You likely have your in-person touring strategy and your virtual touring strategy. However, have you considered how virtual tours can help with your in-person strategy?

Today’s prospective residents are looking for a community to give them the best possible leasing experience. For some, that means a 100% in-person leasing experience. For others, 100% virtual is the way to go. Or, it may mean a combination of the two. From the first tour and even signing the lease – the entire leasing process can be done virtually or in person. But, some prospects need a hybrid leasing approach.

Leasing teams should be prepared to provide leasing options that tailor to prospective residents’ preferences. They need to be equipped to provide in-person tours, virtual tours, and a combination of both. So, that is where virtual leasing software comes into play if it’s not already in use. I’ll explain.

Before a Prospect Visits Your Community

Before a prospect even sets foot on your property, you can use virtual tours to help set them up for success and save yourself some time. In many cases, prospective residents have only seen 360 or 3D virtual tours of your community before coming in for an in-person tour. Don’t get me wrong; these tours certainly have their place at the top of the leasing funnel. Marketing tools like 3D model home tours are great for sparking a prospect’s interest. But, if you want to accelerate the lead-to-lease process, you may want to take things a step further.

Before you have a prospect come tour your community in person, try using virtual tour software to create a playlist of videos to send the prospect a week or so in advance. By sending a playlist of pre-recorded videos, you can help eliminate the time you spend walking a prospect through your different apartments. Select videos from the library that you, as their leasing agent, know will resonate with them. For example, send them pre-recorded videos of your different apartments that fit their needs. Send all available one-bedroom units if that’s what they are looking for. Brownie points --- Include video tours of the different amenities.

This hybrid approach to leasing allows your prospect to preview the community in a personalized way before they come to tour in person. 

During the Property Visit to Your Community

There are also plenty of ways virtual tour software can compliment a tour while you’re on it. Video can show a prospect who is touring in the winter what the pool looks like in the summer. Pull up your virtual tour app and find that specific video to share. Or let’s say your prospect is coming for an in-person visit but their partner can’t make it. Set up a live virtual tour with their partner at the same time of the in-person tour. Then, you can answer everyone’s questions in real-time, showing each party exactly what they want to see in a way that’s convenient for them.

These touches allow leasing teams to personalize the experience and, at the same time, compress the duration in order to pull a prospect from lead to signed lease.

The Post Visit Follow Up

Once a prospect leaves your property after their visit, your job is far from over. Consider these questions:

1. Did the prospect have any follow-up questions?
2. Are there parts of the property you didn’t get to show them, or did they enjoy a particular part, and you’d like to remind them of that?
3. Did you want to invite prospects to an upcoming event?

Virtual tour software can help you address these types of questions over video. Here is an example of what to say on video when following up with a prospect:

“Hey [name]! Thank you for visiting our property today. I enjoyed getting to know you and your partner’s ideal living situation! We think our community would be a great fit for you both! [Insert dialogue to why they'd fit in with your community based off their shared preferences.] I’ll pass along videos of the apartments and amenities I showed you earlier. In the meantime, our team can't want to hear from you! [Gather the leasing team together to wave bye on camera].”

Remember that you’re working to build trust with your lead. When a prospect sees you physically and then virtually, it will help establish the human-to-human element necessary to help them make a decision. It will help move them through your pipeline quicker and before you know it, you’ll have a happy new resident.

As you can see, using your virtual tour software can make the in-person experience easier and more complete for the prospect. Use video at each stage of the funnel. So, when you’re building your in-person leasing strategy, make sure you’re looking at how your virtual tour software can make a big difference.