Holiday Marketing

Property Management Strategy

By Geneva Ives on Nov 13, 2015 in Marketing

‘Tis the season for… leasing? Sure! Any time of year can be a good time to ramp up your leasing and renewal efforts when you take a seasonal approach that builds relationships and excitement around your business.

Make sure your occupancy rates don’t cool down this season with five holiday marketing strategies for residential properties:

1. Create a Holiday Ad Campaign

Use resident reviews and testimonials to develop a “Call <Your Property Name> Home for the Holidays” print and online ad campaign. Testimonials help to humanize your community and advertise it in non-corporate language.

Alternately (or in addition), you can run a social media contest that offers residents prizes for sharing what they love about living at your property. Encourage participants to use a dedicated hashtag. These posts will reach not only their friends and family but can be shared with your followers as well. And, if your property marketing website features Instagram integration, you can easily post these photos online.

“Instagram really shows those lifestyle photos. The Instagram galleries on our property marketing websites let prospective residents know what it’s like to live in our communities,” says Mia Wentworth, director of marketing at Monarch Investment and Management Group. “Our residents help us post fresh content to our sites, without us having to send a special team to take photos.”

2. Treat Your Residents

Advertise holiday movie viewings in the clubhouse from Thanksgiving through the end of the year on your website, via email, and as Facebook events. Provide snacks, drinks, and free company swag if you have some. Invite residents to bring friends, instantly opening your community up to new prospects.

If you’re worried that an event won’t get much traction at your property, try delivering inexpensive pop-by gifts and thank you notes instead. Or have residents stop into the office to pick up a festive treat. Anything to encourage a little face time and encourage renewals!

3. Offer a Seasonal Special

Plan a “New Year, New Lease” special that offers a discount to prospects who apply—or residents that renew—before the end of January. The limited time offer creates a sense of urgency, and who doesn’t like to save money during the holidays? It’s a win-win for both you and your tenants.

4. Host a Party

Host a holiday get-together for your renters to express your appreciation. You can plan a cookie decorating party, wine and cheese hour, or even a pizza party. Don’t forget to take photos and share the fun on your social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It’s an easy way to actually show prospects that renting from you is a great idea.

5. Organize a Contest

Coordinate a seasonal decorating contest for apartments, condos, or even commercial developments. The winner gets premier parking for a month, a small rent credit, or a similar perk as a prize.

Bonus: your property will sparkle and shine with a sense of community when prospects come by to check it out!

Year-Round Marketing

No matter how you choose to promote your properties this season, one thing is for certain: the holidays provide a multitude of occasions to interact with your clients, prospects, and professional contacts. But you should also remember that any time you can get in front of people and build relationships around your business, it’s always a good opportunity. That means you should be exploring new marketing strategies all year long.

Year-round applications, like nudge marketing and referral programs, can help you attract and convert potential residents no matter what the season. Yardi clients using RentCafe, our all-in-one property marketing platform, are able to implement these strategies and more across multiple properties with a marketing management system designed specifically for multifamily. Users can save, search, and share content, as well as communicate with team members at other communities.

Contact us today or join a webinar to learn how RentCafe will help your property management business thrive all year long.

Advanced property marketing isn’t just for the big guys anymore. Small to mid-sized property management companies now have mobile access to sophisticated, cost-effective management and marketing tools using Yardi Genesis², which includes optional RentCafe features.

How do you plan to drive leases and renewals this season?