Why Adding Team Photos to Your Website is More Important than You Think

You may think prospective residents just care about location and rent prices, but studies show emotions are what really drives purchasing behaviors, and decision-making in general. (Source)

Neuroscientists also found that people whose brains are damaged in an area that generates emotions are incapable of making decisions.

Emotions = Conversions.

So if you’re already appealing to leads by creating a brand, feeling, and emotion around living in your community, you’re on the right track.

But you may be overlooking a far simpler way to evoke emotion and establish trust in your community: Adding team photos to your website.

Research shows a good photo can evoke emotions and create a strong connection with your audience. (Source)

You probably already know photos of a unit or common areas are a crucial part of converting leases, yet team photos are often ignored in favor of more sophisticated marketing strategies.

Not sure where to start?

Here’s why you need team photos and how to turn them into a low-cost strategy that makes a big impact.

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Makes a Good First Impression

Your community isn’t necessarily the first impression a prospective resident sees.

Instead, they're likely to browse your website and team page to see:

👉 Who works here?

👉 How big is the team?

👉 Do they look friendly?

👉 What is their background?

You also don’t need a dozen team members to make an impact.

A small team can signal that living in your community is an intimate experience where residents and staff all know each other.

You should also create a short bio for your team members to convey their experience or specialty.

For example:

"Ben has worked in the property management business for five years and loves finding creative solutions to make the community the best it can be.”

It’s short and sweet but gets right to the point about Ben’s overall approach to his work and what residents can expect.

Fosters a Personal Connection with Residents

It’s challenging, if not outright impossible, to foster a personal connection between current and prospective residents when you’re running a faceless community.

A vibrant team page with photos and a short bio helps bridge the connection between your community and residents without much effort.

Now residents know who they’re talking to and a little more about your team instead of just sending a maintenance request to a generic email address.

When residents are more comfortable in your community, they’re also more likely to bring concerns to your team.

Instead of letting maintenance requests go or not following up on an issue, residents who feel engaged with their community are more likely to be vocal and stay for the long run.

Tip 💡: Make your team photos part of your overall communication strategy, not just a way to make your website look better.

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Establishes Familiarity and Trust

When you're competing with other communities, establishing familiarity and trust is crucial to converting more leads and retaining the residents you already have.

It may sound complicated, but it can be as easy as using team photos and making sure your leasing agents and maintenance workers are seen and heard around your community.

Research also backs up the idea that familiarity breeds trust.

Advertisers use celebrities and influencer endorsements for a reason: We trust people we know. (Source)

No, you don’t need a celebrity to endorse your community, but using the same faces on your website that residents see in your community can foster familiarity and more conversions.

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Attracts New Team Members

The core of your business is about earning leases and leads, however, you still need new team members to keep your community going.

Truth 💣: But seriously, who wants to work for a company that can’t get a website together?

A clunky website with no photos indicates your community isn’t legitimate enough to take their online presence seriously.

When you have a professional-looking website with team photos, you’re more likely to attract and convert new leasing agents, maintenance, and marketing staff than one without.

Take team member photos a step further with a simple “Careers” page that lists ongoing, open positions in your community.

The combination of professional photos and an easy to navigate website makes it a win for leads and job seekers for your community.

Converts More Leases

Beyond establishing trust and familiarity, research shows that photos of actual humans convert better.

Keep in mind your photos need to be real team members or could negatively impact your business.

Relying on stock photos or leaving up outdated images signals that you don’t take your business seriously.

It also says you don’t have the resources to make a simple website change or aren’t interested in showing off your new team members.

Team Photos are Simple and Impactful

If you work in any facet of property management, you already know there's too much to do in a day.

From leasing to maintenance requests, there’s always a never-ending to-do list in your community.

Truth 💣: But there’s no excuse for the refrain: "I can’t add team pictures because we have high staff turnover.”

It takes minutes to manually swap out the image yourself or ask your web provider to do it for you.

It’s about as simple as uploading a photo to Facebook or Instagram.

If your web provider drags their feet on making frequent changes, ask them to make a quick video to show you how to do it yourself.

Changing out photos is easy, yet it makes a powerful impact on your website and lead conversion.

It also helps your community stand out from the competition.

While your neighboring communities present a nameless, faceless staff, you’re enhancing your brand with a face-to-face experience residents want.

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