Reduce, Reuse and Recycle –  these are the cornerstones of effective “green” initiatives.  While the “10 easy ways to get green” checklists are ubiquitous – and, yes, we should be doing all of those things too – when it comes to marketing materials, we should give the topic a closer look.

REDUCE WASTE

“Reducing” waste in our industry – as it applies to marketing - is often a case of two steps forward, one step back.  We have all been trained to rely on a whole stack of printed materials, from brochures to rental forms to flyers and so forth.  In some cases, we feel we have to maintain the same level of marketing as the competition.  If a neighboring community has a nice brochure, you have to have one, too – right?

Now is the time to question those assumptions.  Consumers are becoming acquainted with the idea of fewer marketing materials, especially if their elimination is promoted as a “green” initiative.  There are apartment communities across the country, in fact, that are doing away with all paper marketing and relying solely on an enhanced web presence to provide the information prospects are looking for.  Many of these communities are experiencing significant interest in their green marketing programs and experiencing measurable results. For the rest of us, now might be a good time to evaluate our websites and see if they are designed effectively enough to, indeed, replace a brochure.

COULD YOUR WEBSITE REPLACE YOUR BROCHURE?

According to a recent whitepaper "Multifamily Marketing in the Internet Age," published by the National Multifamily Housing Council, apartment websites are more important than ever in the prospect's apartment search process. Statistics show that communities and management companies are using websites as:

  • An online information resource; both passive (what are the specific amenities?) and active (real-time pricing and availability)
  • A closing tool
  • A destination for online marketing

Prospects typically start their search online with one of the major online Internet Listing Services (ILSs). They then narrow their selection and follow through to the property’s website.   Here is the opportunity to tell our story and make the experience memorable. Prospects are savvy enough to want to see something different, more unique, when they come to a website than what they see on a typical ILS.  When they come to the web site, prospects want the bigger story, the brand message, a wider variety of visuals and information.

Not everybody is ready to take the leap towards eliminating brochures and print marketing, but there are still many ways to move forward:

  • consider beefing up your website with better photography, more details about the community
  • employ good copywriting that is extensive enough to satisfy those who are doing their apartment shopping online
  • think about adding a downloadable concise 1-page printable pdf about your community
  • once you have information to be proud of online, have your leasing staff direct prospects to the site to learn more

These efforts may replace the need to hand a brochure to everybody who comes in to visit.

ON-DEMAND MARKETING and RESPONSIBLE PRINTING

Another emerging trend is on-demand marketing.  Only print what you need in smaller quantities, and track the effectiveness of your message.  Instead of ordering 1000 resident referral door hangers, order 50 with a specific message and pay attention to the results.  Tweak the message and the look often to determine the best results for your community and resident profile.  There are many companies, such as LeaseLabs™, that allow you customize and professionally print marketing materials and it’s easy to sign up and give it a try.

Finally, although we are all working to limit the amount of paper we produce and put into the world, there are times in our industry when printing is unavoidable.  When we must print, let’s insist on the use of FSC-rated paper.  Paper with FSC certification (Forest Certification Council) carries with it compliance with the highest social and environmental criteria there are (learn more about FSC at www.fsc.org).  Also, ink has historically been a necessary toxic evil in the printing process but this is changing.  Ask your print provider if they can use an environmentally friendly alternative – a local printer we interviewed uses a formulation that consists primarily of vegetable oils, with no alcohol used in the process, and has a closed-loop solvent system to minimize VOC release into the atmosphere.   The more we, as consumers and providers of marketing, insist on these practices, the more commonplace they will become.

Given the sophistication of today's consumer, we have to – and should – evolve, and move in the direction of reducing waste and becoming responsible when we do choose to print.  Listen to your prospects – they may happily become your partner in this process.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jere Halligan (halligan@leaselabs.com) is the Cofounder of LeaseLabs™, a suite of web-based tools designed to manage the branding and promotion of apartment communities both online and with on-demand marketing. Visit us at www.leaselabs.com.