We always talk about creating wonderful curb appeal at our apartment communities, and this idea takes on an area that we normally can't make as much of an impact: apartment balconies! Many times, when residents move in they think about what furniture they will have within the apartment itself, but often the balcony gets somewhat forgotten in the process, so this is an opportunity to give a facelift to one of the most visible aspects of your property. The idea is simple - Create a contest throughout one property, or throughout your entire portfolio where residents are encouraged to give their own balcony a makeover, hopefully beautifying the property in the process.
To help with the process, you can make a deal with local plant nurseries or outdoor furniture locations to advertise their store in exchange for a discount specifically for your residents! Give the process a month to allow your residents plenty of time to get their balcony upgraded, as well as get them in the habit of maintaining any plants they put out before the final judging. While the contest is in process, share on social networks tips and tricks on how to spruce up outdoor spaces. Pinterest is a wonderful source for this type of content, and will help get the creative juices flowing for your residents!
When judging, make sure to take plenty of pictures, but definitely get permission beforehand, both to take the picture and to use the picture in social media posts and marketing. In fact, that permission is probably best received when the resident accepts the invitation to the contest. Also, if you have 3+ stories, consider how you will be able to take pictures of higher floors.
By the end of the contest, you should have upgraded the look of your property, engaged your community, AND created a ton of quality photos to share in marketing collateral and on social media!
The Prize!
As the contest is all about an apartment make-over, why not make the prize expand on that theme! Consider giving the winner of the contest a free living room upgrade, where you bring in an interior decorator to assess their style, and with a budget, update their living room to maximize the space. This resident obviously cared enough about their apartment to upgrade their balcony, and now they have an opportunity to vastly improve their interior, as well! You can team up with a home decorator to help the resident plan the upgrade, in exchange for some free exposure for the interior decorator, and again, you can work with different retail stores for discounts for being a part of the program. You might even get them to donate a few pieces in exchange for the promotion!
Here is an actual apartment living room upgrade so you can see the potential for a makeover:
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