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Attract and Retain Residents With an Effective Chatbot Strategy

 

In the world of property management, the competition is fierce. As a multifamily leader, you’re always looking for ways for your property management company (PMC) to stand out. With so many options, what is your PMC doing to attract new residents and help retain the ones you already have? While we have a guide that dives into the best localized marketing strategies for PMCs, we’ll be focusing on chatbots specifically in this blog. 

 

 

 

Localized Chatbots and Multifamily Marketing

 

If you’re not already familiar with chatbots, they are a software or application used to simulate conversations with humans online. Chatbots are a great localized marketing tool that allows your local properties to communicate with prospects and current residents around the clock. Not only do chatbots communicate instantaneously, but they also take some of the load off of your local team members. For instance, rather than having to answer frequently asked questions about your local property, the chatbot can do it for you. Some chatbots also can allow prospects to book a leasing tour while allowing current residents to submit a maintenance request or message to your local team. With chatbots, your PMC can keep its target audience happy while saving local teams time and effort. 

 

How to Leverage Chatbots to Attract and Retain Residents 

 

Now that you understand why chatbots are a must for your localized marketing strategy, let’s look at how to leverage them effectively. There are a variety of tactics your PMC should implement to get the most out of your chatbot solution. 

 

  • Find a Chatbot That Can Be Leveraged Across Search and Social Platforms

 

One of the most important things you should consider when looking at chatbot solutions is whether or not your business can use them across various platforms. While a chatbot for your website is excellent, wouldn’t it be helpful to have a solution leveraged on Facebook, Google, and more? With 2.91 billion monthly active users on Facebook and over one billion monthly active users on Google, having a chatbot that can connect with your target audience through these channels is key. There are also chatbot solutions that can communicate with your target audience through SMS, so if you’re not able to chat via search or social channels, you also have the option to connect through SMS. Having your chatbot solution on the most crucial search and social channels increases your chances of being seen by and connecting with prospective residents. 

 

  • Customize Your Chatbot For Each Property 

 

While it’s essential to have a chatbot solution that can integrate with Facebook Messenger, Google’s Business Messages, and SMS, it’s also vital to localize the content found on your chatbot solution. If your PMC’s goal is to attract and retain residents, you must ensure that the information found on the chatbot is relevant. For instance, your chatbot solution can ask questions upfront to understand the user’s intent. Are they looking for a new apartment, or are they current residents looking for additional information? This is important to understand upfront so that your chatbot doesn’t ask a resident to book a leasing tour. 

 

Similarly, if the chatbot finds out that a user is looking for an apartment, it may be a good idea to program the chatbot to ask about budget, or if the user has pets, so you can provide them with results that best fit their needs. The more localized a chatbot conversation is, the better experience the user will have, helping your properties attract and retain residents. It’s also important to note that while you can localize content based on users’ needs, you can also localize content based on each property. If a specific property is offering a move-in special or has reduced office hours due to weather, your properties can communicate these changes in a chatbot specific to their location as well. 

 

  • Use Your Chatbot to Book Appointments and Collect Leads

 

As mentioned previously, lead capture is a necessity when it comes to a chatbot solution. If your chatbot solution isn’t collecting information about the user, think of all the opportunities you could be missing out on. Many chatbot solutions allow you to add form fills throughout the conversation that can help collect leads. For instance, you could ask for the user’s name and email address at the beginning of a conversation in case the chat gets disconnected. In the same light, your chatbot solution could provide an opportunity for the user to rate their experience or leave a review at the end of the conversation, again providing the opportunity to collect information about the user. 

 

While collecting information about the users is essential, providing the opportunity for prospects to book a leasing opportunity is critical. If a user can schedule an appointment without leaving the conversation, they’ll be more likely to do so. If they have to leave the chat, go to your property’s website, and request a leasing tour, there’s a much higher chance you’ll lose them along the way. 

 

Dominate The Competition With A Winning Chatbot Strategy 

 

Although creating a chatbot solution is no easy task, you know which tactics are critical to attracting and retaining residents. Before you can get started, though, you need to find the perfect chatbot solution for your PMC. That’s where SOCi comes in. SOCi SmartBot is the first of its kind. This Facebook, Google, and SMS Messaging chatbot delivers localized, proactive responses to commonly asked questions and can drive call-to-actions, including calls, website clicks, tour appointment setting, and more! SOCi SmartBot combines advanced machine learning and natural language processing to deliver a localized and conversational chatbot experience — across every location, giving your residents and prospects the localized experience they crave. 

 

For more insight into how SOCi SmartBot can help your property management company dominate localized marketing and gain new residents, request a demo today!

 

 

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Darcy Bickham

As SOCi’s Content Marketing Manager, Darcy Bickham specializes in creating the strategy and developing the content around both localized and digital marketing trends for the SOCi brand. Through her content writing, Darcy has helped to position SOCi as the marketing platform for multi-location brands.