When most landlords think about apartment marketing, they immediately associate that with dollar signs. But what if we told you that you could get quality content that would support the advertisement of your property and communicate the value of the area absolutely free of charge?

In the age of the internet, there is information on just about everything, ready and available to anyone who might be looking for it. Your neighborhood is no exception! Whether it be a list of exciting developments in your area, or a publication that places your region at the top of a most-wanted list, these are tools that are invaluable to the marketing of your property listings.

Read on to see how you can harness the power of free press in three simple steps.

Stay on Top of the News

You can’t take advantage of positive press if you don’t know that it exists! And while staying abreast of all news articles about your region might seem like a daunting task, technology saves the day again with a handy life hack.

The quickest and most efficient way to funnel your news intake is utilizing Google Alerts. It's incredibly simple to use. You provide a word or phrase, for example “Cincinnati real estate” or “Palo Alto rental market”, and Google will email you the latest trending articles and web pages on that topic. You can receive the updates as often as you’d like, but having it set to a few times a week is a good place to start.

You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find. For example, Cincinnatians will be pleased to learn that their city was ranked in the top ten on the New York Times’ “52 Places to Go in 2018.” As a potential renter, this would absolutely pique interest in the area.

And it’s not only national praise you should be concerned with. Local news that hits even closer to home is sure to grab the attention of prospective tenants. Whether it’s a new bar or restaurant opening on the block or a community art installation around the corner, these are things renters love to know! Get to know what’s great about your area and share that information proudly to generate buzz and attract new interest.

Timing is Everything

This is another key principle. It’s important to continue to traditionally market your property to coincide with the free press, or else the effort is lost. If readers are excited about the hot new happenings in your area, but aren’t able to find your perfectly locationed listing on the web, then the free press is pointless.

Make sure that you are capitalizing on the fresh trends in the here and now. For instance, Cincinnati was listed by the New York Times as a place-to-be due partly to the fact that there was recently a new streetcar system developed connecting people from all neighborhoods to bars, restaurants, and entertainment like never before. This type of thing will only be “news” for a set amount of time. It’s important to act quickly and link your listing to this beneficial buzz.

One of the best ways to market your property frequently and shout out about the latest developments is to utilize the power of social media. Having a presence on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter allows you to share out exciting information in quick bursts, all while tying it back to your property. Meeting your audience where they are is a sure-fire way to connect with that perfect tenant.

Offer Local Perks

While creating buzz online is beneficial to attract potential tenants to your rental listings, nothing beats the offer of a great, in-person experience. Adding enticing signing bonuses to your lease will help you stand out from the pack. And tying that gift to your awesome neighborhood only emphasizes the value of the property.

For example, offering a $50 gift card at signing to a local eatery or shop is much more impactful than simply lowering the rent by that same amount. This way you are advertising the exciting nature of the space while furnishing a perk or benefit that they are not seeing anywhere else.

The things that make your property great are already out there for the public to see. It’s your opportunity to connect the dots for prospective tenants and capitalize on the free press.