By Dawn Macri

Published Feb 11, 2019

Updated Jan 5, 2024

Coming up with engaging apartment marketing ideas that set you apart can be a struggle. But the good news is that there have never been so many channels to reach your audience. From social media to in-house events, choosing the right strategy is key. We understand how important it is to connect with current residents and attract future ones as well, so we’re here to help. Take a look at our collection of the best mix of tried and true apartment marketing ideas and start growing your audience today.

First Things First: Know Your Brand and Audience

Before diving into the big stuff, be sure to define your brand and pinpoint your target audience. To help you refine your approach, it’s a good idea to take a look at your competitors and take note of what is working (and not working) for them. Then figure out how you can set yourself apart and crush your marketing efforts.

Now that you’ve laid the foundation for a successful campaign (or five), here are the best apartment marketing ideas you can use to increase retention and bring in potential renters.

Social Media Apartment Marketing Ideas

1. Post pictures of your properties on Pinterest

Over 77 million people used Pinterest last year and 45% of them were looking for home and garden inspiration, so getting on the Pinterest train is definitely in your best interest. If you’re looking for creative apartment marketing ideas that make a visual impact, this is for you. Post high-quality photos of your properties, industry trends you’re following, and business news.

2. Host an Instagram competition

An excellent apartment marketing idea to get your residents involved while also branching out to new markets is to host an apartment aesthetic competition on Instagram. Invite residents to share photos of their newly decorated homes with a branded hashtag and ask them to like, share, and tag their friends. They’ll want to be recognized for their hard work, so be sure to announce a winner and reward them with a prize at the end.

3. Use Facebook Events for open houses

With Facebook Events, you can invite current followers to both in-person and virtual events through Facebook. You can use this apartment marketing idea for open houses and announcing events in your community. Want to spice things up? Turn it into a competition and award the first 10 people to RSVP with a gift card or a discount on their application fee.

4. Conduct polls on Twitter

This apartment marketing idea is an excellent tool to not only engage your followers but also to support your overall marketing strategy. Create a uniquely engaging question that aligns with your brand, and give your audience four answers to choose from. Remember to finish it off with a call to action that you can easily share and will help boost engagement.

Pro Tip: For the highest ROI, make sure your question stimulates engaging conversation that prompts people to share. Their answers can also be used as market research, so asking questions such as: “Which amenity is most important to you?” lets you interact with your followers while also gathering important information about their apartment preferences.

5. Use Facebook Live or Instagram Stories for Q&A sessions

Interact with your followers by asking them to submit their questions about your apartment community and company as a whole. You and your leasing agents can then answer them in a live recording and invite your followers to tune in. This is a great way to get some face time with potential residents.

6. Share instructional videos and DIY tips on YouTube

From informing renters about the real estate industry to advertising your properties and sharing moving tips, YouTube opens the door to implement some serious apartment marketing ideas. If you don’t have time to create an entire channel, simply embed YouTube videos that add value to your website. By giving viewers something to relate to, you can reel in major leads.

7. Run a Facebook Ads campaign

Facebook Ads makes it easy to start your own campaign and, depending on your goals, offers a variety of different formats for you to market your community. You can make your campaign as simple or as complex as you like. You can even run multiple campaigns at once! Since this can quickly get expensive, however, it’s a good idea to run a handful of inexpensive ads and measure their success to avoid overspending on a dud.

More Online Apartment Marketing Ideas

8. Start a blog

Sites with blogs get 55% more traffic than those without, making blogging a powerful apartment marketing idea that you can share across your social networks. Just one post every week can dramatically increase traffic to your website. Blogging can also help you establish yourself as a trustworthy and knowledgeable member of the real estate industry. In the event that your readers stumble across your content while looking for a new apartment, it’s likely that they’ll check our your community first.

9. Create an SEO marketing strategy

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) goes hand in hand with exceptional blogs. This method of driving organic traffic to your website is an effective apartment marketing idea and crucial to your business. It’s much easier to reach customers if they come to you, so the more people who see your brand pop up in their Google search results, the better.

10. Leverage video to share resident testimonials

Posting testimonials from happy residents is a powerful apartment marketing idea that can help you understand your current clients and build social proof. When establishing trust with potential residents, this social proof is undeniably useful. In fact, video testimonials are the most effective type of video content. Simply film residents giving reviews of the company, edit, and upload.

11. Update your website

Your website is your calling card. It’s probably the most viewed representation of your business out there, so it needs to be outstanding. To ensure your site draws in potential renters, make sure that it’s easy to use and can be found on Google. Here are our tips for making your website the best it can be:

• Hire a content writer or freelancer: Along with optimizing your site through SEO, a skilled content writer can help you find the best voice to appeal to your audience and describe your business. They know just what to include (and what not to). It might seem simple, but trust us, content writing is most effective when left to the professionals.

• Make photos a priority: Powerful visuals evoke emotions and increase engagement. Whether photos of your property, leasing agents, or neighborhood, including relevant high-quality images on your website is an essential apartment marketing idea.

• Include a call to action: Get potential residents excited to view your property and reach out by including a call to action. For example, “check availability” or “submit an application” inspires visitors to act.

• Make it mobile friendly: An estimated 57% of all internet browsing comes from tablets and smartphones, so you want to be sure people can view your site properly on any device.

12. Launch a Google AdWords campaign

Google AdWords is an online, pay-per-click advertising platform that allows businesses to strategically advertise using relevant keywords searched on Google. It might seem daunting, but setting up an account only takes a few minutes. Plus, the platform is fairly user-friendly and there are plenty of helpful guides to ensure you get the most out of your campaign. Google AdWords works for most budgets since you decide how much you want to spend and you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. When setting up your campaign, you’ll want to carefully plan out your strategy while keeping your goals, audience, budget, and keywords in mind.

Offline Apartment Marketing Ideas

13. Hold resident events at your apartment community

Encourage your residents and their guests to get together by hosting an apartment community event. With fun resident events, you’ll be able to increase retention and broaden your reach. Plus, you can use social media to share how fun your community is by posting invitations to the event before it happens and photos from the big day afterward.

14. Sponsor a local event

This apartment marketing idea has multiple benefits. While it might take a little extra planning, sponsoring an event gives your brand massive visibility. This creates awareness and familiarity with your property long after the event ends, and creates positive PR for your business. And of course, it provides you with engaging content for your social media campaigns.

15. Launch a tenant referral program

Residents who love where they live often share their enthusiasm with their friends and family. To incentivize them further, add in a small one-time rent discount for residents whose referrals end up signing a lease. It’s a great apartment marketing idea to boost engagement and increase outreach.

16. Share promotional products

Yes, it’s old school, but businesses have been handing out pens, T-shirts, and water bottles with custom logos for decades for a reason. Promotional products spark positive feedback and leave a lasting impression on the recipient. Every time they use the products they’ll think of you. Once they’re done with your promo item, a reported 63% of Americans will give it to someone else, expanding your brand’s reach even further.

17. Offer discounts to niche groups

Is your property near a college campus? Or is it in an area with a large senior or veteran population? Consider offering a discount to these groups. Not only will you stay ahead of competing properties, but you may also benefit from word-of-mouth referrals. If you don’t want to offer discounts year round, you can always adjust the promotion to account for your slow season or holidays.

18. Stage your model units

Showing potential residents around your property requires more than just showcasing your building. You also want the viewer to envision themselves living comfortably in your community. Help them out by decorating, furnishing, and even staging model units. This apartment marketing idea helps move potential residents further down the funnel by making a unit look homey and move-in ready.

19. Establish a resident volunteer group

Want an apartment marketing idea that involves your team and residents? Bring these two parties together and broaden your reach further with a volunteer group. Encourage residents to invite their friends and either start or end the day at your property for refreshments. You’ll get to know some potential residents and create some good PR while you’re at it.

20. Get to know local businesses

Even with tons of crafty methods in your back pocket, the best form of marketing is often word of mouth. Who better to vouch for your property than an established local business? Reaching out to gyms, banks, and other businesses that often interact with movers is a great place to start. Introduce yourself and your property. You can even go the extra mile by inviting them to your next event.

It’s important to remember that all of these great strategies are nothing without authenticity and proving value to potential residents. So what are you waiting for? Use these apartment marketing ideas to maximize your efforts and start bringing in leads today.

Dawn Macri

Dawn is a former content marketing intern at Updater. When she isn’t writing, researching, or creating content, you can find her cooking dinner with friends, exploring new neighborhoods, or plotting her next adventure.