Leasing and property professionals are always looking for ways to improve leasing and marketing efforts. A good place to start is your website. Your apartment website showcases all the buildings you manage as well as the available units. Site visitors can learn about your company and your commitment to tenants. It’s a way to build brand, engage prospective tenants and drive conversions from lead-to-lease. So, just how well your website performs can be a make-or-break in conversions.
Creating a Sales Funnel on Your Website
Let’s dig into the key apartment website design features that have a direct impact on your leasing and marketing efforts by creating a powerful sales funnel.
1. SEO
First things first… In order to drive new leases, people need to be able to find you. When you optimize your website, you can immediately draw in more prospects. Advanced property management software allows you to not only create a website but to also include your keywords in specific locations for better optimization. These include the “behind-the scenes” locations like page title and page description, as well as on-page content factors like the name of the building, its address, your province and the type of unit that is available (studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, etc.) Our solution includes a built-in AI SEO assistant as well as free SSL certificates which can help improve rankings.
2. Photos + Video
Now that people have found you, you need to wow them. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and it’s true – your prospects need to be able to see themselves living in the property. Make sure the lighting shows off the rooms to their best and include some detail shots. Typically, you should have around 10-15 photographs and videos per property, showing the outside of the property as well as nearby attractions, and each one of the rooms.
If you aren’t using video, you probably aren’t converting as much as you could be. Research shows that videos are the best way to get people to not only remember your message, but also to act on it. Your prospects are interested in seeing video tours of the property, showcasing common areas and any amenities. And, be sure to think outside the tour! Use video to get creative and include resident testimonials, or the Top 5 reasons to live in your multifamily property.
3. Maps
Prospects are interested not only in the building but in the neighbourhood. By incorporating maps into your listing, you can highlight nearby dining, entertainment, parks, and transit options get prospects excited about your properties. For example, with our Vista Websites you can create interactive maps that zoom in and out and enable prospects to get exact distance and travel time between the property and nearby destinations.
4. Prospect Communication
Drive up lead-to-lease conversions by improving communication with prospective residents. With property management software, like our Lead Managing tool, you can automate much of the communication with leads, to not only make sure that no lead falls between the cracks but to also improve the customer experience with instant responses. For example, chatbots can eliminate wait times by providing timely information about the property or rental polices, and they also free up your sales/leasing team for more complex needs.
Did you know that prospects who make an appointment to see the unit are 3Xs more likely to convert into tenants than leads who just make an inquiry. A chatbot can easily help prospects schedule a tour by collecting their contact details, which unit they are interested in and what time and date the potential resident is available. This info is automatically sent to your leasing team.
5. Seal the Deal with Online Applications
Not only do online applications save countless hours, but they also make it for prospects to apply anytime, anywhere. They can easy fill in their details and add a guarantor if needed so that you can capture all information while your prospect is excited about the property.
Pro Tip: Be sure to integrate a built-in screening tool that automatically checks credit scores, criminal and eviction history, income, and rental history. It provides a seamless experience for the prospect as well as gives you with all the necessary information to make informed decisions about applicants.
How We Help
Renters today want to find pertinent information quickly on your website – price, photos and location. Build websites for your listings within days with Vista Website’s intuitive website builder, whether you’re managing your own properties or your clients. We provide the templates so you can simply plug and play. No technical experience required!
As well, our code-free AI chatbot can be set up in minutes with a few simple steps. It is always available on your website to respond to inquiries, qualify leads, and book tours. With our call recording and AI call scoring, you can analyze your prospect calls to optimize your messaging, enhance the leasing experience, and drive occupancy. Want to learn more? Book a demo to start a conversation.
