Multifamily marketing should understand both market and marketing distribution to solve renter pain points and attract qualified renters.

In marketing, a pain point refers to a problem that businesses can provide a solution for. A multifamily marketing agency can benefit by understanding their potential customers very well. They can learn about the issues that might motivate people to move from their current housing or choose one apartment community over another one. By communicating solutions to these pain points, apartment marketing can make sure that people find their message and pay attention to it.

What pain points can a multifamily marketing agency address?

For established complexes or property development marketing, consider these common renter pain points:

Outdated tech

Apartment marketers can scratch off a lot of a modern renter’s boxes with the right tech. For instance:

• According to the Rental Housing Journal, younger adults look for such features as smart thermostats and security systems that can help them manage electric bills and protect their home. Renters want to save money and feel safe.
• While new developments probably already have a design that includes good mobile and Wi-Fi reception, some older buildings may have dead zones. These days, everybody expects to have good mobile and Wi-Fi.

Technical solutions can also make it easy and convenient for renters to pay bills, manage serve request online, and even sign their leases. Some of these products allow renters to login and handle their business 24/7 and even send out automated email or text alerts alerts. They can also interface with accounting and rental management systems to ease the property manager’s workload.

Apartment location

Renters will want to know more about the location of any apartment community they’re considering. For instance, commuters may desire easy access to public transportation and freeways. Parents will want to know how close they are to neighborhood schools. In some cases, a location near shopping, restaurants, and entertainment may help attract people. Either way, it’s a good idea to highlight any positive aspects of the complex’s location on the apartment’s website, blog, and social media. 

Apartment amenities

Today’s renters will generally expect certain amenities, so it’s a good idea to use these as a selling point. The Rental Housing Journal mentioned that many Millennials have gotten married and started to have children, so they might prefer such family-friendly features as a playground, pool, sidewalks, pet-friendly policy, dog park, and bike stand. Renters without children may enjoy some of these amenities as well.

In particular, younger adults tend to prefer patronizing eco-friendly businesses, and landlords should emphasize features like smart thermostats, low-flow faucets, and any other environmentally friendly amenities. Very often, these eco-friendly features can also help save money, which helps address another potential pain point.

Timing property development marketing

For projects in development or undergoing remodeling, pre-development marketing can provide investors with great returns. Not only can they potentially run specials to lease units before they’re even completed, they can use the opportunity to gain valuable information about potential tenants.

As an example, one marketing style may not appeal to every kind of tenant or even every community. By starting early, it’s possible to ensure that social posts, websites, and other marketing materials are prompting the right kind of prospects to schedule visits and complete application forms. Learning to target the best prospects can help improve marketing returns and save property managers a lot of time.

Also, it’s important to time messages well. If a qualified prospect didn’t end up leasing, consider sending an automated message in about 11 months, shortly before their current lease gets ready to expire. It’s possible that the apartment they rented did not satisfy their expectations or doesn’t meet current needs. At least, they’re already familiar with the property, so they’re more like warm prospects than cold ones.

Creative problem-solving for apartment marketing

Moving’s always a hassle, so some apartments offer some creative specials to make the move as convenient and attractive as possible. Some fairly inexpensive examples could include free truck rental, move-in boxes, and of course, pizza. Partner with moving companies, daycare, storage companies, and maid services to offer discounts on moving, childcare during the move, storage, and getting their old place cleaned up. Some of these other companies may work out a deal to share promotions, which can help expand the audience for both the apartment and the service.

Distributing marketing for property developers

Of course, no amount of reducing pain points will help if potential renters don’t see it. It’s a good idea to keep up an active social presence on local groups. Tailor website pages and blog pages to address various needs that renters might look for and make sure to optimize them to get found by search engines. If a prospect searches for easy ways to move to your locality, make sure they can find the complex’s specials for free or discounted moving trucks. In that way, apartment marketing can let renters know that the complex can offer a better experience than they may have even expected.