In the competitive world of real estate, creating an appealing and dynamic web page for your apartments is crucial for attracting potential residents. Traditional methods often include showcasing a few floor plans and images within a building, but to truly stand out, real estate operators and marketing agencies are incorporating innovative techniques to provide a fuller picture of the property.
1. Create Listings Worth Visiting
Your properties should be easy to learn about! You are working with digitally savvy renters who demand a full tour of your property before ever visiting in person. They want to do the legwork before visiting. So, make it easy for your future renters to learn about the property online! Keep in mind that there is less friction for a digitally savvy renter to click into a competitor’s site, as opposed to visiting in person to search for the perfect place. Give your leads everything they need to justify calling for a showing.
Photographing a Model Unit or Virtual Staging
Make sure no apartment is left behind! Imagine sitting next to someone on an airplane who shows you photos of unfamiliar random places. You see the images but don’t really understand what makes each place special. This is like seeing photos of an empty apartment: you get a basic idea, but it lacks context and appeal. Now, if the person started telling you stories about each place, it would come to life. This is similar to the challenge in apartment leasing.
To address this, there are two effective solutions:
- Physical Staging and Photography: Rent furniture to furnish a model unit and then hire a photographer to capture these staged settings for your website. This approach gives a tangible sense of how to utilize and enjoy the space.
- Virtual Staging with Excellent Photography: Alternatively, hire a photographer to take excellent images of the empty apartment. Then use a virtual staging service to digitally add furniture to these images. This method offers a realistic and appealing view of the space.
Both options fill the gap between a blank photo and a story that can resonate. Every apartment has an engaging story to tell; you just need to make sure it isn’t left behind.
Furnished Floor Plans
A floor plan gives renters insight into the layout of an apartment. The guide summarizes where doors in the photos lead and provides a canvas to imagine furniture in the space. However, without any furniture shown on a blank floor plan, it’s challenging for renters to picture where their own belongings will fit within those lines. Often, they are left hoping the space will meet their needs.
To make this easier, consider ‘furnishing’ the floor plan digitally. This clarification enhances their understanding of the apartment and pays dividends when reaching out to your leasing agent, as they already have a clear picture of what to expect from the apartment.
Go for Video Walkthroughs for Virtual Tours
Today’s discerning renters demand a comprehensive understanding of their potential home before ever stepping into it. They want to explore each corner, know the layout, and see where each door leads.
Professionally shot video walkthroughs provide this immersive experience and give you another opportunity to highlight key features. A video offers a credible look into what is hard to communicate through descriptions, photos, or floor plans.
However, it is important to remember that without a physically staged model unit, the vibrancy of virtual staging in videos is often missing, leaving the videos with only empty spaces. Finding a service that can digitally stage furniture into video walkthroughs is rare. To see how augmented reality can stage your apartments, check out this article here.
Write a Compelling Description of the Property!
The property description is your opportunity to highlight details not immediately evident in the photos. Talk about your surroundings, mention the upgraded appliances, the larger windows, show off the bike storage room, give attention to the lounge spaces or community room activities, answer questions about parking availability and what gym equipment you have.
2. Focus on Google
Once you have your listings ready to catch attention, make it easy for your future renters to find you online! Not only should you have a website, but you should also be easy to find through Google search or Google Maps.
Claim Your Business
Claiming your business online is urgent. Your apartment building must have a Google My Business account set up. This gives you the opportunity to appear in search results for “apartments near me” and search terms like it. Similar to your website, your Google presence can have your phone number, address, videos, operation hours, and photos.
Obsess Over Collecting Positive Reviews
Once you have a Google My Business account set up for your building, you can start to gather reviews. Obsessing over positive reviews will grow your reputation in incalculable ways. The aim is to allow your business to stand out as the star over your competition. Make sure to always request reviews from your customers; it’s the next best thing to referrals.
Consider Running Ads for Targeted Marketing Campaigns
Local newspaper ads, direct mail, billboards, “leasing now” banners, or Google ads allow you to choose whose eyeballs you reach. Targeted marketing campaigns are incredibly effective at getting your property listings in front of potential renters.
Google prioritizes paying customers when future renters search for “apartments near me.” So, if there is a lot of competition nearby, it might be worth implementing paid online advertising into your marketing strategy. When you pay, you can make data-driven decisions on who will see your advertisement and ensure you are reaching potential customers.
It is essential that you constantly measure your success with your marketing campaign’s effectiveness and adjust your strategies accordingly.
3. Do Your SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of helping people find your website. Luckily, if you’ve taken great photos, made awesome videos, and ensured your business is listed with Google, you’ve accomplished most of the SEO battle.
On a basic level, search engines (Google) use your website if it has keywords that match what people are searching for. Unless someone already knows you exist, this is how they will stumble onto you online.
Describe Your Photos
Excellent images of your property are required to get noticed by human eyes. For a search engine to notice your images, make sure to concisely and precisely describe what the image is of. Most website builders through Yardi, Real Page, etc. enable you to include alt-text for an image. This is where you write the description of the image so that Google can find it.
The alt-text for this image could be “Spacious living room with large windows showcasing city skyline view, stylish modern furniture including a comfortable sofa and glass coffee table, elegant lighting, and contemporary art on walls, embodying a chic and sophisticated urban lifestyle.”
Use Social Media
Use social media as an opportunity to talk more about your listings online. Your future renters have lots of different places to search, so be sure to post and remain relevant online. In addition, the more that you connect multiple sources back to your website and listings, the more trustworthy your website will be.
By posting on social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or Pinterest, you are able to draw that extra attention to your listings. Use social media to do tours of your apartment, provide tips and tricks for living in the area, share relevant news, and join online communities to stay connected.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Dealing with Multiple Vendors: One common challenge is the need to collaborate with various vendors for different aspects, leading to potential coordination issues and high costs.
- Inconsistency in Materials: The mix of furnished and unfurnished content can result in a lack of coherence in the overall presentation.
- Misalignment of Staged Materials: Inconsistencies in virtual staging can cause disparities, with furniture on floor plans appearing different from virtual staging in images or videos.
4. Bridging the Gap: Essential Elements Missing in Real Estate Marketing
Personalization
Tailoring content for individual users enhances engagement. Implementing features that show different content based on user preferences can significantly improve the user experience.
Interactivity
Empowering the audience with choices, such as adding or removing layers of information (furniture, measurements), provides an interactive exploration of the property.
Consistent Alignment
Ensuring uniformity in virtual furniture across all materials—videos, images, and floor plans—avoids discrepancies and creates a seamless visual narrative.
Furniture Solutions
Integrating real furniture into visuals enables prospective tenants to visualize and even acquire the furnishings they admire during the virtual tour.
Onsite Tour Integration
Aligning virtual furnishing with the onsite experience prevents potential disappointment, ensuring that what was showcased virtually is represented during physical tours.
5. The Future of Real Estate Marketing – SparX: A Holistic Solution
By tackling these challenges head-on and incorporating the essential elements, real estate operators and marketing agencies have the power to revolutionize property listings. The integration of personalization, interactivity, and visual consistency is not just a strategy—it’s a paradigm shift that not only captures the attention of potential residents but also establishes a new standard in the ever-evolving landscape of real estate marketing. SparX has risen to this challenge, presenting a comprehensive and holistic solution:
Comprehensive Interactive Gallery:
SparX’s gallery offers multiple designs that cater to diverse demographics, styles, needs, and budgets. This lies in presenting these designs cohesively across various mediums:
- Furnished Floor Plans: Visualize living spaces with detailed floor plans enhanced by SparX’s unique touch.
- High-Quality Staged Images: Immerse potential residents in stunning visuals that showcase the true potential of the property.
- First-in-Industry Staged Video: SparX breaks new ground with staged videos, providing an immersive experience that was previously unprecedented.
Multiple Options for Content Utilization:
SparX provides user-friendly customization options, ensuring a personalized experience for each potential resident. This versatile content can seamlessly integrate into various platforms:
- Embedding in Property Websites: SparX’s content seamlessly becomes a part of property websites, whether it’s built on Yardi, Real Page, Entrada, or any other PMS systems, SparX content will enhance their appeal.
- Utilization in Search Engines: Extend the reach by using SparX’s content on popular platforms like Zillow, apartment.com, and more.
- Social Media: SparX content shines on any platform, captivating potential tenants’ imagination with guaranteed attention-grabbing.
Showcasing Real Furniture from Top Brands:
SparX’s collection features furniture exclusively from renowned US brands, providing viewers with the assurance that the displayed furniture is not just for visual appeal but also a tangible fit for their space. Additionally, for those who desire to bring the showcased aesthetics into their own homes, the option to purchase the featured furniture and decor is readily available.
Streamlined Process:
SparX acts as a one-stop-shop, simplifying the often complex process of creating marketing materials for operators and agencies. The streamlined approach ensures efficiency and consistency in delivering captivating content.
Digital Model Unit for On-Site Tours:
SparX facilitates a seamless transition from online exploration to on-site visits by maintaining consistent designs. The virtual experience aligns seamlessly with the physical space, eliminating potential disappointments for prospective residents during on-site tours.
Continuous Support:
SparX doesn’t just stop at providing content; it supports the entire prospect journey. From the initial online engagement to on-site touring and beyond, SparX ensures a cohesive, personalized, and interactive experience.
In conclusion, SparX stands as a transformative force, addressing the challenges faced by real estate operators and reshaping the real estate marketing landscape. It goes beyond merely showcasing properties; it crafts a journey that is both captivating and personalized for potential residents.