Author: Stacey Feeney

Create Video Content to Increase Social Media Engagement

Written by Stacey Feeney on May 24, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

The way people use social media is changing. Instead of overly curated photos that are posted just to your Instagram feed, video content now reigns supreme. Outlets like Instagram Stories, TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit offer a more authentic, approachable way for people to get to know not just their friends, but brands, too. As a result, video content has now become the top-performing type of content across social media platforms and is the most likely to go viral.

When you’re trying to market your apartment community or trying to lease up, consider adding more videos to your feeds to up your engagement, increase eyes on every post, and get more prospects in the door.

Ways to Create More Video Content

If you’re struggling to come up with creative video content to feature across your social media platforms, here are some ideas to get your started.

Vacant Unit Tours

Show off your available apartments with quick walk-through videos. Your leasing team can narrate the tour, calling out the distinctive features, high-end finishes, and other must-haves like outdoor space, high ceilings, and natural light. That way, prospective renters can see the space before they even set foot on the property to help pique their interest. Film vacant unit tours to send to leads who have reached out showing interest and then repurpose the video by posting it on your social media channels! Win win.

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Close-Up of Apartment Features

Show off your attention to detail. Instead of focusing just on the big picture, zero in on the small details that set your community apart. From the beautiful kitchen tile backsplash to the luxury faucets in the bathrooms, emphasize the tiny things that make your apartments a cut above the rest. Video content doesn’t have to be lengthy, in fact – the shorter the better to capture the attention of your audience on social media. Taking quick 15-30 second videos of these amenity details is an easy way to create shareable content for social media!

Amenities Tours

Prospects aren’t just interested in what’s inside the unit—they’re also interested in what your entire community has to offer. From doing a tour of the state-of-the-art gym to showing off the dog-friendly amenities like a dog park or washing station, create different videos for each amenity space. That way, you can give prospects a holistic picture of what it’s like to live there. Same rules apply – capture tour-like walk-throughs and quick video clips that showcase the details of your amenities, then share the videos everywhere you can!

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Staff & Resident Introductions

Introduce your property management team, maintenance staff, and highlight stand-out residents with video content that introduces them to your social audience. Showcasing actual people will help to increase engagement and also give you an opportunity to discuss promotions, events, and resident reviews. That way, you’re adding a personalized and authentic element to your feed instead of just sterile photos of empty units. Think about offering a gift card to any resident who stops by and films a video review of the community with you – make sure to get their permission to publish the video.

Tips for Filming Top-Quality Video Content

If you’re a beginner at creating video content, try these tips and tricks to create a more high-quality final product. Professional equipment is by no means necessary – your smartphone will do the job just fine!

Use a Tripod or Stabilizer

To add a more expert look to any of your videos, invest in a tripod or stabilizer for your smartphone. This will eliminate any shakiness or unsteady camera work, instantly elevating your videos from amateur to professional. That way, instead of focusing on keeping the camera steady, you can focus on more important details to really sell the space. Something simple with a smartphone mount is great!

Embrace Natural Light

Everything looks better in natural light—try to film your indoor videos during the brightest time of day and make sure to open all the blinds. Natural light will make everything look more beautiful and also ensure that colors and finishes look as true to life as possible. Keep your back to the window when filming, angling your camera away from the window – pointing it directly at a window may cause the room to look dark as your camera’s auto settings expose for the bright outdoor light. Avoid shooting videos at night—overhead artificial lights look harsh on camera and will create awkward and unflattering shadows.

Don’t Forget About Audio

While it’s easy to forget about the audio component of your videos because they default to mute on most platforms, many people watch Instagram Stories or Reels with the sound on. Make sure that you eliminate any background noise that may interfere before filming, the person speaking is no more than 5 feet away from the camera, and they speak loud and clear. Consider adding video subtitles as well for those who listen with the sound off or are hearing impared.

Where to Post Your Video Content

Social Stories

Instagram and Facebook Stories allow users to share more real-time content with their followers. You can pick from both photos and videos to add to your Stories, and embellish them with question boxes, gifs, and polls for added customization. Each Story can be up to 15 seconds long, and if you post a video that’s longer, it will simply break it up into 15-second segments. Stories only last for 24 hours, so it’s content that must be consumed quickly. You can, however, add old stories to a Highlight on your profile, so people can go back and reference them in the future.

Instagram Reels/TikTok

Similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels allow you to create 15- or 30-second videos and set them to music. You can then share them to your Stories and on your feed, and they may even show in other users’ Explore Feed. Reels are the perfect opportunity to get creative thanks to the editing capabilities, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box!

IGTV

IGTV is the perfect place to post longer videos of your full length model, vacant unit, and community tours. Videos must be at least one minute long, and can be up to an hour. With IGTV, you have plenty of time to go into detail on any particular subject to give more info and context for your viewers. IGTV videos can be shared to your feed with a preview, clickable to watch more.

Feed Posts

You can always post video content to your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds. Just like regular photos, these videos will show up in the feed of those who follow you. Try adding strategic hashtags to further your reach and get your content in front of more people. Just keep in mind, the max length is 60 seconds—if your video is longer, you’ll have to select a 1-minute clip.

YouTube

With more than a billion hours of video streamed everyday, YouTube is perfect to upload all of your video content in one place. Aggregate the content you share across Instagram, Facebook, and other social media channels onto YouTube to make it a one-stop-shop for prospects who are interested in learning more. Unverified accounts can upload videos up to 15 minutes long.

Feeling overwhelmed by managing all of your video content? Instead of doing it yourself, outsource it to the experts. At zipcode creative, we offer full-service social media management so you can take one thing off of your to-do list.

Get in touch today to learn more!

A Property Sitemap is a Must-Have for Apartment Marketing

Written by Stacey Feeney on May 4, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Graphic Design.

Years of work and planning go into every new apartment community and every renovation before it’s complete. From carefully identifying the perfect amenities to designing stylish interiors to planning the landscaping throughout the property, no detail is left unfinished when creating a new multifamily asset. That way, residents have the best possible experience from the minute they step foot on-site to view an apartment. Use a well-designed property sitemap to get them excited to stop by for a visit.

So why let all of that thoughtful planning go to waste? Showcase every element of your community in a unique and practical way: with a property sitemap. This piece of marketing can be crafted in both print and digital versions to use as an integral piece of your sales toolkit to show off the best your property has to offer.

What is a Property Sitemap?

Especially perfect for new construction communities but also extremely beneficial to any apartment community new or old, property sitemaps are a versatile piece of marketing collateral. Based on the property’s architectural plans, sitemaps show a bird’s eye view of the property and identify the location of community amenities, units, parking, and offices. They also have a legend that highlights points of interest throughout the community, like the lobby, mail room, and handicap-accessible areas.

How Can I Use a Property Sitemap?

Sitemaps are ideal for prospects and new residents signing a lease. The detailed map helps them understand the layout of the property, allowing them to see all of the amenities and perks of living on-site at a glance. When new prospective residents arrive, show them where the unit they’re viewing is located, and point out other relevant areas on the map when they visit the leasing office. That way, even if they view a unit without a leasing agent, they are armed with the information they need to explore the property on their own. And alternatively, use the sitemap to welcome home a new resident by guiding them to their unit, circling the mailroom and their parking space, while also helping them navigate the property.

Sitemaps can also be used as a marketing tool. Whether sent out as a direct mailer, in a marketing email, visible on the community’s website, or featured in a brochure, the sitemap is an engaging visual way to showcase the strengths of your community – amenities, green space, parking, and accessibility. A sitemap can generate additional interest in your property by helping one to visualize the big picture of all your apartments have to offer.

What Should be Included on a Property Sitemap?

Experienced brand designers like zipcode creative are experts at developing property sitemaps. By using a community’s architectural drawings (or google maps if that’s all you’ve got!), we will develop a sitemap that represents the entire property, from the landscaping to the parking lot to the clubhouse and apartment units. By creating both detailed and high-level versions of the map, you’ll have everything you need, whether you want to hang a map in the office or hand them out for on-site tours. We’ll also incorporate your branding like logo, brand colors, and fonts to ensure that the entire map looks cohesive and effortlessly fits in with your other marketing collateral.

Ready to get started on your own sitemap? Reach out today!

Pet Friendly Apartments and How to Leverage to Prospects

Written by Stacey Feeney on April 28, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

People love their pets. In 2008 alone, more than 11 million searches were conducted on Apartments.com for apartments communities that allow dogs and cats. As the numbers of renters grow, that number has only increased. Nearly 90% of renters own pets—and of the 10% who don’t, half reported planning to become a pet owner within the next year. As a result, finding pet friendly apartments is often at the top of prospective renters’ wishlists.

Show off your commitment to your residents’ furry friends by strategically investing in pet-friendly amenities that make pet owners’ lives easier and by dedicating resources to engaging and retaining your pet-owner community!

Community Amenities for Pet Friendly Apartments

It’s not enough to just allow renters to have pets. Creating community amenities and adding personalized touches that welcome furry friends is vital to ensuring pet owners feel right at home from the minute they step foot on the property.

Dog Park or Dog Run

When you have a four-legged friend, getting them adequate exercise is a pivotal part of keeping them happy and healthy. Instead of forcing residents to go off-site for access to open spaces for dogs to play and run, add a dedicated dog park to your property. A secure, fenced-in area allows the dogs to play safely and also gives owners a place to socialize and build stronger community ties. Consider adding a drinking fountain, agility equipment, and a waste bag station so that owners have everything they need right at their fingertips.

Dog Waste Bag Stations

Keep your community clean for pet owners and non-pet owners alike with the addition of dog waste bag stations. These small stations make it easier to ensure that you won’t have a property full of unwanted surprises. Place them in the areas around your community where dogs are most frequently taken out, especially near grassy or mulched areas that pups tend to love. That way, owners have the tools they need handy if they’re unprepared or taken by surprise.

If you’re having issues at your community with residents not picking up after their pets, consider a service like PooPrints. It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it, and your staff is far too busy to spend time picking it up. When signing their lease, make sure your pet owning residents are fully aware of PooPrints’ services and understand any consequences of not picking up after their pup. That way, your community stays clean for pet owners and non-pet owners alike.

Dog Wash Station

Instead of forcing residents to keep their pups clean in their sink or bathtub, make it simple for them to keep their four-legged friends squeaky clean. Add a dog wash station in a common area, or outside near the dog run, with a hose, tub, and bucket. This allows owners to wash their dogs off in a designated area, so you won’t have mud or dirt tracked through the building and residents can keep their personal spaces cleaner—it’s a win-win for everyone.

Image Courtesy of Walter Wash.

Water Bowls & Treat Jars

Add a water bowl and treat jar to pet-friendly areas around your community, like the lobby or the resident lounge. That way, pups can always stay hydrated and enjoy a special snack, even when they’re not home. This helps to make pets and their owners alike feel welcome to help foster a sense of community and belonging!

Pet Friendly Apartments Programming

Don’t simply stop at amenities, create a program that will help engage your pet owners and develop a sense of community to keep them—and their four-legged friends—happy at your pet friendly apartments!

Branded Swag

Create camaraderie among your pet owners by offering them branded swag that shows off your community. From dog poop bag holders and leashes to bandanas for the pups themselves, these small touches make pet owners feel included. Plus, it’s also a smart way to market your community to other local dog-lovers.

Waive Pet Fees

Incentivize prospective tenants to sign a lease by running leasing specials associated with their pets. Try waiving the monthly pet fee or deposit, or consider a referral program for existing tenants. That way, you can generate additional interest in your property and appeal to pet owners, all at the same time.

Special Pet Treats

To increase resident retention, consider sending special treats to tenants that have pets. Whether you do it for the holidays or around the time they’re set to renew their lease, this shows your attention to detail and care for all of your residents to help keep them happy and engaged with your community.

Adoption Events

Go beyond helping your own residents and engage with your local neighborhood, too. Organize a pet adoption event with a local shelter. Bring adoptable pets on-site and promote the event throughout the surrounding areas to both showcase what you have to offer residents and also do some good for your neighborhood. Promote the event on-site with signage like table tents or banner stands, and use email marketing to notify your entire database. That way, you’ll get more people to attend, which will lead to more adoptions!

Pet Photo Contests

Create a designated hashtag and have residents submit photos of their furry friends for a “Pet of the Month” feature or for holidays like Halloween or Christmas. That way, you can show off your adorable four-legged residents while also enticing more pet owners to lease at your pet friendly apartments. Consider awarding the monthly winner a small prize or piece of swag to up the stakes and increase engagement. Show off the winner through community signage in common spaces and elevators so they get the attention they deserve.

If you need help developing materials for your pet owners, defer to the experts. Creative marketing agencies can look at your community holistically and help you devise a strategy and a plan for promoting both your amenities and your community programming. Ready to take your multifamily marketing to the next level? Get in touch today!

Pup Culture Images are ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

maintenance appreciation maintenance appreciation

Maintenance Appreciation: How to Celebrate Your Service Team

Written by Stacey Feeney on April 26, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Maintenance is the team that never stops. They’re handed challenges on the regular and deal with countless, and sometimes endless, resident requests. They are the frontline team that touches your resident base more than any other group. Maintenance teams rake in the highest satisfaction scores on resident surveys. For these reasons and more, it’s nice to flip the script and celebrate them for a week. Spoil them with some food, host team building and educational events or personalize some service awards. We’ll show you how to plan the best maintenance appreciation week that will make your staff feel like the stars they are!

Maintenance Appreciation Event Ideas

One day is hardly enough to fit in all the appreciation efforts. Find a week that works for your portfolio or property and block off some days. You’ll want to pick one event per day and pair it with some social media posts (more on this to come below!).

Plan a mix of meals, giveaways and events. Warmer weather is coming so it’s a great opportunity to expand outdoors. Themes work well and allow you to get creative. Superheroes or “Shining Stars” would make your maintenance week stand out against other communities. If your team is the competitive type, you could design a Maintenance Olympics theme and have some daily challenges….complete with prizes!

Educational

Invite a vendor to come in and present something that your team would find useful. For example, host an appliance repair class for the maintenance team to become familiar with the most common problems and get hands on with the real appliances.

Team Building

After all they do, they probably deserve an afternoon off. Hit up an escape room, axe throwing or the driving range to let them spend some time taking it easy.

Breakfast

Cater special morning treats to be there when your team arrives – a coffee and donut bar is always a hit. The extra caffeine will help improve everyone’s day. Another great way to do breakfast is with a build-your-own omelette station!

Lunch

Provide lunch for the team from their favorite local restaurant and give them some time off to enjoy it!

A Meal with a Theme

Provide a lunch or dinner with a theme! Taco Tuesdays is great and who doesn’t love a good taco?! Or have someone man the grills and serve a BBQ lunch by the pool.

Food Truck

Contact a fun food truck and arrange for them to pull up to your property promptly at lunch time. You can pay for your maintenance team to get served and then open up the food truck line to your residents.

Happy Hour

End the week with an early happy hour at a local brewery or pub. Let the team head out early and buy the first round of drinks and apps for your team.

Gifts for the Team

A Yeti tumbler for when they’re on or off the clock
Branded swag from your company
Amazon gift cards to let them shop for their own favorites
Paid day off – who wouldn’t love extra PTO?!
Cash Bonus to truly show some appreciation
Beer or Liquor gifts are a nice way to celebrate
Gift Cards to local restaurant or a fancy steakhouse
New equipment or tools to make their days a little easier

Service Awards

For a small team, you can personalize different service awards for everyone. Play up their specialties and make them fun and creative.

If your company does resident surveys, there are tons of data points you can look at for service awards. Maybe one community clears out all their work orders within 12 hours! Another may have a 4-star rating on new move-ins. See where your properties stand and read through the resident comments to find meaningful milestones you can celebrate.

Vendor Partnerships

Now is the perfect time to talk to your go-to vendors to see if they can sponsor an event for your team. Many vendors will be happy to be a part of the maintenance appreciation campaign. They can provide lunches for the team, provide branded swag gifts or help with tickets to an event. This will help you offset the cost of your maintenance week and build connections with your vendor partners.

Promoting your Maintenance Appreciation Week

Give your maintenance team the spotlight and show them off on your socials. Feature one or two people a day for the whole Maintenance Appreciation Week. Your residents will get a chance to “meet the team” and your staff will feel the glow of the spotlight. Be sure to feature their photo and some fun details about their background. You can do a Q&A with the team to prompt their responses and post the best answers online. Residents will love seeing the team that takes care of their apartments each and every day.

Encourage your residents to get involved and share the love. Ask residents to submit their best maintenance appreciation stories and you can post those comments to the properties Facebook and IG. The comments mean more when they come directly from residents! You could set up a form on your website that allows easy entry or just ask residents to email the office directly with their stories.

If you’re managing a whole portfolio of properties, spotlight a new property each day on the corporate social channels. The property teams love showing off their team members and it helps build the content for your corporate social brand.

Appreciation Weeks are like gift giving; it’s the thought that counts. No matter which events and gifts you choose, your team will love the gesture and residents will see how well employees are valued throughout your company! Let us help you create a visual campaign around your event that is two fold – 1. It will give your maintenance appreciation event that extra touch that shows them how much thought and effort you put into acknowledging your team and 2. A maintenance appreciation event campaign will catch the attention from prospects and give them all those fuzzy feelings about living at your community when they see how well you treat your staff!

Don’t forget about Resident Appreciation Week!

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Energy Efficient and Eco Friendly Apartments Sell Themselves

Written by Stacey Feeney on April 15, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Putting the planet first is becoming increasingly important for everyone—and especially for prospective residents who are looking for a new community to call home. As more and more people are putting “green apartment” at the top of their wish-list to both make a more positive impact on the planet and also lower their monthly utility expenses in their new space, multifamily has to keep up. From energy efficient appliances to water-saving shower heads, learn more about the best ways to increase efficiency while also appealing to prospective renters.

Why Should You Go Green?

Multifamily housing uses the most energy per square foot of all housing types in the United States. Older infrastructure, outdated appliances, and lack of modern technology all combine to create a perfect storm of inefficiency—which also contributes to added cost. Sky-high utility bills for both owners and for residents are an annoying—and unnecessary—monthly expense.

But it’s not just about the cost. Creating an eco-friendly asset helps both your community and the planet by eliminating excess energy consumption that contributes to growing climate concerns. Plus, it also helps to attract residents. 93% of residents want energy- and water-efficient features, and 64% would even be willing to pay more to live in a greener community, showcasing the growing need for owners to make it a priority.

Opting for greener alternatives in your community helps your bottom line and creates a better resident experience for a win-win solution. Here are some easy ways to upgrade for more eco-friendly alternatives.

Energy Efficient Appliances

Instead of outdated dishwashers and washing machines that overuse water or refrigerators and air conditioners that pull excess power, upgrading your appliances is an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint and increase your monthly cost savings. Energy-efficient appliances save so much energy, that they can reduce energy use up to 30% to help residents save on their monthly utility bills—making your community more appealing than less energy-efficient alternatives when they’re adding up total monthly costs.

Smart Thermostats & Lighting

Instead of wasting energy to light and heat empty spaces, smart home products like thermostats and lighting allow residents to control their spaces from anywhere. That way, they can turn off the lights when they’re not home or raise or lower the temperature to avoid heating or cooling an unoccupied apartment.

Thermostats brands like Google Nest offer a cost savings of between 10 and 15%, which adds up in the long run. Similarly, smart lighting options like Hue help to save money and energy by allowing remote control of the lights and ensuring that the LED bulbs are more energy efficient than their older, incandescent counterparts. .

Both of these smart home solutions are gaining traction in multifamily for the efficiency and cost savings, but also because they allow property managers to manage vacant units. Once a resident moves out, property managers can adjust the settings in the empty space to increase energy efficiency until the next tenant moves. As a result, smart home products are a holistic solution that drives cost savings for owners and operators—all while also delivering an improved resident experience. Smart home technology is one of the top amenities that renters are looking for, so it’s important for communities to keep up with the demand to minimize turnover, increase retention, and remain competitive.

Energy Efficient Shower Heads

Did you know that showers make up 30% of typical household water usage? While you can’t regulate the time your residents spend in the shower, you can still help to cut back water consumption with one easy fix: a low-flow shower head.

Today, typical shower heads use 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Low-flow designs, on the other hand, use two gallons or less for significant long-term water savings. It saves so much, in fact, that installing a low-flow shower head can save nearly 3,000 gallons annually per household. Multiply that by the number of units in your community, and you can see how adding them to every apartment can make an impact.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

In 2019 alone, electric car sales topped $2.1 million, accounting for nearly 3% of all global car sales—and that number is only going up. With a 40% increase between 2018 and 2019, it’s likely that the electric car craze isn’t going anywhere. To give your residents the tools they need to be more eco-conscious consumers, add electric vehicle charging stations to your garage or parking lot. With costs as low as $300 to install, it’s an affordable upfront cost that helps you and your residents make a small difference for the planet.

Marketing Your Energy Efficient Campaign

If you’re trying to go green, you can’t do it alone. It’s important to showcase your green initiatives throughout your community so that residents join in! That way, not only will you have the energy efficient infrastructure you need, but you also can get your entire community on board to help make a real difference.

Share tips with residents on how to best leverage your new, energy-efficient upgrades, like turning off the lights while they’re away or only running the dishwasher when it’s full. These campaigns can highlight the easy and simple changes in their day-to-day will make an impact—and especially if they’re adopted by your entire community.

Table Tents

Create table tents for your lobby and amenity spaces with different eco-friendly ideas for your residents. From turning off the lights in the gym when they’re finished working out to avoiding printing documents in the business center, you can leverage location-specific reminders to help create a more aware and environmentally friendly environment for all of your residents. Table tents like these in common spaces will inevitably catch the attention from touring prospects and soft sell them on these features without much effort on your part.

Email Marketing

Try creating a series of emails that feature eco-conscious alternatives that your residents can adopt. From turning down their thermostat before they head out for work to drawing the shades during the heat of the day, there are small changes that make a big difference—and your residents might not even be aware of them. Consider creating a three or five-email series that generates awareness for these easy-but-impactful changes.

Then, repurpose the same email series with wording tweaks to make it prospect-focused and send to your leads as a campaign that promotes your green initiatives and incentivizes them to rent with you.

Flyers & Rack Cards

Being environmentally conscious is an important factor for residents, so make sure you’re also showcasing your initiatives to prospects who come on-site. In addition to your standard flyers and take-away materials that they’d get after a showing, create special printed materials like rack cards or new flyers that show off your commitment to sustainability. That way, prospective residents know that they’ll be joining a community where the environment matters. Make sure you have these printed on recycled paper and place a note of that somewhere on the marketing handout to bring your campaign full circle.

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

Naming a Multifamily Asset in 6 Simple Steps

Written by Stacey Feeney on March 19, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Branding, Writing.

Whether you’ve just acquired a new asset, are wrapping up renovations, or are breaking ground on a new construction project, there is one thing that all apartment homes need: a memorable name. As more and more communities pop up in cities across the country to meet renter demand, a catchy and unique name makes standing out in a competitive market a little bit easier. If you’re grasping at straws trying to find just the right name for your new community, we have some helpful tips and tricks to get you started on the journey of naming a multifamily asset.

1. Think About the Target Customer

When naming a multifamily asset, one of the most important things is keeping your target audience in mind. If your ideal renter is a single millennial, for example, different words and phrases will resonate with them than with an empty nester who has different needs and priorities. Identify the traits that appeal most to your core customer by doing market research and a competitive analysis of the surrounding area. Then, leverage that information to brainstorm names of different styles, lengths, and formats to create a wide array of initial options.

2. Consider Local Conveniences and Attractions

Your property’s location is also an amazing starting point for naming a multifamily asset. Because your location is totally unique to your property, it can serve as the ideal anchor for the name. Consider incorporating well-known street names, historical markers, and other points of interest that you can leverage to influence the name. That way, your community becomes as recognizable as the city’s most iconic attractions.

If your community is in a city or neighborhood that has distinguishing characteristics, you can also use those words or phrases to set your assets apart. In New York City, for example, you could utilize words like “Skyline” or “Hudson” to take advantage of words and phrases that people naturally associate with the city.

3. Leverage Community Amenities

If your property is the only one in the area with an indoor pool or you have an amazing roof deck, use these distinguishing features to your advantage when brainstorming your name. Think about words related to whichever amenity you want to highlight; a roof deck, for example, is the perfect opportunity to leverage words like “air,” “sky,” or “heights.”

Don’t forget to think not only literally, but also abstractly, about naming options. Because the sky is blue, you could leverage words like “azure” or “indigo.” You’re only limited by your creativity!

4. Stay Consistent with the Brand Style

If your community is a luxury asset, you’ll want to be sure that you keep your name elevated and sophisticated. Similarly, if you have a more casual and accessible vibe, you’ll want the name to fall in line with that style. Keep this in mind when brainstorming your names to ensure that you don’t alienate your target audience with a name that sounds off-brand or unapproachable. Once the perfect name is selected, a thoughtful logo design and brand style guidelines will bring it all together to get your message across.

5. Check Name Availability

You’ve landed on the perfect name, but naming a multifamily asset isn’t the end of your naming journey. Now it’s time to do your due diligence. Perform a business name search to ensure that no other communities or companies are operating under your chosen moniker. You should also check for available URLs for your website and social media handles to create enhanced brand recognition. If one (or more) of these are unavailable, you might want to reconsider for consistency.

6. Finalize with Legal Council

Once you’ve done your own vetting, it’s time to bring in the experts. Consult with your legal team to get all the paperwork in order to ensure your name is yours. From purchasing domains to copyrighting or trademarking, lawyers can more easily navigate the entire process from start to finish to ensure that all of your paperwork is buttoned up—which means you don’t have to go back to the drawing board in the future.

If you still can’t find a name that perfectly embodies your community, we’re here to help. As multifamily marketing experts, we’re experienced in every element from naming a multifamily asset and brand identity, all the way down to crafting marketing emails and direct mail campaigns. We’ll put our expertise to work for you to help you find the ideal name for your community.

A Moving Campaign for Prospect Leases and Resident Renewals

Written by Stacey Feeney on March 10, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Moving is SUCH. A. HASSLE. Many of us are guilty of bouncing from place to place when we’re young and carefree. Roommates come and go, jobs change, or you level up to your first adult apartment or into a 55+ active adult community. There are a million life changes that can make it feel like it’s time to move. At the end of the day, moving is expensive and takes a ton of time out of your schedule. Minimizing this pain point for both prospects and residents through a moving campaign can boost your leasing and occupancy trends. This two-pronged marketing campaign will show you easy strategies to overcome that moving objective and keep your residents happily renewing.

Prospects: Overcome Moving Objectives

Prospects who are out looking for apartments can quickly become overwhelmed by the realities and cost of moving. It’s no picnic! If your prospects are on the fence about moving in, there are ways you can tip the scales in your favor to close the sale.

The Cost of Moving Objective

Structure your leasing incentives to waive upfront fees like admin or security deposits. By reducing the financial friction at moving time, the move becomes an easier sell. To really up your moving campaign, partner with a local moving company to create an exclusive package deal for your apartment community or offer to cover the moving service cost!

The Hassle of Moving Objective

If your community wants to cover that fee, that’s even better for the prospects. It’s likely you already have a few preferred moving companies that you always work with. To really make it a white-glove service, you could handle the logistics, payment and elevator scheduling for the prospects to make the move completely seamless for them. Moving complete!

Marketing Your Moving Campaign

Now that you’ve got your moving incentives lined up, how to get the word out? Customized email marketing works well for your existing prospect pipeline.

Use bullet points to focus your copy on all the ways you’re saving your prospects – time, money, stress. Everyone is into less stress in 2021!
Tally up a dollar figure that you are saving them and add that to the headline.
With COVID-19 considerations on everyone’s mind, let them know that your moving company understands the situation and will take care of their move in a professional and appropriate manner.

As you mine through your prospect pipeline, focus in on prospects who toured your community 9 months ago and didn’t rent. They are likely coming up for a lease renewal at their existing community and could be tempted to give your property another look!

To cast a wider net, expand your prospect reach with geotargeted social ads. The advertising creative should convey a carefree move and people enjoying their new apartment. Be sure to use your prospect data to determine where people typically move from to your community. A geofencing campaign can target exact competitor properties or a simple five-to-ten mile radius around your community. The more targeted the prospect, the more customized the ads can be. zipcode creative can help you craft that ideal prospect and the digital ads to connect with them online.

Residents: Using the Hassle of Moving to Secure Renewals

Staying at home for the last year during COVID may have pushed some residents to an understandable level of cabin fever. To make sure they resist that siren call of moving, design a simple renewal campaign focused on facts about moving and a dose of resident appreciation.

Armed with your moving costs data, repurpose that to use with your residents when they are hesitant about renewing. You can present the information on a flyer with the key cost savings achieved when they decide to renew. Pretty up the data in an infographic. Data points are much easier to digest as an infographic and zipcode creative is a pro at these! When it’s time for those renewal letters to go out, attach the flyer or graphic and personalize it with a note saying that you would love for them to stay at your community.

To focus on boosting that resident retention number, add a small renewal incentive to your campaign. Craft a catchy title like “Renew & Refresh”. Create a list of upgrades you could offer in their apartment as their renewal incentive. The easy upgrades like carpet, paint, ceiling fan installs or enhanced countertops still apply. Also, get creative and add some online features like a fun subscription box service to receive each month or pet-sitting gift card they could use over the next year. Doordash delivery for their favorite restaurant or instacart grocery delivery work wonders as resident perks. Residents can choose the offer they like and enjoy their space even more. The idea is to have people be more invested in their apartment so they are more likely to stay.

A Moving Campaign that Swings Both Ways

It can be easy for your property teams to get distracted and focused only on the next wave of move-ins. But, a truly balanced approach to prospect and resident lifecycles allows you to make marketing campaigns that resonate with both audiences at the right time. Moving is the common denominator facing your entire prospect and resident base. By facing this daunting task head-on with a few manageable data points, timely communications and applicable incentives, you can minimize this hurdle and keep both prospects and residents where they need to be – at your property!

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

Accent Wall Program 2-Step Marketing Campaign Strategy

Written by Stacey Feeney on February 27, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

The apartment accent wall program model is growing in popularity—and for good reason. These programs give residents the opportunity to personalize their space to suit their individual style, helping them to create a welcoming environment to come home to everyday. A cozy apartment home with custom colors proves much more desirable than a sterile and impersonal all-white space. Especially when we’ve all learned what it was like to be in our homes 24/7 during a pandemic – renters are now putting apartment unit features and amenities top of their list from here forward!

Accent wall programs can give your community a leg up over the competition with the added amenity of home customization. It might just be the perfect incentive to get renters who are on the fence to commit and sign that lease that they’ve been thinking about.

Keep reading to learn exactly how to create an accent wall program and develop corresponding marketing support for your apartment community. Maybe you’ve started an accent wall program but are having a hard time generating leads, it might be time to take your marketing to the next level. Let us show you how to turn the program into a campaign that gets prospects and residents excited!

Step 1: Designing an Accent Wall Program

To get your accent wall program off the ground, partner with a paint store or specific brand, such as Sherwin Williams, to curate the perfect color palette. Pick between five and seven different shades that coordinate with your existing interior design and complement your community branding. That way, everything will still feel cohesive and aesthetically pleasing while also giving residents the variety of choices they want.

You’ll also need to identify which walls can be painted through the program. Pick at least two different walls for each floor plan. Consider more efficient options like non-windowed walls and be sure to include options in both the master bedroom and the main living space. That way, residents have even more ability to customize their home to suit how they plan to use the space.

Step 2: Accent Wall Program Campaign Marketing

Once you’ve hammered out the program details, it’s important to advertise the offering to entice prospective residents. A well-rounded campaign should spread the offer or message through a variety of platforms – both print and digital. Read on to see the strategies we recommend for building and promoting an effective accent wall program marketing campaign.

Accent Wall Program 2-Step Marketing Campaign Strategy

Flyers

Flyers are the perfect way to advertise your accent wall program with prospects, providing you with an easy and informational handout. Create a well-designed flyer that showcases all of the program details and visually shows off the benefits. Include information about the color options available, which walls can be painted, and in which units. That way, prospective residents have a comprehensive understanding of the program when they’re viewing different units and can better visualize what their living space might look like.

Email Marketing

Leverage your lead database to create an email marketing program to showcase your accent wall leasing incentive. Email is a perfect forum to share more about the program thanks to the digital format. You’ll have plenty of space to describe the program, show off existing examples, and give prospects an idea of the different colors they can choose from. That way, they have all the details they need and can see what their space would look like once it comes to life.

Consider creating an email marketing automated series instead of a one email announcement. That way, you can utilize a series of three or five emails to generate more interest among leads. They’ll get used to seeing your community’s name in their inbox which increases brand awareness and, over time, will help you lease-up faster. In the email series, feature the accent wall program, other amenities, property photos, and the most popular floor plans you have on offer to showcase information that will pique their interest and convince them to book a tour.

Signage

Well-designed and positioned property signage will draw attention to your accent wall program before a visiting prospect even speaks with a leasing agent. Signage can also reiterate the benefits of your incentive program during a tour while helping prospects to visualize making the space their own.

Strategic signs like banner stands and tabletop banners scattered about the property are effective ways to advertise this ongoing promotion. Use the signage to highlight the details of the program—including the color options—to give prospective residents a sense of what their space could look like if they decide to sign a lease. You can even use table tents in the model unit to draw attention to the specific walls that can be painted to emphasize the available color palette and make the program come to life.

Direct Mailers

Though direct mail is can be thought of as an antiquated marketing method, there’s a reason it’s been around for so long: it works. If your accent wall program is an incentive that sets your community apart from the nearby competition, include direct mailers into your campaign.

From showing off amazing property photos to highlighting the paint colors available through the program, mailers will help you position the program to a broader audience. A custom branded direct mailer design can allow you to showcase the best your apartments have to offer while helping drive traffic through the incentivized accent wall program.

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Working with a professional branding agency, like zipcode creative, will help you strike the perfect balance between text, imagery, and white space to create the most effective marketing possible throughout your accent wall program marketing campaign and so much more. Get in touch today!

Life in Color Featured Image is ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

Signage Marketing that Generates Leads who Lease Signage Marketing that Generates Leads who Lease

Marketing Signage that Generates Leads who Lease

Written by Stacey Feeney on February 21, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Graphic Design.

Signage is a pivotal—and often underrated—way to market your multifamily community. While digital forms of marketing like emails and social media have become the go-to approach for brands and businesses across industries, sometimes there’s no replacement for good, old-fashioned signage marketing. Use well-designed signs to attract attention and lease-up faster, all while building a more engaged community.

When you’re developing a signage marketing strategy for your property, be sure to think holistically about where you can leverage different signage styles both inside and outside to drive viewings and showcase your building’s best assets and information in a compelling way.

Exterior Marketing Signage

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Building Banners

Building banners provide an opportunity to showcase your community and share contact information before anyone steps foot in the building. Whether draped over the front entrance or strategically positioned on the highest-trafficked side of the building, banners are an effective way to get your message to a large number of people, all at once. Be sure to include, at a minimum, your logo, phone number, and website on the banner so prospective residents can easily jot down your info, even on the go.

Bootlegs/Bandits

Whether you’re having a community open house or want to showcase your latest leasing special, bootleg signs—also called bandits or yard signs—are a great way to add a pop of your branding to your landscaping. Perfect for catching the attention of pedestrians walking by or local neighborhood drivers, bootleg signs can be made in different sizes and custom shapes to give you an endless variety to choose from. Keep it simple these signs are often viewed by passers-by on the go so they need to have short phrases that are large and easily readable.

Flags & Boulevard Banners

Create buzz about your community before people even step foot on the property. Boulevard banners and flags are an eye-catching way to promote your available units along major streets or thoroughfares in the neighborhood. That way, people will begin to recognize your branding and you can pique their interest, all thanks to foot traffic alone.

Add your best property photos, showcase your top amenities, and highlight your logo to create compelling content for your banners that will get your community noticed.

Directional Signage

If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to direct prospects to the leasing office or give guests a better way to navigate to the parking garage, directional signage is your new best friend. Typically designed with a combination of arrows and text, this versatile sign style can be made in your specific brand colors to ensure it blends effortlessly in with the rest of your marketing signage—all while still acting as a functional tool for your residents, their guests, and prospects who visit the community. Use any size and sign format to accomplish your directional needs.

Window Clings

Take advantage of the large window real estate you have and fill them with custom window clings for a large and impressive approach to marketing signage. The beauty of this type of signage is that the material used – it shows the design from the exterior view but allows visibility to the outside from the interior, similar to a two-way mirror! This signage strategy works especially well for urban apartment communities.

Interior Marketing Signage

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Banner Stands

Banner stands are the perfect set-up-anywhere signage solution for your entire community. From the lobby to the gym to your model unit, you can easily add a banner stand to almost any space. Use them to welcome prospective residents who have arrived for their tour, display your community’s best features and amenities for visitors to see, or use them to promote a program or initiative you offer, like being a pet-friendly place to live.

AFrames/Windsigns

Commonly called “sandwich board signs” these self-standing one or two sided signs can be great for placing right outside or inside the leasing center entrance doorway for quick reference information such as office hours, contact information when the office is closed, directional purposes to find the leasing office or an announcement of open house or other event.

Table Tents

Table tents are a must-have to show off elements of your model unit to prospective residents. As an affordable solution for self-guided showings, you can call out different finishes in the kitchen, apartment amenities like a washer and dryer, and community amenities like a gym or rooftop deck with table tents. Even without a leasing agent, prospects will feel like they get a holistic understanding of your community. Plus, as an added bonus, they are an effective way to showcase brand consistency throughout the community.

Table Top Banners

Table top banners are a versatile way to promote your property. From a coffee bar in the lobby to a towel station in the gym, you can pepper them in several different spaces to advertise any upcoming events and increase resident engagement. That way, everyone is always in the know and you can help foster an engaged community without a lot of extra added effort. Make sure you are utilizing a variety of sign types and placements for a well-rounded and effective signage marketing campaign.

If you’re ready to take your signage to the next level, a branding agency like zipcode creative is the perfect resource. As an expert in multifamily design, we can guide you on how to leverage your branding and how to create a cohesive marketing signage strategy throughout your property to help you accomplish your goals and make a positive impact to your bottom line.

Images in this article of ORA, Talia, Rize, Seta and Inwood Station are ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

effective email marketing effective email marketing effective email marketing

Effective Email Marketing for Apartment Communities

Written by Stacey Feeney on February 5, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing. 3 Comments on Effective Email Marketing for Apartment Communities

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As more and more people are moving towards digital over analog, all businesses have had to adapt how they approach their marketing—and real estate is no different. While printed ads, direct mailers, and signage are all still valuable and effective ways to market your property, it’s also important to approach leasing with an online-first mentality. Email marketing can be a low-cost, high-return option for communities looking to get prospective residents in the door. Read on for our detailed and effective email marketing strategies.

Platforms for Effective Email Marketing

If you’re looking to expand your marketing efforts through email, there are a few different approaches. Working with a design agency like zipcode creative allows you to build and custom-code a totally unique email. This means you can personalize things like the layout, the font styles, the size and location of images, and the call-to-action buttons. When custom designing an email, the sky’s the limit to your creativity, which means you can perfectly showcase both your brand and your community.

Another option is to use an email marketing platform’s user-friendly templates. These plug-and-play options make it easy to send emails out quickly and affordably, but do have some limitations when compared to custom-designed emails. While there are many email service providers out there, there are a few major players to consider:

Mailchimp

One of the most popular email service providers, Mailchimp has hundreds of available templates that can be tweaked to suit your needs. From there, you just upload your images, add your text and subject line, and upload your recipient list for a fast and stress-free way to get started.

Constant Contact

This drag-and-drop platform makes it simple to create and edit emails that are optimized for both desktop and mobile. It also allows for triggered emails, content segmentation, and integrates with your social platforms to make it easier to manage everything in one place.

ConvertKit

Designed to make email marketing fast, ConvertKit offers email and custom landing pages to create a more robust online marketing experience. You can personalize your content with their online templates and schedule outgoing emails to reach your network regularly.

Don’t worry, zipcode creative won’t leave you to figure it all out on your own. Effective email marketing is our number one goal and we will make your emails look beautiful and consistent everytime you send a campaign. We are happy to design custom graphics that you can plug into email marketing templates anytime, just shoot us a message.

Crafting the Perfect Email

No matter which email creation method you choose, there are a few key elements you should always include to make the biggest impact in an effective email marketing campaign:

Subject line

When writing your subject line, be sure to immediately grab the reader’s attention. Since 47% of people open emails based on the subject line alone, it’s important to put a lot of thought into this one element. Keep it around 6-10 words for maximum effectiveness and try leading with a promotion or other offer to pique interest.

Header image

Use the header image as an opportunity to showcase the best your community has to offer. That way, it’s the first thing a reader sees when they click the email. Consider also adding your logo or other branding elements to the header image, so people instantly recognize your property.

Headline

The headline is the first piece of text that people see when reading your email, so make it count! Use it as an opportunity to communicate your most important message, whether that’s an ongoing promotion, leasing special, or holiday message.

Call to Action

Calls to action are arguably the most important element in any marketing email because they let the reader know exactly what you want them to do next. Use action-oriented phrases, like “Reserve your home” or “Get the deal” to entice your reader to click. You should also use a button instead of a text link, which is proven to increase click-through rates by 28%. Be sure to include calls to action throughout your email—and especially at the top—to give people multiple opportunities to click.

Property Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and that couldn’t be truer for email marketing. 65% of users prefer their emails to be mostly images over text, so use it as an opportunity to complement the header image with additional property photos of the amenities, model unit, or building exterior.

PRO TIP: Photos of the model unit kitchen consistently perform the best, place the photo front and center for the most effective email marketing design.

Email Campaign Ideas

Now that you’re ready to send your first email, we’re making it easy to get started! Pick one of these three topics to send out to your prospects today to get them in the door in no time.

Feature an Available Floor Plan

Use your email to show off the available units in your building. Include images, floorplans, and elaborate on the best elements of the space including finishes, access to community amenities, and storage space.

Showcase Amenities

Give prospects a sense of what it’s like to live in your community by sharing more about the amenities. From dog runs and grills to roof decks and gyms, amenities often make or break leasing decisions for renters—so be sure they have all the info they need to know your community is one of the best!

Announce a Promotion

If you’re offering a free month’s rent or lowering the deposit, be sure people know about the exciting and enticing deal. Add more details about the promotion and include info about how to book a tour so they can do it all right from their inbox.

Measuring the Effectiveness

So you created your email, mastered the content, and now you’ve sent it out to your database- but how do you know if what you sent is resonating with people? And, not only that, how do you know if people are actually opening your email and reading what took you so long to write- this is where looking at data will help you to measure the effectiveness of your campaign.

Open Rate

First thing is first, you have to look at your open rate. The open rate is measured by how many people are actually opening up your emails. Your emails will fall on deaf ears if they’re not being opened- so it’s important to know that your subscribers are actually opening the emails instead of just deleting them.

Click Through Rate

Secondly, you’ll want to measure your click through rate. This in my opinion is the most important metric. While opening your email is important, you want your subscribers to actually click through to read more of your content. This is why your call to action button is vital- the more clicks you receive, the better you’ll be able to judge just how relatable your content is and how invested your subscribers are.

Unsubscribe/Bounce/ and Complaint Rates

All feedback from your subscribers is vital- whether it’s positive or negative. Should your subscribers unsubscribe, give an undeliverable email address (bounce), or mark your emails as spam (complaint rate), they are trying to tell you something. Use this as motivation to maybe switch up your content, or maybe take a closer look at your content vs. the audience- are you talking to the right people and are your subscribers interested enough in what you have to say. Sometimes the answer is no and they might lose interest in your words, and that’s OKAY- perhaps throw a survey in one of your emails and ask your subscribers questions and see what type of content they might want you to write about.

Conversion Rate

Speaking of surveys or any other “goal completion” you also want to measure your conversion rates. This is the percentage of people who completed the assigned desired action. Examples of this could be completing a survey, filling out a lead form, liking your social page, etc.

How often you’re tracking all of this will depend on how often you’re sending emails. Assuming you are sending emails once a week, you’ll want to track that specific email a few days after it’s sent. If you try to track it too early, you run the risk of an ineffective result due to people not checking their emails often enough. While a weekly reporting basis works fine, you’ll also want to pull a report monthly or once every three months to identify any trends.

If you’re ready to get started on your custom email marketing campaign designs, get in touch today!

Images in this post are ©Fairfield Residential | Executed under creative direction of Fairfield Residential.

resident appreciation resident appreciation

Resident Appreciation: We Love Our Residents

Written by Stacey Feeney on January 24, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Residents have been home more than ever this year, and we are grateful when ‘home’ is at our communities. In a world where less people are moving, resident retention is paramount. Your amazing residents should be celebrated, and now’s the perfect time to shower them some well-deserved appreciation! Hosting a Resident Appreciation Week (or Day) gives you time to have a variety of events to connect with all types of residents. Our guide will show you how to host some stress-free, COVID-safe and budget-friendly events that will show your residents how much they are valued at your community.

How to Host a Resident Appreciation Campaign

1. Pick a Week or Day on the Calendar

That gives you enough time to plan and prep. Valentine’s Day is a nice way to tie-in with a holiday focused on all those warm and fuzzy feelings. You’ll find plenty of festive décor at Target or the party supply stores.

2. Consider Your Community

When choosing what will work in your space while staying COVID-safe. A garden community might benefit from door delivery. A high-rise might find a spot in the lobby where residents can take some goodies on their way out the door. With some careful planning, you can have virtual or grab-and-go moments with your residents that are just as meaningful.

3. Decide on a Mix of Events, Gifts and Giveaways

Keep reading for some great ideas to get you started!

4. Create a Budget

For your events, and it doesn’t have to be pricey. Vendors will often work with you to sponsor an event. They can provide some marketing materials for your residents and provide funds to cover your costs.

5. Invite Your Residents

Email, texts, social posts and signage around the property. You’ll want residents to save the date so send these out early! Remember, zipcode creative is your partner in designing custom branded graphics for all of these things!

Show Resident Appreciation with Gifts

Find a theme that fits your community and select your signature gift and then pair your resident gift with a custom designed and hand-written card to show your appreciation. Postcards or greeting cards slip right into gift bags and give you the opportunity to send your message of gratitude. If you’re doing a door delivery, maybe personalize a cute door hanger that you can hang with your gift. Here are a few clever gift ideas for you to tweak or steal:

Valentine’s Day Themed Gift Ideas

Everyone loves a sweet treat, chocolate or candy and this is an obvious choice if you plan to celebrate Resident Appreciation in conjunction with Valentine’s Day. Pair your sweet treat gift with a “We think you’re sweet” card as the cherry on top!
Wrap some Burt’s Bees up with a card saying “Bee our Valentine”
Celebrate some self-love with bath bombs for everyone with a note saying “You’re the bomb Valentine”.

Year Round Gift Ideas

Give a house plant or cactus to each unit with a “Never Desert Us!” message – clever, catchy and plants brighten any home.
Gift a bottle of wine with a custom label saying “love, like wine, gets better with time & we <3 you!”
Local coffee shop gift card inside of a mug saying “home is morning coffee in my favorite mug.” Complement it with a note that says “we’re glad you’re home at ___ apartments!”

Spoil Them with Events and Giveaways

You’ll need plenty of ways to show your appreciation if you decide to spoil your residents with a week long celebration. In addition to a thoughtful gift or two, host an event, giveaway or other special moment throughout the week. Here are just a few ideas to get you started that you can tailor to fit your property and residents’ interests:

Raffle off really good prizes throughout the week.
Personalize your appreciation by hand delivering your gifts to each door.
Grab-and-go goodie bags in the lobby or clubhouse filled with swag and knick-knacks.
Invite them to come by for a cookie break one afternoon in the social lounge – partner with a local bakery to provide a tasty variety.
Provide muffins and mini ojs in the lobby for breakfast on the go.
Deck your lobby out with vases and flowers. Residents can take a bloom back to their home for some fresh greenery.
Host a Facebook Live yoga class focused on love and gratitude
We #LoveOurPets day. Connect with a pet vendor or local dog walker to raffle a prize and ask residents to bring their pooches by the dog park or office for treats!
Give out mini champagne bottles in the lobby to level up their weekend brunch-at-home.
Keep it simple and give residents what everyone loves most – money! Send a gift card with a thank you to each apartment.

Resident Referrals – Double the Love

Show your residents you really love them by doubling your resident referral fee for the month in honor of Resident Appreciation. Another option is to offer a special incentive you wouldn’t normally give – like a month’s free rent when you refer a friend who leases and moves in! They’ll be excited about the extra incentive, and you’ll get to connect with some prospects who might be in the market.

Resident Reviews

If it’s been a while since you’ve asked your residents for reviews, this is a great time to remind them. Send a “Show the Love” email to your residents encouraging them to share their favorite parts about living at your community. Incentivize them to post a review by entering them into a giveaway for doing so and then turn their reviews into cute graphics to repost on social! We can help with this too – social media or email graphics, we’ve got your back!

Resident Appreciation Strategy for Renewals

Whether you celebrate Resident Appreciation week or day, whether you pair it with Valentine’s Day or dedicate a date of your choosing – having a Resident Appreciation campaign at your community is one of the best strategies to secure lease renewals. Keep it simple or go all out with emails, flyers, signage, gifts and events galore. Your residents will remember your kind gestures, big or small. Keep us in mind for custom designs for campaigns just like this one!

Direct Mail Marketing Direct Mail Marketing Direct Mail Marketing

Direct Mail Marketing for Apartments That Will Drive Leases

Written by Stacey Feeney on January 13, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Graphic Design, Marketing.

In our digital age, direct mail marketing pieces are often-overlooked in favor of flashier online alternatives. But taking it back to basics with a marketing mailer can be one of the best ways to generate interest among prospective residents.

From showing off property photos to advertising special promotions to highlighting your amenities, direct mail marketing is a simple and effective outlet to talk about what makes your community unique. If you’re considering marketing mailers to help fill current vacancies, try advertising a few key events to pique prospects’ interest.

Direct Mail Marketing Stats

• On average, Americans receive 605 emails and 16.8 pieces of mail every week.

• For roughly every 36 emails you receive on average, you get 1 piece of mail in your mailbox.

• The average lifespan of an email is 17 seconds, compared to direct mail’s average lifespan of 17 days.

• 73% of American consumers say they prefer being contacted by brands via direct mail because they can read it whenever they want.

• 58% of the mail American households receive is marketing mail.

• 59% of US respondents say they enjoy getting mail from brands about new products.

• 60% of catalog recipients visit the website of the company that mailed them the catalog.

• Up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, compared to only 20-30% of emails.

• Prospects are 15% more likely to respond to an oversized mail piece if they have never done business with you.

• Per USPS, 98% of people check their mail daily and Americans spend upwards of 30 minutes with their mail on a single occasion.

• 68% of marketing respondents said combining digital and direct mail increased website visits.

• 60% of marketing respondents said combining digital and direct mail increased ROI.

New Construction Grand Opening

If you’re new to the neighborhood, putting your list of leads to good use with an eye-catching mailer will help you drive brand awareness and generate more interest for your new community. By reaching out to prospects to showcase your available units and announce your presence can lead to a full schedule of tours, and ultimately, help you lease-up faster. Use mailers to get prospects in the door before opening for pre-leasing visits or even hard-hat tours to generate more demand.

Promote Events

If you’re hosting events for your residents regularly, why not invite prospective residents, too? Send out a mailer to invite them to happy hours, meet & greets, or holiday get-togethers. Attending these events will give prospects a sense of what it will be like to live in your community and help show that your building is more than just a place to live—it’s about a community. Just be sure to send the direct mail marketing with enough notice that they can pencil you in ahead of time!

Leasing Promotions

Leasing promotions are one of the best times to send mailers to prospective residents. By letting them know they can get a free month, waived application fees, or even a lower deposit, you’re very likely to grab their interest and get them in the door for a tour. Be sure to showcase the promotion prominently on the front of the direct mail marketing piece so they won’t miss it and ask them to “bring in this mailer” to get the deal.

Mailer Design Formula

When you’re pulling together the information to include on your mailer, there are a few tried and true items that should always be included. Your logo, bedroom count, property photos, and contact information are vital to show off your community and let people know how to get in touch if they’re interested. Including key features and amenities of your community, the tagline and a short ‘about’ paragraph is a great way to provide more detail and really sell prospects on all your property has to offer. Be mindful that it’s best to keep text to a minimum so your mailer doesn’t become crowded with information. Working with professional branding agencies like zipcode creative to design your direct mail marketing makes it easy to be sure all of the essential information is included in an elegant and eye-catching way.

PRO TIP: Add a QR code on the mailer that leads to a landing page for your campaign or promotion. Doing so will enable you to better measure the interest your mailer created among potential leads! (Pro tip couretsy of Christine O’Toole)

Once your design is finalized, your local printer can print, address, stamp, and mail the mailers so you don’t have to worry about doing all of the legwork or adding another administrative task to your to-do list. Try sending out a modest batch of mailers to the warm leads in your CRM or target prospects by surrounding zip codes for the most effective approach.

If you’re interested in diving into direct mail marketing for your community, get in touch today!

The image of Areum Apartments is ©Fairfield Residential | Executed under creative direction of Fairfield Residential.

Stats sourced from Compu-Mail.

property management social media property management social media

Property Management Social Media Tips for Success

Written by Stacey Feeney on January 5, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

For apartments and property managers, social media can be a daunting task. Between all of the operational needs and maintaining the day-to-day, it’s easy for social media to slip way down your to-do list. But it plays a pivotal role in increasing resident happiness, appealing to prospective renters, and showing off all that your community has to offer. Kick-start your online presence with a few of our insider property management social media tips and tricks to get you going.

Consistency is Key

Across all social media platforms, posting regularly is the most important aspect of engaging your audience. Between finicky algorithms and shifting news feeds, posting at least a few times a week will ensure that most people are seeing the content that you spend so much time on.

Try posting at different times each day to see where your engagement is the strongest. Once you get a sense for when your audience is online, start posting around that same time to increase your likes and comments and drive engagement. Instagram and Facebook provide insights that will tell you exactly what days of the week and times of day your posts are getting the most engagement.

Create High-Quality Content

Scheduling posts isn’t just one-and-done in property management social media. To create quality content that will get you noticed, you need to think about how the photo, caption, and graphics all work together to tell a story and add value for your audience.

For your imagery, be sure to pick something that grabs your attention and will stand out in the sea of sameness across social platforms. Consider outsourcing custom branded social media graphics to zipcode creative for both your organic posts and paid ads to help you really stand out.

Once you’ve chosen your image, use your caption as an opportunity to deliver valuable insights that will spark a conversation in the comments or get your content shared with the masses. Finish it with a clear call to action so your audience always knows exactly what you want them to do next.

PRO TIP: The two most popular types of posts either 1. Provide a lot of value on a topic of interest or 2. Are real and authentic, ideally showing real people (your staff or residents)

Share What Residents Care About

No matter how high-quality your content is, you won’t see the engagement numbers you’re looking for if you’re not tailoring it for your audience. Pick relevant topics for your community and your staff—like Resident Appreciation Day/Week and Maintenance Appreciation Day/Week, resident event announcements, and rent due reminders (although they may not be happy about these posts!). Remember, it’s primarily residents and staff who follow you on social — highlight timely events and important updates for the people who follow you. That way, you’re giving them the info they need while also upping your engagement. If a prospecting renter stumbles upon your page they will see everything you have going on and realize how fun it is to live at your community! For their benefit, intermix plenty of interior and exterior property amenity pictures and talk about them in the captions. If you can nail down a solid hashtag strategy you will reach more people outside of your circle.

Prospect Focused Posts

If you want to cater to prospects, tell them all about your property! Seems obvious, right? Think of it this way – if it’s in your brochure, talk about it on social!

Plan Ahead

Posting on the fly never results in the kind of quality content your accounts deserve. Instead of snapping photos last minute or repurposing old materials, be sure to think about your social media calendar at least a week ahead—even more if possible. Quality over quantity.

There are countless free tools online that let you plan your posts and set a calendar to keep you organized and on top of it. Try Hootsuite, Loomly, or Sprout Social to streamline your process from start to finish. Alternatively, you can also hire a creative agency like us to manage your platforms for you and run point on strategy and planning, content creation and scheduling, and ongoing engagement.

Ready to get started on your property management social media plan? Work with zipcode creative on developing all of the social media assets you need to “wow” prospective residents and current tenants alike! We’re always here to design custom branded graphics for you anytime you want to take your posts to the next level. Get in touch today!

Images of Platform Apartments are ©Fairfield Residential | Executed under creative direction of Fairfield Residential.

last minute gift ideas for multifamily last minute gift ideas for multifamily

Last Minute Gift Ideas for Multifamily Residents and Staff

Written by Stacey Feeney on December 7, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

The holiday season is upon us, and if we’re being honest – we’re thankful that 2020 is coming to a close! As you plan out your holiday gifts, for both your residents and team members, it’s the perfect time to get them something special. The challenges of this year have been immense, and we all deserve a little enjoyment as we round out the year. Our gift guide will show you budget-friendly and last minute gift ideas for your residents and staff!

Resident Gift Ideas

It can be tough to come up with a gift idea that pleases hundreds of residents. No branded products this year – give them something they actually want and appreciate! But don’t stress about timing, every last minute gift idea in our shopping guide is available on Amazon prime so it will be sure to arrive in time – hey that rhymes! We’ve kept the options under $10 per resident gift to keep you on budget.

Mini Succulent – If your community is eco-friendly, play up that vibe and treat all of your residents to some fresh greenery. Everyone loves succulents – they are easy to take care of and provide a very affordable last minute gift idea! Get a set of 12 for $30, which breaks down to only $2.50 per plant! Double up for roommates or larger apartments. Include this with a custom designed card that shows your residents you care – we can help create the card for you! Here are some succulent/cactus themed ideas…

“Let’s ROOT for each other and watch each other GROW”

“ALOE YOU VERA MUCH.”

“ALOE THERE!”

“I’m a SUCCA for you.”

Acacia Wood Cutting Board – Slip one of these in every kitchen for just $10. We’ve all spent more time in the kitchen this year, and residents can use these in the kitchen or on their bar carts. If you’ve been hosting cooking demos or classes at your community – whether in person or virtual – this gift goes perfectly with that theme!

Coffee Coffee Coffee – This was the year that WFH took on a whole new meaning. With coffee fueling most of that new office productivity, you residents will love this gift. The colors and labels are completely customizable. Shop this 12oz bag for just $5 each on Amazon.

Candles – seriously, everyone LOVES candles. You can’t go wrong with sending a candle to your residents. This woodsy scented, gender-neutral one is available on Amazon for just $9. Add a custom gift tag to your DIY wrapping to express your gratitude for your residents, here are a couple of cute ideas:

“Take your candle and light the world”

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle”

“Be the light that helps others see”

Staff Appreciation Gift Ideas

For the team that’s worked miracles this year to keep everything flowing smoothly, a great staff appreciation gift is a must. We’ve included categories and options to help you narrow down the perfect gift; all while keeping it under $50 per person.

S’well Water Bottle – Bottles are the ultimate accessory. They come in every color or pattern. Whether your team needs their endless drip of coffee or fresh water on demand, these bottles keep drinks insulated for over 24 hrs. S’wells keep up with the demand of the holiday hustle and bustle. The team will love their new eco-friendly bottles and they run between $25-$45 each.

Portable Wine Glass – Stemless wine glasses you can take on the go are key this season. Super durable, inventive and CHIC; these run $24 per glass. You can gift them to everyone and still have enough money to pair it with a bottle of vino. This collection from Goverre.com will be a hit. Take the customization to the next level and create some customized wine labels to thank your team for their efforts.

Yeti To-Go Coffee Mugs – A hands down crowd pleaser for your whole team. The Rambler model can be used for coffee or other off-duty beverages. These come in a range of colors at $24 each, these are a great price point.

Amazon Echo Dot – If you have a diverse team with lots of tastes, you can simplify for yourself and get one nice techy gift that everyone can use. A wireless speaker with Alexa capabilities will be a win. Of course, they can take it home, or use it in the management office to keep the music going. If you catch it in time, this echo dot is on sale for just $30, regularly $50 but either way – budget friendly!

Wireless Earbuds – With your staff on zoom when they are WFH or just simply because wireless earbuds are kind of the thing right now… they will love this last minute gift idea, available on Amazon for $50 and comes with a carrying case.

Charging Pad – Keep your staff’s phones charged so you can always reach them. Sleek design, available in 3 colors all for $25 and compatible with so many devices!

Gift Cards for All

Gift Cards – There is always the gift card route; which is guaranteed to please both residents and your staff. There are endless options with cards and you can divy them out in a way that makes the most sense for your group. Residents may enjoy a $5 Starbucks gift card to get their favorite holiday drink. Snap up some $50 restaurant gift cards to treat your team members to a fancy dinner at a local fav. You’ll get bonus points this year if you’re supporting a small business! Visa and Amazon are also popular options to help your residents or staff feel the love.

We can design a custom sleeve to match your sentiments. Whether you want to wish happy holidays to everyone, or make it a thank you card with best wishes for the new year; personalization makes it more impactful.

The Final Details

No matter which gift you choose, complete the package with a branded card to showcase your property. These will be perfect when you’re handing out resident holiday gifts. zipcode creative can help with the card and, even, the signing. How perfect would it be to have the card signed by the whole team, all in a completely contactless way? It’s possible with digital printing. We can make it all happen with just some names, some handwriting fonts and voila, a card with all the important signatures and none of the fingerprints!

Why Apartments Need Cohesive Branding

Written by Stacey Feeney on November 17, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Branding.

Branding is arguably one of the most important elements for your rental property and your business. From brand colors to logo design, your branding is the face of your community and often, it’s the first thing people see when they walk through the door, which is why apartments need cohesive branding! This means creating memorable branding is one of the easiest ways for residents and prospective tenants alike to recognize your community and instantly give them an understanding of what you’re all about.

What impacts my branding?

When it comes to defining your brand, the most important part is understanding not just your community’s amenities, but also knowing your target audience, business objectives, and your local and regional markets inside and out. If you’re targeting young professional renters, for example, your branding needs to resonate with that demographic. If, on the other hand, your perfect resident is an executive, or an empty nester, or a small family, your branding will shift and change for each of those groups to best appeal to them.

What’s the first step?

All the best branding processes start with a brand questionnaire as the very first step. This document includes a range of questions that will help you thoroughly define your brand, its values, and its mission while also identifying aspects of your target audience and the competitive landscape. By taking all of those elements and looking at them holistically, it allows a designer or a branding agency (like ourselves) to create a thoughtful and effective visual brand for your apartments that help you achieve your goals.

What is the logo design process like?

Defining a logo is one of the most important—and sometimes most challenging—aspects of building your brand. Your logo should reflect your company values and give people a sense of what you stand for. Whether you’re modern or traditional, bold or minimal, or strong or friendly, these traits should shine through in your logo, while also reflecting the ideals of the renters you’re trying to attract.

Your answers to our brand questionnaire will help provide the foundation for creating the perfect logo. We’ll work together to select and design illustrations, fonts, and colors that all work together to both accomplish your own goals and appeal to your target audience. Keep in mind, designing a logo is much more than choosing fonts and colors – your property’s location conveniences, trends and history are taken into consideration, combined with the amenities and features your community has to offer, as well as the vibe and feeling you are setting out to portray. These things are all packaged together in a visual way that speak to your target market prospective renter. Have we convinced you of the ‘why’ apartments need cohesive branding yet?

What is a brand style sheet?

Once your logo and all your other branding elements have been finalized, your brand style sheet is a one-pager that defines how you use that logo across different marketing materials. That way, no matter if your property manager, the corporate marketing department, or zipcode creative is creating a new asset, it will always look consistent.

Your brand style sheet will show how to use your primary logo, secondary logo, submark, and other logo variations. It also lists all of your branded fonts and the specific colors used in your branding, so you always present a holistic brand to your residents and prospects.

What is a brand style guide?

While the brand style sheet is a great quick reference for your logo and branding, a brand style guide is a complete and comprehensive guideline to every branding element. This multi-page booklet defines your logo uses, fonts, and color palettes in more detail than the style sheet, giving you everything you need to know as you create new materials or update existing ones. It also includes brand imagery and photography, additional design elements, and more so that anyone designing will know exactly how to use what. You’ll never feel in the dark when creating new materials and always feel confident that you are using each brand element how it was intended to be used. Having brand style guidelines provides a consistent look and feel for your target market, ensuring that they instantly recognize your apartment community and understand what you’re all about.

Ready for new branding?

If by now you are realizing why apartments need cohesive branding and you’re ready to take the next step to help your community stand out with new or updated branding, zipcode creative will help you reach your target demographic through quality custom designs. Fill out our brand questionnaire today to start the conversation of creating a new brand or modernizing an existing one.

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Celebrate Thanksgiving at Your Apartments

Written by Stacey Feeney on November 9, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Celebrate Thanksgiving at Your Apartments

Thanksgiving gives us all a chance to focus on the most important elements of our lives – family, friends and food. It’s easy to boost your resident retention and goodwill with some festive activities. This year, there are so many creative ways to celebrate Thanksgiving at your apartments, you won’t even miss the hosting. We’ll show you how to incorporate cooking classes, a one-of-a-kind cookbook and a fulfilling food drive into this month’s marketing plans.

Cooking Classes

Create a menu of Thanksgiving favorites and host a virtual cooking class (or a series of them) for a fun and educational way to celebrate Thanksgiving at your apartments. Plus, a cooking demo is the perfect type of event to welcome both residents and prospects – kill two birds with one stone – or something less gruesome, you get the point!

Ordinarily a cooking class would be an in-person event, but with COVID still underway, consider inviting a limited in-person audience so that social distancing can be easily observed while recording the demo on Facebook Live to reach a wider audience. Make full use of the community kitchen by showing off those stainless appliances and spacious kitchen island that is perfect for recipe prep. Work the room while you work your recipe. Feature your gas stoves or quartz countertops with festive ingredients and flowers. Cooking classes make for a great recurring series by demonstrating one or two recipes a week all holiday season to keep residents and prospects entertained. Make it a whole team affair, and have each leasing consultant pick their favorite recipe to record for the series!

When hosted virtually, residents and prospects can tune in together to follow along and connect with one another. Hire a specialty chef to make it a unique culinary experience or connect with a local culinary school to partner with your community. Post the menu a few days ahead of time on your socials to get residents excited and grocery shopping so they’ll be prepared to follow along at home. Once the session is recorded, you can always repost to help anyone that missed it live.

Community Recipe Book

Although the traditional Thanksgiving menu stays fairly consistent, no two families do it the same. A great way to connect with friends and family this year is to ask them for some of these special recipes. Let them know about a dish you’ve always loved but haven’t recreated in your own kitchen yet. They’ll be flattered and happy to share.

As property management teams, take this a step further and do a community-wide recipe book to celebrate Thanksgiving at your apartments. Take recipe submissions and organize them by starters, main course, sides and desserts. And don’t forget the drink recipes – Apple Cider Mimosa, yes please! Once you’ve got the collection of recipes, share them with the community at the beginning of Thanksgiving week, giving residents time to shop. On Thanksgiving Day, encourage residents to share pics of their culinary creations.

This creative endeavor doesn’t have to stop with Thanksgiving. Feature unique recipes from your residents to showcase the collection of cuisines being cooked up across your apartment community throughout the year. The cookbook could be a great resident retention or move-in gift in digital PDF form or as a printed, spiral bound book – in either case we can help design this for you.

Food Drive

In this thankful season, it’s important to connect with others in our local communities. Food pantries see increased numbers of families in need of holiday meals each November and December. With this challenging year, this will be even more paramount and it’s a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving at your apartments through a spirit of generosity. People are always happy to come together to donate to a charity or food partner that makes a difference in their community. If your residents aren’t hosting a big meal this year, they may be able to give extra non-perishables to the food drive of your choice. It’s easy to set up canned goods collection boxes in the leasing office or lobby to catch residents each day. Creating a campaign around seasonal giving can be a nice way to attract prospects as they see the good you are doing in the community. Eblasts, flyers and social graphics can be bundled to really spread the word and increase resident donations this year. This is a year for connecting and a common goal makes this a win for your property.

Get the Word Out

Making your holiday events come to life is so much easier when you’ve got the marketing collateral! A recipe eblast to your residents – no problem. Flyers to highlight the food drive donation spots – easy! We even design social media graphics so it’s as easy as save and post. Just let us know your plans and we can make sure your events look flawless – email us today.

Marketing Strategies to Impress Prospects on Self-Guided Tours

Written by Stacey Feeney on October 28, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Improve the entire on-site experience to show off your amenities and turn prospects into residents with these marketing strategies to impress prospects on self-guided tours.

As self-guided tours become more and more popular in our ever-changing world, there’s one question on everyone’s mind: What’s the best way to stand out to residents?

Without a leasing agent to showcase the best features and most popular amenities during an unattended tour, property managers and owners are being forced to think outside the box to adapt. Instead of relying on an agent to sell the space, it’s more important than ever to come up with creative ways to emphasize the unique elements of your property.

Instead of leaving residents unimpressed or underwhelmed, use these creative tactics to show off the best of what your building has to offer.

Easy & Efficient Entry

After residents have booked their tour, you’ll want to make the entire process as easy and simple as possible—almost as if by magic! When prospective residents first arrive, create a streamlined check-in process that grants them all the access they need right away. That could mean they’re let in by a doorman and given each key they need, or you could install a smart lock system that sends a code prior to their arrival.

Whichever method you choose, be sure to do a test run to ensure it all works exactly how it should. This is the first thing prospects experience when they arrive, so it’s important to double-check that it all goes smoothly to give the best possible first impression. A good first impression through ease of entry is one of the first marketing strategies to impress prospects on self-guided tours that shouldn’t be overlooked!

Multimedia Walking Tours

Your community has much more to offer in addition to the apartment units themselves – make sure to bring attention to the amenities and unique selling points of the entire building. While the apartment itself is likely what a touring prospect is most anxious to see in person, the community amenities provide an opportunity to set your property apart from the competition.

To showcase amenity spaces, outdoor areas, or other unique features, try developing a multimedia tour of the entire building. Opt for using a map in lieu of the leasing agent to avoid unnecessary contact while also emphasizing the things that residents love most. Apartment tour maps have become one of the proven marketing strategies to impress prospects on self-guided tours during social distancing.

Develop a personalized map with different destinations, so prospective residents can move about the building on their own and see each amenity space first-hand. You can even add an interactive element like a stamp at each stop, so they can check off each space as they visit. Incentivize them with a small gift, like a Starbucks gift card, from the leasing office if they mark off each amenity to help ensure they experience the best parts of the entire building.

Custom Signage & Table Tents

If you want to keep things simple and straightforward for both you and touring prospects, there’s no better avenue than custom signage. Try creating custom table tents to place throughout the apartment and amenity spaces to highlight special features. That way, even without a leasing agent present, prospects won’t miss the unit’s best selling points and will learn more about the most impressive and notable aspects of their future home.

From top-of-the-line countertops or industry-leading appliances in the kitchen to elevated fixtures or high-end finishes in the bathroom, table tents or other custom signage is a great way to subtly call out details that prospects might otherwise miss. Whether you incorporate a short description, your community logo, or a custom QR code to learn more, the sky’s the limit to your creativity—which makes customized signage one of the most flexible and versatile marketing strategies to impress prospects on self-guided tours!

If you’re ready to elevate your self-guided tour experience with custom signage, get in touch with our team today! From printed maps to door hangers to table tents, we’re experts at creating effective and elevated materials for multifamily communities.

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Resident Halloween Pet Costume Contest

Written by Stacey Feeney on October 19, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Just because Halloween will look a little different this year, doesn’t mean we have to miss all the fun. There are plenty of ways to take your spookiness virtual while still building that coveted sense of community amongst your residents. We’re here to show you how you can invoke that competitive spirit to showcase the most creative fur friends this trick or treat season. Grab your craft cocktail and Halloween supplies and get ready to show your pet’s scary style. Host a resident Halloween pet costume contest at your apartment community!

How to Host a Resident Halloween Pet Costume Contest

1. DESIGN THE EVENT

Create categories for the award winners: most creative costume, scariest get up, best DIY style, for example. Make sure to feature dogs, cats and any other exotic pet they may have living (legally) in their apartment. With so many people working from home this year, they can use that extra time to create a pet costume masterpiece worthy of a prize!

2. INVITE RESIDENTS

Invite your residents to dress their pets in their Halloween finest. Dogs as superheroes – check. Cats with vampire capes – Yessss. Bonus points if you coordinate your costume with your favorite pets. Spread the word with eblasts, flyers, signage and social media posts (we can help with this if you like!). Come up with a hashtag so your residents will be able to share it online.

3. COLLECT CONTEST ENTRIES

Decide which social sites you’d like to post the photos on. Use Facebook and Instagram to feature all of the resident pics and have residents vote away for their frightful favorites. Residents can email their photos to the management team or post directly to social media with the contest hashtag.

Want this exact flyer customized to the branding of your apartment community? Shoot us an email with the logo and contact info and we would be happy to customize – or make a unique design just for you!

How to Award Prizes for a Pet Costume Contest

Everyone loves a good prize. Tally all the votes and offer up some thrifty rewards. A few months of waived pet rent feel nice for that pet’s owner. You can go with a pet store gift card. There are national chains or, even better, if it’s a local store or pet salon you can support. You can also do a donation to your closest animal shelter in the winner’s name.

Since the winning pet will obviously be very photogenic and insta worthy, ask the resident if you can feature their pet’s photo is some of your marketing collateral or social posts. Owners love showing off their pets and now you’ll have great brand ambassadors for your property – all those who participate in the resident Halloween pet costume contest!

How to Promote a Resident Halloween Pet Costume Contest

There’s a reason why pet events are the most popular type of events. No one can resist a witchy pup on his way to collect Halloween treats.

Invites can be done through eblasts and social media. You can even set up a Facebook Event so you can invite your residents through your property’s page. You’ll want to post flyers and signage around the property.

FREE DOWNLOAD ALERT!

Here is a collection of FREE resident halloween pet costume contest stock images that we’ve curated to help get you started in promoting your event!

Download Free Stock Images

Of course, if you’d like help with all of the graphics and signage, we can take care of that piece to make sure your brand is on point. Contact us for custom branded designs!

Once you have all the pictures, make sure to post them together on your social media sites. Residents can support their pet and vote on others. They should also encourage their friends and family to vote, vote, vote for their favorite pet.

Ways to Celebrate Halloween with Your Residents who Don’t Have Pets

While your pet owners are coercing their dogs into black spandex for the resident Halloween pet costume contest, don’t forget about ways your pet-free residents can participate in the festivities.

Competitive carvings or pumpkin painting can provide a creative outlet this time of year. Pumpkin carving enthusiasts can show off their knife skills. Painting pumpkins can impress with less mess. Gather all the resident pictures and create a Facebook album where other residents can vote up til Oct 31st.

You can also challenge residents to a Halloween décor contest. Who turned their balcony into a spooky graveyard? Who’s celebrating a spider and bat infestation in their studio? If your property is lucky enough to have enough decorations and nice weather this month, you can have residents grab their masks and walk around the property scoping out the decorations. End the walk with some candy in the clubhouse. Individual goodie bags or treats make it easy to grab and go.

Download Free Stock Images the gallery of pet stock images or reach out to zipcode creative to personalize your Halloween marketing materials. Use the button below to request a custom branded event flyer for Halloween celebration.

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hello fall social media pack hello fall social media pack

Fall Social Media Pack and 2020 Resident Appreciation Ideas

Written by Stacey Feeney on September 3, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Hello Fall!

Its officially fall when Starbucks releases their pumpkin spice lattes, right? I guess that means this post is overdue. In either case, while you sip your PSL, enjoy our list of fall 2020 resident event ideas and FREE fall social media pack to go with.

Skip the list and get the free download now. See what you’re getting below.

FREE FALL SOCIAL MEDIA PACK

Get social and show the world just how cozy home feels at your apartment community! Download our pack of 7 custom curated social image to post this September, it’s totally free, no strings attached!

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Get these two graphic images in our FREE fall social media pack download!

AUTUMN RESIDENT EVENTS

Don’t worry, every resident event idea in this post was created with social distancing in mind. We’ve had to get creative and think outside the box in 2020, but that won’t stop us from having fun and showing our residents that we appreciate them!

DIY CRAFTING IDEAS

Below are a couple of DIY crafts for fall to inspire you, but if these don’t do it for you, no hard feelings. The concept can be applied to any project you choose. Simply provide your residents with the materials and instructions to an inexpensive craft of your choosing and then send them home to create! It’s a simple and fun way to show resident appreciation that also celebrates autumn!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

Inexpensive, and completely fitting for a 2020 fall themed decoration! Remember when the whole world was hoarding toilet paper and stores were sold out? Bring that humorous memory to your residents while giving them an easy DIY crafting project that actually looks great! The materials to make one toilet paper pumpkin cost as little as $3. If you are looking for an affordable way to give back to your residents this fall, bundle up the materials and place them in a gift bag to offer residents in the lobby as a gift!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins Tutorial

Pine Cone Garland

Pine cones bring a classic fall vibe into the home. So why not paint them pretty and string them up! It’s simple, but honestly looks really great. Send an email and a flyer out to your residents inviting them to stop by all week to pick up the supplies for this fall DIY craft. It would be cute to set up a station at a long table – a sheet of instructions, 13 pine cones, 13 eye hooks, jute twine, a foam brush, and a small bottle of paint (offer different colors they can choose from). Have them go down the line picking up everything they need to take home and DIY this fun fall craft.

Pine Cone Garland Tutorial

DECORATING CONTEST

As your residents are decorating their homes for the fall season, entice them with the chance to win prizes for decorating their patios, balconies or front doors! All you’ll need is a prize or multiple prizes, a fun flyer and a cute email to invite them to join! For an added appeal, decorate a door in the leasing office and put a sign on it to draw attention to the contest! Make it more interesting and offer awards to go along with different prize levels, such as Best Decorated, Most Creative, Funniest, etc.

FALL RECIPE

COOKING CLASS

Hire a chef or food blogger to host a virtual cooking class on Facebook Live or ZOOM to teach your residents a fun new fall-inspired recipe! An hour or two of their time and the expense of grocery for their cooking demo won’t break the bank and offers a fun event for your residents this fall. For an added touch, create recipe cards to go with an invitation to the event and drop them in each mailbox. Maybe this Butternut Squash Ravioli with Seared Chicken for a little drool-worthy inspiration!

Get the Recipe.

A cooking class also provides a great opportunity to extend the invitation to prospects. Send a custom branded card in the mail with the recipes to invite them! PS, we can help you design the invite and mailer – it’s what we do all day long at zipcode creative.

Get these two graphic images in our FREE fall social media pack download!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Give them what they really want, a hot PSL to evoke the fall season with their best senses – smell and taste. Send a fall themed personalized card to each resident with $5 to Starbucks and they will love you forever.

Get this cozy Starbucks PSL image in our FREE fall social media pack. Download it.

Caramel Apples

Support local and gift delicious caramel apples to your residents this fall. It’s a tasty fall treat to give them all the feels of home. And if you want to spend a little extra, give them to prospects too! Invite your leads to ‘Fall in Love with Home this Fall’, visit your property for a self-guided tour and grab a caramel apple to-go! We can make you a flyer or mailer for this too!

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Get this caramel apple image in our FREE fall social media pack. Download now.

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Make it easy on yourself and your team this month and download these gorgeous social post images to bring those fall vibes to your property’s Instagram account. No strings attached! Just put in your name and email and we will send you the pack right away!

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Social Distancing Apartment Amenities Social Distancing Apartment Amenities Social Distancing Apartment Amenities

Social Distancing Apartment Amenities to Enhance Your In-Home Experience

Written by Stacey Feeney on June 4, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Social Distancing Apartment Amenities

The times they are a-changin’. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures have forced us all to adapt to a new way of living. This goes for apartment living as well. Long live the days you could just pop into the office and hand in your rent check to an actual human, which let’s just be honest the only reason you opted out of paying your rent online was so you could snag a few cookies and grab a caffeinated beverage as you waited in the lobby. Remember that whole working out thing? Most of us have forgotten since the gym in our apartment complex has closed. Since lockdown orders have been put into place, the “community” feel of apartment living has been taken out. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, now is the perfect time to be the hero and bring your apartment community closer together than ever before. You can offer these social distancing apartment amenities that your residents won’t want to see go even after stay-home orders are lifted. Keep reading to get a super awesome bonus amenity, which happens to be our personal favorite!

Virtual Classes

Virtual Entertainment

Weekly Food Trucks

On-Demand Fitness Subscriptions

Streaming Subscriptions

Community Competitions

Balcony Happy Hour

Foreign Language Lessons

Community Charity Picks

Bonus: Outdoor Theater

This list could go on and on, but we thought these 9, plus a bonus one, would be plenty to get you started. A friendly tip: Amenities that you offer already, which can easily be altered to accommodate social distancing measures, start that transition, like yesterday! Then from there take a look at the list we’ve put together for you and pick a few of your favorites and get to work! Before you start going bonkers over our top 9, plus 1, list of amenities, take a look at these pointers below that will give you some ideas on how to market your new and improved social distancing amenities!

1. Social Media

Design an entire social media strategy around all your social distancing amenity options. You can have multiple campaigns dedicated to different types of offerings. If it’s a virtual fitness class, post a small video clip on your IG with just the phrase “Are You Ready”, including the dates and times below. Again, the possibilities are endless, but if you want more ideas, you know you can always come to zipcode and we’ll get you sorted

2. Web & Print

Social distancing amenities have already become a selling point that prospects are looking for. So, don’t be shy with them. Put your amenity list on your homepage for the whole world of prospects to see! Bold that list on your brochures! Put a sign outside your complex to let anyone who drives by know that you offer all the best amenities that social distancing has to offer! This will definitely help you stand out from the competition. Distribute flyers to all your residents with the new social distancing and virtual amenities available and how they can access them.

3. The Buddy Pass

Offer a “Buddy Pass” for your amenities. As appealing as hanging out with your complex family within a socially acceptable distance is, we’re all dying to hang out with our other buddies too! For most of the amenities that we suggested on our list, you can find a creative way to allow your residents a pass to have their friends join them. Not only will your residents be ecstatic, but it’s also a great way to advertise how awesome your complex is! There will be definite opportunities to get friends of residents to sign a lease.

4. Email

To make sure residents stay interested in everything you’re offering, think about providing weekly newsletters. You could feature a particular fitness class that isn’t getting as many attendees and try and get them interested. Maybe highlight the most popular fitness class. You could pick a resident of the week and write a small bio on them. Always promote the next big event taking place as well as a calendar of amenities for the following week. Of course, in every newsletter be sure to include any links or codes that residents will need to join an event as well as your website and social media links.

For help with designs and strategies, contact us and we will make sure that the hard work you put into pleasing your residents with social distancing apartment amenities will not go unnoticed.

1. Virtual Classes

Virtual classes can come in many different shapes and sizes, but for the sake of this post we’ll just give you our top 7 list as ideas for social distancing apartment amenities they will love.

Fitness Classes

Offer a variety of fitness classes so that way all your residents feel like there is an option suited for them. This means offering classes for all ages, for residents that work 9-5, classes with various levels of difficulty and everyone in between.

Yoga Classes

Same idea as fitness, but we wanted to keep them separate because the same residents who do your fitness classes may not be the same as those who do your yoga classes. Also remember, there are different styles of yoga and it may be good to offer a variety here too. Yogi’s will appreciate that.

Meditation Classes

Same thing as yoga, right? Wrong. Again, the people who take your yoga or fitness classes may not be the same ones who take your meditation class. And, well, right now, everyone’s a little on edge and stressed and could benefit from having an outlet to help them wind down a bit. This one is a must in our book.

Another great thing about these first three options, not only will you be able to offer your residents much needed exercise while gyms are shut down, but you will also be able to provide work to local instructors , which they will certainly appreciate.

Cooking Classes

Cooking classes can provide an opportunity to partner with local restaurants and chefs for some good ol’ cross promotion to bring your residents weekly or monthly cooking tutorials. Feature well-known dishes at local restaurants as a way to further promote your neighborhood and offer something exciting and new!

DIY

DIY tutorials are great simply because you’ll never run out of options. At a time when all we have is time and most of it is spent at home, DIY is sort of an essential. This could be anything from tye dying to scrapbooking or from building projects to home-decor. Social Media is a great way to promote your resident DIY amenity. Use the hashtag #PropertyNameDIY. Create a Facebook group where your residents and staff can post and share their DIY projects. Having residents share on social is a great way to help showcase your social distancing apartment amenities to the world

Master Classes

Give residents the opportunity to better themselves and progress at a time where we all feel like our life is at a stand-still. This will require you to get to know your residents better, which is great for CRM purposes as well. You’ll need to know what types of jobs and careers your residents have or desire to have. What are their hobbies, interests etc.

All this information should equip you to pick one hour long master class a week to offer to your residents. It could be an expert video on SEO for your residents that are in marketing. Perhaps one week could be an entrepreneur expert for residents who run their own business or would like to one day. A sewing class. A hand-stand class. Whatever the class is make sure it’s relevant to your residents.

Speakers

Sort of in line with number 6, but slightly different. Instead of having it as a class format, you could hire speakers, like the Ted Talk kind, and have them as guests for your monthly or weekly talks. You can really go anywhere with this one. You can have a speaker that specializes in the way the mind works. Or a speaker who is an expert on dreams. Or a women empowerment speaker. Go nuts. Have fun with it. Again, look to your local community to find experts in the topics you are seeking to cover. Poll your residents for ideas of subjects they would be interested in hearing about.

2. Virtual Entertainment

Most forms of entertainment generally result in large gatherings of people. Well, COVID-19 immediately put a stop to all that. But, there’s ways around that, thanks to technology. We’re social creatures and we want to share our excitement and happiness with others. So, here is our top 3 list of virtual entertainment ideas you can offer as social distancing apartment amenities for your residents to share their happiness with the rest of the community. Of course, there are so many ways you can add to this list.

Virtual Dance Party

GO ALL OUT! Hire a professional DJ. Get your residents to invite as many friends as possible. Encourage them to decorate their doors and balconies for the event. You can even leave little goodie baskets on all your residents’ porches with basic decorations and fruit punch and party hats. If you’re feeling extra crazy, you can get pizza delivered to the main office and have your staff deliver it to your residents’ door without coming into contact with them. Seriously, everyone is looking for a reason to party and boogie down right about now. Give them that reason!!!

Virtual Concert

Music is something everyone can relate to. Every Friday night, or maybe just once a month, have a local musician play a live concert virtually. Maybe feature a different genre of music each time. This is also a great way to shine a spotlight on any residents you have that may be musically inclined. You can even plan a music festival where multiple musicians will play a few songs throughout the day. Make a whole celebration of it.

Virtual Stand-Up

Who couldn’t use a good laugh right about now. Same idea as a virtual concert except you can hire local stand-up comedians to do a virtual show for your residents.

We would recommend adding disclaimers to these events, specifically age sensitive disclaimers.

3. Weekly Food Truck

Pretty self explanatory. Each week have a different food truck to come to your complex and offer food to your residents.

Put tape down 6 feet apart to mark where people should stand

If your complex is quite large, specify what times each building is allowed to wait in line

Make it diverse! Each week have a different food for a different part of the world

4. On-Demand Fitness Subscriptions

Annnnd now that your residents have just stuffed their faces, you need to offer them a way to redeem themselves! Instead of advertising your state of the art grills (that you can’t grill on) that are next to your top of the line cabanas (that you can’t cabana in?) by your heated pool (that you can’t swim in), it’s time to start advertising for amenities that your residents CAN enjoy and from right inside their homes.

A subscription to on-demand fitness is an awesome in-home amenity to offer in lieu of the gym. It’s a perfect solution for times when the fitness center is too crowded (or closed) or for those who like to workout after hours. Below is a list of 12 fitness subscriptions and apps you could offer to your residents. Check out the 17 Best Workout Apps for On-the-Go Fitness for more details on each of these apps and subscriptions.

1. BeachBody- Best overall

2. Glo- Best for yoga

3. Grokker- Best for overall wellness

4. Physique 57

5. All Out Studio

6. Tone It Up

7. Pure Barre

8. My Fitness By Jillian Michaels

9. Daily Burn

10. Gixo

11. Obe

12. Asana Rebel

5. Streaming Subscriptions

Maybe the same rules apply as for fitness subscriptions. Who doesn’t like a good Netflix binge here and there…don’t be ashamed if “here and there” is more like everyday right now. We’re right there with you! Netflix is the most popular of all social distancing apartment amenities because people are already streaming it – be a hero and pick up the bill!

Also, you can add a column in your newsletter for most popular shows/movies streaming in your community right now. Just a suggestion. Here goes our top 5 movie streaming sites.

For more details on cost, features and additional streaming sites, check out From Netflix to Hulu to Disney+, the best streaming sites for movies

Netflix. (Cause, uh duh!)

Amazon Prime

Hulu

Disney +

HBO Go/HBO Now

6. Community Competitions

As humans, at least American humans, to compete is in our blood. But, with all sport events being cancelled, how shall we ever get it out of our system! That’s where you step in. Offer some good ol’ fashion healthy competition to your residents as social distancing apartment amenities. Offer sweet prizes too, this will ensure more people will participate and bring your complex community even closer together! If you’re stuck on what prizes you should offer, check out our post The Top 10 Ways to Maintain Resident Retention and Sign Renewals During the Coronavirus Pandemic to get some ideas. Here’s a short-list of some competitions you could offer.

Fitness Challenge

This could be for the most steps walked in a week, the most time recorded for dedicated movement or the most weight lost in a month.

Award for the Most Community Events Attended

Exactly as it sounds. Give notoriety to the resident that attended the most events that month. Write about her or him in the weekly newsletter!

Dance Off

Schedule a Zoom event where any resident who signs up gets to enter into a dance off. After all participants have busted a move, anyone who watches gets to cast their vote and the winner gets to bask in their glory, and of course get a big honkin’ prize from you.

Cleaning/Organizing challenge

Your residents can post before and after shots on social media and tag you in it. I mean, cleaning has never been so much fun! 😉

7. Balcony Happy Hour

This one is an absolute classic and you can even do it multiple times a week depending on apartment community vibe and participation. A happy hour event can also be done virtually instead of having residents hang out on their patios & balconies. Of course, checking ID’s would be a requirement if you are providing the drinks!

Make it fun and theme each event! Perhaps this friday the theme could be margaritas and next Sunday could be a morning brunch special happy hour where mimosas are the theme.

Provide the drinks (to those of legal age) or provide drink recipes for the added perk of this amenity. If you choose to host this even virtually, maybe have a guest demonstrate a how-to cocktail recipe live on video.

There’s no better to celebrate your local community other than to offer local brews and wines at your happy hours. Right now, with the economic downturn, this is a great way to support your local businesses and build your community back up. It’s the perfect way to create relationships that could turn into referrals!

8. Foreign Language Lessons

Offering a subscription to online language courses is such a move-in bonus and one of the most creative social distancing apartment amenities you could offer – stay out from the competition! Everyone wishes they could speak another language, but the hassle of finding out what’s the best way to learn one, the time needed to dedicate to learning one and then being able to afford it, is always a deal breaker. Right now, people have the time, you just need to offer them the best way and add it as a move-in amenity so they don’t have to worry about how they will afford it!

Check out, Best language-learning apps, software, and online classes, to get a list of some of the best language learning subscriptions out there.

9. Community Charity Picks

You may think this one doesn’t seem like an amenity, but you’d be wrong. Most people want to give to charity, but never know which one they should. If you offer your residents charity picks that are not only relevant but community focused, this will help make their decision, thus provide them a service. Help a cause and create loyal fans – offer to match their donations!

Make a list of local charities that you’ve researched and give residents the option to add $1 and up to their rent each month, which will be donated directly to the charity that they’ve picked. We may not be able to advise you on different local charities by name, as the options available will be dependent on where you live, but we can give you some general ideas that are most relevant right now.

Families directly affected by Covid-19

Families who have lost their jobs due to the economic crises

Child-care for parents that still have to work, but can’t send their kids to school because they’re closed.

Nursing homes- they’re the hardest hit by Covid-19

Vet Hospitals and homes- they’re one of the hardest hit as well

10. BONUS: Outdoor Theater

This one is an absolute gem and by far our favorite social distancing amenity! Best part, you can DIY this beast and for cheap too! DIY Drive-in: How to Set Up Your Own Outdoor Movie Theater goes step by step on how you can set up your very own outdoor movie theatre. You can have so much fun with this amenity if you have the space for it!

Provide the popcorn and snacks

Lay down blankets for them if it’s in the grass. Be sure to lay them at least 6 feet apart!

Themes. Pick movies based on a particular theme and decorate for that theme. On Valentines day you could choose a romantic comedy and pass out candy hearts and decorate the movie area accordingly. Help parents out by having a kid’s themed movie night. Halloween, Christmas…you get the picture (pun intended).

Get residents involved. Offer a list of 10 movies, have residents vote and reveal the winning movie in the weekly newsletter.

self-guided tours and touchless move-ins self-guided tours and touchless move-ins self-guided tours and touchless move-ins

Apartment Self-Guided Tours and Touchless Move-Ins That Will Have Prospects Lining Up to Lease

Written by Stacey Feeney on May 21, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

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Covid-19 has disrupted our way of life, forcing us to adapt to great change. Future us will look back on these strange times and think, “social distancing was so 2020”. But, not every change born from this madness will be just another distant repressed memory. Enter the new era of self-guided tours and touchless move-ins.

Technological enhancements necessitated by Covid-19 have been completely transformative for the apartment leasing process. And we all know that you don’t have to twist the arm of a generation jacked up on technology innovations to convince them how virtual viewings and digital leasing benefits them. And persuading people to ‘opt-in’ for an unattended self-guided tour, well you had em’ at self-guided.

So, how can you become an absolute boss at touchless move-ins and have prospects virtually lining up to rent your properties? Through mastering these 3 points below.

1. Cross-Platform Strategy

2. Virtual Touring and Unattended Self-Guided Tours

3. Digital Leasing

1. Cross-Platform Strategy

Blast your touchless move-in offerings left, right and center on all your platforms. Check out our previous post, Virtual Tours Are The New Way To Lease During Quarantine And Beyond for more specific details of how you can do just that. Keep in mind that it typically takes a consumer between 5-20 encounters with a brand before they commit to a sale. As such, your goal should be to reach your prospects in as many ways as possible and as often as possible.

Website

Your website is where the magic of conversion happens. All online and offline marketing efforts should be focused on how you can drive up the traffic to your website. Which is why it’s so important to have a high quality, clean, easy to navigate website that shows beautiful images of the community, floorplans, information about the area/neighborhood, detailed amenity list, easy and clear way to schedule a tour and application to lease online.There’s no point in offering different viewing and leasing options if your prospects have no idea they exist! And chances are, if it’s not right in front of their face on your homepage, then they’ll probably never know.

Social media

Statistics from Shareaholic shows that social media is now the #1 driver of referral traffic to websites and accounts for over 31% of the total traffic. The point: get a bitch’n social media strategy. In fact, we encourage you to design an entire strategy around how prospects can be move-in ready without ever taking off their pajamas or leaving the comforts of their couch. Which, just so happens to be something we specialize in. So, shoot us an email if you want more info on our social media management and content creation service OR follow our blog for future posts on social media strategies.

Emails

Emails are so 1990’s. Wrong! Email marketing is a gold standard among marketers. You can increase conversion rates by the tons (okay maybe not tons, but close!) by simply sending well-written and designed emails (also something we offer). Even create an entire email campaign just for promoting your touchless move-in options. Here are a few ideas of what you can include in your emails to promote your touchless move-in strategy:

Get people excited to open your emails so they can see how awesome your touchless move-in process is by writing compelling subject lines to increase your open rates.
Insert a photo or short video clip of a virtual tour directly into the email.
Have direct links to all your viewing and leasing options.
Provide links to all your social platforms
Highlight your referral and new lease incentives. Emails that offer tangible value do much better.

Email marketing is a great way for you to bring all your goodies to the prospect, rather than them having to find it on their own. It will be much appreciated. A well-done email marketing campaign should be synonymous with increased conversion rates. Check out Email Conversion Rate 101: What You Should Know & 5 Ways to Boost Yours and 10 Email Marketing Stats You Need to Know in 2020 [Infographic] if you don’t believe us!

CRM

We all have busy lives, which is why virtually leasing an apartment fits into our lifestyle so well. However, we are social creatures and we crave attention. Use your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to get personal with your prospects even after they’ve toured solo.

Make yourself available at the whim of every prospect and resident to be there at their every beck and call. Even more so, you want to be there when they don’t even know they want you there. Do the unexpected.

If a prospect reaches out with a question, answer timely and then follow up shortly after to offer assistance with other services related to their previous question.
If a prospect fills out an inquiry form, get back to them within the hour.
Offer live chats on your website. This is a great way to gather personal data, more specifically, prospect’s email address. It’s all about building that database!
It’s not always about new residents. In fact, a big part of your CRM strategy should be focused on resident retention. Showing your gratitude and appreciation for existing residents is just as important. Even little gestures, like having automated reminders linked to resident’s birthdays. You can leave balloons and treats on their doorstep with a card reminding them how much you appreciate them being a part of the “family”.
If you offer fitness classes or host community events, find a way to record which residents participate in which activities.This way you can customize email offerings related to the activities those specific residents are interested in.
Honestly, simply remembering their name and saying hi to them when you see them can go a long way too.

You’ll be surprised how much higher your retention rates will be with just a few minor enhancements to your CRM. All of which can be done contact-free.

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2. Virtual Touring and Unattended Self-Guided Tours

Now for the meaty goodness you’ve all been waiting for. And not to sound redundant, but our last blog post was sort of a gem and a must-read in the way of offering guidance on virtual-touring. Go to Virtual Tours Are The New Way To Lease During Quarantine And Beyond to get a very detailed guide on the different ways you should be offering virtual tours. For this post, we’ll just give you a list of ways to offer virtual tours and open houses.

Virtual Tours

Facebook Live
Zoom
House Party
Skype
FaceTime
Pre-recorded videos available on your website and social media channels

Self-Guided Tours

What we didn’t talk about in our last post is unattended self-guided tours. And self-guided tours and touchless move-ins are going to be key during while we continue social distancing and even in a post-pandemic world. If this is the first time you’re hearing about this concept, allow me to explain how it works.

First, you’ll need to choose which company will supply you with the service, hardware and software needed to offer self-guided tours. Once you are up and running, the leasing office will have access to a smart lock access control. Prospects will need to fill out an online form, provide their credit card information for identity verification and security purposes, pass a screening check and then get approved. After getting approval, the prospect will be sent a one-time passcode, which gives them access to the unit they selected and only for during the time slot they’ve chosen. The leasing staff are alerted of the prospect’s arrival and departure as well as when the doors are automatically locked when a prospect leaves.

Self-guided tours are an investment of your time and funds, the same way providing virtual tours are. But the results make it all worth the while. Data presented at NMHC’s OpTech Conference & Exposition revealed that lease conversions increased by 86% with self-guided tours opposed to when a prospect is being escorted. In addition, 65% of attendees polled during the conference said they were already strategizing ways to adopt self-guided tours within the next two years or have already done so. You don’t want to be left behind!

Self-guided tours not only further empower prospects to customize their apartment hunting experience, but it also increases the chances of them signing a lease because they had this option. It really comes down to engaging with prospects how they want to be engaged with. Give them the choice.

Todd Katler, CEO of Anyone Home, says, “62% of people who use a self-guided tour and subsequently lease, complete that tour within 60 minutes of their initial inquiry.” Also, 20% of prospects that attend self-guided tours do so outside of regular office hours, which means you are opening up an option for the workforce who wouldn’t otherwise be able to tour!

Now, this option does require prospects to turn off their Netflix and get off their couch, but I think everyone at this point is looking for an excuse to do this anyhow. Here is a list of top companies, in no particular order, that provide self-guided tours and touchless move-ins services:

For a breakdown of service features these companies offer, check out, AIM 2020 Webinar Recap: Automated Apartment Tours and Leasing (Part 1) and (Part 2).

3. Digital Leasing Office

Offering digital lease signing is like adding a cherry on top of the prospect’s touchless move-in experience. This option is also quite appealing to resident’s looking to renew their lease and also may be an incentive. For a more exhaustive list to increase retention and sign renewals you should check out our post, The Top 10 Ways to Maintain Resident Retention and Sign Renewals During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The ability to sign leases digitally is not a new concept. In fact it’s been trending for the past few years. But, with recent technology, it has become safer, easier and more robust. Also, just to bust a very misguided myth, digital signatures ARE legally binding and WILL hold up in a court of law. Just in case you’re concerned.

Just like weighing the features of competing self-guided tour providers, you’ll need to do the same with digital signature services. Below is a list of the top 10 providers (outside of the obvious multifamily software platforms):

With so many choices, you really need to know what you’re looking for in order to make an educated decision on which provider is best suited to your needs.

Despite the magnitude of disruption to our lives Covid-19 has caused, there’s some good to come from it after all –self-guided tours and touchless move-ins. Hope this post helps!

Virtual tours are the new way to lease during quarantine Virtual tours are the new way to lease during quarantine Virtual tours are the new way to lease during quarantine

Virtual Tours Are The New Way to Lease During Quarantine and Beyond

Written by Stacey Feeney on May 12, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

You’re sitting on your couch binge watching Netflix trying to come up with some stellar ideas to get your properties seen by the outside world that are also just sitting on their couches binge watching Netflix. The answer is right in front of you…and everyone else…Since our social range has been restricted to a 10-foot radius from our computer screen and couch, you need to start strategizing ways you can get on their screens and get your properties seen right from people’s couch! Virtual tours are the new way to lease during quarantine.

Virtual tours are getting such a good response that we are certain it will be here to stay well beyond this pandemic. Just think of all the DIY millennials – they love their technology and figuring things out on their own. Virtual tours are also a perfect solution for working families who can’t easily meet for an in-person tour during business hours. It’s time to pick up your devices and get filming, the new era has entered in.

Here’s a list of ways that you can get your property to stand out and get prospects inside your properties without ever leaving their couch.

Go Live, Or Get Recording.

You should probably do both. Mix it up; people like options. Offer as many ways as possible for prospects to digitally view your property. All you need is access to a smartphone, tablet or computer. Of course, you can always go the professional route and hire someone to shoot the video for you, but considering the times, DIY is probably best.

Here’s how you can make all that magic happen.

1. Facebook Live Virtual Tours

Never done it before? You should. Facebook Live videos experience three times the engagement compared to other videos shared on social media. It’s a great way to reach a large audience all at once. It’s more complex than just a simple virtual viewing using Facetime/Skype. There’s more pressure on the production side of things considering it’s quite literally a virtual event. The trick is to look comfortable and act natural in front of the camera, but at the same time be sure to come prepared! Here’s some way you can do just that!

Private Broadcast

Use this option to test out your lighting, pace, time and format before going live!

Be Content Ready

Have a script or an outline of topics you want to cover. This will help you stay within the time frame you set for the event. Also, it will help in avoiding awkward silences.

Interact

Respond in real time to comments people are posting. Read certain comments out loud and say the person’s name that posted the comment to make it more personal. Give emphasis to positive comments posted on the amenities as you’re doing the walk-through. If someone posts: “Oh what I would give to be swimming in that pool right now!” You can mention how even though it’s a cool day outside, she should be quite comfortable in your pool since it’s heated. Anything to set that conversational tone.

Introduce And Reintroduce Yourself

Be sure to continuously introduce yourself and give context to what is currently happening every so often when you see new people join the event.

Provide Links

Post important links for everyone in the event to see and be sure to announce it more than once that those links are available. For example- post a link to your online application, website, social media etc.

Sharing Is Caring

Be sure to remind people to follow you on your social media and to share your content. Perhaps offer incentives to do so!

Close The Deal

Give an option to have them schedule an appointment on the spot to speak to an agent to get further information and help with any online application questions. Virtual tours are the new way to lease during quarantine and beyond so be prepared for next steps.

2. Video Conference Virtual Tours

For example, Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing service perfect for large audiences or even small gatherings using a split screen. This app is more like being in a standard teleconference, but slightly cooler. In 2019, it was reported that over half of Fortune 500 companies used Zoom.

All the same ethos for any virtual touring option applies here:

Find time to take Q&A’s. Personalize it by using people’s names when answering any questions.
Direct the group to links and your website throughout the video.
Give them plenty of options for connecting with you and your staff when the video call ends.
Find ways to get people to leave their contact details in a private message.
Make them smile

Hands down the best Zoom feature for giving live tours-prospects can record it! The whole thing. It’s the perfect feature for partners or roommates that weren’t able to join the live tour. Perhaps the only shortcoming is that Zoom isn’t as universal as Facebook Live, just yet, so not everyone has it or knows how to use it. But hey, if it’s good enough for the Prime Minister of UK, Boris Johnson, to use it to hold cabinet meetings, then it’s good enough for us!

If you check out 16 Advanced Zoom Tips for Better Video Meetings and What is Zoom and how does it work? Plus tips and tricks, you’ll get a fuller idea of all the sweet features that Zoom has to offer. Download Zoom now.

3. HouseParty App

It’s more like, well, a house party. More casual and candid. Check out Five Things You Should Know Before Using House Party, you’ll see instantly how different House Party actually is from Zoom. For starters, Boris Johnson doesn’t use it. Honestly, we recommend HouseParty as a fun substitute to WhatsApp. Although you can have multiple people join a video chat, if people aren’t muting their screens, it can get a bit too noisy. Perhaps this app is best for viewings with one prospect at a time, or if there will be multiple residents living together they could all join the video call on separate screens.

Download HouseParty now.

4. FaceTime/Skype

These apps should be considered throwbacks because they’re so old. And we mean this in a good way. Most likely, everyone is already familiar with these apps and already have them on their device. Both are great for a more intimate one-on-one tour and allows you to give your prospects the undivided attention they deserve.

When you talk with prospects who have inquired online, offer to schedule a FaceTime or Skype call with them for a private virtual tour.

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5. Pre-recorded videos

I know. Sounds lame after hyping up all the cool stuff you can do with going live. But it’s not. And remember, you should try to offer both. Not everyone wants to be forced to hear your bubblegum machine commentary (I’m so sorry, of course they do. You have the best bubblegum machine commentary!). Biggest advantage of pre-recorded videos- you have the luxury of editing and prospects can watch it at their convenience. Virtual tours are the new way to lease during quarantine and the forseeable future, so here’s some advice:

Amenities

You got a pool with some cabanas and grills; flaunt it! Your fitness center is state of the art; get on that elliptical and show us how it’s done! Your showers have the water pressure of Niagara Falls; Prove it! (Keep it PG, people).

Music

You can really change the vibe and invoke feelings by simply adding the right music.

Props

Get your employees involved by having them decorate areas like the lobby. Be sure to have every flavor of latte out and displayed in an appealing way. If you have a Game Room, try and round people up to be in the middle of a pool game when you enter the room to give off that community vibe.

Edits

Offer a full length video of your entire property. You want prospects to see everything from the keyed entry at the gates, to the cookies and latte machine in the leasing office, to the pool, fitness center, community lounge, dog park and even inside of the apartment itself. Then you can also offer an option to view a small clip of each area and amenity.

Example of smartphone video tour of a unit by Belforest Villas above.

Tips To Consider When Shooting Videos

Remember to put the toilet seat down before filming. Rookie move.
Make sure they can’t see you in the reflection of the mirror, especially if it’s pajama day at work.
No one wants to see Hairy Back Larry from apartment #7 laying out at the pool in his speedos. Pick a different time to shoot! (Sorry, Hairy Back Larry from apartment #7)
If you’re giving a tour of an empty property, throw out some ideas to the prospect as you’re giving the walk-through about what piece of furniture would look good here or there. You can say super witty things like, “And this is where your partner can put that hideous gumball machine…” as you open the door to your spacious closets. Let your viewer know that the bedrooms at your property can comfortably fit a king sized bed!
If you have a spare model home just lying around, go wild! Be interactive with all the wonderful aspects of your property. Maybe have some cookies ACTUALLY baking in the oven and go and check on them so when they’re finished your prospects can see how great the oven works. Maybe have an employee tucked all snug into the bed watching Netflix and eating popcorn so when you open the door to the large master bedroom, it looks like they just got caught. Then, smooth it over by saying how your properties are so cozy, it’s hard to resist. (The [corny] possibilities are limitless).
On a more photo technical note- try to use a tripod if possible and open the blinds and let in that natural light!

Tips to Consider For Marketing Your Virtual Tours

Use ALL your various social platforms and websites to let people know that you offer these virtual touring options. There’s no point in offering them, if your prospects don’t even know they exist! How do you let prospects know you’re the coolest kid on the block with “this many ways” to virtually view your property? Blast it front right and center on every platform you have.

1. Use Your Homepage

Of course you need to take all the usual digital marketing steps to get people to your website first and when they get there…WHAPOW! Now’s not the time to be shy. Let it be the prettiest thing to look at on your homepage. “Extra, extra! Read all about it. We’re going live on FaceBook and we’re gonna shout it!” Maybe don’t put that exactly. C’mon, you’re beddah than that (Boston accent). If it’s a fresh new website design you’re looking for, look no further and give us a holler!

2. Social Content

Now that you have pre-recorded videos on your website and you’ve hosted a few live events, reuse the content that you have! Share little video snippets of your amenities on your social media. You can design an entire social media campaign around posting these videos. Start a YouTube channel to host them all in one place so prospects can binge watch your videos and really get to know your property without ever stepping foot inside!

3. The Dangle Affect

Dangle incentives in front of your current residents to encourage them to get their friends to move in. It’s really in their best interest to live close to friends in case of a pandemic lockdown…right?!

You could offer them a percentage off of their first month’s rent after renewing their lease if they get at least 2 people to join the Facebook Live event. You see what I did there. Not only do you get at least 2 new prospects looking at your property, but you also just locked down a current resident for another term. SCORE!

If a resident refers a friend and they lease, you could offer a referral fee incentive or something like $200 worth of gift cards to shops in the surrounding community. You could even get the entire complex involved if you have multiple buildings at your property and turn it into a contest: whichever building get’s the most leases signed by a certain date (renewals or new leases) wins a pizza party paid for by you!

The list goes on. Get creative. If referrals are completely a new concept to you, check out Six Ways To Reward Residence For Referrals. If you’re looking for a better understanding of how to build your referral program, check out 7 Tips For Building A Strong Resident Referral Program

4. Advertising

Don’t underestimate the power of a good ol’ fashion email. Or even a print flyer you can slip into the mailbox of current residents. You can mention your virtual tours with links to all your platforms and also mention the referral program you offer. The resident will be more inclined to share with their friends if at the same time they can easily see there is something in it for them. Have a big sign close to the street that reads, “Now Hosting Virtual Tours!”. It just so happens that these are all things we can help you with and customize to your branding.

Submit a creative service request

Just so we’re clear, we really recommend you offer a combination, if not all, of these virtual touring options. This is the way forward. This isn’t just advice on procedures to follow for apartment viewing during Covid-19; this is the future. Virtual tours are the new way to lease! Happy touring!

The Top 10 Ways to Maintain Resident Retention and Sign Renewals During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Written by Stacey Feeney on May 5, 2020. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

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There’s no doubt multifamily residential has been effected by COVID-19, in fact, nearly EVERYTHING changed overnight. Gone are the days of open houses, brunch and tours, realtor happy hours and all resident gatherings (for now anyway). It’s been a challenge to find new ways of marketing to prospects without the in-person gestures we are so used to. Plus, with the uncertainty of coronavirus, we are seeing less people venturing to take on the cost of moving. This is exactly why resident retention should be your top priority, if you aren’t signing new leases, focus on signing renewals!

Below are the Top 10 Ways to Sign Renewals During Coronavirus and Maintain Resident Retention to keep your current residents happy and make them feel even more at home while they are stuck in their homes. Make sure you read through all 10 because we saved the best for last!

1. Online Book Club or TV Binge Weekend

Catch up on some reading while we have this extra free time at home. Reading together will bring back a sense of community that many are longing for during quarantine. Here’s one way you could go about starting an online book club:

• Create a Facebook group. You could name it [Property Name] Book Club.

• Ask residents to join the Facebook group through posting on the property’s social media, posting up flyers around the community or placing them in the resident’s mailboxes, and send them an email about it with a link to the group!

• Start a poll in the Facebook group with the interested residents who’ve become members as a way to vote on which book to read. Once a book is selected, provide them with links to either purchase a physical book on Amazon or download the digital book for their kindles/tablets. If you want to go above and beyond as the host purchase digital books for the group from the community. Consider a free audio book to save money on audible.

• Create weekly discussion prompts by posting in the Facebook group to encourage conversation.

• Meet once a month or upon completion of the book on zoom and have a book discussion party!

You can use this same model to host a TV binge weekend for those residents who aren’t the book worm type!

2. Netflix Watch Party Movie Night

Remember when you used to host movie nights in the clubhouse? That feels SO long ago! Well now you can bring back movie night in the comfort of each resident’s home by syncing up to watch a movie online together through Netflix Party – to set this up, simply install Netflix Party in your Google Chrome browser, open Netflix, start a movie, ‘start the party’ and share the URL with your guests. Follow similar steps as mentioned above in Online Book Club/TV Binge Weekend to have residents join a Facebook group to vote on a movie. Then, at the agreed upon date and time, post the URL for all to join into the watch party.

You can chat in the Facebook group during the movie to talk about what’s going on and ask questions. For an extra special touch, have popcorn from a local vendor delivered to the doors of each movie-watching resident the day of movie night! This is a great way to sign renewals during coronavirus and maintain resident retention.

3. Fitness Accountability Group

Anyone gain the quaran-fifteen since March? Start a fitness accountability group to inspire your residents to get back on track with the goals they started 2020 out with! You can go about this a few ways (or both)…

• Partner with a local gym or personal trainer to go live on your property’s Facebook page once a week to lead a workout and then share tips, meal plans and encouragement throughout the week. It’s a great way to support local small businesses while providing a perk to your residents since the fitness center is closed. Plus, connecting with local businesses fosters great relationships for referrals later.

• Provide residents with online memberships to stream workouts, such as Beachbody on Demand which gives access to the top at-home workouts like P90X and T25. It’s only $99/year – a very reasonable cost to acquire a renewal during coronavirus.

4. Community Recipe Book

Ask your residents to submit their favorite recipes (with photos if possible) along with a short story or description about why that meal is special to them – maybe it was a recipe from their grandma passed down from generations. Give them a time frame to turn in their recipes and then compile them into a PDF booklet to send back out. It’s a fun way to get to know one another and inspire new things to try in the kitchen!

If you want to go the extra mile, have us here at zipcode creative design the book to be professionally branded and have a local printer bind and ship physical copies out to each household!

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5. Balcony/Patio Dance Party or Concert

If you’ve been trolling the internet lately you’ve probably seen some of the amazing stories of people coming together for dance parties and concerts – while adhering to social distancing, of course – on their balconies and patios! Like the viral video of a DJ in Italy back when quarantine first started. So fun and a way for your residents to let loose a bit after months of being cooped up.

Hire a local DJ or a musician to perform on a Friday night from the pool deck or courtyard for all to enjoy at a safe distance from their balconies and patios. One way to start building hype for the event is to post on social and asking your residents to submit their song requests in ahead of time. A super fun wayto sign renewals during coronavirus and maintain resident retention.

6. DIY Crafts Together

Set a date to go live on Facebook or schedule a zoom meeting where you or someone you hire can give a DIY crafting project tutorial to your residents. How to plant an herb garden, build and paint a shelf, make a personalized wall hanging decoration – the options are endless.

Either prepare a list of supplies and links for your residents to order what they’ll need online OR have them sign-up ahead of time and send the supplies right to their doors!

7. Host a Challenge or Contest

Host a challenge and give a prize to the winner. Spring cleaning is a good one for the season, but it can be anything! Promote on social, email, and flyers to your residents and ask them to post before and after pics using a custom hashtag you create such #ZipcodeSpringCleaning – then have your team vote on who should be the winner. You could also give multiple awards with different prize levels for titles like, “Most Improved Space” or “Best Design” and “Most Organized”. Make it fun!

Instead of a challenge, make it a contest. One fun idea is to have a door decorating contest themed for a season or an upcoming holiday. Have the staff be the judges and the winner gets a prize. Take photos of the residents doors and post to social media to create some extra buzz about how much fun you have at your property.

Here are some prizing ideas that are social distancing compliant:

Uber Eats, Grub Hub, Food delivery service gift card
Target, Walmart or Grocery store gift card
1 year subscription to Netflix, Disney Plus, or online fitness streaming service (like Beachbody on Demand)
One Month Free Rent

8. Celebrate National ‘Fun’ Holidays

We don’t have to wait for the Fourth of July to roll around, there are multiple ‘fun’ holidays every day of the year. Check out the calendar on NationalToday.com and pick something fun you can celebrate together with your staff and residents.

For example, Friday, May 15th is National Pizza Party Day. Reach out to a local pizza place and see if they will give you a special discount code to share with your residents – send out an email, a flyer, post on social to your residents with the code and have them post photos with their pizza to social and tag the property to be entered to win a prize. See prize ideas above under Host a Challenge.

Another example, Saturday May 23rd is National Taffy Day. Why not have a local vendor deliver a sample bag of taffy to each resident’s door? It’s the little touches that make all the difference in signing renewals during coronavirus and maintaining resident retention.

9. Play Virtual Games

Virtual Bingo

Host a Facebook live bingo night. Either put bingo cards in each resident’s mailbox leading up to the event or email them a printable PDF card. Then, go live at a set time to announce the numbers. You can play for free on LetsPlayBingo.io – simply choose “start a new game” and click “call next number” button at your own pace.

The first person to hit a Bingo must take a photo of their board and post it in the comments on your live video to win a prize. See prize ideas above under Host a Challenge.

Online Trivia Game Night

Go live on Facebook and quiz your residents!

Interactive Online Gaming

Play multiplayer video games for free with your smartphone as the controller through Air Console – simply get the word out to your residents to jump on to play together a set date and time. This is a great way for kids to connect during the stay at home orders.

10. Virtual Classes & Events

This is our favorite which is why we saved the best for last. Partner with local businesses and experts to provide scheduled Facebook live classes, events and talks. It’s a win-win for all. Support a local business or individual by hiring them to go live on your property’s Facebook page to teach their special skill, give a demonstration or speak their wisdom on a topic of interest to your demographic. These classes and events can be open to the public too as a way to attract prospects to take a closer look at your property. Welcome any non-residents and stay live for a time of Q&A at the end on their behalf. Below are a few ideas to get you started on a virtual event calendar.

Pinot & Paint class with a local artist
Recipe/Cooking Demo with a local chef at a restaurant
Yoga Class
Meditation Class
Talk about Organization with a professional organizer
Work from Home Tips with a pro
Homeschooling tips from an experienced home school teacher
Talk about COVID-19 with a local doctor
Concert with a local musician
How to start writing with a local author
Happy Hour with drink recipe

The list goes on. Reach out to your local preferred businesses and find out what talents they could share with your residents and prospects. Make sure to promote promote promote these events through social posts and ads, emails, mailers, flyers, the works! For now, these virtual events are replacing the onsite gatherings you were doing before so go all out to make your current residents happy and grab the attention of your prospects. Classes are one of the best waysto sign renewals during coronavirus and maintain resident retention.

Remember, we are here to help design the outreach materials you need, both print and digital to promote these events.