Expands Text Messaging Platform to Improve Lead/Prospect Conversion for Apartment Rentals
ATLANTA (NAA Booth #1701, June 20, 2017) – ForRent.com® today announced the addition of a powerful lead conversion tool to Community Messenger, its text messaging service enabling real-time communication between apartment communities and their residents and prospects. The enhancement allows apartment professionals to instantly connect and establish an ongoing text-based dialogue with consumers who have expressed interest in a specific property, adding to a robust feature set that has quadrupled Community Messenger adoption in the last 12 months.
The new tool adds an opt-in button to property profiles on the ForRent.com and ForRentUniversity.com listing services. Clicking the button instantly triggers an alert on the Community Messenger subscriber’s dashboard and/or mobile app, providing an opportunity for properties to respond immediately and continue to communicate by text in order to nurture the lead and discourage user interest in competitive rentals. No other Internet listing service has this capability.
Property managers or leasing agents can use the new function to send photos and floor plans to prospective renters – leveraging image support that has also been added to Community Messenger – as well as to answer questions, schedule walk-throughs, inform users of price changes or specific unit availability, and otherwise maintain a direct line of text communication that can help qualify and close leads. Other benefits include:
- Automatic addition of apartment hunters who click on the opt-in button to the Community Messenger dashboard – no manual intervention needed
- The ability to create Community Messenger groups for each property, unit type, geographic location or other category, and add prospects with specific interests to the relevant group for easy multi-user messaging
- Usability for listings on both the ForRent.com and ForRentUniversity.com websites for the same annual subscription price
These features join the existing resident communication tools, which enable properties to use text messaging to notify residents of package delivery and pickup, scheduled maintenance, upcoming payment or contract renewal dates, social activities, special offers from local businesses, community alerts, and more.
The service saves time for the property, encourages resident retention, and allows properties to interact with both residents and prospects using the communication method that is now preferred by the majority of Americans.
“Text messaging is now the most important form of communication for American adults under 50, according to a recent Gallup poll. In fact, text messages have a 98% open rate compared to 22% for email,” said Mike D’Alba, Senior Director of Product Development and Digital Sales. “Community Messenger takes advantage of these trends to help properties streamline communication with both residents and prospects and form strong relationships with both.”
Learn more about Community Messenger by visiting https://messaging.forrent.com.
About ForRent.com
ForRent.com provides a rich portfolio of apartment information solutions and services for both renters and property managers, ranging from four apartment listing services targeting every stage of a renter’s life (ForRent.com®, AFTER55.com®, CorporateHousing.com™ and ForRentUniversity.com®) to the market’s most effective online and mobile lead generation, consumer engagement and resident retention tools. Founded in 1982 as For Rent Magazine, the company now serves as the complete digital resource for renters and apartment professionals and an extension of the apartment community’s marketing and leasing team. ForRent.com is a division of Dominion Enterprises. Visit ForRent.com for more information and Apartment Professionals Blog for expert advice on topics from fair housing to marketing, retention and social media.
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