Targeting other apartment communities with your
Flyers and Door Hangers is just plain crass, in my opinion. I don’t understand
why property management companies, even well-known companies with what appears
to be a bottomless budget, continue to send their employees over to properties
after hours to litter the neighboring property.
Reasons to NOT ENGAGE in this type of “Marketing”:
1. Hello?
Ever pay attention to the posted NO SOLICITATION Signs? Your entire staff can
be visited by local law enforcement and issued Orders of Banishment. Do you
want to post bail for your Leasing Consultant who is arrested for trespassing?
2. Safety
– Nothing can ensure your safety. Attacks occur anywhere and do. Is sending
your Leasing Consultant out to paper the neighboring comp worth THAT?
3. Think
this is great Guerrilla Marketing? Think again! It’s a nuisance and sets your
community up to garner a BAD REPUTATION. At the comp you just crammed with
litter, your apartment community is becoming known as DESPERATE.
Marketing Directors who feel this is the best use of
their monetary resources and salary budget, should get out of apartment
marketing then. I know – you stress that, even if you get only ONE NEW LEASE,
it is worth it, I feel you are wrong. And if you, as a Marketing Director find
out that one of your managers has sanctioned the use of this outdated,
classless type of advertising, tell that Manager to just Cut.It.Out. Otherwise,
attorneys out there will send you their lovely Cease and Desist letters and a
bill for the time and trouble of paying someone to clean up the litter.
