Property Managers & Marketers: Here Are 12 Things We’re Going to Stop Doing in 2023
It's time to stop doing the things that no longer serve us and our residents. Consider these the anti-resolutions—ones you can actually do.
Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions? I didn’t. What’s the point? Any time I try, I end up breaking them within the first week of January. (Plus, 10,000 steps is a lot of steps, and if I have to drink all that water I’m going to be walking to the bathroom every five minutes—wait a minute, maybe I can get 10,000 steps!) Who wants all that pressure?
But what about anti-resolutions? No new things to start doing, old things to stop doing. That I’m into. For example, I’d love to try to stop doom scrolling on social media. It’s mentally draining and doesn’t lead to anything good.
This idea of getting rid of things that no longer serve us can also apply in a professional setting. Here are 12 things property managers and marketers should stop doing in 2023.
At the Apartment Community
- Being available all the time for your residents. Of course you want to respond quickly, but it’s also important to have boundaries. If it’s a non-emergency text during off hours, you can respond when you’re back on the clock.
- Relying on old technology or (heaven forbid!) slow Wi-Fi. Residents demand smart tech, and you need fast Wi-Fi to stay competitive in the market. Demand it!
- Having an out-of-date apartment website. It’s how prospective residents find out about your community. Make sure office hours are updated, you have virtual tours and the community address is there (which, duh, but it happens!). And make the site appealing as well—you can try using some of the hot colors for 2023, such as digital lavender.
- Hosting the same old events. This gets repetitive for the residents, plus some things might not work anymore. Events like having someone take professional headshots for residents’ LinkedIn profiles have really taken off. That said, classics are classics for a reason, and everyone loves food trucks, pet parades and margarita tasting parties (if I suggest this one enough, maybe it’ll come true).
- Using clichés in marketing emails and on social. It’s trite, it’s boring, it’s a third synonym. Please, can we stop saying things like secret sauce, new normal, content is king, etc.? Please? We’re better than that. Come on, think outside the box so we can streamline our efforts and create synergy.
In a Professional Setting
- Forgetting to go on mute on a Zoom call. It’s been, what, three or four years now since we’ve all been using Zoom or Teams, etc. No more excuses! We don’t need to hear you crunching your pistachios during a call.
Photo credit: Anna Shvets via Pexels.com
- Forgetting to go off mute on a Zoom call. Not every meeting needs to have this exchange: “…” “Bob, I think you’re on mute.” “…” “Bob, you’re still muted!” “…” “Bob, for the love of all that’s good and holy, TAKE YOURSELF OFF MUTE!” “…” “Aaaahhhhhhh!” “Sorry, guys, I think I was on mute. As I was saying…”
- Putting a crazy Zoom background up. We know you’re not in Fiji, Carol. Just blur your background or don’t have a background so we can all see your dogs. Thanks.
- Coming in to work while sick. It’s nice that you don’t want to let the team down. But you have the days for a reason. No one wants what you have.
- Responding at all hours. Yes, with technology, people can always reach you. But that doesn’t mean they should.
- Not using our vacation days. According to the World Health Organization, as reported by BBC, in 2016, 745,000 people died from heart disease due to working long hours, and this increased during the pandemic.
- Not taking lunch breaks. See above. Let’s start prioritizing a work/life balance and our mental health in 2023!
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