to choose from. So the question becomes: How can you stand out in the crowd and get prospective residents in the door for a tour?

Marketing to realtors and apartment locators should most definitely be a part of your prospect marketing strategy. Experienced real estate agents generate leads from a variety of sources – often, the most effective leads come from referrals or repeat business, which make up the bulk of real estate transactions, at 89%. Having local realtors and apartment locators on your side will drive ongoing leads for your community with only a little effort up front to establish the relationships.

Locating the Locators (and Realtors)

Any realtor could potentially become the right partner for your community. While multifamily experience is a big bonus, many realtors mistakenly overlook the multifamily housing space because they aren’t aware of the opportunities for commission. Build relationships with realtors in your local area and equip them with the tools they need to 1. Understand your apartment community and all it has to offer, and 2. Incentivize them with commissions for their referrals.

An apartment home may just be the perfect fit for those who have already sold their home and need to rent temporarily as they seek the right house to buy, or the right time in the market to buy. Having a realtor who can direct these prospects to your property will benefit you both in the long run – having a comfortable home for 6-12 months in the interim is sure to create a loyal and happy client for the realtor. In other cases, there are times when realtors will have clients who want an apartment for the easier upkeep and maintenance. Whether young professionals who are rarely home or empty nesters who are looking to downsize, moving from a home into an apartment is sometimes the best approach. If that’s the case, your ongoing relationship with the realtor helps to ensure they think of your community first!

Marketing to Realtors and Apartment Locators

Experienced real estate agents generate leads from a variety of sources – often, the most effective leads come from referrals or repeat business, which make up the bulk of real estate transactions, at 89%. Outside of their clients and referrals, realtors often connect with new leads through networking at events, on social media, or even through cold calling. Once they’ve identified a promising lead and evaluated their needs, they can promote your community to those who fit the right criteria.

Begin building these relationships by hosting realtor events at your community like breakfasts, luncheons, and happy hours so you can get to know them, give them a tour and share the marketing assets they need to sell your units. While realtors are pros at generating interest in various properties, they also need to be equipped with the right tools to close the deal. Be sure to create a packet of marketing materials that they can use to educate their clients about your community. Include things like:

Community Brochures
Amenity Sheets
Price Sheets
Floor Plan Sheets
Property Sitemaps

With these resources, they can become an expert about your community and serve as a partner to help you lease-up. If your current materials are a little lackluster, consider teaming up with a design agency like zipcode creative that can bring your community to life with these creative branding marketing materials!

Incentivizing Realtors and Apartment Locators

Realtors and apartment locators can be a valuable asset to your leasing team – especially if you’re in a crowded market, encouraging realtors to promote your property is vital to getting more prospects in the door.

Realtors work on commission, and their livelihood depends on selling homes. You’ll have to offer a generous incentive to make it worthwhile for them to suggest your community over encouraging a home sale, where they will on average earn between 3-6% of the sale price of a home. Consider offering the amount of 1-2 month’s rent as a commission when their referral signs a 12-month lease – a win-win-win scenario for the realtor, their client, and your community!

Want to arm your realtor partners with the best possible marketing materials? Get started with zipcode creative today!.

Example image of Cimmaron price sheet is ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

apartment marketing brochure apartment marketing brochure

An Apartment Marketing Brochure Design for Print and Digital

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 7, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Graphic Design. 2 Comments on An Apartment Marketing Brochure Design for Print and Digital

Does even thinking about marketing your community make your palms sweat? If you get easily overwhelmed when you think about all of the possibilities, there’s an easy and effective place to start: an apartment marketing brochure to showcase your community and drive in leads.

Instead of shelling out all of your budget on flashy marketing tactics, a brochure is a proven option that will help you convert prospects by showing them all your community has to offer. It’s a great option for a tangible keep-sake for visiting prospects and a great first introduction to those browsing online.

WHY HAVE AN APARTMENT MARKETING BROCHURE

For multifamily communities, marketing is an integral element that ensures your building leases up quickly and retains residents. From digital channels like email marketing and social media to printed materials like business cards and flyers, there are nearly endless possibilities for how to market your property. But there’s one piece of collateral that you can’t go without: a marketing brochure.

Brochures, whether printed or digital, are the perfect way to give prospects a high-level overview of your property. Gorgeous photos of your amenity spaces, floor plans, and everything in between all can go into your apartment marketing brochure to provide a ton of information in a small package. That way, prospective residents don’t feel overwhelmed by dozens of sheets of info or multiple links, and instead can learn all of the most important info on your community, all in one concise place.

TYPES OF APARTMENT MARKETING BROCHURES

The best part about brochures is that they are not one-size-fits all. The style and format is flexible enough to accommodate different communities, ensuring you can always find one that works for your community and your budget.

Booklet Brochure

If you want to provide a comprehensive way for people to learn more, a booklet brochure is your best bet. This bound style can have as many or as few pages as you need to provide more details about your community. You can even include multiple pages to highlight each different aspect like floor plans, the neighborhood, and more. The size and shape are completely flexible with a booklet apartment marketing brochure, rectangle, square, horizontal, vertical – dealer’s choice!

Trifold Brochure

Trifold brochures are a classic for a reason. This rectangular style is folded twice over the center section, resulting in six different sides while opening up to a standard 8.5×11 sheet of paper. With a trifold you have plenty of space to share more information about your community, and can even designate different panels to different focus areas, so they each get the spotlight they deserve.

Gatefold Brochure

A gatefold style is made up of four folded sections, resulting in an eight-panel brochure. The paper used is the same size as a tri-fold, but simply folded differently to create additional panels or sections. This way, you have several pages to showcase different elements of your community, so you can emphasize the most important details.

Bi-Fold Brochure

If you want to keep things short and sweet, a bi-fold brochure is the perfect option. This style has four larger sides—a front and back cover and two inside pages (still totaling a standard sheet of a paper when unfolded like a trifold and a gatefold) —so you can give a high-level overview of your community’s most eye-catching amenities, pricing and floor plans, and enough information to pique a prospect’s interest.

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN AN APARTMENT MARKETING BROCHURE

With so many styles to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start. But there are a few key elements that will make your brochure as successful as possible, no matter which style you choose.

Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so don’t forget to include them throughout your brochure! Photos are the first thing a prospect will look at before even reading a single word on the page, so make sure to select your best images of both the community amenities and interior units.

Pro tip: Kitchens and pools are the most sought after photos when shopping for an apartment community.

About

Share more about your community to give prospects a better sense of what it would be like to live there – from describing your top amenities to nearby location conveniences – paint a picture with words to entice the reader.

Amenities

An apartment building isn’t just about the unit itself—it’s also about the shared amenities and social aspects. From community spaces like pools and dog parks to roof decks, be sure to emphasize all of the different areas available to residents to round out their lifestyle. Keep it simple and list out your top features!

Floor Plans

The size and layout of an apartment is often one of the biggest factors when prospects are looking to move. Make their lives easier by including the floor plan information right in the brochure. That way, they don’t have to do any digging, and have all the info they need on hand.

Pro tip: If you have a lot of floor plan options, including them all in an apartment marketing could be overwhelming. Instead, try creating individual floor plan marketing sheets. That way, you can give prospects the exact floor plan they’re interested in and tuck it into the brochure, so they have all the info they need in one place.

Neighborhood

The neighborhood is just as important as the community itself. Consider adding a location map with favorite restaurants and shops to showcase all that the area has to offer in nearby proximity to their new home.

If you’re ready to make the leap and design an apartment marketing brochure that will wow prospects, give us a shout!

Get started on your brochure with zipcode creative today!

Talavera brochure featured under ‘gatefold brochure’ section is ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

Archives

Categories