Author: Stacey Feeney

Leasing Incentives That Work as an Effective Marketing Campaign

Written by Stacey Feeney on January 20, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Marketing. 1 Comment on Leasing Incentives That Work as an Effective Marketing Campaign

Convince prospects to become your newest residents by strategically marketing your ongoing leasing incentives. If you have a can’t-miss leasing special going on, it’s time to shout it from the rooftops! Incentives are an amazing way to get prospective residents who are on the fence to take the leap and become your community’s newest neighbors. But you need to make sure they’re fully aware of the incentive first so they can take full advantage.

Create a Sense of Urgency

Before you choose which marketing tactics to use for your leasing incentive campaign, it’s important to identify your main goals and determine how you can best position your leasing incentives to achieve them. While the number of new leads and new leases is typically the primary measure of success, the best way to hit your target is usually to create a sense of urgency of a fear of missing out among your audience.

Leasing specials don’t last long, so it’s the perfect time to get potential residents who are on the fence to take the leap. No matter what type of marketing collateral you’re working on, be sure to look at it through that “FOMO” angle. There are a specific few words and key phrases that will make your audience more likely to engage:

- Don’t wait
- Last chance
- Act fast
- Hurry
- Limited-time
- Ending Soon

Use these keywords strategically in headlines, subject lines, body copy, and even calls-to-action will impart the time-sensitive nature of the offer. When paired with the offer end date, it will help create the perfect blend of urgency to make existing prospects your newest residents.

How to Turn Leasing Incentives into a Marketing Campaign

Instead of relying solely on word of mouth to generate interest or sharing the details only with prospects who come on-site for a tour, it’s time to think bigger about how you communicate your leasing incentives.

Use these tried-and-true marketing strategies to help increase interest and fill up those vacant units faster.

Email Marketing

With Millennials and Gen Z making up the majority of renters, it’s important to factor their preferences in when developing your campaign. As digital natives, these groups tend to prevent an online-first approach, like email. Leverage your existing mailing list and create a series of emails to promote your ongoing leasing incentives.

When you’re writing your emails, start with your subject line. Make sure it’s eye-catching and interesting so it doesn’t blend in with the rest of the recipient’s inbox. Try to also add a sense of urgency with those earlier phrases, like “Don’t Wait!” or “Last Chance!” to make them more likely to click.

Within the body of the email, be sure to include vital information, like the terms of the incentive, the time frame, and any fine print. You should also feature beautiful pictures of your community—both the amenity spaces and the apartments—and include a clear call to action at the end so they always know exactly what to do next.

Social Media

Strategically use your social media channels to reach a wider online audience than just your email list. Create Instagram stories that show off your property and outline the details of the leasing incentives. Think outside of the box to come up with creative ways to show off what your community has to offer prospective residents.You could do a Q&A chat with your property manager, do a live tour of the community, or give an insider look at one of the available floor plans. Pique their interest in order to get them to sign on the dotted line once they see the amazing incentives that you’re offering!

Don’t forget to post across all of your other social accounts as well, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok. You never know where you might reach a potential resident or someone who may refer one, so it’s important to cast a wide net. Be sure to also add relevant hashtags to make the post discoverable to the widest audience possible. Explore existing tags that are tied to your neighborhood and surrounding community to tap into local audiences across your channels.

Direct Mail

Though direct mail may seem like an old-school or outdated approach to marketing, it’s actually a very effective way to reach your target audience. Some studies have found that it can even be up to 30 times as effective as some digital marketing methods in generating a response, so be sure to include this tactic when marketing your leasing incentives.

Though there are nearly endless options for direct mail collateral, a postcard is the perfect way to showcase your leasing incentives. This economical option is more affordable than larger mailers like brochures or catalogs, while still allowing you to promote the best parts of your community. Choose from various size options to find the perfect postcard that allows you to include beautiful property photography or curated stock images, a catchy headline, and all of the details about your leasing specials.

Like with your email marketing, be sure to also include a clear call to action and your website URL so the recipient knows exactly what the next steps are to schedule a tour or get in touch to sign a lease.

Local Business Partnerships

Instead of relying exclusively on your existing list of leads, expand your opportunities to find prospective residents by partnering with local businesses. Consider creating a preferred employer program to incentivize employees of specific local businesses or certain professional groups within your area. People like teachers, doctors and nurses, or government employees are ideal groups to offer these special leasing incentives as a reward for their work in giving back to the community.

Offering them a special discounted rate not only benefits them, but also can help you lease-up faster, making it a win-win situation for both you and your new residents.

Ready to create a compelling, 360-degree campaign for your leasing incentives, but not sure where to start? At zipcode creative, we’re experts at working with communities across the country to create eye-catching print and digital materials that help them meet—and exceed!—their marketing goals.

Reach out to our team today to get started.

Capriana and Rize design are ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

Know Your Selling Points: Appeal to Every Resident

Written by Stacey Feeney on January 11, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Apartment communities can have a very particular demographic, whether because of their amenity offering, their location, or the way they have advertised, apartment residents can be similar in age, interest, or needs. However, if you are looking for ways to expand your demographic, and attract all age groups and every resident, start zeroing in on the unique offerings of your apartment community, and pay attention to what groups are attracted by which amenity: When you find the right selling point, prospects will be lining up to live there!

Consider Community Amenities As Selling Points

Beyond the basics, every resident will have different needs. However, there are some amenities that will appeal to a broad variety of residents–be sure to capitalize on each and every part in your marketing.

Make Technology Easy: Have the WiFi password in a visible place in your clubhouse. Make your printers easy to connect to, and advertise your energy star rated appliances in your marketing materials, as well. Know which WiFi providers are available to your residents, and have current rates handy for when they ask.

Hit Refresh: The pool is a great space for everyone–to relax, have fun, stay cool, and stay fit. Show off your pool to any and all residents, and have a schedule handy of different pool aerobics classes, or anything other events that are based around the community pool.

Pet-Friendliness: From single persons to senior citizens, many have a constant companion that is absolutely part of the family. Make sure they know that their pooch is not only allowed–but welcome. Show off any pet amenities you may have, from treats at the front desk, to a special dog area in your community. Read our blog on pet-friendly apartment marketing.

Safety First: An aspect of safety is front and center for many residents. Make sure the elderly and your young new renters (leaving the safety of their parents’ home) know they have reliable locks, gates and codes to get into their spaces and community areas easily, while having peace of mind about their security.

Community amenities make for great selling points.

Selling Points: Give Them Apartment Options

Apartments of varying sizes will appeal to different groups–however, you can appeal to everyone when you emphasize specific parts of your community, especially as it pertains to the layout and number of bedrooms.

Empty nesters who are coming from outside the urban area will be looking for beautiful, chef-style kitchens, with nice appliances, spacious closets, and plenty of bedrooms for guests. They are searching for a home that doesn’t require upkeep (like mowing the lawn or fixing the roof) while still enjoying plenty of time and space at home. They’re a great target for your larger layout apartments.

Younger renters will likely go for one-bedroom apartment layouts that are close to their favorite community amenities. They will likely spend plenty of time outside of their apartment going to work, going out for dinner, and enjoying the night life.

As far as options go, you don’t have to be everything to everyone. But only you know what will be most popular with your community. Stay on top of apartment and amenity trends, and keep your current residents in mind as you shift marketing to reach new residents with your unique selling points.

Activities Bring Residents Together

Resident events and activities are a fantastic way to appeal to a variety of people. A group may not appear to have much in common, but one good crowd-pleasing movie night can put an end to that. Beyond movies, food is another way to connect community members. Include any regular potlucks, special holiday food crafting, and food competitions to the calendar to show off to touring apartment visitors.

Outdoorsy Types: Also, getting outdoors for a group hike or organizing a 5K team could be just the ticket for your residents to finally come out of their shell and exercise with their community. Have the sign up near the front desk for future residents to see (and get excited about, if they like hiking or running!)

Books: There’s a definite likelihood that you have a number of “bookworm” residents–get them to do a book exchange, or create a borrow/read/return corner with a swiveling book rack for residents to find their next page-turner. Have a coffee corner in the clubhouse. Sometimes it’s nice to gather around a cup of joe and chat with a new person, rather than going through a drive-thru, or having coffee at home.

Classes: Consider also, what activities your residents may be interested in learning about, and see if there are any residents that would be willing to teach a class (or bring in a local expert!) Wouldn’t it be fun to learn how to crochet, how to make pasta, or how to do calligraphy? Learning new things will keep residents connected to each other through the classes, and will help them appreciate what the community manager does to create these events!

Whatever you do, make sure the calendar full of activities, clubs, and nooks is obvious in the front desk area, the clubhouse, and is mentioned in your marketing materials.

Ways to Reach Out to Prospective Residents

Not every resident reads the newspaper anymore, so you probably won’t go for a print ad–unless you know that’s your demographic. You should work on varying your reach out method, keeping some physical and some virtual methods intact to reach farther into the community.

Send Out E-blasts: Emails with attention-grabbing subject lines, chock full of information that will make your email prospects click can help you move them down the sales funnel.

Help Them See the Signs: Signage will help them notice you while they’re out for a walk. “Now Leasing” is just the beginning of a beautiful relationship!

Get Social: Social media is where you’ll find almost everyone. Facebook is ideal for older generations. Instagram and TikTok are ideal for millennials and younger. Use it to your advantage! Post entertaining and helpful content regularly.

Guide and Delight: Make sure your website is easy to navigate for all visitors (young and senior citizens alike), and make sure all of your photos are updated regularly.

The Full Package: Having details in hand will help steer prospective residents your way. A beautiful booklet or brochure with all the details they may need is like having a salesperson sitting on their desk, reminding them that you exist (and you might be a perfect fit).

Diversifying your reach-out methods will enable you to reach all the residents you can handle. Be communicative about what you have, and make sure the message gets to everyone.

Your apartment community doesn’t have to be everything to everyone. It’s better if you pay attention to which amenities are appealing to which residents. From there, find your best selling points, advertise them well, and to the right prospect. Confidently offer your best–and reach the community you want.

Featured image and Talia flyer are ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

Organize Your Marketing Strategies with Asana

Written by Stacey Feeney on January 4, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

It’s time to bring your community into the digital age. Instead of tracking tasks on paper or using antiquated and outdated systems, the right project management tool can streamline your operations to save you time and minimize headaches. Organize your marketing strategies with Asana.

Asana is our favorite platform that helps you get more done in less time. We even work in Asana side-by-side with our clients, thanks to the way it simplifies communication and makes it easier to work together on the same tasks. That way, we’re always aligned on the status of projects and can ask questions, provide updates, and ensure our clients get their materials on time and within budget. Learn more about how you can leverage Asana to keep your community on track and help optimize for efficiency.

Streamline Project Management

Asana helps you track tasks, manage teams, and create consistent processes to help your community run more smoothly. From setting up your monthly marketing calendar to keeping track of work orders to tracking prospective resident leads, everything becomes simpler with this powerful platform. You can set different milestones and track your team’s progress, and assign different tasks to different team members to more easily delegate. That way, you can easily look at the big picture—and drill down to the details—all in one place.

Integrate with Your Other Tools

Asana doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It integrates with countless other software like Salesforce, Slack, Outlook, and Zoom, so you can have a more unified ecosystem. Instead of switching back and forth between dozens of different tools and platforms, you can even build processes and workflows across different applications to make it even more streamlined from start to finish. This helps you and your staff spend less time dealing with different software and spend more time on what really matters.

Automate Tasks & Reduce Errors

Instead of having to remember every little thing, Asana makes it simple to automate and schedule different tasks to simplify your daily to-do list. From onboarding new employees to work request forms, you can automate different processes and approvals for a one-stop-shop for everything. You can also create templates for different initiatives, like email marketing or social media, which makes building out your community’s marketing calendar a breeze for a month, a quarter, or even the entire year. Stop going back to the drawing board every time and give yourself a head start.

Work from Anywhere

Asana has both a desktop and mobile application that syncs across all devices. That way, you have all of the best features of the platform right at your fingertips, no matter where you are. Whether you’re offsite at an event, moving between multiple properties, or greeting residents at the front desk, you can always check in on your tasks and keep your team updated on your progress. Many of our clients have found Asana to be an ideal tool to organize your marketing teams, especially when the team is remote.

Beyond just the features and functionality of the tool, Asana also makes it easier to collaborate with different vendors. At zipcode, Asana makes it simple for us to streamline the process for our clients. We’re also flexible, and happy to work with clients via email or any other platform they prefer to make the partnership as smooth as possible. Our goal is for you to instantly feel like we’re part of your in-house team! Interested in kick-starting a project with our team in Asana? Reach out today to get started!

Staging Apartments for Winter Tours

Written by Stacey Feeney on December 7, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Have you ever walked into someone’s home during the holidays and felt that instant sense of coziness and belonging? There’s a reason for that feeling. Your host has put time and energy into creating an inviting atmosphere that exudes warmth and peace. You can make your prospects feel right at home with these winter apartment staging tips and you’ll be sure to make it worth their while!

Staging Outside

You don’t need to have a curb to make your leasing office appealing to passersby. A simple welcome mat and a clean (repainted if necessary) door will put visitors at ease. Wintertime also often means muddy boots and wet shoes. Give your prospects a place to take off boots and shoes before they check out the model apartment. Have a chair or a bench nearby if possible–you don’t want to have them struggle just before they come inside. If your model unit has a walk up, ensure any and all leaves and snow/ice are removed for a safe and clean entry to the front door.

Staging with Nature

Bring the outdoors in (but not too much)! Have a simple green wreath for the front door, and have a plant or two in bathrooms or in the kitchen. Having a little greenery inside the apartment can help it feel like an ideal living space. If you want to go more towards a holiday feel, create a simple centerpiece (with candles or ribbon) so your potential residents can imagine hosting holiday parties or feasts during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and any other holidays they volunteer to host. A bowl of oranges in the kitchen will be a nice pop of color, as well.

Staging with Light

The days are shorter and colder, which means you want as much light inside as possible. Turn on a variety of lights at varying heights throughout the apartment you’re showing so your prospects feel comfortable walking through, not having to ask about turning lights on or off. Open up all the curtains and let any and all natural light in. Bonus points for open curtains in the night time, as they’ll be able to see the home-y glow from the outside as they walk up. If you’re able to point out the cozy glow from the apartment’s windows before you get there, they’ll picture themselves pointing holiday visitors to their home, too. Having your lights on a timer will help make this task a bit simpler, while still saving you a little cash on electricity.

Staging for Coziness

Over the last few years, we’ve all heard a new word from the Danish: hygge. (HOO-gah). The easiest way to make your space “hygge” is by lighting a candle. Make it cozy. Put warm blankets on the arms of the couch. Have a few pillows out. Turn up your thermostat a little higher to make sure no one is shivering when they step into your apartments. (This is another moment where timers can help–set the thermostat to turn up to the 70s when you’re touring, and have it turn back down after your tour times are over.) If your apartments are appointed with a fireplace, have it on before the tour begins, and stage your living area around it, to fully captivate your prospective residents–in the winter, your fireplace should be the focal point. Create a hot drink or coffee bar with mugs and a selection of teas, hot chocolate, and hot cider to warm guests up and get them thinking about how nice the view is while they sip their fresh coffee. Appealing to the senses is an easy way to get your future residents on board.

Staging with Color

Grey, beige, tan, and white are the most neutral colors to have in a space, and will therefore appeal to a broader audience. If you do choose to go with a pop of color, stay consistent. If you present a new color theme to your prospective residents every time they move to a new room, the apartment decor will have a lack of continuity throughout. Choose one or two colors that you’ll have throughout the home to keep your future residents’ attention as they tour your staged apartment. For wintertime, you can go with a deep navy and a mustard yellow, or a deep burgundy with plenty of greenery throughout. Whatever you choose, don’t go overboard.

Staging for the Holidays

This could be the space where your future residents host many happy Thanksgivings, warm Christmases, joyous New Years–help them envision it even better. Place bells on the doorknob, place a bunting around the porch. Battery-operated candles in the window make for a festive (and safe) way to welcome visitors, as well. If you’re tempted to simmer spices on the stove or bake cookies, keep it real and keep it light. Just a little apple cider could be plenty to help create a warm atmosphere. Avoid fake smells with sprays and plug-in diffusers–many are sensitive to artificial scents–the real thing is so much better!

Staging for the Right Audience

You know better than anyone else who your ideal resident may be. If you are in a Jewish community or neighborhood, don’t put up a Christmas tree. Likewise, don’t put up Hanukkah decor if you know that your neighborhood primarily celebrates Christmas. The best method with the decor you choose, is to keep it festive, without being specific. Avoid Christmas trees, Santa, nativity scenes, and other religion- or culture-specific holiday decor. If you decorate with winter items, warm smells, and glowing lights, you’ll be welcoming everyone.

The bottom line with winter apartment staging? Keep it simple, and keep it consistent, and you’ll make it easy for future residents to imagine their holidays at home in your community.

Reviews: How to Generate Them & Why They Matter

Written by Stacey Feeney on December 3, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Today, the majority of renters are from digitally native generations. As a result, their first instinct is almost always to look everything up online—and their apartment search is no different! When prospects are on the lookout for their dream home, they’re likely to start with a Google search before almost anything else.

Along with apartment listings, community reviews are likely going to come up when prospective residents are on the hunt for more info about a certain apartment or building. It’s important to put your best foot forward with as many positive reviews as possible, so prospects get the full picture of what it’s like to call your community home.

Don’t discount the power of reviews. When it comes to online buying, 90% of people read at least one review before making a decision. Even more important? 94% of people reported that a negative review caused them to avoid making a specific purchase. Reviews have a strong hold on consumers, and it’s no different when it comes to renters and the multifamily industry.

Start putting more stock in your online presence and encourage your residents to rate their experience. Here are a few easy steps to getting started.

Creating Accounts on Popular Review Sites

There are endless sites online that aggregate reviews, but there are a few in particular that are important for multifamily: Google, Facebook, Apartments.com, and Rent.com. While all of these sites have their own guidelines and regulations, positive reviews across these platforms will go a long way in demonstrating the perks of your community to prospects.

Be sure to set up your community on these sites—and any other local review sites or apps that may be relevant—so that residents who are willing to write a review can easily find you online. Making it as straightforward as possible for residents will increase the likelihood they’ll submit a review, helping you gain social clout and a positive brand reputation.

Encouraging Resident Reviews

Getting your community on popular review platforms is just the first step. Then comes the important part: getting residents to actually write the review! This can be one of the hardest parts of the process. Instead of expecting that residents will go out of their way to leave a review on their own, there are a few different ways you can encourage them and generate reviews quickly.

Just Ask!

Most of the time, residents won’t realize you’re in the market for online reviews. The easiest way to let them know? Tell them! Send out an email, create a flyer, and post it on your social media channels. Connect with residents across channels and touchpoints to make sure reviews are top of mind.

Don’t stop with just one attempt. Create a campaign that reaches out to your residents two or three times with gentle reminders that will make them more likely to engage.

Offer an Incentive

If you find that simply asking your residents to leave reviews isn’t doing the trick, it may be time to consider some sort of incentive. From a free gift to a review bonus, the reward can range from big to small. Choose something that your residents care about and offer that up to entice them to take the time to write a thoughtful and personal review.

But let us be clear, incentivizing someone to leave a review is technically a no-no and we are not suggesting you buy reviews! If you decide to incentivize, make sure you are absolutely clear on the following points and do so at your own risk.

No purchase (lease) necessary to participate
Incentive is in exchange for an HONEST review (good or bad)

Don’t Forget Reputation Management!

Once you’ve convinced residents to leave reviews, don’t forget to frequently check in across the different review platforms. While you’re hoping for all positive reviews, it’s unlikely that everyone will leave five-star commentary. Instead of ignoring the negative, it’s important to manage and address concerns as they pop up and apologize for any instances where you or your staff could have improved.

Taking the time to respond to reviewers and actively participate in the dialogue shows that your community values and listens to resident feedback and concerns. This can go a long way to rectify any negative reviews and help quell any concerns for prospects.

Don’t forget to also respond to positive reviews! Thanking residents who take the time to leave feedback is an important part of the process to ensure they continue to have an amazing experience with both your staff and your community.

Ready to get started on your resident review marketing campaign? Reach out to the zipcode creative team today!

Images in this blog post are ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

cultivate community this christmas cultivate community this christmas

Cultivate Community for your Residents this Christmas

Written by Stacey Feeney on December 1, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Home is the place where you can get hot chocolate, put your feet up, wear your coziest sweater, and relax–that’s the inspiration behind our latest blog post on cultivating community during the holidays.

Even if there’s a chill in the air, you can still keep the warmth in your residents’ hearts with this list of wonderfully wintry ideas on how you can cultivate community at your apartments! Hoping to make your community feel more like coming home for the holidays? Try just one activity, combine any two ideas, or do every single thing on the list–it’s entirely up to you.

Holiday Events That Cultivate Community

For long-standing residents and for just-moved-in newbies, it’s nice to meet your neighbors and make new friends. During the wintertime, it’s important to build those connections and make sure everyone feels at home when they’re an apartment resident in your community. Try these events on for size:

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

Anyone who wants in, can join! For Secret Santa, you’ll need to collect names of participants, and give them out so folks can buy gifts ahead of time. Use this secret santa online gift exchange organizer to make it easy! A gift exchange is one of the easiest and most successful ways to cultivate community among residents and staff.

White Elephant Gift Exchange

Not interested in planning so much? A white elephant gift exchange often makes for hilarious results.

Write down numbers on little pieces of paper, have everyone draw one slip of paper, and whoever gets “1” goes first.
They choose from a stack of gifts (everyone has brought one wrapped gift around $10 in value that could appeal to anyone) and open it.
Participant “2” goes next and may choose to steal the first opened gift, or pick a new one from the pile.
You’ll need at least 4 participants for the game, but 6+ is better. The more people you have, the longer the game will last!

Scavenger Hunt

Have your residents explore areas of your community they might not have ventured into before! Identify things around your community, create a scavenger hunt online through goosechase or create handouts for everyone to check off and fill in. Invite the whole community, hand out the scavenger hunt instructions and papers, and give a prize to the first, second, and third place winners after you verify their answers. Questions can be something like: “How many plants are in the front lobby?” or “What is the ribbon color on Apartment 314’s door?”. It’s best to do raucous activities like these on a weekend, during the day so that residents who choose to sit out are not disturbed. Make it Christmas-themed with the swish of a wand by adding in a few questions about your holiday decorations.

Pro-tip: Pick four activities and do “four festive weeks of christmas” or “holidays” – based around the clubhouse or other gathering area – create a flyer with the important dates and details, and place one in every mailbox, or send an email to every resident (or both!) Remind everyone through your social media with custom graphics to sign up and show up for these moments of casual community fun!

Wreath Competition

Set your residents up with a friendly front-door wreath competition. Create categories: Most Creative, Most Festive, and Best in Show. Set up rules, if needed, along with a deadline, and send out your residents to go check out the wreaths for the day of judging/awards. Bonus points if you send them out with their hot chocolate and have them come back to vote by ballot. Give the winner a gift card to a local shop! Sit back, relax, and enjoy the simple community camaraderie created by boxwood wreaths and bows!

Have a bigger budget? Try an alternative: have everyone gather in the clubhouse, and level the playing field with supplies set out for them. This gives them more time celebrating and collaborating through a craft!

Christmas Caroling

Buddy the Elf wasn’t wrong: The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear! Share your songs with the rest of the community residents and go door-to-door with anyone who would like to join you. Send out an email to the participants with a list of the songs + lyrics you’d like to serenade the community with. Pick a time around 6:30pm–the sweet spot between dinner time and young children’s bedtimes. Friday and Saturday nights work well, since there isn’t typically work or school responsibilities the next day. If you’re feeling particularly organized, gather up your carolers to visit a local children’s hospital or assisted living senior community–be sure to call ahead and ask the organizations which time and date works well for them.

Cookie Decorating

This is a relatively simple one, but might make it easier for families to come enjoy decorating a few cookies without making their whole kitchen a flour-bomb explosion! You can pick up ready-to-be-decorated cookies from your local grocery store, and supply all the best stuff: frosting, sprinkles, food coloring, and plenty of printed-out ideas and inspiration. Looking for a more challenging alternative? A gingerbread house competition! Either option provides a great way to utilize that clubhouse kitchen while you cultivate community!

Hot Chocolate Bar

This will warm everyone up, head to toes. Provide hot milk or water, along with the mix-in powders, and don’t forget the toppings that everyone loves: whipped cream, marshmallows, sprinkles, and candy canes. A little drizzle of caramel or chocolate syrup brings it to the next level. When everyone gathers together to create their hot chocolate. This easy activity pairs well with other activities in the list, like the Christmas pajama party or cookie decorating. Remember to keep food preferences in mind, and have allergen- and vegan-friendly options handy, too.

Christmas Pajama Party

Whether they’re footies or long johns or matching waffle-knit pjs, getting the community together in pajamas is a fun, comfortable (and cozy) way to enjoy the holiday times. Costume parties and pajama parties are easily a conversation starter, and neighbors will begin to get to know each other quickly. Karaoke and pajamas could be a hilarious mix as well! Keep reading…

Christmas Song Karaoke

If any of your residents have ever gotten a hankering to holler “Silver Bells” — now is their big chance to “ding-a-ling”. Set up a full karaoke sing-along, complete with all the favorites. Don’t forget the microphone. If you make it a BYOB event, you might see an increase in participation, as well! There’s nothing better than karaoke to cultivate community at Christmas time.

Cultivate Community Between Staff and Residents

It’s not just about connecting with neighbors over the holidays. For residents, it’s also important to feel valued, and cared for by the community directors and managers. Personal touches or small tokens of appreciation will go a long way when it comes to making your residents feel special.

cultivate community with a greeting card

Simple Christmas/Holiday Card

This is an easy, handheld way to show your gratitude and warmth. Get personalized stationery or branded holiday cards for your residents. If possible, sign it or write a handwritten message. Taking the time will mean so much to your community during the holidays. Make sure you get one into every mailbox, and start early so you have plenty of time to personalize!

Group Service Project

‘Tis the season of giving, including our time and talents! Get everyone involved in giving back to your community. You could host a food or toy drive, choose a city clean-up project, or look into serving at a local soup kitchen. The warmest feelings during the holidays often show up when we work together for the good of someone else. Send out an email or have a sign-up sheet in your foyer, and remind residents to sign up so you can have an accurate volunteer count for the organization you’ll be helping. Check out volunteermatch.com to find opportunities near you.

Small Gifts

Check out our best last-minute gift ideas for apartment community residents and staff. It doesn’t have to be a big gift–but this token shows your appreciation, and is a physical reminder of your gratitude.

Pro-tip: If you have a new resident, and they’re moving in right before the holidays, be sure to include the upcoming event flyers in the apartment welcome packet.

Winter is coming, but hearts can be warmed with all the fun events you’ll have lined up for your community. Helping their community feel like home for your residents is just one more way to show them how welcoming your community really is–they may never want to leave)!