Do you offer spacious one, two, and three bedroom apartments in a desirable neighborhood? Maybe you offer spa-like amenities, too. Guess what? The same things could be said about dozens of other properties in your area. To set your property apart from the competition, you must first learn to develop the marketing story of your community. First and foremost, consumers are emotional decision makers. (In most cases, logic is what we use to validate a decision that we’ve already made with our emotions.) Psychology Today reports that emotions are what push consumers toward action. When you want a prospect to take a site tour, sign a lease, or make a referral, you must trigger their positive emotions. By discovering the story of your community and using it in your marketing campaigns, you give prospects the opportunity to forge an emotional connection with your property. This emotional connection will add perceived value to your units. It may sound odd but you can use emotions to fill vacancies! Yet before you begin to daydream about a waitlist, you must first develop your story. The five tips below will help you create the foundation for a strong marketing story. Explore your history. Take a moment to learn about the history of your neighborhood. It may be interesting to know who first settled in the area. Another point of interest could be what industry or what person is responsible for kick-starting commerce and development in your neighborhood. You may or may not chose to integrate this information into your marketing story but the background information may prove useful during property tours. Examine your demographic. Who makes up the bulk of your community? What are the best attributes of this group? Every group has positive features, even rowdy students....