There’s nothing that people trust more when searching for an apartment than the recommendation of a friend or family member. Word of mouth can go a long way in building trust before a resident even moves in. While you always want to advertise to a wide range of prospective residents, it’s also a great idea to focus some attention on word of mouth rentals. Here are some ideas to help you get started.
Incentivize Referrals
If you don’t currently have a referral program, now is a great time to start one up. Many multifamily communities will give residents a gift card or prize anytime they refer someone to the community, and they end up leasing. The best way to track this is to ask all prospects how they heard about the community and if they mention a resident, be sure to keep note of this on their guest card for future reference.
Encourage Social Posts Around the Community
Everyone loves showing off their beautiful homes on social media, and every time they tag your community, there is a chance one of their friends may be influenced to lease with you as well. You can encourage residents to tag or post about your multifamily community by hosting social media contests or simply by crafting your own posts that ask residents to share.
Share Reviews and Testimonials
If you have some great reviews online, don’t be afraid to brag about them or boast them online! Take the quotes and turn them into a graphic or nice video. Prospective residents will be more inspired by the words of current residents than the words written by a manager on their website.
Word of mouth is an essential part of marketing your multifamily community. By incentivizing referrals, encouraging social posts, and sharing reviews, you can increase the trust in your community. Do you have any questions? Feel free to ask away in the comments below.
