New Year! Fresh Start!

It's that time of year again. Time to look at the accomplishments of the previous year and the failures or the things that we can improve upon. Just as you will be creating a personal list of New Years resolutions you should be looking at goals for your business as well. Here are a few tips to make your goal setting successful.

1. Pull your staff together for an end of year or beginning of year meeting. Hand out paper and pens. Make this an interactive meeting. Ask each team member to jot down their personal goals or resolutions and a few things that they would like to see happen at your community. This can be for the over all property or specific to their department. Allowing them to add their thoughts and opinions will help you to make your final business goals for your community. This will also help them want to be involved in making sure everyone commits and sticks to them all year!
2. Pull reports. Look at your numbers. The numbers never lie. This will give you a very clear picture of where you need to spend your community's budget.
3. Pull employee reviews and community reviews. Take a look at your customer service and employee satisfaction.
4. Once you have analyzed all aspects of your business you may begin to put them in order by priority.
5. Decide how many goals you would like to focus on. I would pick three. One from each department or one main goal and a couple smaller goals.
6. Create realistic goals and an action plan.
7. Request approval from corporate and come up with a bonus system or an agreed upon reward.
8. Place your goals in an area where all staff will see them daily.
9. Go over the goals at your monthly or quarterly meetings. If the goals are being met respond by congratulating staff and even rewarding them with a lunch or bonuses etc. If they are not find out why and adjust.
10. Take time to enjoy the process. Make it fun! Take pictures. Create a goal board. Show off the accomplishments through out the year.

Good luck and have a successful 2016!!!

Logo Ornaments

The holidays are a great time to get out and market your community. Traffic usually slows down and gift giving is appropriate this time of year. Take this opportunity to pull together some fliers, business cards and any other marketing materials you have available. Put them in a gift bag with some holiday candy or cookies, maybe even ornaments with your logo on them. What a fun way to celebrate the holidays and promote your community at the same time! Dress in festive wear with Santa Hats and holiday colors. Spread holiday cheer and make your meetings memorable. They will never forget your smiling face and upbeat approach. Invite local business owners to your residents holiday functions or just invite them to tour your community and enjoy some hot chocolate and treats. Don’t miss out on this once a year marketing opportunity.

Share A Memory

A wonderful way to get residents to come together during the holiday season is to create an event that includes the entire community. One way to do this is to ask each resident to share their favorite Holiday memory. Make a party of it and invite residents to the clubhouse where you can offer refreshments and snacks as well as pens and paper. Make sure to ask that each resident add their name to their story. Once the residents have written down their favorite memory you will compile them into a book. You can type them yourself and make copies at Kinkos or you can have your printing company print the books up for you. Be sure to add a cover page and a page of thank you to all that participated. Give these away as Holiday gifts at your community holiday party!

Pictures With Santa

During the holiday season a great way to get new traffic is to advertise FREE pictures with Santa! Purchase a Santa suite and pick a day that you can set up in your clubhouse. Offer treats like cookies or hot chocolate and hand out brochures or fliers with each photo that you give out free. Advertise in the local newspaper or in publications that has a family demographic. Have a maintenance tech dress up and a leasing agent help out with giving out hot chocolate or small gifts. Make it fun! Put out a flier to each resident so that they may invite family and friends. Set the mood by lighting the fireplace and have holiday music playing. Reach out even further to pet owners by offering a day to do pet pictures with Santa. Promote this by advertising in Pet Scene Magazine and by posting fliers at dog parks. This can be a huge success if promoted properly. You will be able to reach tons of new traffic and make lots of people happy!

Fourth Quarter Blues

The holidays are usually the slowest time of year. As we all know the fourth quarter is the worst and we must always step up our marketing efforts. This time of year gives us the time to spend on the current residents and on creative ways to attract future residents. Host a Gift wrapping party. Hold the party inside one of your models if you have a floor plan big enough. If not it can be held in your clubhouse but be available to show your model. Invite all of your residents and ask them to bring a friend, coworker or family member! Make this a FREE event and provide the gift wrap and tools they need to wrap beautiful gifts. You can get tons of gift wrapping supplies at the 99 cent store. Offer refreshments such as hot chocolate and cider. For every resident that brings a guest, give them a raffle ticket and raffle off a gift basket. Again you can make a spectacular looking gift basket with items from the 99 cent store. Set your brochures and fliers near the refreshments so that each guest can take a brochure or flier with them. Serve the refreshments in coffee cups with your logo on them. Each person that came as a guest can take a coffee cup home with them! This will be a fun time for your current residents and a great way to bring in new guests who may be looking for a new home and will get to see what a wonderful sense of community your apartment homes have

Internet Halloween Contest

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays. This is a great way to get your business name out there or promote your apartment community. Use the internet as a tool and reach even more traffic by having a contest. There are a couple ways you can do this. If you have a facebook page, have a costume contest. Post pictures of the contestants and the costume with the most likes wins. This can be humans or pets. Another fun way to gain attention is to change up your website to a scary home page. Change up your logo to have a scary image or if you don’t want to be scary, change it to a pumpkin or a happy ghost. Have a promotion on your homepage giving away a free gift related to Halloween. They will receive this gift if they tour your community or try your product. The gift can be something like a pumpkin or a face painting kit or even a candy collecting bag with your logo on it. If you are on twitter have a hashtag contest. Post twitters rules on hashtags to be safe but this can be a great way to get people involved! Have a Utube contest for the scariest story or the most creative recipe or Halloween dish. Make sure that all of these items have your community name or business name in the titles. Be creative and have fun!

Halloween a Marketing Opportunity?

Halloween can be a great marketing opportunity! You will have lots of kids and parents coming to your home for candy that night. Use this time to let the neighborhood know about your apartment community/business. Create labels to put on each piece of candy that you will be handing out or tape your business card to it. If you can set up a table or tent in your front yard with a banner or a sign and talk to the parents as they come up to trick or treat! Dress up and decorate! Give out candy to the kids and hand out your business card to the parents with a little gift for them. Get creative and use this time to spread the word about your apartment community/business!

Fall Festivities - Pumpkin Carving Contest!

Fall is upon us and it’s time to start thinking about events for the season. A few fun ideas and some festive decorations and you can put together a party to remember! Every year we ask our residents to decorate their patios for the holidays and we have a contest to see who is the most creative. Why not do the same thing for Halloween and have a Pumpkin carving contest? Send out a fun flier and give a deadline in which you will be walking around your Community to take pictures of their pumpkin in order to choose the best carved pumpkin. You can have a couple different categories such as  Most creative, Scariest, cutest etc. or you can have first, second and third place. Partner with the haunted houses in your area and maybe ask for free tickets or partner with the area Halloween costume stores and purchase gift cards from them for the prizes! Purchase DVD’s of scary movies or purchase gift cards to the local theaters. You can also have an adult contest and a separate children’s contest  with pumpkin pales for collecting candy filled with Halloween coloring books, crayons and other small toys as prizes. Try and partner with the area businesses to make the party a hit. You would be amazed at the business owners who want to be included in your events and would be happy to donate raffle prizes  especially the businesses that are seasonal. Be creative and most of all have fun!.

Fall Bean Bag Toss-Leasing Game!

 Looking for ways to make leasing your vacant units more fun? Why not start a bean bag toss game? They are very easy to make and you can tie it in to a few different areas. First you can use it for your future residents. After you take them on a tour ask them to toss the bean bag for a prize. This can be prizes such as coffee cups or bags with your logo on them or you can give them different specials such as $100, $200 or $300 off their first month’s rent. Next you can use it for your leasing agents. Every time they get a lease they can toss the bean bag for a gift card. $5.00, $10.00 and $15.00. All you need is a large box, some paint and a box cutter. After you’re done using it for leasing you can use it for the kids at the Halloween Party!

Chili Cook Off

Here's an idea for a fun resident event. Since football season is right around the corner why not think about some football themed events like a Chili Cook Off? Invite each resident to start working on there Famous Chili recipes. Let them know that there will be a community Chili cook off the first day of football season. Ask everyone to wear there favorite football jerseys or t-shirts. Purchase football themed decorations and hold the cook off in an area that is big enough to allow for all of the taste testers that you will have. Ask your area vendors or business owners to come out and be judges. If at all possible have trophies or certificates made up. This could even become an annual event!

Garden Party Pot Luck

Planting a community garden can be a very gratifying event. What better way to celebrate that achievement then to have a garden party pot luck? The best way to do this is to select a couple residents to help with the planning and organization of the potluck. One resident can be in charge of making a list of food dishes needed and assigning them to residents willing to bring a dish. These dishes will be in the spirit of the occasion, food made with herbs and veggies from the garden. The other volunteer can be in charge of decorations. This can be very simple and elegant such as hanging strands of lights and making hand made table decorations. Spray paint cans with colorful paint and use them as vases for wild flowers. Use seed packets as party favors and create a photo booth with bales of hay for selfies. Offer lemonade and sweet tea for refreshments. Keep it simple with a organic country theme and you and your residents will have a wonderful time!   

Snail Mail is Back!

It is becoming more and more popular to send out hand written cards to customers and clients. The twist is that they are sent with beautiful hand lettering done on the envelope. You can try hand lettering if you think that you may have a talent for it or you can easily purchase a stamp. Stamps are rubber so they will last longer and are easier to use. These can be found on Etsy which is a great site for hand made products. So give your clients and customers something to get excited about when opening their mailbox. Happy to see a beautiful and thoughtful card and not just bills!

Mobile Services for your Residents

There are many mobile services out there that would be of use to your residents. This is great for senior communities and multifamily communities. Everyone can benefit from these services. Here are a few that may interest your residents:
1. Post office

2. Library

3. Housekeeping

4. Pet grooming

5. Hair salon

6. Manicurist

7. Fitness trainers

8. Flu Shots

9. Car Wash

10. Shredding

You can schedule these mobile vendors weekly or monthly so that the residents can look forward to these events or they can plan their schedules around your calendar. There are so many companies that will come to your communities and set up or that will pick up your residents for a small fee or sometimes for free!

Three Bedrooms Getting you Down?

In this economy three bedroom apartment homes can be a challenge to lease. The current competition is no longer your closest sister community but the homes for rent in your area. Renters are not only looking at the size of the apartment but the yard and garage offered by the homes on the market for rent. Here are some ways to market your three bedrooms and attract the traffic you need.

1. Create mini models with a theme and great free gifts inside. Accent walls are also a low cost way to make an apartment look more like a house.

2. Remind your current residents of your referral program and let them know that you have three bedroom units available. They know first hand how great it is to live at your community so they will refer their friends or family members.

3. Create a list of amenities and brag about them. Large floor plans, prime location, friendly staff etc. Whatever sets your community aside from the rest.

4. Focus on the Family- Create a flier with a list of the top family friendly reasons to live at your community such as near schools, gated community, fun activities for the kids, pool and tot lot. Etc. Hand these out or post them at rec centers.

5. Focus on the College Student- Hang a banner at UNLV or CSN in the student center. Advertise in the college newspaper or program. Create a flier explaining the benefits of room-mating. Keep in touch with the student housing department.

6. Focus on the Senior Citizen- Drop off fliers at the senior center talking about the benefits of room-mating such as companionship, finances and safety.

7. Offer a Realtor a referral fee for referring clients that don't yet qualify to buy a house.

8. Do a raffle or giveaway instead of a special. Offer to pay for the movers or give away a gas card when they move into a three bedroom. Advertise this with a direct mailer. 

9. Pet Friendly?- Advertise your three bedrooms in Petscene Magazine a low cost free to the public magazine. Offer a free pet gift at move in!

10. Host an Open House/3 Bedroom Blow out Party- Invite locators, area business owners, vendors and residents. Encourage your residents to bring a friend. Have a BBQ and make sure to offer refreshments in a vacant three bedroom mini model. Maybe have a photo booth set up in the vacant unit to make it interactive and the party goers will share the photos on their personal Facebook pages!

Have fun and happy marketing!

Fun Classes for your Community!

Education can be fun! Bring classes to your community so that your residents don’t have to leave to take that class they always wanted to. Speak to your local businesses. Many of them are willing to take an hour out of their day once a month to give a class or you can charge per person and plan something like a painting party/class. They may even offer their services free to benefit their business and get their name out there! Here are a few suggestions:

1. Basic Computer

2. Ball Room Dancing and Line Dancing

3. Music – Piano or Guitar

4. Floral Design

5. Ceramics and pottery

6. Cooking or Cake Decorating

7. Painting

8. Foreign Language

9. Fitness and Yoga

10. Photography

Get to know your local business owners, find the best deals but always make it fun! 

New Hire Packets

I have been interested in weddings lately. Every detail of a wedding is beautiful. It's that one special day! The bride and groom pay attention to each and everything that goes into their wedding. It makes me wonder why we don't do this with every aspect of our lives? Make each day special and pay attention to each and every detail of what we do. We can go that extra mile and add that special touch. So when you are putting together packets for your new clients, new move ins, or new employees think about how impressed they will be when you hand them something special. Take a lesson from a wedding photographer and give them something that will put a smile on their face. Anything new is scary and most people are nervous to start a new job or move into a new home. Make it a little less scary by walking them through their process and giving them a packet full of information that will be helpful to them. Add a DVD disk talking about the new company and what it means to be a part of this great team! Maybe add a flier with photos of your employee get together's such as the last company picnic or the involvement with charity events. The same goes for new move in packets or new client packets. Add coupons to area theaters or fliers with upcoming events in the area. Make the folder it's self pretty. Something friendly that they will want to keep and not just a corporate folder that may find it's way to the trash can. Think about weddings and how beautiful everything is down to and especially the stationary. Maybe you can make your packets just a little extra special.

Gift Certificates

Mother's Day is around the corner and everyone is looking for gifts to wow their Mom. If you offer a product or service why not create gift certificates? It's always appealing to customers to purchase for future use. It makes us feel that we are getting more for our money when we can choose to come back later and shop. It's also a great way to take the pressure off when looking for a gift for someone. You can print gift certificates easily on line with free templates offered or you can have them printed up by your favorite printing company along with beautiful boxes and bows to wrap them up and make them special for your clients and customers. Either way this is a wonderful option to offer. Be sure to make up signs to post in your store or office to make your customers aware that you offer gift certificates. You may even want to offer an incentive for buying them such as an extra $5.00 for every $50.00 purchase of a gift certificate or a 10% coupon to go with their purchase. Send out an email blast letting everyone know you now offer gift certificates, post it on social media sites and send out a mailer. Gift certificates guarantee return customers and possible new customers with every sale!

Set Up a Seasonal Photo Booth!

A fun way to get your residents excited about the fall season is to create your own Harvest photo booth! Purchase some hay, some pumpkins and some decorations. Send out a flier and invite all of the residents to come on by and take a picture. Ask them to bring the kids, their friends family etc. Let them know you’ll be sharing the photos on Facebook so they can access them and share them on line with their friends. After each person takes their picture give them a flier with your Facebook address and ask them to like you on Facebook. This is a great way to get more followers! Make a day of it or let everyone know that you’ll be taking pictures all season long!

Freebies!

Make touring future residents a fun experience by getting in the spirit of giving. Make it festive with ribbons and tissue paper so that the gifts are colorful and decorative. I like to have many free gifts available to hand out when touring. Future residents love to leave with a little gift to remember where they were since they visit a large amount of communities in one day. Touring is a hard job. It can take many hours of driving around to find the perfect place to live. Why not give out fun stuff to make the tour memorable. First I make sure that I have plenty of water bottles with our community sticker on them. Keep them cold and tie your business cards to them. Anything that I purchase to use as a free gift will always have our community name, logo, website, phone number etc. as a tool for the visitor to refer back to. Some items that I have given out are sports water bottles (great in the summer!) Lanyards and whistles (great for senior communities) and magnets are a really great tool to use also. Put the office hours of operation and emergency numbers on it. They will be sure to keep this on their refrigerator for reference. Buy coffee cups with your logo on them, put tissue paper inside with some candy! Have several made up and have them sitting on your desk. Let the visitor know that they will get one free once they have toured your community. You can put your brochures, cards and even referral cards inside gift bags with a surprise free gift inside. Make up a survival kit for their apartment hunting day with cookies, water and a laminated map of the town with your logo and information at the top. Purchase a large basket and let them pick from an assortment of gifts. Anything to make the experience fun and most of all memorable! Give out T-shirts to the kids or to the ten tour of the day. Make a game of it to get the office staff excited!

Eye Catching Expo Tables

Make your table or tent stand out when participating in an event! Set up a bright colored pop up canopy and decorate it with balloons and streamers. Add a banner or table cover with your company name as advertising. Music playing in the background is always a nice touch and creates a positive atmosphere and mood. Have everyone at the event dressed in matching t-shirts. This can be the color of your logo or a bright color of your choice just make sure it all ties into your theme. If you invite a friend to help you or you have volunteers or employees in charge of the table it is important that you express to them firmly that good customer service is a must! If you do not have a store front and you sell on line this event table acts as a store front for you. This is your chance to interact face to face with customers and future customers. If you already have a store front or office that you work out of treat people just as you would there. Stand up and engage in conversation. Ask how you may help and talk about your product or service. One way that helps this process is having a raffle or a game at your booth. Purchase or make a spin wheel and ask people to spin for a prize. Everyone loves a free gift! Have plenty of cards, brochures, flyers, promotional gifts on hand to give away. Make up bags with your logo on it. Everything should have your business name and logo on it! Buy a roll of logo stickers before the event to insure that you don't miss anything. Attach business cards to prizes. Participating in an event or expo is a great way to network and sell your product or service. Make sure you use this opportunity wisely. Interact with people. Ask for contact info to follow up with interested customers later. Even if you are selling a product it's a good idea to get contact info so that you can start a customer data base. Most importantly have fun and enjoy your self!

Pets are People too

Pets are a great way to break the ice with residents and future residents. When I have a community that is “Pet Friendly” I keep a jar of treats on my desk and in the leasing office. Everyone loves their furry companions. Pet owners are wonderfully surprised when you welcome their pet into your community. When a community claims to be pet friendly I think it’s important to really take that to the next level. Creating a pet corner on my bulletin board was my next idea to let the residents know that we adore their pet as much as they do. On facebook we have the “Pet of the day” Bring your pet in and we will take their photo and post it on facebook and the pet receives a free treat! Purchase labels with your community logo on it and put on mason jars filled with treats. Leave a stack of your business cards next to the jar at vets, pet hotels and pet smarts in the area. Purchase bandannas with your logo on it and hand out at dog parks. Advertise in Pet Scene Magazine and other publications geared toward pet owners. The Animal Foundation has several events each year and you can place an ad in the program. One of the biggest is the Best in Show. It’s a huge event that brings in lots of publicity and is backed by many local celebrities. This is an inexpensive way to reach out to future residents looking for a pet friendly community.

Relationships=Referrals

Everyone you meet has the potential to refer residents your way. I keep cards and any other marketing materials handy in my office, my purse or in my car to hand out when I come across anyone new. I especially do this when meeting vendors, salespeople and industry partners. Usually they stop by my office to drop off their materials, I will in turn hand them mine. Always! This is just good practice. We all want to help each other in business so I really try and take the time to do so. I will ask them about their business even if I may not need their services at the time. I can always refer them to another Community Manager etc. When outreach marketing I have small gifts with me. Instead of just handing out fliers, I’ll put the fliers in a gift basket with some candy or tie them to some baked goods. This way it brightens someone’s day and they remember me. For years now I have made sure to send holiday cards to everyone I know and then some. The holidays (not just Christmas) are a wonderful way to keep in touch and remind people of the community that you are working at and they will be happy to send you referrals. I send my business card so that they know how to get in touch with me. This is not just networking. This is building lasting relationships. Outreach marketing is an everyday job. Not just something I do when my occupancy is low. Keeping in touch and asking how I may be of service is one way I have built many friendships. I go to new business owners and offer to take photos of their place of business and post them on my facebook page. I feel that supporting each other is not only the right thing to do but it helps us all keep our units occupied and keep the doors open to large and small businesses alike.

Fun with Themes

Make the office a fun place to be! I have a different theme monthly. I usually follow the holidays however there are lots of others themes such as football season, baseball season, Hawaiian luau, casino, just to name a few. You can match your specials with the monthly theme and come up with great slogans for banners etc. Slide into home base here at XYZ Apartments and create a baseball theme in the office. Everyone can wear baseball t-shirts. Buy party favors at the party store to hand out to future residents when they stop by for a tour. Buy baseball tickets to your local high school or farm team and give them out as a free gift for leasing at your community. This way you are supporting your local teams and creating a fun atmosphere in the office. Where there is fun people want to lease!

Locator Services are your Best Friend!

Locator services are your best friend. They are a free service to the public and they make their commissions simply by referring future residents to apartment communities. We pay them once a referral has moved in. It can be a set amount or it may be half of the amount of the first month’s rent. I call my locator services in my area and find out their address, fax number and email address. Once I have their information I contact them at least weekly with what vacant units I have available. I email them my specials and any other information that they may need to help promote our community. Once a month I make a personal trip to their office bringing them muffins and coffee along with my fliers and or brochures. I really get to know the agents in the office so that I am the first one they think of when someone calls inquiring about an available apartment. I have contacts at locator services that I have been working with for years. So make them your best friend and let the referrals roll in!

Community Cookbook

We wanted to create a community cookbook. So we spent the next several months collecting recipes from our residents. They were so proud to offer up recipes that they have been making for years. Some recipes had been passed down from their Mother’s and Grandmothers. Once we got together a stack of recipes we sent them off to our designer and publisher to put it all together for us. She did a beautiful job! It had lots of color and we called it “Recipes and Tasty Treats loving shared by our residents” Once it was completed we used this cookbook as a marketing tool. I gave it away as gifts to our area business owners along with our fliers wrapped in a bow. We gave it away as move in gifts and we used it to show future residents what a great community we have! The response was amazing and we made sure our website address, phone number and address was clearly marked on the cover. It was much more fun to hand out instead of a business card!

Gratitude Board

During the holiday season it occurred to me that many people are without family and friends but they have their apartment community and we tend be extended family. We see them every day if not at the very least picking up mail, paying rent or walking their dogs. I also noticed that people can be sad or even angry during this season of joy. So I decided to create a gratitude board. Something eye catching and welcoming. I found an old frame and installed wires across the length of the board and purchased decorative clothes pins to clip the pieces of paper on it that would tell the story of what each resident was thankful for. These papers would remain anonymous however would reveal many wonderful thoughts of what they were happy for even if it is the smallest of things. I hung this in a conspicuous place in the clubhouse. At our community events and anytime I saw a resident strolling by I asked if they would like to participate. Pretty soon the board was full of positive thoughts. It has been a conversation piece every since!

Pictures Speak 1000 Words

I have found that most people don’t like having their picture taken however they LOVE looking at photos! So I decided that I would take lots of pictures at every resident function. I would then take them to my local Walgreens or Walmart. and have them developed. I put four bulletin boards along the wall in my clubhouse and FILLED them with photos. I made the bulletin boards very cheerful with decorations and trim. The residents loved them! Now they look forward to having their picture taken and seeing the new ones posted! It really created a sense of Community

Planning an Event on a Dime

After taking over a senior community with a tight budget and no activities director on staff, I had a challenge ahead of me. I started thinking about our health care vendors that come by from time to time with donuts for the residents and a handful of their fliers to leave in our clubhouse. I wondered if these vendors would consider furnishing lunch if I could guarantee them the opportunity to talk to our residents and have their undivided attention. A lunch and learn type thing only better! I decided to create Fun Fridays! I started asking vendors if they would be interested in providing a pizza party or a sandwich lunch for our residents? I asked the first vendor and they were very receptive so we booked it. Then another then another. Pretty soon we had vendor lunches planned for every Friday that month! The vendor brings lunch and gives a 15 minute presentation on their health care product or service. It benefits both the vendor and the residents. The resident not only gets a great lunch but they get to hear about many benefits that they may not have even known were out there. I still buy lunch and plan events for each holiday but now my residents don’t have to wait for a holiday. They get to have a free lunch and social hour each and every Friday and I have formed great relationships with our healthcare partners.

The Testimonial

Create a testimonial form that you can hand out when a resident comes in to your office to give a compliment. Many times a resident will come in to see me and they want to tell me how great my maintenance technician or my leasing agent is. They want to express what a great job they did moving them in or taking care of their repair. Hand out the form and ask them if they wouldn’t mind filling it out. The written word goes a long way when encouraging or motivating staff. When they feel that they are appreciated it makes them proud and happy to come to work and further serve the residents. A copy can go in the resident’s file and the in employee file. Ask the resident if you may post a copy on face book or on your website. Don’t forget Google Reviews! This is a great way to show future residents what a great place your community is and how friendly and competent your staff is.

Facebook Banners

I created a facebook banner for my property. It reads “Meet your neighbors on facebook!” of course you must list your facebook address as well so that they can find you on a search. Post this banner in a high traffic area like a pool area or near the mail boxes or clubhouse. Encourage the residents to like your page by making sure that the facebook logo is on all letterhead and newsletters as well. Make fliers that have your facebook address on them asking everyone to like your page. Put the logo on business cards and post cards. Order window stickers or plexiglass signs for the office. Ask your residents where they work and offer to like their page in return. Post pictures on your facebook page regularly and invitations to upcoming events. Make it a social destination!

Cupcakes and Crafts

What goes together better then Cupcakes and Crafts? I picked holidays or seasons to schedule this event. Purchase all of the fun stuff you need to create bright and decorative art to take home. Make or purchase a cupcake stand to display your colorful and yummy cupcakes.
Art supplies consist of things like colored paper, ribbon, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, paint, paint brushes etc. Michael’s has a huge array of craft ideas and $1.00 items that can be painted or decorated. I also collect pine cones in the winter and toilet paper rolls year round that can be made into something. These items are FREE! No cost to your property! You would be surprised what your residents will come up with! Once you purchase your supplies there are many things you won’t have to buy again. Keep a place in your supply closet just for your craft supplies. Bins can be labeled and kept organized so that you will always be able to find them and you won’t spend money on items you already have. I spread a table cloth out on the tables so that paint does not stain the tables. Buy bright colored table clothes and decorate the room so that it’s cheerful. I then purchase colorful cupcakes that are decorated for whatever holiday we are celebrating. Offer refreshments such as water, ice tea or juice. Once the art is created make sure to take lots of pictures for your face book page and to share on your bulletin boards etc. Residents will love showing off their creations. I purchased cork board to cover a wall in my clubhouse so that once the creations are completed they can be displayed and viewed by all! This day can be used on any type property. Seniors love craft days but so do children and get the parents involved. They can volunteer to help set up or clean up. Some residents may even want to bake the cupcakes. Either way have fun with it!

Branding and your website

Add your web address to EVERYTHING! I’m sure you have heard this before but take it to the next level. I purchased vinyl stickers and added them to my golf carts. I bought t-shirts for my maintenance staff with the web address on the back. Make sure it’s on all fliers and letters to residents. Buy a roll of stickers or print them off the computer. Put them every where. If you buy gifts to hand out to new move ins or for outreach marketing make sure the web address is big enough and clear enough to read. Purchase mats with your website and logo on them. Promote your web address to make rental payments or apply for an apartment on line. Keep the website fresh and exciting. Add your newsletter, resident testimonials etc. Keep the photos current. Add events and links to vendors and area businesses. You website tells a story about your community. Make it a positive and fun experience!

Say it with a Sweet Slogan

Have fun with slogans! Buy blank labels and print them right off of the computer. Put a catchy slogan on the label and stick them to candy bars, pop corn and jars of candy. Give them out when you tour future residents. You can also give them out to current residents at rent time. The resident gives you their rent check and you in turn give them a candy bar. Make sure the labels have the slogan on it, the website address and phone number. I have listed a few slogans for you below:

1. Reese’s Pieces
We love you to “Pieces”!
You are the “Piece” we are missing at XYZ Apts!
2. Dots
You help us connect the “Dots” at XYZ Apts!
3. Mints
We “Mint” to tell you how much we appreciate you!
You are”Mint” to be here!
4. Snickers
Live with the best “Snicker at the rest!
5. 100 Grand
You are worth a “100 Grand” to us!
6. Popcorn
Thanks for “popping” in!
7. Mounds
Have “Mounds” of fun at our events!
8. Suckers
We’re a “Sucker” for great residents at XYZ Apts!
9. Tootsie Rolls
“Roll” in the dough and refer your friends to XYZ Apts!
10. Pay Day
Make the most of your “Payday” at XYZ Apts.

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Be Direct with Direct Mailers

Direct mailers are a great way to reach out to residents living at apartment communities in your area. Communities that you notice have a similarity to your property however they do not have one very important thing. You and your staff. When creating a mailer I like to mention our friendly staff that will take care of your needs or we will go above and beyond to meet your needs. Mention 24 hour maintenance or service requests complete in 24 hours guaranteed. Focus on the residents needs. What makes them feel at home. If you are a senior community focus on the services you offer such as free shuttles or your hair salon and meals offered. I send mailers in a post card form. Post cards are great because it does not give the person receiving the post card the chance to throw it away before reading it. If you send a letter they have to open the envelope to see what is inside. Holidays are a great time to ask your neighboring residents to make a change. If you are on a multifamily community send out mailers before August. Do a back to school theme. It’s the last effort to make a huge impact and get some traffic before everyone has settled in and the kids have gone back to school. Send them out with the mention of a free gift or free application fee. Make sure that the card is eye catching with bright colors and use a heavy card stock. Always double check your information such as the phone number, website and address. There’s nothing worse than a misprint! Also don’t limit yourself to just apartment communities. You can send direct mailers to area businesses. Find out where your residents work or spend their free time and reach out to those companies. Offer to do preferred employee discounts or marketing partnerships with them. During the New Year make one side of your post card a calendar. This way they keep it throughout the year. When sending to area businesses offer a drawing or raffle if they stop by your office with their business card so you can have a face to face meeting and maybe even tour them around your community. Do your research before mailing and don’t forget to have fun with it!

Networking at Expos

Expos are usually a free service to the public. It is a great place to go and meet a lot of people in one place. Health, pet, crime prevention or any other subject that you can think of that may benefit your community. When you go to an expo make sure to bring plenty of business cards. You will meet a large amount of people that you will want to give your card to as well as taking theirs so that you may do business together in the near future. I make an effort to shake hands, remember names and talk about how I can help them in their business. Remember they paid to have a table at the expo for a reason. Offer to partner with them in marketing by possibly listing their website as a helpful link on your website. I like to explain that I am a Community Manager and have access to a large audience that might be interested in hearing about their product or service. Ask if they would consider a lunch and learn at your community. In return you would give them fliers, brochures and cards to refer future residents to you. Let them know that you are excited about working together. Also don’t forget to mingle with the people visiting the expo. Maybe have lunch there so that you can have conversation with the visitors and you can always leave your cards on the tables. Once you have visited the exhibit tables and met plenty of people evaluate all of your business cards and brochures that you took with you. Put notes on them to remind yourself of what each person you met is interested in doing. Make sure to follow up. This is very important. Email each person and say thank you for taking the time to talk to me. Explain that you met them at XYZ Expo and ask when a good time would be to get together. This does not cost you any money it only takes effort so make contacts and enjoy yourself while doing so!

Send the Right Message

Sign spinners, inflatables, balloons, flags, banners and bootleg signs are all ways to attract attention to your community. These items are important whether you are on a main street or not. In my experience one of the things that makes one or all of these things work is only if I’m paying very close attention to them at all times. The flags must be bright colors and changed out quarterly. If my flags start to look dingy it really reflects that I don’t care and if I don’t care about the entry of my property what is that saying about how I handle the inside of the residents apartments. This can send a message to future residents. The same goes for banners, balloons and bootleg signs. If my balloons deflate by mid afternoon. Take them down and blow up some more or just leave them down the rest of the day. I would rather have no balloons then old deflated balloons hanging at the end of my signs. If your property has an American flag. Update it quarterly as well. Sign spinners are a great way to promote a special on the weekends however this can be really successful or it can send the wrong message. Make sure to use a professional sign spinning company that uses uniforms or costumes. Drive by the property and check on your sign spinner. Make sure that they are actively spinning that sign and not texting or inappropriately dressed. This way your marketing dollars are well spent! When purchasing signs or inflatables for my property I always make sure the phone number and or website are large and I use a color that can be seen from a distance. If you have a text number use that. Make sure to incorporate your For Rent or Apt Guide ads into your promotional signage. Banners should be changed out often. I ordered a banner for each holiday or season and since they are not up for more then a month at a time I rolled them up, labeled the back and this way I didn’t have to order many more banners after the first year. When you are driving around town make an effort to look at other properties. Look at the curb appeal when shopping communities. It really makes a difference so keep your entrance crisp and clean and send a positive message to future residents!

55 Reasons to live at a 55+ Senior Community

When shopping comps I look at more than just the price. I know we are asked to do a market survey once a week and compare prices and specials however so much more goes into the decision making process. Future residents are looking for amenities, location and convenience just to name a few. Sometimes communities are considered to be our comps because they are near our location however they may be newer or larger and have a larger staff etc. I decided that I would look at what makes living at my community better than living anywhere else. I started to write down our amenities first inside the apartment and then outside, next came the community amenities and conveniences. I wrote down events and free items that we offer. I thought about the location of the community and how close we are to shopping, golf courses, banks etc. Pretty soon I came up with 55 reasons to live at XYZ Community! I decided 55 would be a great number because I was managing a 55+ Community but you could tie the amount into any catchy slogan related to your community. This would be a resource that I would use when touring future residents. It can be handed out with the application and brochure. Sometimes there are so many great things about the community you may actually forget to mention something on your tour and this gives the future resident something to refer back to. They may see reasons on the list that appeal to them. Use this as a marketing tool that you can proudly hand out while outreach marketing. I typed the list and printed it on a heavy card stock giving it a high end professional look. Instead of looking at the negative have fun looking for the positive reasons to live at your community!

Partnering with Restaurants

My favorite thing to do is to talk to the marketing directors at the local restaurants such as Apple Bees and Chili’s. They are more than happy to give me coupons for free deserts or appetizors. These coupons can be used as a closing tool or to offer while on the phone to a prospect. I offer a free desert or appetizer for taking a tour. You can also take copies of their menus to put inside your move in baskets. Give out the coupons to new move ins along with a gift card. If you purchase several gift cards for marketing or resident retention the restaurant is excited about posting your fliers in their employee break rooms. Offer discounts to the employees 10% off of their monthly rent for being a preferred employer. You can also partner with a local pizza place. Have them bring their pizzas to your community to sell around the time your residents get off work. Create a flier for your residents promoting the sale. This is a benefit for your residents because they can pick up dinner right there at the clubhouse.

Brochures and Price Sheets

I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to shop a competitor and I am handed bad copies of old brochures or maps that you really can’t read. The copies are faded or the print is not straight on the page. I know there must be an original somewhere! If you do not have the budget to purchase brand new brochures or other hand outs at least make sure that the copies are clean, easy to read and printed on a little higher grade paper. You can also turn to print companies like Vista Print. They are very moderately priced. Remember this is your first impression. This is true for lease contracts, lease renewals and addendums as well. The message that you will be giving if you take the extra time to print clean copies is that you take pride in your community and in your residents. Make sure that the stand in which you keep your brochures is clean. It should not have any old stickers on it
or scratches on it. Present it in an area that will catch the eye of the future resident. You may want to have the brochure near your business cards. If you do not have a brochure and you must create one from scratch make sure to mention your entire list of amenities and if you have room add a testimonial from a resident or vendor. Pick up brochures from other communities in order to get ideas of what you would like your brochure, price sheets or amenity list to look like. No matter what your budget is just remember that with just a small effort you can send out a message of competence and value to your visitors.

Welcome to our Open House

There are times when you have several ready units available. You know they look great and you want to show them off. If you had the traffic to show them to you would be able to close and help a future resident find their home there with you at XYZ Apartment Homes. So how do you get the traffic? Host an Open House! Look at the apartments that you have available and ready to go. Do you have one of each size? If so what kind of view do they have? Make a list of the qualities for each of these units. Once you have done this turn them into mini models. Purchase items from the 99 Cent Store or local discount store. You can buy things like bathroom towels and soaps, Kitchen towels and small appliances such as a toaster and a coffee pot. Red is a really nice color that stands out. When the mini models are complete advertise the Open House in the local newspaper. Put a starburst in your For Rent or Apt Guide ad reflecting an Open House at your community. Make sure to put the date and time you will be hosting the event. Offer refreshments and always have free gifts available to the first 50 visitors! Purchase a banner, bootleg signs and balloons so that upon entering your community the visitors are able to find your office easily. Decorate the office for the occasion with balloons and festive colors focusing on the Open House. You can even advertise an open house each Saturday while quantities last. Make it fun and watch the traffic roll in!

Be Back Bucks

Creating a sense of urgency is very important when touring a future resident. One tool I have always used that has been very successful has been the “Be Back Buck”. Create a flier with cash on the front and label it. Make sure to leave a space for the expiration date which always expires in 24 hours. If the visitor returns with their deposit and application within 24 hours they receive a FREE application fee or a set amount off of their move in fees. Keep these in the models along with applications, pens and brochures so that while touring them you can explain the application process in a comfortable setting. Give them the coupon and explain to them that if they love the apartment as much as you think they do they can use the coupon to save even more money by making a commitment today! If you want to make it really fun tape it to a candy bar with a catchy slogan or popcorn that says “Thanks for popping in” This makes the tour memorable. After the visitor leaves your property you have a great reason to call and follow up first thing in the morning to remind them of the great savings they will get when returning their application and deposit that day!

Kids Corner

Managing a multifamily community where there are a high volume of children can sometimes be a challenge. Embrace the fact that you are near a school or that you have three bedroom apartment homes at your community. Here are a few things that I do to create a sense of community and involve the children that live there. Make it fun and creative!

1. Have coloring pages in your clubhouse and have a monthly coloring contest with a small prize like coloring book and crayons.
2. Ask the Police Department to come out and sign up each child for an I.D. or give a speech about bike safety. Make an event out of it with cupcakes and juice. Invite parents to come out so they can receive great tips from the police about how to keep their child safe.
3. Purchase sunscreen especially for children and put your logo sticker on them. Hand them out at the pool.
4. Keep ice cream handy in the freezer and hand out at the pool to the kids. Let them know it’s for following the pool rules and being good while swimming.
5. Invite the Girl Scouts to sell cookies in your clubhouse.
6. Purchase T-Shirts with your website or logo on them in child sizes and hand them out to residents at events
7. Send out a Direct mailer with the Back to School theme.
8. Advertise in the school newspapers or in the Football programs
9. Purchase a banner and ask the high school if you can place it on the fence at the football games or softball games.
10. Ask if you can sponsor a popwarner team and your Community can be advertised on their T-Shirts.

11. Create a good grades rewards program. Have the children bring in there report card and give out small treats or gifts for A’s and B’s.
12. During the Christmas holiday I put an old style mailbox in my clubhouse that I painted red and called it Santa Mail! Kids put their letters to Santa in it. I made copies of preprinted letters with the heading Dear Santa so all they had to do was fill in what they wanted and drop the letter in the box. I kept a box of candy canes near the mail box so they could have a treat after they dropped off their letter.

Engage with the kids and create a sense of community!

Donut Thursday

A great way to partner with your area businesses is to invite them to host a resident function. A very easy and inexpensive way for them to get to know your residents is to have the vendor purchase a few dozen donuts and orange juice and bring them to your community. They can set up a table in your clubhouse and have coffee, juice and donuts with your residents. It’s a great way for them to answer questions that your residents may have or drop off brochures and explain what their business has to offer. I created “Donut Thursdays” at my community. I book vendors in advance so that each and every Thursday the residents get to have a treat and also get to know what the businesses in their area have to offer. This would work for any type of community multifamily or senior and on any day of the week. If you choose a weekend. You can ask the vendor to bring news papers along with their donuts. I purchased a sign advertising the event to post in front of the clubhouse. Make it a success by posting fliers on doors and letting your residents know that the vendor or business will be there providing goodies. Add it to your newsletter. If you will be doing it on a regular basis order signs or banners. Partnering with area businesses creates relationships, saves the community money and educates the residents. So when you’re doing your outreach marketing let the business owner know that you want to create a relationship not just drop off your brochures with them. You want to work together. This way you refer customers to each other!

Memorable Move in Gifts

I’m always looking for new and exciting ways to Welcome our new residents on their first day inside their new apartment home. Adding a little humor to their very difficult task of moving. I have listed a few ideas for you:

1. Plungers – Thanks for taking the plunge with us at XYZ Apartments.
2. Cutting boards – Our Residents are a cut above the rest at XYZ Apartments.
3. Fortune cookies- We’re fortunate to have you as a resident at XYZ Apartments
4. House Plant- Grow with us at XYZ Apartments
5. Wild flower seeds- We’re Wild about our Residents at XYZ Apartments
6. Decorative Candle- Other residents just can’t hold a candle to you XYZ Apartments.
7. Picture frame- We’re glad you pictured yourself here at XYZ Apartments.
8. Coupon for a free Pizza- We hope you enjoy your slice of Heaven here at XYZ Apartments.
9. Clock- Time to start a new at XYZ Apartments.
10. A canister of Coffee Beans- We’ve Bean waiting for you at XYZ Apartments!

So be creative. Think about how hard it is to move and maybe a catchy slogan and a fun gift might make their day. You can always add to these items. For example if you are giving the canister of coffee beans pair it up with a coffee pot or coffee grinder. They are very inexpensive and yet they are always a welcomed gift!