Leasing Incentives That Work as an Effective Marketing Campaign

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

Create a Sense of Urgency

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

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

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

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

How to Turn Leasing Incentives into a Marketing Campaign

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

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

Email Marketing

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

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

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

Social Media

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

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

Direct Mail

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

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

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

Local Business Partnerships

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

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

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

Reach out to our team today to get started.