To stay competitive, your properties and services must remain in the forefront of the digital marketplace. From a prospect’s search to a resident’s lease renewal, marketing automation can help you exceed renters’ expectations. Marketing automation streamlines repetitive tasks, follows user behavior and delivers targeted content. Such content ushers customers into your leasing pipeline and then helps you keep them as loyal residents. Watch a quick video about marketing automation. In a recent post, we interviewed Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing at Yardi. She explains the long-term benefits of automated marketing. “Attracting a new resident costs up to five times more than retaining an existing one,” explained Bonardi. “With automation tools designed to check in with residents, conduct surveys, provide contact support and offer timed renewal savings, both your retention rates and your bottom line will improve… automatically!” Learn to automate your marketing for an improved leads-to-leases experience! Below are just a few proven strategies for marketing automation. Nudge Marketing Nudge marketing is a website-based tool that tracks visitor behavior. You can use the tool to deliver targeted content to website visitors based on their actions. You can share a promotion with first-time visitors or prompt visitors to schedule an appointment after viewing floor plans. You control the content and the corresponding user behavior. Intelligent Text Response Text is the latest and greatest in rapid communication for businesses. Provide prospects with customized, automated responses that answer their questions without consuming leasing agents’ time. If a prospect wants to know more about outdoor living space, your automated response can give the square footage of the property’s decks. You can also use the service to send a link to available units. Timed Lease Renewals Increase resident retention and improve forecasted revenue with automated lease renewals. Send...

Today’s renters expect to be able to find and interact with your company everywhere, all the time. But does that mean you’re suddenly able to hire more staff for around the clock support? Of course not. Marketing automation is your secret weapon in an increasingly busy digital marketplace. Marketing automation streamlines repetitive tasks, follows user behavior and delivers targeted content to get customers into your leasing pipeline and help you keep them as loyal residents once they’ve moved in. It drives efficiency for the marketer and leasing manager while creating a more personalized experience for the customer. Watch a quick video about marketing automation. We talked with Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing here at Yardi, for her perspective on the evolution of property marketing technology. “Property marketers have to constantly innovate to keep pace with consumer trends and demands,” said Bonardi. “Marketing automation is one way even smaller marketing teams can do that and have a big impact without breaking the bank.” 3 Ways Marketing Automation Is Changing Property Marketing Larger Reach Marketing automation tools like ILS data syndication and social media bulk posting help property marketers reach a larger audience with less effort. Instead of manually entering details like vacancy information, pricing, policies and contact information repeatedly – increasing the likelihood of human error each time – internet listings can be automatically and accurately updated across multiple sites with information from your property management software. Social media posts can be created just once and then scheduled and shared across popular platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Reach thousands of viewers each week without sucking time out of every work day. Better Service Bonardi points out that marketing automation isn’t just a way to work faster, it’s a way to market more effectively. “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...