Many businesses, including your apartment complex, require a good inbound marketing strategy. Since 2009, the U.S demand for residential rental supply has been on the increase and now, it far outweighs the demand. This means you will have to spend more on advertising due to the rise in competition.

Apartment Communities now spend a whole lot on generating traffic, and while many of this research is done online, telephone calls are still made to the apartment community for many reasons. The use of inbound marketing with on hold messages callers has proven to be a successful marketing strategy.

What exactly makes the use of on-hold messages a successful inbound marketing strategy? On-hold messaging is a service employed by organizations, big and small, to give out information which can serve as valuable marketing lead to their callers that are waiting on-hold or when they are been transferred.

The use of on-hold messages for apartment communities is a solid way to communicate to your potential residents as well as keep them engaged while they wait to connect to you.

Here’s a sample apartment community on hold message program:

Why is it important

A survey by Marchex has shown that many Americans spend more than $1 trillion in mobile “click to call” commerce and this figure will rise by 162 billion in 2009 as at the time of this report.  Further observations showed that:

• 70% of callers were placed on hold
• About 62% of callers hang-up in less than 45 seconds
• 34% of callers who hang-up will never call back

Another study has shown that the use of a customized, creative and professional on-hold message has been shown to:

• Increase sales by 25%
• Enhanced inquiries of products and services by 40%
• Increase the engagement level, meaning callers can even wait up to 3 minutes.

Since competition has steadily been on the rise, you want to ensure that a potential resident doesn’t abandon the call (hang-up) before giving you the opportunity to serve them. For this reason, you should keep them engaged while they are waiting on-hold.

How it works

An inbound on hold message marketing strategy works in an equally straightforward and simple process.

It works like this:

When a potential client or visitor calls your apartment community, while on-hold and waiting to speak to the party of interest, he/she will be greeted by an engaging professional voice with relevant, and informative information concerning your apartment community and all you have to offer. When you can keep a caller  engaged and connected to know more about your business, your potential residents will be far more eager to tour your community and find out what you can offer to them.

You should have this simple fact at all times: A telephone is also a window through which people view your community. Therefore, using on-hold messages for your apartment community will create a positive first impression. It is the solution to making most of the inquiries to your communities as well as a platform for making your business stand out.

Benefits you can achieve from using this strategy

1.     Creating a communal impression

When people call in, you want to create the impression that you are a community that cares about its residents. This you can do by providing insights on the activities carried out currently by your community. This should include all added benefits that keep your residents happy and satisfied.

A good example is giveaways, free exercise sessions, or a day at the beach. There are many others that may also be published via an online calendar.  You can invite them to check you out online and get a taste of all you have to offer.

2.     Your Services and Amenities

Your unique on hold messages for your apartment community gives the listener at the other end insights into the distinctive services and amenities that are open to its residents.  Maybe you handle grocery delivery or have a world-class pool & gym facility; this is what your prospective client sees via the use of the on-hold message.

3.     Special Offers

If you have a list of promotional offers such as contests that may be a one-month free rental space, all of this will show up in your on-hold messages.  An on-hold message can incite your caller to sign a lease just by the mention of these financial incentives.

Final Thoughts…

The use of a strong branding on-hold message that is customized to keep your callers captivated can spark the interest that may lead to more renters in your apartment community. It remains the avenue provided to your callers to connect and remain engaged to your business.

Have questions? Looking to get on hold messages for your apartment community? Contact us and we’ll make the process simple and easy.