Get Your Properties Online

Savvy surfers and marketers populate the Internet. Knowing where customers look for apartments is central to your marketing. Guess where they’re looking?

In a late 2006 study, the Pew Research Center in Washington D.C., asked ‘Who uses the Internet to find a place to live?’ The number increased from 27 percent in 2000 to 39 percent of Internet users last year. Leading the charge were Internet users 18- to 29-years-old who made up more than half the audience. They were followed by 30- to 49-year-olds at 43 percent, ages 50 to 64 at 27 percent, and 65 and older ranking 15 percent.

“Consumers 18- to 34-years-old are ‘plugged in,’” says Mike Mueller, CEO of Realty DataTrust in Scottsdale, Ariz. “They download music; surf, blog and socialize on the Internet. When apartment hunting, they want a simple process.” Mueller’s firm designs software that allows property managers to offer real-time availability, pricing and reservations.

Property Manager Recognition
The popularity of searching online for apartments doesn’t surprise property managers at KSI Management Corp. in Centreville, Va., and RMK Management in Chicago.

Karen A. Kossow is assistant vice president of sales and marketing for KSI Management Corp. Laurel Howell serves as director of Internet sales and marketing. KSI represents some 9,000 apartments, of which 7,000 are considered affordable housing. The company aggressively tackles Internet marketing.

“In my estimation, electronic marketing has already overtaken print in our industry,” Kossow says. “We market our properties using a mix of media but the Internet is our focus. It’s our top source for leases.”

Though the Internet isn’t the top-leasing source for Diana Pittro, executive vice president of RMK Management, it is growing steadily and plays a significant role. “I expect the Internet to deliver almost 15 percent of my leasing this year,” Pittro says. “That number should keep growing.” RMK manages 6,000 high-rise, garden and luxury units.

Understand the User
Mueller is a pioneer, founding an Internet properties listing service in 1996. To him, the days of placing balloons outside the leasing office to draw apartment hunters are history. “For Internet users, we found 60 percent of property reservations happen after business hours. That’s important to know,” he says.

RMK and KSI have taken note.

“Our offices have definitely changed,” Pittro says. “We look for employees who are service-oriented and computer savvy. We need staff that can increase the value of the Web site for us and the apartment hunter. The majority of Internet users still come in to see the properties.”

“We have a lot of internal Internet training for property managers,” Howell adds. “We stress that the Internet contact should be viewed the same as a customer walk-in.”

Benefits and Cautions
“Internet customers seem to be better qualified,” Kossow observes. “They know if the apartment is right because they’ve done their research. On our site they can find out if they credit qualify. We now have 14 apartment communities that are Internet-only listings. We can notify prospects and existing renters of specials, promotions and events.”

For Mueller, the “holy grail” of property Internet commerce will be “end-to-end” leasing. “Imagine being able to put down your security deposit online and pay rent,” he says.

While speed and convenience are great services to offer prospective renters, Internet marketing can be daunting for Pittro. “You need to keep up with all the daily changes on your site and the latest software,” she says. “I get lots of vendor calls and need to take time to research. We have an IT department that helps me makes sense of it all.”

Plan a Strategy
Both KSI and RMK have their own Web sites to draw apartment hunters. They also are featured on several Internet listing services. This gives them greater exposure and increased value for their marketing dollar.

“Your site should be user-friendly and attractive,” Pittro advises. “Property information should be easy to access, and clearly presented including location, apartment layouts with pictures, amenities, rent, and maybe information on neighborhood shopping and schools. You want the Internet client to get a feel for the property and come see it.”

Know how Internet listing services operate and what they offer. “Discover how well the site promotes and sells itself,” Howell advises.

“Does it allow for customization?” Kossow asks. “Review the effectiveness of your ads on their site. Compare how your properties sell against the competition. We like sites that offer a lot of ‘measurables.’”

Pittro adds that it’s important to recognize that interactive marketing is trial and error. “You try things that sometimes don’t work,” she says. “Learn from mistakes. It’s a process.”

For those who resist Internet marketing due to fear or inexperience, Mueller has this advice: “Tap into resources around you like younger staff. It’s no sin to be less knowledgeable. The mistake would be to ignore the Internet. More and more people are turning to it to find properties. You don’t want to be left behind.”