Focus: Looking for new apartment marketing ideas? Consider the benefits of scenting your model apartments.

As an apartment property manager, you know that today’s apartment shoppers begin their search online.

According to a survey by the National Multifamily Housing Council:
• 80% of apartment hunters look at your website before they visit.
• 54% of those form an opinion about your community by reading online opinion sites.

Assuming your property makes the ‘personal visit list’, you still have to impress. And you’re competing with properties that are probably similar in terms of location, price, floor plan/layout and amenities.

All things being equal, what would make someone choose your community over a competitor’s?

Scent: The Invisible Difference
What if the difference was so subtle that apartment shoppers couldn’t even see it?

What if you could influence their decision to lease with you by simply installing a machine that helped them create an emotional connection to your property?

If you did that you’d be joining tens of thousands of businesses using the science of scent to influence purchasing decisions.

From retailers, hotels and fitness clubs, to healthcare waiting rooms, senior care facilities and veterinary clinics, more and more businesses are discovering the scientifically-proven benefits of scenting spaces.

Not Your Grandmother’s Scent Delivery System
We’re not talking about archaic scent delivery systems that are messy, ineffective and short-lived.

Including scent delivery methods such as:
• Aerosol spray
• Cardboard strips dipped in fragrances
• Systems that plug into electrical outlets
• Machines that disperse scent unevenly with temporary results.

We’re talking about state-of-the-art scent distribution systems that disperse fragrances evenly over large spaces and with long-lasting results. These cold-infusion scent distribution systems atomize essential oils, convert them into molecules and disperse them throughout the environment.

An arsenal of thousands of scents and scent combinations is at your disposal to help you connect with potential renters and make your model apartments stand out among the competition.

Scent is growing in the ranks of innovative apartment marketing ideas. Here are five ways that scent can give your model apartments a competitive edge.

#1: Use scent to elevate mood
For some, such as newlyweds or recent graduates, renting a new apartment is an exciting adventure.

For others, such as divorcees, widows or widowers, or those who have to relocate for work, school or the military, searching for an apartment can be a negative experience. They may be dealing with difficult emotions including feelings of separation, loss and even grief.

Whatever mood your clients are in, they are likely to get a lift when walking into a scented model apartment.

For example, scents that can help elevate mood include:
• Vanilla: Elevates feelings of joy and relaxation
• Pine: Lowers levels of depression and stress.
• Lavender: Relaxes and helps control emotional stress.

A little scent can go a long way to help make your visitors feel comfortable and make a positive connection with your facility.

#2: Use Scent to Mask Odors
If there are any off-putting odors in your model apartment, your visitors will pick up on them and may feel negatively toward your property.

Smells that can cause a problem include:
• Stale odors
• Cigarette smoke
• Residual pet smell

With scent, you can mask malodors and encourage emotional connections at the same time.

#3: Use scent to improve your interior
Scent can even give the interior of your model apartment a perceived cosmetic advantage.

Even after you’ve painted the walls, added fresh carpet and new mini-blinds, scent can add an invisible element of quality that just might make the difference between your property and your competitor’s.

#4: Use Scent to Make Rooms Feel Larger
Some scents can influence the perception of a room’s size. This can be especially helpful in studio apartments.

If you want to make a space feel larger and more open, try light scents such as green apple, cucumber, or citrus. Stay away from spicy, woodsy or sweet scents, which can have the opposite affect.

#5: Use scent to elongate the visit
When a client looks at a model apartment, it’s not the same as shopping to buy a house or car. Since the investment is minimal and temporary, they are less likely to spend a lot of time looking at the model.

But every minute they linger helps them picture themselves, their family and even their furniture in YOUR apartment.

Research shows that some scents encourage shoppers to linger, which increases intent to purchase.

For example:
• Nike found that adding scent to their stores increased intent to purchase by 80%.
• And research shows that floral fragrances are known to prompt men and women to linger longer.

Scent: One of The Greatest Apartment Marketing Ideas Your Clients Will Never See
If you need an edge over your competition when showing model apartments, consider using scent to elevate mood, mask odors, improve your interior, make your room feel larger and to elongate the visit.

Scent can do more than help you show your model apartments with more success.

Scent can also help you make a great first impression in your apartment leasing office and help establish the brand of your property.

To learn more about scent, cold-infusion delivery systems and how they can benefit your apartment property …