Category: All Articles - Page 24

Organize Your Marketing Strategies with Asana

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

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 Instead of tracking tasks on paper or using antiquated and outdated systems, the right project management tool can streamline your operations to save you time and minimize headaches.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

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

Streamline Project Management

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

Integrate with Your Other Tools

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

Automate Tasks & Reduce Errors

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

Work from Anywhere

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

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

Staging Apartments for Winter Tours

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

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

Staging Outside

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

Staging with Nature

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

Staging with Light

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

Staging for Coziness

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

Staging with Color

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

Staging for the Holidays

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

Staging for the Right Audience

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

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

Reviews: How to Generate Them & Why They Matter

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

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

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

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

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

Creating Accounts on Popular Review Sites

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

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

Encouraging Resident Reviews

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

Just Ask!

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

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

Offer an Incentive

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

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

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

Don’t Forget Reputation Management!

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

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

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

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

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

cultivate community this christmas cultivate community this christmas

Cultivate Community for your Residents this Christmas

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

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

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

Holiday Events That Cultivate Community

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

Secret Santa Gift Exchange

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

White Elephant Gift Exchange

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

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

Scavenger Hunt

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

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

Wreath Competition

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

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

Christmas Caroling

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

Cookie Decorating

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

Hot Chocolate Bar

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

Christmas Pajama Party

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

Christmas Song Karaoke

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

Cultivate Community Between Staff and Residents

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

cultivate community with a greeting card

Simple Christmas/Holiday Card

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

Group Service Project

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

Small Gifts

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

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

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

Directional Signs and Maps are Vital to Apartment Marketing

Written by Stacey Feeney on November 17, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Graphic Design, Marketing.

It’s finally time to open up your multifamily community, or re-launch your next leasing cycle. The leasing office is welcoming. The grounds are tidy. The surrounding neighborhood is excited. From your marketing analysis to the move-in of your residents, every step is vital to ensure an easy transition to life in your community! In order to make sure your residents’ journey to their new door is as easy as possible, give them a crystal clear map of what to expect and where to find all the amenities and offerings they’re looking for with directional signs and maps.

Today’s residents rely heavily on word of mouth (do their friends like it?), impressive/cohesive branding and marketing, and online reviews. On top of that, residents want to make sure that they’re located close to the amenities they want, both within the community they’re considering, as well as the surrounding neighborhood. Beyond an outline of community and local amenities, practicality is key for prospective or new residents–no one wants to be lost, despite all those “Not all Who Wander Are Lost” bumper stickers floating around. That’s where directional signs and maps will be vital.

Directional Signs

Much like street numbers that are easily visible on a house, providing directional signage in the community is important to ensure a sense of welcome, ease, and expectation.

Bootlegs/bandits, which are also called yard signs, are helpful for giving directions to the leasing office for prospective residents, with a combination of text and arrows. (If a resident can’t find the leasing office, it will be difficult for them to sign the lease.) Make it as clear as can be with your directional signs.

When a prospective resident comes to your community, to find out whether they’d like to live there, signage should be clear, regular, and consistent. If the signs don’t match your typical branding styles, it may be confusing. If there are no signs, it can be a source of frustration. Just like a focus on customer experience with a website is vital, you should also focus on the customer journey through your physical community! Avoid wasting their time, causing them embarrassment, or becoming a source of frustration or confusion with well-branded directional signage.

If your community is multilingual, consider having your signs show two languages, so that everyone feels welcome, and can navigate without necessarily having to translate.

In addition to leasing office directions, having signs for parking can be a godsend. Not every visitor is confident in their ability to find parking, with some even previewing Google Earth to pre-plan their parking. Anticipate their needs, and have them saying “I saw the sign!”

Sitemaps

The custom property sitemap, one of zipcode creative’s specialties, is like the corner piece of the puzzle for many apartment communities. Though most everyone has a smart phone with a web browser, GPS, messaging functions and many other apps, they don’t have a way to navigate your community beyond the front door. The residents and prospective residents are relying on you to create a map that helps show them where the apartments are in relation to everything else in the community.

Perhaps they’re a young couple, and they’d like to be close to the pool area. Perhaps they’re a family with older kids, and the barbeque area is more important. Or maybe they’re a single person that wants to meet others, and being near the clubhouse is high on their list. Depending on what their needs are, they should be able to easily see where your community amenities are in relation to the unit they’re considering.

zipcode creative’s sitemaps can be formatted for your use in both digital and printed versions, so you can share the map on your website through an email marketing campaign, or through a printed apartment welcome packet. With our help, we’ll make sure to identify the most important aspects of your asset: the lease office, parking, unit buildings and numbers, landscaping, and your special amenities that may include clubhouses, pools, and barbecue areas that your residents desire.

Location Maps

Beyond the borders of your apartment community, your residents will want to know: “Where’s the best place to ________?” in the surrounding neighborhood. You can answer that question, no matter how it ends, with a custom-designed location map from zipcode creative. With our detailed and stylized neighborhood map, you can identify all the good stuff that’s just a couple of blocks away, including restaurants, cafes, conveniences, and other points of interest (stadiums, golf courses, oh my!) Your residents will be excited to move in because you’re close to their favorite grocery store, or within walking distance of a cozy coffee shop.

PRO-TIP: Partner with a local business, and give your newly-signed-on residents a gift card to a restaurant or coffee shop!

The location map can be tailored to your ideal resident. For example, if you’re a senior living community, you can highlight nearby golf courses, healthcare facilities, and shopping centers. In contrast, student housing communities may choose to highlight the nearby university, coffee shops (“this one has free WiFi!”), gyms, and have more of a focus on nightlife.

No matter who your resident is, it’s always helpful to center them with a simple “You Are Here” message. Directional signs will welcome them, while sitemaps and location maps help them feel right at home in your community.

Contact zipcode creative to roll out the welcome wagon today.

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

Multifamily Marketing Through Local Partnerships

Written by Stacey Feeney on November 17, 2021. Posted in All Articles, Marketing. 1 Comment on Multifamily Marketing Through Local Partnerships

When your residents decide to live in your community, they often aren’t doing it only for the apartments. The surrounding neighborhood and community typically play an important factor in where they decide to live, too. Create a more dynamic experience for your residents and help them engage with other local businesses by creating a robust local partnerships program that benefits you, your residents, and other local business owners.

Leveraging local business owners to cross-promote your offerings is a win-win situation for everyone. Consider these different types of creative partnerships that will help engage your residents and create stronger bonds with your neighborhood.

Restaurants

Reach out to nearby restaurant owners to create a special discount for your residents. From a percentage off of their meals to different coupons for discounted items, you can help to encourage your residents to bring more business to these local hotspots.

You can even commit to partnering with specific restaurants for prospective resident events or other community events to build stronger ties. In return, encourage the restaurant to promote your community to their customers through flyers or signage. That way, you can begin to build brand awareness and more easily promote your community through the word of mouth of local partnerships.

Animal Shelters

Local animal shelters are an important part of every community, so it’s an ideal opportunity to do some good and promote your available apartments. If your community is pet friendly, partner with a local shelter or rescue and host an adopt a pet event.

The event will allow you to meet local pet owners and pet lovers and be able to showcase all of the pet-friendly amenities that you have to offer residents, from a dog park to dog grooming services. Even if event attendees aren’t currently in the market for a new apartment, they’ll be able to spread the word to their network and are likely to keep you in mind as an amazing place to call home for both themselves and their furry friends.

Movie Theaters

Bring movies right into your residents’ backyards! Partner with a local movie theater to host an outdoor movie in your community courtyard or even a movie-pool party event. Offering exciting resident events will help encourage community engagement and increase resident happiness, all while helping the movie theater get its name out there.

Instead of one event, consider making it a monthly series to give residents something to look forward to during the warmer summer evenings. Be sure to also promote the event or series using email marketing, signage, and other collateral to get the word out there.

Classes & Demonstrations

Local partnerships with businesses like grocery stores, food shops, fitness studios, or bookstores to host a demonstration or class for your residents. Whether you offer a free yoga class, a seasonal cooking event, or even a book reading or signing, there are countless ways you can leverage your community partners to engage your residents. Your partners can even offer residents additional discounts or other incentives to encourage repeat business, making it a beneficial way for them to expand their customer base.

Preferred Employer Programs

When it comes to marketing partnerships, think beyond events! Develop a rent incentive program for certain local companies or specific professionals, like doctors, nurses, and teachers. That way, you can encourage faster lease-up while also offering a preferential rent rate to those who are making a positive impact in your community.

Ready to promote your partnerships? Work with a creative agency, like zipcode creative, to develop multichannel marketing assets that will help you spread the word. Get started today!

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