Winter is on the way!

With winter comes the holidays and that is usually a slower time for prospects to hunt for apartments.

So, how can you attract these prospects and fill vacancies during this slower season?

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Leverage social media

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1. Host an Instagram contest

You decorate your leasing office around this time of year to create a warm and inviting experience for all who visit. Consider hosting an apartment decoration contest on Instagram. Have residents post pictures of their apartments using a branded hashtag, then allow everyone to vote. This will bring visibility to your community as well as boost resident retention.

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2. Use Facebook Events to Host a Virtual Holiday Open House

Your property is warm and inviting and decorated with all the trimmings. Show it off by hosting a virtual open house and promote it using Facebook Events. Entice your residents to engage by offering giveaways and prizes throughout the event. Or better yet, if your community has children, dress up as Santa Claus to host your event and share good cheer! Create a public Facebook event with a beautiful cover photo and promote it all over social media.

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3. Show Off Your Property with Winter Scenes

If your community is in an area with flurries already falling, take advantage of it! Winter can blanket communities in snow that look beautiful in photos. Take some time to do a winter photoshoot of your property. Your marketing pictures will be truly unique and seasonal that will surely bring in additional traffic during this time of year.

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Leverage a Conversational Leasing Assistant

The weather may be getting frightful, but a prospective renter shouldn’t receive a chilly experience when calling your property or visiting your website. So, how do you create that same warm and inviting experience you did when decorating the office?  

Sometimes just being there to answer their questions is enough to raise their spirits. The problem is it is impossible to answer every call and 52% of callers will not call back if they missed you the first time. Consider leveraging a conversational assistant to keep your office open, even when your staff is unavailable, or your leasing office is closed.

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4. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Voice Assistant

Do you ever interact with Siri or Alexa? If yes, then you are familiar with an AI-powered voice assistant. Think about using that same technology at your community. An AI voice assistant will answer calls, set appointments and collect guest card information when your leasing staff is assisting other renters, or your office is closed.

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5. Conversational Chatbot

That same technology is available as a chatbot. Give your prospective renters that same consistent experience even when visiting your website. A chatbot can answer questions, provide pricing and availability and set appointments. Since 60% of prospect inquiries are for pricing and availability, it is important to give that information even when your leasing staff is unavailable.  

Give prospects what they want this holiday season by creating an engaging experience. Consider LeaseHawk’s virtual leasing assistant, ACE. ACE leverages artificial intelligence, just like your Alexa or Google Assistant, to handle calls, texts, and chats to assist prospects 24/7.

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ACE is even customizable and festive – you can create a holiday greeting that is extra engaging!