6 Multi-Family Housing Marketing Ideas to Increase Occupancy

Do you need to increase occupancy but are struggling with apartment marketing ideas? Well, you are not alone. Many owners and property managers of multifamily apartments often struggle to develop ideas that generate more leases. There is no magic recipe for effectively marketing your multifamily community.

Like the people in your multifamily apartments, all renters have different personas and unique choices. Families, young professionals, and students will be looking for student housing solutions. What works for one apartment community may not work for the other.

There is indeed no magic bullet to increase occupancy overnight. However, some tried-and-tested apartment marketing ideas could definitely increase the occupancy of your multifamily apartments.

1. Leverage social media

There is absolutely no doubt that social media is incredibly powerful. Running ads on various social media platforms is an efficient and inexpensive way to market your multifamily apartments to potential renters. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook offer audience targeting features, allowing your ads to reach those who find them relevant. These features can help you target your ideal rental audience down to their demographics, interests, and locations.

If you are well-versed in social media platforms, there are several platforms you could use to market your apartments. However, if you are a beginner, you should start with Facebook ads because they are relatively easy. Facebook is an immensely popular platform with millions of users worldwide.

Also, you do not need a big budget to advertise on Facebook. For as little as a few dollars a day, you can reach a wide audience who may be interested in renting your multifamily apartments.

Do you want to organize an open house to fill vacant units? You can promote the open house using Facebook Events. By creating a public Facebook event, you can promote it all over social media. You may also run paid Facebook ads for the event to gain more exposure.

2. Partner with local businesses

Facebook and other social media platforms are great ways to market your multifamily apartments. But why stop there? Using online and offline tactics is essential for apartment marketing to increase occupancy rates.

Do you have popular shops or restaurants in your area? Partnering with these local businesses can be an excellent way to make more people aware of your property. When local businesses like shops, restaurants, or grocery stores like you, they are more likely to become your brand advocates. Besides shops and restaurants, you may also reach out to banks, self-storage companies, moving companies, gyms, furniture stores, and so on.

The idea is to partner with businesses that regularly interact with people transitioning from one place to another. When you are on good terms with such businesses, they may recommend your property when someone new moves into the neighborhood.

So, where should you start? Start by dropping in to say “hello” and introduce yourself. You may also consider giving gift baskets to the local businesses in your area. You must also consider adding value to their business by offering a rental special to their employees or customers.

3. Organize events at your property

Referrals from your existing renters can be a fabulous way to ensure that your vacant units get filled. However, your current renters will only refer someone if they are happy with the environment at your multifamily apartments. Creating a welcoming environment for both current and prospective renters is crucial to retaining the existing ones and wooing new ones.

Ask yourself whether your tenants feel connected and part of a community. If they don’t, there is little chance they will refer someone.

A simple yet effective apartment marketing tactic you could use is organizing monthly events for your tenants. It could be a simple get-together over coffee and snacks or a barbecue weekend. The event should give everyone a chance to mingle with each other. Doing so builds trust and loyalty among your current tenants and gets you more referrals for new tenants.

You do not need to spend a lot on organizing some grand event. A simple yet fun environment for current and potential renters to relax and enjoy can do the trick.

4. Create brochures

All the apartment marketing ideas we have discussed so far aim to increase awareness about your property. Most people may not even know your property exists if you live in a large area.

If awareness is what you want to create, then brochures are a simple and inexpensive way to go about it. Brochures can be an essential marketing tool.

However, most apartment brochures fail to create an impact because they don’t stand out. Many apartment owners take the easy way out by using stock photos or clipart that have nothing to do with the property. It would be best if you had something that will yield results.

Most brochures end up in the trash. You must create visually appealing brochures that people want to hold on to. Your brochures should also represent what makes your multifamily apartments stand out.

If you have the budget, you could always hire a designer. However, you can also make stunning brochures on your own. Use online tools like GraphicRiver or Canva to create your brochures. Canva is a free tool; you can use its templates to create amazing brochures.

Use real photos of your apartments and community instead of using stock photos. Consider what makes your property unique, and get creative with the copy.

5. Use paid apartment listings

If you want to reach more renters, you must consider listing your property on sites like Trulia or Apartments.com. Most owners of multifamily apartments choose the free option when listing their properties. However, if you want to amplify the outcome, it is recommended to go for the paid listings.

When you opt for paid listings, many property sites will list your property at the top, giving you more exposure. This will put your property right in front of people looking to rent instead of you looking for people to find you.

Free is great, but it may not be the right option if you want your vacant units to get occupied fast.

6. Make informed decisions

It would help if you had property management software such as ExactEstate to convert more qualified leads. With many useful features, such as marketing integration, online payments, tenant screening, and more, you can ensure that your business runs smoothly. Property management software can also help you gather data about your rental prospects, helping you make more informed decisions. ExactEstate allows you to customize the software according to your unique needs.

With valuable data such as what prospective renters are looking for in a community when they want to move and the apartment type they are looking for, you can make better marketing decisions.

Conclusion

The above apartment marketing ideas for multifamily apartments have been tried and tested. Combine these ideas with property management software from ExactEstate to increase occupancy faster. With ExactEstate, you can automate many time-consuming tasks, allowing you to focus more on your business.

Want to know how else ExactEstate can be beneficial for your business? Set up a demo today.