So there’s this guy who stands at the corner of a very busy intersection in my neighborhood on the weekends.  He’s not your average sign spinner – this dude is beyond awesome.  He has been known to literally cause traffic disruptions because drivers can’t take their eyes off of him.  He spins, kicks, flips, robots and boogies like no other.  Funny thing though, I have no idea who or what he’s advertising.  Although entertaining and mesmerizing, many would consider him an epic marketing fail.

Unfortunately some apartment communities can relate; the bells and whistles, the stuff you read in a brochure or see on a website, all add up to the sign spinner in our world.   Our sign spinners are successful at grabbing attention but not so successful at closing the deal.  Why the disconnect?  Traditionally, our marketing strategies have been product centric.  Successful strategies today are focused on the consumer.

Consumers.  It’s all about them and what they need.  People don’t buy products.  They buy satisfaction of unmet needs.  And for consumers, needs are non-negotiable.   I once read an article that illustrated this point flawlessly.  In the article, a man was attempting to sell a used jeep equipped with a snow plow.  His ad contained photos and all of the pertinent information along with the subject line “Jeep with Snow Plow: Great Condition”.  The man ran the ad for 2 weeks with zero response.  Making only one change, he revised the subject line: “Be Your Own Boss: Start Your Snow Removal Business Today”.  The jeep sold for over the asking price in less than 48 hours.

Same product, different outcome – so what changed?  He didn’t push the product, he met the need.   Barry Feig and Joan-Marie Moss, authors of “Hot Button Marketing”, determined there is a rational reason and a real reason behind every purchasing decision.  The rational reason in this scenario: if I want to own a snow removal business I have to buy a snow plow.  But the real reason is what drives them to give up their cold hard cash: I hate working for other people – I need to do my own thing.  Meet the need…get the sale.

Apartment hunters and residents have a myriad of needs.  Some are looking for the biggest bang for their buck while others simply want a place they are proud to call home.  Because needs can be as varied as people themselves, it’s important to not become stuck in a marketing rut.  Here are 5 strategies to incorporate into your marketing playbook:

1. Park the prospect and assist the resident.  A complete about face from the way I learned to do things onsite and a major light bulb moment for me.  Let’s say you’re working with a prospect when a resident pops into the office.  First inclination would be to ask the resident to wait while you continue working with the prospect.  Next time try this: “John, Mary is a resident, would you mind waiting for a couple of minutes so I can assist her?”  If the resident’s issue can be handled quickly (i.e., getting a package, answering a question, etc.) go ahead and help.  If it is more involved, you may have to ask the resident for permission to finish up with the prospect.   Either way, you’ve just given the prospect a glimpse of the future should they decide to lease; Our residents are priority #1.

2. Customer service is nice to have but saving the day is a must to have.  When residents are having issues however slight, they need capable, knowledgeable and resourceful team members to solve the problem and do so in a one and done fashion.  Repeated pleas for assistance will foster frustration; frustration leads to mistrust and mistrust destroys loyalty.  Service with a smile and a solution.

3. Minor residents are major factors.  I once worked for a property management company in which one of our communities struggled due to school zoning.  Anyone with children can attest that quality of education is a main driver in deciding where to live.  Inquiries would abruptly end when callers learned the community was not zoned for the district rumored to be the better of the two.  I suggested the team pull the state report cards and compare the elementary, middle and high schools for both districts.  Low and behold, the community’s schools performed better on state exams, the overall student to teacher ratios were smaller and the high school had a higher college acceptance rate.   This new information was a massive game changer for the community and satisfied the need for the parents who placed education as a top priority.  Relaying their findings to the residents also helped to secure renewals from those looking to transfer their children to the other district.  Report cards are not just for students.

4. Hit the heart and the head will follow.  Taken from Rocky, this phrase is so appropriate for our industry.  In a previous blog I wrote how residents can help market your community.  It starts with meeting their needs.  If residents truly love where they live, if their needs are being met day in and day out satisfaction grows and loyalty follows suit.  EQ trumps a rental increase in the game of resident retention.

5. Your online story packs a punch.  It can knock out your prospects (“Wow, even people who used to live here were sad to move”) or knock you out (”Um, nope – this is definitely not the place for me”).  What's online tells the world who you are and what you’re all about.  Hard to navigate websites with outdated pricing (“Wow, this place is behind the times…I bet their apartments are too”), bad reviews (“If I lived there this place would be a nightmare”) and “meh” inducing social media pages (“This doesn’t look like a fun place to live”), can sabotage even the best communities. Take control of your online story.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sign spinner.  He's fun to watch and makes me smile.  But as a consumer, I don't diverge from my intended route to patronize the business.  I don't jot down the sign's information to research the business online when I get home.  I look, smile and drive away.  Low conversion rates could point to an ineffective marketing strategy – maybe it’s time to do something different.