Marketing an affordable housing community sounds daunting , but in reality , you can easily use the same marketing tools and techniques as you would for multifamily and conventional housing . The main difference ? Your audience .
The affordable housing community is in a very unique position in that it has a defined target audience and specific parameters it must stick to when it comes to its marketing scope .
You should know your target demographic inside and out and use this information to help shape your apartment marketing efforts . And this entire strategy all boils down to having more of a caring team effort rather than a big budget . The key is to focus on getting personal with your messaging and connecting with prospective renters .
Here is are some of the main components to a great affordable housing marketing strategy that prioritizes gaining new leads through relationships and connection :
Engage with Followers
You don ’ t need to have a huge marketing ad spend to grow your online presence . Social media offers a free , worldwide platform to increase brand awareness and engage with your audience , without spending a dime .
While yes , Facebook lead form ads are a great way to earn more conversions ; you can still grow your audience ( and hopefully your leases ) by simply engaging online . Develop a consistent posting strategy ( and stick to it ), then spend 15-30 minutes per day engaging with current and prospective residents .
Be Mobile-Friendly
According to Pew Research , there has been a 12-point increase in smartphone ownership among households earning less than $ 30,000 per year : 76 % of these lowerincome Americans now own a smartphone . Further , 44 % of Americans have used their phone to look up real estate listings or other information about a place to live .
Your marketing strategy should include having an eye-catching website that is also very easy to navigate . The usability of your multifamily website is critical . Your current website might work fine on a desktop computer , but it needs to be adaptable to different mediums .
By sticking with an outdated website , affordable housing marketers are leaving a lot of opportunity on the table . It ’ s important to lean into demographic shifts by investing in mobile-first marketing will have more success connecting with their target audience in years to come .
Tell Your Story
Provide your prospective renters with a brand they will remember by utilizing your social media and website to tell your story . This story doesn ’ t need to have a beginning , middle , and end or be some huge revelation — it just needs to help your affordable housing community stand out from the rest .
Your story can simply be the vision for your community , the commitment to the happiness of your renters , or whatever message you want to convey to people who virtually visit your property .
Where should you weave your story ? Everywhere — social posts , website ( homepage , about us page , contact page , etc .), and blogs . If you have room in your budget for paid advertising , don ’ t be afraid to weave your story there as well . In fact , 92 percent of consumers want brands to make ads that feel like a story . By following this , you can maximize the use of your budget — rather than wasting it on standard ads that don ’ t convert .
Here are a few tips for storytelling in your online content :
• The goals of your story should be to create an emotional impact and be relatable to your target audience .
• Include as many specific details in your story as possible ; while this might seem counterintuitive , it ’ s proven that more specifics will appeal to a larger group of people than broader ones .
• Use videos of real people for sharing your story rather than only text .
• Create blogs with the main goal of connecting with readers and answering questions they may have — the writing does not have to be perfect , all that matters is the messaging . www . aamdhq . org MAY 2022 TRENDS | 47