Is anyone else taking bets to see if March rolls in like a lion or a lamb this year? I'm not sure many parts of the country could take much more of this lion winter weather. I think we're all craving more of those beautiful spring time days that seem to tease us sporadically this time of year. I've been itching for a picnic since the first day it topped 62 degrees in the Seattle area. Best of all, we in the property management world know that sunshine brings in the tours, something that has proven to be a major challenge this year. To encourage a little more traffic, here are 3 ideas for your marketing teams!
- Work with March Madness - If you're in a college town, near a college town , or anywhere near Indianapolis (home of the Final Four!), this marketing idea is a no brainer! March Madness brings out great competitive nature and tons of viewers, so why not position your company as a place that's friendly for everyone to come watch? Sure, some people like to watch the game in a bar, but it's nice to have an alternative public venue where you won't get Pabst Blue Ribbon on your pants. You can download the official NCAA bracket from the NCAA website and work with local vendors to set up prizes for people who enter brackets for each week. This is one of those events that's also almost tailor made for the world of social media and Facebook fanpages, because it's so easy to encourage online engagement with this type of content. Best of all, this event spans a few weeks, so your crowds of people coming through your clubhouse will grow and change! Invest in the cheapest crowd treat out there, popcorn, and let the crowds come to you.
- Have you been toying with the idea of including a "Green" addition of a community garden to your property? This is an idea that can work both on resident retention and on marketing, depending on your community demographic. As the crocus's start poking through the snow, it's a great time to remind people of how beautiful your community is after the bleak winter months. Offer to waive application fees for people who bring a specific number of seedlings/plants to add to your community garden. It's a great way to appeal to the hippie in so many of us and to tap in to the trend of seeing who can be the "greenest". Plus, it gives you a low to no cost way of getting your community garden off the ground!
- Don't forget on the 17th of the month, green is a given! There are so many ways to tie together St. Patrick's Day specials - "The Luck of the Irish brought you to us!" "Wear some green, save some green!" - don't limit yourself to just a day of fun with the holiday. Green Balloons with various move in specials and gift certificates inside (and a little paper confetti!), give your future residents a bit of excitement in the rental process while tapping in to the luck aspect of the holiday, and also keep your leasing consultants engaged in the sale, since they will want to know what's inside the balloon as much as the future resident will!