3 Oct

Marketing Tips from Property Manager David O’Dell

 

Recently Mustang Village Apartments of Wichita Falls, TX was named the winner of our The Preiss Company App Download Contest with a download rate of 65%.  We caught up with David O’Dell, property manager of Mustang Village, and asked him to give us some marketing pointers for encouraging student residents to download the App.

 

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Here’s what we learned:

 

Build a Strong Foundation

‘Move-In Day’ is the foundation of your marketing strategy. Set yourself up for success by sending out emails to incoming residents leading up to move-in day, including a brief message encouraging them to download the App to receive important move-in day instructions. David emphasizes making the message short and simple, and including links they can click on to download the App. On move-in day, make sure to advertise the App at the main entrance for everyone to see. Have your staff hand out the flyers and include them in move-in packets.

 

Be Persistent

Use the momentum you established on move-in day to continuously remind your residents to download the App. David did this by sending out weekly emails and occasional text messages to all of his residents reminding them of the importance of downloading the app in order to pay rent, stay informed, and request WiFi support.

 

Save Some Trees

Stop using printed flyers to communication important information. If residents are still receiving messages through handouts slid under their doors or into their mailboxes, they are less inclined to download and start to utilize the App. Once the app was available, David said he stopped communicating via handouts almost entirely. He still uses them sparingly to supplement the announcements of huge events such as the Welcome Pool Party.

 

Use Your Words

David’s last piece of advice was to have your staff engage with residents, and verbally direct them to download the App . Many of his residents downloaded the App with the help of a staff member. Staff members asked residents whether or not they had downloaded the App, and then proceeded to assist them in doing so right then and there.

 

Before residents can begin using the App, they must first be aware that you’re offering them one.

 

“Pretty much all of our residents think it’s really cool that we have an App, and are quick to download it once we tell them about it. So it’s just a matter of getting the message out there,” said David O’Dell. “The demand is already there, and we’re the only ones in our area that can offer them that technology, at least for the moment. Apps are a platform that most of these students are familiar with, making it easy for them to use.”



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