27 Proven Apartment Rental Marketing Ideas [That Actually Work!]

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Updated: July 12th, 2021

Wondering how to market your apartment rental business?

Marketing your apartment rental business is certainly not easy, but there are many ways to promote and advertise your apartment rental business.

We put together a list of the best marketing ideas for your apartment rental business, so you can get your small business out there.

Here’s the list:

1. Word of mouth: Generate Word Of Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.

Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.

According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.

Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

Topic: Word Of Mouth
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Free - Happy customers will spread the word at no cost to your business.
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on word of mouth ➜

2. Direct Sales: Build A Sales Team

Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.

For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.

Topic: Sales
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: High - Typical costs to consider when hiring: hiring costs, training costs, plus salary and incentives.
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on direct sales ➜

3. Pay Per Click Advertising: Set Up A Pay Per Click Campaign

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a performance-based marketing method that allows you to show specific ads for services or products oriented to a very defined target, with the goal that the user visits your website or landing page.

Topic: Affiliate
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - Average is typically $1 per click
Result: Brand Exposure

4. Referral Program: Launch A Referral Program

A referral program is the type of marketing where you state an offer to your existing customers for the act of creating a word-of-mouth referral that converts.

According to SEMrush, word-of-mouth is considered to be one of the top traffic sources for small businesses that practice affiliate marketing.

Launching a referral program is a great marketing strategy for growing a small business. An effective referral program enables startups to increase lead generation and an active audience.

Topic: Word Of Mouth
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $10-$100
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on referral program ➜

5. SEO Strategy: Create An Effective SEO Strategy

An SEO strategy is the process of planning, optimizing, and organizing your website to help it rank better in search results.

A good SEO strategy helps you match users' search intent such that you drive traffic that is more credible and quality leads to your website.

Therefore, invest in SEO to help your business grow online.

Topic: SEO
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - SEO costs for a monthly retainer plan range from $750 to $5000 per month.
Result: SEO

Check out our full guide on seo strategy ➜

6. Competitor analysis: Conduct A Competitor Analysis

Competitor analysis refers to a report analyzing your competitors' strengths and weaknesses relative to those of your own business.

For startups trying to break into the market, a well-researched competition analysis gives you the tools to reach strategic decisions.

A competitor analysis should be included in your marketing plan, your business plan, and all aspects of your high-level business and pricing strategy.

Topic: Sales
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - $0-$300
Result: Product Quality

Check out our full guide on competitor analysis ➜

7. Pinterest ads: Pinterest Advertising

Pinterest Advertising is a fast-pass ticket to increasing your social media reach by targeting more than 450 million active pinterest users every month.

By running promoted pins, marketers can drive traffic, increase conversions, and boost brand awareness effectively.

For startups, Pinterest Advertising is a great way to boost your business.

Topic: Social Media - (Paid)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $.10-$1.50
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on pinterest ads ➜

8. Networking Event: Attend A Networking Event

Networking event refers to social or economic activity where entrepreneurs meet with intention of forming business relationships, recognizing, creating, or acting upon business opportunities.

As an entrepreneur, creating connections and putting your brand out there is critical to the success of your business.

Attending a networking event you will meet like-minded people, exchange a business idea or two, and leave knowing you brought your brand some exposure.

Networking events could provide you a once in lifetime opportunity or connection that could take your business to the next level.

Topic: Events
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $0-$150
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on networking event ➜

9. Yelp reviews: Get More Positive Yelp Reviews

Yelp is a social networking site that lets users postreviews and rate businesses. Positive Yelp reviews provide valuable input when it comes to lead generation.

According to Customer reviews data, 97% of people make a purchase after visiting Yelp. Besides, 80% of consumers visiting Yelp share businesses they find with other people.

Therefore, positive Yelp reviews can lead to greater social proof needed to inspire consumer confidence and foster customer loyalty.

Topic: Social Media (Organic)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - Satisfied customers will leave Yelp reviews voluntarily
Result: Trust & Credibility

Check out our full guide on yelp reviews ➜

10. Yelp ads: Create Yelp Ads

Yelp Ads refers to the placement of promotional content on Yelp with the intention to reach more customers who visit Yelp.

The Yelp advertisements will appear in the search results and on business listings.

Through Yelp ads, you can bring more people back to your Yelp business page so that they learn more about your business and ultimately decide to contact you.

Topic: Social Media - (Paid)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $0-$350
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on yelp ads ➜

11. Testimonials: Ask Customers For Testimonials

A customer testimonial is a recommendation from satisfied customers affirming the value of a product or service.

Happy customers give customer testimonials voluntarily or upon a company’s request.

According to Optinmonster, 88% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations.

When combined with a sharp content strategy, customer testimonials help prospects overcome objections, hence boosting online sales and turns customers to brand ambassadors.

Topic: Content
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - Satisfied customers will leave testimonials at no cost to your business
Result: Trust & Credibility

Check out our full guide on testimonials ➜

12. Offline advertising (flyers, etc): Start an Offline Advertising Campaign

Offline advertising refers to the advertising tactics carried out using the traditional media such as billboards, television, and even radio ads.

Although digital advertising drives a higher ROI for many brands, traditional offline channels still matter for startups.

According to Oberlo, 10% of the US population says they never use the internet. Besides, only 81% of US adults go online on a daily basis.

Thus, running an offline advertising campaign is the best approach for targeting people who never use the internet, or do not log in on a daily basis.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: High - A company can spend thousands, even millions, to some traditional avenues.
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on offline advertising (flyers, etc) ➜

13. Search engine marketing (SEM): Create A SEM Marketing Campagin

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) refers to an advertising strategy that generates ads in search engines to position brands among the top results.

Unlike SEO, SEM strategy works through paying for keywords so that your content appears in the top position in search.

SEM can be effective in driving traffic to your website and improving conversion rates.

Topic: Social Media - (Paid)
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: High - On average, SMBs spend $9K to $10K per month on SEM, which includes ad spend and management costs
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on search engine marketing (sem) ➜

14. Press Release: Get A Press Release Published

A press release is a marketing strategy that involves sending out a newsworthy bulletin.

Targeting journalists and potential customers, the press release provides a popular approach for getting immediate brand exposure.

For startups, getting more press is an attractive approach to gain traction, so that target customers know who you are, and what you are offering them.

Topic: Buzz
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $0-$2,000
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on press release ➜

15. Geographic Expansion: Develop a Geographic Expansion Strategy

Geographic expansion is a market strategy where an enterprise grows by expanding from its original location to additional geographic regions.

Geographic expansion is one of the preferred business growth strategies.

According to Frost & Sullivan, geographic expansion can help enterprises gain access to new markets and talent pools.

Topic: Buzz
Level of Difficulty: Hard
Cost: High - $5,000-$20,000
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on geographic expansion ➜

16. Business cards: Create Business Cards

A business card is a card bearing information about a business or an individual.

Business cards may seem like an "old" way to market yourself, but they still may be worth it.

A skillfully designed business card can be your best marketing tool especially if you meet many clients in person.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $25-$200. Price depends on how many business cards you order.
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on business cards ➜

17. Direct Mail Campaign: Design A Successful Direct Mail Campaign

Marketing through direct mail is a process where a business sends print advertising to their customer using the mail system.

Although this may seem like an old school way of doing marketing, it's proven to create brand awareness and convert customers.

This form of marketing can be done through various different methods, such as brochures, letters, postcards, flyers and much more.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Low - $.50-$3.00 per piece of mail
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on direct mail campaign ➜

18. Repurpose TikTok Content: Repurpose Existing Content On Tik Tok

Repurposing TikTok content simply means taking existing content (posted on Tiktok or another platform) and reusing it on Tiktok.

Often referred to as content recycling, repurposing content makes TikTok engagement much easier and allows your content to get in front of a completely new audience.

To successfully repurpose TikTok content, it helps to produce content with repurposing in mind. Therefore, you can slice and dice the content into different formats or add different scenes to create meaningful TikTok content.

Topic: Social Media (Organic)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - If you have existing content, You just need to repurpose it and post
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on repurpose tiktok content ➜

19. Direct Mail QR Codes: Add A QR Code To Your Direct Mail Campaign

A QR Code (Quick Response code) is a 2-D barcode that allows your direct mail audience to perform actions like calling you back, redeem a coupon, subscribing to a newsletter, pay bills, or booking to attend an event.

Placing the QR code on direct mail enables you to track the user location, time, and date of the scan. Besides, you can determine marketing campaign efficiency by looking at data sets that relate to email engagement, scan rates, and even payments.

In a nutshell, Placing QR codes on direct mail enables you to gather valuable analytics you may not be able to calculate with direct mail campaigns.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - You can use free QR code generator available online
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on direct mail qr codes ➜

20. Brand Story Email: Create A Brand Story Email Campaign

A brand story email narrates the story of how and why your business was started and expresses how that narrative is still apart of you today.

Emails that explain your brand story can be a very effective way to connect with your customer.

Topic: Email
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - -
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on brand story email ➜

21. Billboard Ad: Create A Billboard Ad

Billboards are large outdoor advertising structures that are usually found on busy roads and high traffic areas.

Billboards are effective because they can reach pedestrians and drivers.

Based on a recent study, 71% of Americans consciously look at billboard messages while driving.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: High - $700-$30,000 - depending on location and size.
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on billboard ad ➜

22. Email Another Businesses Subscriber List: Email Another Businesses Subscriber List

What Does It Mean To Email Another Businesses List?

By blasting someone elses's subscriber list, you have the opportunity to generate highly targeted traffic to your content.

In order to successfully do this, you may want to have a campaign idea involved and ensure that you find the right partner for this.

Start on a small scale (email list) to see if this is worthwhile for you, and if you see positive results, you can always scale up and reach a much bigger list.

Topic: Email
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - $100-$1,000 per thousand emails
Result: Brand Exposure

23. Print Media Marketing: Create A Print Media Marketing Campaign

Print media marketing is a form of advertising that uses physically printed media to reach consumers, business customers, and prospects.

Examples of physically printed media are magazines, newspapers, newsletters, consumer and trade magazines, and direct letters to target customers.

By creating print media marketing campaigns, businesses are able to reach a very wide audience and target different readerships.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium - $500-$20,000
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on print media marketing ➜

UGC is a way to get your customer involved in your marketing process - often times, without them even realizing it!

Any time your customer has an opportunity to share your product/service, they are generating content for your business.

When others see this, they are more likely to become interested in your brand as they saw it from a friend, a colleague, or someone they follow.

Topic: Word Of Mouth
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Free - The best part about UGC is that it's completely free. Your users are creating content for you and you get to then share that with the world.
Result: Brand Exposure

Check out our full guide on user generated content (ugc) ➜

Social media engagement refers to responding to comments, likes, and shares by social media users.

Through social media engagement, a brand can measure how consumers perceive their products, respond to complaints and amplify positive comments about the brand.

Engaging social media users is a great approach to measure whether the content you are creating is resonating with your audience.

Topic: Social Media (Organic)
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - On average, you can expect to pay $6.35 per 1000 views for boosted posts
Result: Engagement

Check out our full guide on social media engagement ➜

26. Postcard: Design & Send A Postcard

A postcard is a commercially printed card with space for a message, an address, a postage stamp, and often a photographic.

According to Data & Marketing Association, postcards get a high response rate. Therefore, adding postcards to your direct mail campaign is a great lead generation tactic.

Ideally, the message conveyed on postcards gets right to the point. In that regard, postcards are a high-impact marketing technique.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Low - Design costs may vary depending on the agency, design aspects and quality
Result: Lead Generation

Check out our full guide on postcard ➜

27. Transit Advertising : Advertise Your Business At Public Transit

Transit advertising refers to displaying ads on different public transportation modes such as buses, airplanes, trains, and taxis The ads are located inside or outside of public transportation mode. Public transportation attracts many people because of the low transit rates.

The main purpose of transit advertising is to reach the public and acquaint them with your brand. If done right, transit ads provide an excellent medium to reach the target audience.

Topic: Print + Traditional
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium - $500 to $4,000 per month, depending on whether you're purchasing exterior and/or interior bus signs or wrapping the entire outside of a bus
Result: Brand Awareness

Check out our full guide on transit advertising ➜

meet the author

Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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