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Stress Green When Marketing Building Features: More and More Prospective Renters Care About the Environment
November, 2007
By Jason Leonard
Building upgrades to increase energy efficiency can also be a marketing opportunity. Landlords should find ways to tell both current and prospective tenants about the improvements.
Typical improvements include:
- Toilets replaced with new water saving units
- New windows installed
- Appliances replaced with ENERGY STAR rated units
- Lighting switched to compact fluorescent lighting
The list of common upgrades is long but the fact remains, most of these changes leave a positive impact on the environment. Rather than looking at these improvements as nothing more than bottom-line issues, smart landlords will turn these investments into marketing opportunities.
- List building improvements in the prospect package or information sheet.
- Include environmental policies and improvements on the company website.
- Use environmentally themed headlines in advertising.
- Include specific building improvements in advertising where possible.
Comments about recent improvements in prospect packages or information sheets can be as simple as listing a few bullet points with a catchy headline. Or, it's highly recommended to add a section to the company web site outlining building upgrades and/or the company's environmental policy.
It doesn't need to be elaborate. A basic message stating the company's position when it comes to making improvements that affect the environment will communicate the idea to prospective renters.
Adding environmentally themed headlines to current advertising can be fun and creative.
Liisa Kirkham, an advertising copywriter at gottarent.com, reports more and more landlords are looking for themed headlines that carry a direct message. When it comes to environmentally themed headlines and subtext, she offers the following examples:
Utilities cost less here
Our new windows help reduce energy costs.
Good for you and the environment!
Don't flush away your money
Our new toilets and showerheads conserve water.
Help the environment, reduce waste and save!
We think green, to save you green
Enjoy new "ENERGY STAR" rated appliances in your new home
Great for the environment and your hydro bill!
The key is to make it catchy and tie the consumer benefit to the environmental one.
Look for easy ways to include building improvements in the body of all advertisements. With most on-line advertising, space isn't an issue. Consider including a summary like this:
This building is environmentally friendly
- New high-efficiency heating system was installed in 2006
- All new windows in 2007 help control heat loss
- Extensive landscaping improvements including the planting of more than 10 trees
- New "ENERGY STAR" rated appliances in renovated suites
Not every rental prospect will care about environmental initiatives, but a growing number will. Adding information about green initiatives won't negatively affect advertising and it will leave a positive impression with people who do care.
Jason Leonard is the Director of Marketing for gottarent.com. He can be reached at jason@gottarent.com or toll free (888) 966-4966 ext 225. The preceding article is reprinted from Canadian Apartment Magazine, September 2007.
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