Apartment Community First Impressions

Today, digital first impressions are the main way you’ll get a first impression as an apartment community. So, your website needs to be ready to catch some eyes, pique some curiosity, and answer some questions. Billboards are still out there, sure, but websites are the new billboard. The homepage header text is the billboard tagline. The imagery is the eye-catcher. The contact us page is the phone number at the bottom. For apartment community first impressions, potential residents are about to have their perceptions shaped—does your community speak to them and meet their criteria?

According to Census.gov, renters who moved from 2019 to 2021 found places primarily through internet sites (like Craig’s List, apartment.com, realtor.com or Zillow) (46%) and through word of mouth (39.1%). More affluent renter households were more likely to use internet sites to find new rentals. (54.3% compared to the 30.2% below the poverty level).

When you head to an internet site or hear about a place—the next step is clicking the link to the property website, or Googling the apartment community until you find it.

So:
There’s no better place to be than where your prospects are LOOKING. So: Learn how to “set the tone” for future interactions using your brand paired with your website to make an excellent first impression to help their decision-making process.

Branded Website = Power

BRANDING REVIEW

A brand is great because of the work that’s put into it, and the consistency the team maintains.
At Zipcode Creative, we take great pride in asking the right questions, doing the research (on your ideal resident) and crafting brand guidelines that align with your vision and with your target resident. See the ingredients for the secret sauce to apartment branding here.

A good brand has all the makings of a fantastic first impression:

• Name – Research on your IRP, history, and locale along with availability for URLs and socials helps us narrow this down and make it uncommon, memorable, and relatable
• Logo – Whether a refresh or a strategic new design, it will be made to grab attention, portray professionalism, and tell your story (in the shortest way possible)
• Visual Identity – 55% of brand first impressions are visual, and it only takes 50 milliseconds for consumers to judge the visual appeal of your brand. The color palette, typography, icons, and plenty more keep you recognizable.
• Verbal Identity – Voice and tone development helps you indicate your brand through your words. Your messaging and how you say it. Taglines, headlines, phrasing.

When you have all the pieces, you’re ready to set up your website to impress.

WEBSITE AS BRANDING PLATFORM

The website you create is how you can showcase your brand. On it you can show off your brand personality and engage the audience you want to target using your well-developed visuals and perfectly precise messaging.

Visual Branding on the Website

THE RIGHT PLATFORM?

When it comes to creating your website, there are a few “typical” ways to go. You might choose a template website, or go all in for your brand with a custom site design. Depending on which way you go, we’d recommend Jonah Digital for template sites and RESI for template and custom sites. Both offer beautiful options that provide the integration you’ll need to use with your property management system.

BRAND VISUALS TO STAND OUT

The main reason your brand must be developed before you set to work on your website is to enable your community to stand out. There are so many websites these days. And competition for apartment communities is only getting stiffer. Strategize by making your brand different—and consistent. Your brand visuals should resonate with the prospects you’re targeting so you can create conversions using your best marketing tool: your website. 

A note on template sites: Using brand visuals to stand out is particularly important if you’re using a template site that’s similar to your competitors. Work on making your template site (if that’s the type of website you’ve chosen) to be as custom-looking as possible. Curate your imagery carefully and adjust the design to set it apart.

Brand Voice on the Website

Making sure that all your bases are covered with your brand voice can help keep things consistent and recognizable. There are no sharp left turns with the messaging that throw off your website visitors. And if you craft your voice right and address the proper pain points (while offering solutions) you become the answer for your prospects, encouraging them to engage with you.

SEO VS. BRAND VOICE

If you want to make a good first impression, you have to be found through search, as well. This means finding the right balance between SEO-focused content and ensuring your brand voice still comes through. Optimize and engage—that’s a tall order, but it will get eyeballs on your site, and your brand voice will keep them there. Learn more about striking the right chords with your content and using SEO and brand voice to capture and engage.

CRAFT COMPELLING COPY

To make a good first impression is one thing. That’s usually up to good SEO and interesting visuals. But your copy will keep your website visitors on the website. To create attention-grabbing copy, try the following tips:

Write for short attention spans – Apartment hunters don’t have time to sit and read something super long. Get to the point.

Write scannable text – Give ‘em the highlight reel, with bullet points and clear headers.

Use simple, familiar words – It’s not the time to show off your fantastical lexicon…er, amazing vocabulary. Be approachable (generally) and keep with your brand personality.

Cut the fluff – Make your sentences short and sweet. If you can get the point across with what you’ve said, don’t add any more. EDIT!

Make a Lasting Impression

According to PERQ, website leads are more likely to book a tour and sign a lease than leads from any other source—across the board, for the past two years.

That means your website has a lot of heavy lifting to do. Make a memorable impression on the site visitors. Strategize around the user journey. Answer their questions. Encourage them to take the next step with a clear call-to-action: Schedule a Tour Today!

Start your relationship off with your prospects on the right foot.
Capture with SEO.
Attract with visuals.

Engage with verbal messaging.

And before you do any of it:
Ensure your branding is up to the task.

Brand recognition can lead to conversion, whether for tours or leases. Invest in your branding so your website works for you.