5 Ways to Increase Resident Event Attendance
The last resident event was a dud. I repeat, the last resident event was a dud. And it was all too common. We've all been to resident events with barely anyone in attendance, and it’s simply a bummer for everyone involved.
Often times we are comparing apartment communities based on location, floor plans, amenities, and price. When you get residents involved in your community and help them make connections with other neighbors, your apartment becomes more than just an apartment — it’s a community.
If you have a resident event coming up, here are 5 ways to make sure that everyone who lives in your community knows about it and wants to attend.
#1-KNOW YOUR RESIDENTS
The key to well-attended resident events is simple: Know your residents! If you don’t know their interests and what will get them excited, then how can you expect them to attend your events?
You don’t need an entire research strategy to have great resident events, but you do have to continually put out feelers to see what is going to spark their interest. Here are a few ideas:
SEND OUT A SURVEY
Create a Google Form to gauge your residents’ interest and email it, print it, or post about it on social media. If you’re struggling getting feedback you can always offer gift cards to those who fill it out.
Instagram Poll
Create an Instagram poll asking residents what interests or events get them excited. You can poll your residents about TV shows, food, drinks, different seasonal activities, and more.
Remember, one survey or poll done once does not mean you have it in the bag. Things change, people change, and you change. Make getting to know your residents just part of your monthly marketing strategy where you are doing small things to figure out what interests them the most. This way you are always cultivating a list of resident event ideas from your residents to craft events they will want to attend because they came up with the idea.
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#2 - IT’S ALL ABOUT TIMING
Your residents have work, friends, family, and so many other things that factor into their schedules. You need to give them enough notice in advance about your upcoming events, but not so much notice that it’s easily forgotten.
At Sprout, we love promoting events around 3-4 weeks in advance. This allows you to generate hype around your events, and tease all the fun things you have planned while allowing your residents to easily mark their calendars for these events.
Make sure to email your residents weeks in advance, and then send out reminders as you get closer to the event so it doesn’t fall off their radar.
#3 Post on your Instagram Story
70% of users on Instagram watch stories on a daily basis. Think about it, when you log into Instagram what are you doing first? Strolling the feed or jumping right into the Stories that are right at the top?
Posting your events on your Stories is key to informing residents about upcoming events. You need to promote things where your residents are and according to the data, they are on Instagram Stories. At Sprout, we provide our members with easy Instagram Story Posting Templates to promote apartment resident events. Simply open up your design in a free Canva account, customize it, and post.
Here are a few ideas on how to do this:
Post the Instagram Resident Event Story Template with the countdown feature. Users are able to set a reminder for the event right inside the story, notifying them an hour before the event.
Every few days post a reminder about the upcoming event so it doesn’t fall off your residents’ radars.
On the day of the event, post the behind-the-scenes prep of the event to build some excitement.
#4 Start a RESIDENT AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Every community has that resident that always has the tea about what’s going on at the community, and you can use that to your advantage.
Start a Resident Ambassador program where residents can get involved in spreading the word about upcoming events, leasing specials, and any other exciting things happening at your community in return for promotional items, discounts at local businesses, or even concessions (if your budget allows).
This way your promotions aren’t just coming from your office, but feel more word-of-mouth coming from another resident.
#5 Giveaways
Create a giveaway that only takes place at your event to have an incentive for attendance. It can be something as easy as an Amazon gift card or you can make it more flashy like an air fryer, a seasonal item like a cooler, or a gift card to a local experience or restaurant.
Pro Tip: See if a local business will partner with you on the giveaway. They’ll give you the gift card for a discounted price or free and you’ll promote their business at the event. Win-win!
Now that you have these tips and tricks in your pocket, try them out and find what works best for your community. You’ll see attendance through the roof and residents will always be excited to see what you’re planning next. As always, I want to hear how you turned around your resident event turnout. Drop me a DM on Instagram!
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