Social Media Helps Market New Dallas Apartments
Wood Partners reports that after only eight weeks, their property is 60 percent leased. It isn't just relying on the strength of the local market--it's also pursuing social media.
By Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor
Dallas—Wood Partners, the developer of Alta Henderson, a new apartment property in Dallas, reports that after only eight weeks, the property is 60 percent leased—pretty strong evidence that the demand for apartments in that city is strong, as it is in a lot of places. But the company isn’t just relying on the strength of the local market to get renters to sign on the dotted line—it’s also pursuing a vigorous marketing campaign, including the use of social media, which the company says has been effective.
In fact, Alta Henderson is the first of Wood Partners’ developments to feature a social media/leasing associate as part of the lease-up staff. The company says that a number of leases have originated through its Facebook and Twitter accounts alone, which are typically used for branding and communication rather than a source of leases.
In addition to keeping residents informed about final construction updates, Alta Henderson’s Facebook and Twitter feeds have also featured entertaining content, such as a caption-writing contest that earned the winner a $10 iTunes gift card and a “Great Chia Pet Battle” upcoming on Facebook. The community regularly Tweets with area businesses; offers an instant chat feature on its website; and has produced a video about Alta Henderson that was posted on the leading consumer review site Yelp.com.
The object is to keep renters and prospective renters engaged, thus going a little over and above standard apartment marketing. That’s especially useful because one of the property’s main demographics is renters by choice, who have a lot of options.
“We’re definitely attracting a renter-by-choice demographic at the community,” Todd McCulloch, a Dallas-based director at Wood Partners, tells MHN. “We have many professionals who could–or have in the past–purchased a home in and around this neighborhood but instead prefer the conveniences at Alta Henderson.”
Located in Dallas’ Knox-Henderson neighborhood, the 106-unit property offers studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 651 square feet to 1,944 square feet and leasing from $1,031 to $2,895. Renters were especially eager to occupy the studios, which are all leased, notes McCulloch.
He adds that one of the prime attractions of the property is its walkability—something that can be a little hard to come by in the sprawling Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. “Our community is an easy walk to the restaurants, lounges, a mall grocery mart and independent retail shops, and it also has the luxury interior amenities of a home without the maintenance,” McCulloch says. “When you lead a busy life, these types of things are important.”
