How to Attract Tenants: 3 Storytelling Tips to Grow Your Building’s Brand

Mastering the art of learning how to attract tenants starts with perfecting your brand’s story.

As a property management company, understanding how to attract tenants and keeping the good renters happy is an important part of the everyday job. Most everyone already knows, in the marketing business, content is king. We’re here to tell you the property management industry is no different!

Strong brand values, a clear social media voice, and video creations are just a few of the effective ways to embrace storytelling. Taking the time to create useful, interesting, and relatable web content will aid in communicating your building’s brand to better bring in new potential renters which will, in turn, make for a thriving business.

Comprehending exactly how to attract tenants to your properties is not always an exact science. Like any other business, it’s your job as a property entrepreneur and landlord to keep vacancies low through the power of good storytelling and quality content.

According to Forbes, “In this environment, businesses can no longer afford to be faceless entities. To survive, businesses need to connect with audiences, pull at their heartstrings, and engage with them on a much deeper level than seen before. That’s where brand storytelling comes in.”

With websites like Apartments.com, Zillow.com, Trulia.com, and ForRent.com taking the housing industry by storm, the browsing options for interested renters shopping for a new space are endless. More importantly, the amount of human interaction needed to find a good housing option is at an all-time low. Buildings that work to elevate their brand’s story and personalize their landlord personalities in order to better connect with potential renters will likely end up more successful at mastering the art of how to attract tenants.

From communicating your values to property perks, special seasonal new renter discounts, simple Q&As, moving tips and tricks, landlord how-to videos, and so much more, the storytelling options in the housing industry are endless. Growing your building’s brand is a sure way to learn how to attract tenants the right way. Ready to stand out from the competition? Here are 3 storytelling tips for growing your property’s brand.

3 Storytelling Tips to Grow Your Building’s Brand

 

1. Define Your Brand Personality and Spread the Word

Step one of successful storytelling equals (drumroll please) you guessed it! An actual established brand. Consider asking yourself a few of the following when you’re pondering how to attract tenants:

  • What type of environment would you like your building to foster?
  • Is your property more traditional or modern?
  • Are you seeking a young, hip, millennial crowd or more mature tenants?
  • How does the overall vibe and neighborhood work with your building’s location?
  • What type of everyday life do the décor elements, finishes, appliances, and amenities lend themselves to?

Answering these questions and recognizing the little nuances that make you, well, YOU will help your brand stand out from the rest. Understanding how to attract tenants begins with really understanding your personal brand persona. Nailing this storytelling aspect will make for a mutually beneficial landlord-tenant relationship.

Keep in mind, branding is also largely connected to emotion for potential renters. Chatter Buzz says, “Good property stories use emotion to make the buyer wonder “What will happen next?” or “What will it feel like to live in this property?” Your brand values and voice will help interested tenants better imagine themselves and their lives in your building.

Grasping every aspect of your overall housing brand and how those values align with who you are as a building manager will allow potential renters to really get to know you in the best way possible before signing a lease. Happy tenants mean a happy housing community and, thereby, a satisfied landlord.

2. Establish Social Media Platforms to Connect with Tenants

A recent study conducted by Marketing Sherpa, reported by Keap, took a closer look at the importance of social media in today’s society. Did you know that nearly 95 percent of millennials follow brands on social media?

Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more are all part of the culture we live in today. As a property manager in today’s competitive housing market, establishing a clear voice on social media platforms relevant to your ideal customers is key to successfully connecting with prospective tenants. Social media has become a necessary part of how many people communicate with brands of all kinds.

Picture this, you invest a lot of time and money into your brand-new apartment building located in the heart of downtown. There’s a rooftop pool, complimentary dog treats in the lobby, a meditation room on every floor, and state-of-the-art copper appliances in every unit. This new investment was built for the younger generations… so how do you attract those responsible, modern millennials you’re looking for? Social media is the answer you’re looking for.

Whether it’s a funky property like the one described above, family-oriented complexes, or townhouses for empty nesters, a strong social media voice will impactfully tell your brand’s story, in turn, helping you stand out from the hundreds of other housing companies and apartment complexes in your area.

3. Take Advantage of Video Storytelling and All the Perks

Alright, so now you’re got a good handle on your brand but you’re still wondering what all of this means and how to attract tenants. Video storytelling is a PERFECT match for the businesses situated in the apartments and property management industry.

From cozy, inviting unit tours to “Get to Know Your Landlord” Q&As and even a montage displaying the history of the building, communicating your brand’s values and identity through video storytelling is a strong and effective way to nail down the art of knowing how to attract tenants.

Remember, more and more prospective renters today are not eager to sign leases blindly. They care a lot about where they’re living and, most importantly, who they’re renting from. Pendo says it best:

“Your values can begin to inform the small and big decisions you make when it comes to your properties… each of those decisions become stories you can tell when marketing to prospective tenants. Good tenants want a landlord who shares their values.”

Take the time to compile a video library of great content useful to communicate these brand values with your prospective renters. A virtual home tour to get the full feel of your housing community and the neighbors will set you apart from old-fashioned businesses that still hand out paper layouts of an apartment.

These visual assets will come in handy when vacancies are high and renting season is right around the corner! Avoid bad tenants and only attract the good ones with successful video storytelling.

A Community Build Around Your Building’s Brand

Committing to your brand, voice, and values will set you apart from the competition in the housing industry. Storytelling is crucial to the success of any business in any area of expertise. After all, content remains king for customers.

Clear storytelling and portraying what makes your housing brand different and why your property is unique (i.e. puppy friendly, family-oriented, historical building), will work in your favor every single time. Before you know it, the question of how to attract tenants won’t feel so tricky anymore.

Keep in mind, customers want to support brands they can believe in. Whether they’re choosing a temporary home to rent for the year or embarking on a new life chapter as they decide on their first real townhouse purchase, the way companies evoke their one-of-a-kind stories will indeed make a big impact.

From your property management company’s name to the exterior and interior décor, the surrounding shops, curb appeal and so much more, every little detail is part of your building’s story. Similarly, in terms of the real estate industry, the emotional aspect is vital to success in the housing industry. “How you interact with clients, the promises you make and keep, the logos and colors you use, your website, and your posts on social media all come together to create a brand story,” explains Pendo.

Take some time to reflect and think. Put in the effort to define your brand personality, establish a strong social media voice, and take advantage of video storytelling to really communicate who your property is amongst the rest. Knowing how to attract tenants will become very clear once the art of storytelling is achieved. 

For more ideas, landlord tips, and life advice to help you attract new potential renters and manage top-notch properties in the housing industry, visit our blog here.


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