What Renters Want with Jessica Fiur: 5 Apartment Marketing Tips from The Bachelor
Surprisingly, there are some marketing and leasing tips we can learn from this wildly popular show.
By Jessica Fiur, Managing Editor
Don’t judge me. But I watched this season of The Bachelor.
Stop it! I feel you judging me!
Look, it was my first time, and there was nothing else on on Mondays, and I was just the tiniest bit curious about what all the fuss was about. But really, there are no good excuses, and I’m sorry for the shame I’ve brought to my family.
Anyway, it was just as terrible/awesome as I hoped it would be! For those of you who don’t know (and, who are we kidding, even if we don’t watch, we know), The Bachelor is a reality show where something like 25 women compete for one man, in this case, a generically handsome guy with no discernible skills or talents named Ben. Each week he gives roses to the women he wants to keep around, and at the end of the season, the “winner” gets a marriage proposal. This season it was down to Lauren B. and Jojo, with Lauren B. ultimately edging out the other one. Spoiler alert. Sorry.
So, trash. Obviously. But wildly, wildly successful trash. This was the 20th (!) season of the show. Not to mention the many seasons of The Bachelorette. Clearly, we can all learn something from this. I choose to get marketing and leasing tips for property managers. Let’s take a look!
Staging is everything. Everything was set up on The Bachelor. The “dates” took place in some of the most beautiful places ever. Every time Ben had to furrow his brow and, I assume, think, he did in front of a cliff or a waterfall or even a rainbow. Even the conversations seemed staged. Nothing is that perfect. The producers and camera guys had to go in and scout out the best locations and set up the best shots and make sure this girl was trashing that other girl while their mics were on. And, you know what, it worked. This wasn’t the 20th season for nothing. So, when you’re photographing an apartment for an ad or for a social media post, make sure that apartment looks good! Bring in a designer, or someone with a very good eye for that. And get everything perfect before taking that shot. Because looks matter. Just ask generically handsome Ben.
Come here to find love. It was said by multiple women throughout the season that they “came here to find love.” Like, really, guys, they were hoping this one guy who was picking from a group of 25 women for a wife was their soulmate. But anyway, that’s your job as a marketer or leasing agent. Get prospective residents to fall in love with that apartment! Show off all the closet space, in-unit washers and dryers, new appliances. Show them the great amenities in the community. Make them love “the journey” of finding their new home. (All the people on The Bachelor say “journey” to describe the ordeal. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a sexier word than “process” or “attempt to get 15 minutes of fame that will hopefully parlay into a lead in an infomercial” or something.)
You’re not here to make friends. This is basically a cliche in all reality shows now, but especially in The Bachelor. The women aren’t there to make friends, they’re there to fall in love. (Fun fact, the women actually do make friends with each other, because they are trapped together for months, and what else are they supposed to do.) And it’ll do you good to remember that, as well. Maybe you’re showing a nice family an apartment they like. Sure, you feel for the family and want them to get the apartment, but you shouldn’t let personal feeling color your business. If you’re showing that apartment later, tell them that other people are interested as well. It might light a fire under them to sign that lease. It’s not your job to get the family to like you. It’s your job to get that final rose! I mean, to get the apartment leased!
Strike while the iron is hot. At the height of Bachelor Ben’s popularity during the show, he was also featured in a McDonald’s commercial during ad breaks. And why not? He will never be more relevant than when he was on his show. The finale aired yesterday, and during it Ben even said something to the effect of “I’m relevant for 10 more minutes.” Keep this in mind! When a prospective resident shows interest in an apartment but needs to think it over, make sure to follow up right away. Don’t harass people, of course, but it certainly couldn’t hurt to send a friendly email or give a quick call to see if they’re still interested or if they have any questions about the apartment. Because once a lot of time has passed, they’ll either forget about the apartment or move on to somewhere else.
Get over rejection quickly. Poor, poor Jojo. Ben said he loved her, but then proposed to Lauren B. That must have hurt (assuming this is in any way real and not completely scripted—I honestly have no idea). But it was just announced that Jojo will be the new Bachelorette! Spoiler alert. Sorry. So she can have another shot at love and extend her 15 minutes to another 15 minutes. I’m sure that took the sting out a little. And, look. Not everyone will love your apartments. You might spend a lot of time showing off the unit to someone. They might take multiple tours and seem really interested, and then just “ghost” you (read: disappear off the face of the planet). Don’t take it personally. Your perfect match is out there somewhere, and you’ll find the person who is meant to be in that apartment!
What else can we learn from The Bachelor? Were you totally expecting Lauren B. to get that final rose? Come on, I know some of you watch it too, right? Anyone? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Post your comments on our Facebook page or send a tweet to @MHNOnline.