6 Must Haves for Your Community Website

Whether you have several multifamily communities or a small rental business, your website is important because it serves as a hub for all of your marketing efforts.

Here's the thing.

It's not about having the best website. It's about having the right things to boost conversions and squeeze as much as possible out of your existing traffic.

Did you know 53% of marketers spend 50% or more of their budget on lead generation?

“Sure, finding new leads is still essential. But it’s far easier to boost performance by improving your conversion rate.”

Here's a look at what you need on your multifamily website to attract more residents.

1) Get Straight to the Point With Starting Rents

First and foremost, potential residents want to know how much it costs to rent an apartment in your community.

Tip💡: Don't bury the lead. Get straight to the point and keep your pricing and any related fees front and center. It’s a poor user experience to require them to reach out to discover pricing, and it may waste your on-site teams time. It also might cause users to bounce off your site.

We advise against displaying “call for pricing” everywhere. You might think it will prompt more prospects to reach out - but it may do the exact opposite.

If your rents are too expensive for someone, they're not your ideal resident. Don't waste their time or your own trying to entice them to stick around if it's not going to be a good fit.

You can also use Flair’s real time pricing integration for Google Ads to prevent unqualified prospects from clicking on your ad.

2) Offer More than 1 Type of Virtual Tour

Virtual tours are a win for residents who are short on time, who love doing thorough research, or who live out of town.

A virtual tour gives a clear understanding of your floor plans and provides a visual way to experience it from afar.

65% percent of the general population are visual learners, and need to SEE information in order to retain it.

Virtual tours are generally easy to include on your site, making them a quick win and a way to stand out from competitors.

• Listings with virtual tours receive 87% more views than those without
• 94% of listings don’t include virtual tours, although some say they do and only include photo tours

Virtual tours also don't need to be complicated, but they do need to be thorough.

Truth 💣: Virtual tours can significantly reduce the length of your in-person tours. More informed residents will cut straight to the chase.

Tip💡: Offer matterport tours AND live virtual tours for the best results.

3) Bottom Navigation Menu for Mobile

If you’re not optimizing your site for mobile, you’re potentially leaving money on the table.

Let’s get real for a minute. Mobile experiences for real estate? They usually suck.

Research shows that 72% of consumers want mobile-friendly sites, and your efforts to increase its user-friendliness could pay off big.

When you optimize a site for a better User Experience (UX), you could increase your website's conversion rates by 200%.

The good news is you don’t need to start from scratch. Adding a simple bottom navigation menu can give a boost to your mobile conversions and improve the overall user experience.

Tip💡: Start by adding your contact information, appointment, directions, and current rent specials to your bottom navigation menu.

4) Videos (Yes, this can be done well on a budget)

Video isn't going anywhere and is no longer just nice to have for your multifamily website. It could dramatically impact how much online traffic you earn.

In 2022, it's estimated that 82% of global internet traffic came from video streaming and downloads, showing an 88% increase since 2017.

What if you don't have a video budget? Good production value is helpful but doesn't put video marketing out of reach.

A good smartphone camera and natural light could be all you need to get started taking the following videos:

👉A tour around your community’s amenities

👉 A direct message to potential residents

👉 An interview with a current resident about living in the community

👉 A close-up of some of your unit’s best amenities.

TikTok video formats can also be effective yet inexpensive to get your community out there.

There are tons of companies out there making video more accessible on a low budget. Use them!

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5) Prioritize the Amenities Your Customers Want

Listen, we know your pool is beautiful. We get it.

BUT - before you go blasting pool photos all over the internet, you should talk to prospects and residents first.

Ask them “What amenities are most important to you?”

Use this data to thoughtfully market your amenities, in the order that makes sense.

If being across the street from Costco is your #1 amenity, make sure you push that front and center.

According to an Apartment Advisor survey, here are some of the top amenities that attract renters:

You can poll your residents or ask newcomers what attracted them to your community. You can also look for clues on what to showcase through:

👉 Your online reviews

👉 Google My Business Profile comments or questions

👉 Asking your leasing agents what potential residents ask about the most

Truth 💣: Understanding which amenities your residents care about helps you create more effective marketing. Focus on what really counts, and watch your conversion rates rise.

6) Multiple Points of Contact

Believe it or not, some multifamily properties don't make it easy to get in touch. There might be a standard number with a voicemail or email form.

Your contact page is an opportunity to stay in touch the way potential residents want.

Why stop at a phone number and an email? Make it ridiculously easy by leaving the social media channels you regularly monitor and respond through.

Not getting any contact through Twitter? Why bother? Focus on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn instead.

Don't stretch yourself too thin. Niche down to the social media channels you can realistically keep up with that fit your demographic.

If your community is in a college town and you rent to students, chances are high they’re not going to reach out to you on LinkedIn unless they want a job.

Instead, they’re likely going to be hanging out on TikTok or Instagram.

“Make sure to meet residents where they’re at.”

Tip💡: You can figure out which social media channels or contact channels prospective residents want the most by asking them.

Leasing agents can ask “How did you hear about us,” or “What is your preferred way to reach out to an apartment community?”

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