Six Ways to Enhance Common Areas Using Digital Signage Software

In today’s competitive real estate market, multifamily property owners and community managers spend a considerable amount of time determining which amenity upgrades will have the most impact on their residential communities. 

Although you may be impressed with how easy it can be to transform an HDMI-capable screen into a cost-effective messaging tool—with the right digital signage software—you may also put investment plans on hold because this proptech seems more desirable for your management team’s convenience than for residents and visitors. But it’s time to take a second look.  

As you’re weighing the advantages of the upgrades you could be investing in, don’t underestimate the value of using cost-effective technologies that not only enhance and modernize the overall aesthetic of your properties but also improve the effectiveness of your resident communication strategy. 

Once you know how management teams are using simple, turnkey solutions to give residents even more reasons to love where they live, it’s easy to see why the screens installed in residential common areas are considered top-tier amenities.

Digital Signage Software: The Importance of Comparing Screen Creation & Management Tools  

Community managers tasked with reducing overhead costs in multifamily communities invest in communication software to automate resource-intensive tasks. Instead of dedicating numerous payroll hours and the cost of materials to creating and hanging signs, printing posters, and making time-consuming door drops or sending emails that will be overlooked, property managers and their teams can publish notifications on display screens installed in high-traffic common areas. Of course, you need the right combination of tools to get the job done efficiently.

Related: Unlocking Efficiency: How Tenant Communication Software Transforms Real Estate Management

Finding those tools can be difficult. Relatively few companies offering the ability to publish digital property announcements on indoor displays also provide compatible software. Of those that do, their generic screen creation tools can be frustratingly difficult to master. 

When you’re looking for the right combination of technologies to add value to the screens installed in residential common areas, you’ll want to stick with comprehensive, turnkey solutions that support your unique needs with the following essentials.

A Broad Range of Modern, User-Friendly Templates

When creating and publishing property notices takes too much time or the end results look unprofessional, updating the screens in residential common areas moves further down the list of management priorities. Instead of settling for generic tools with a steep learning curve, consider resident communication software solutions that give everyone tasked with screen creation ample training and a library stocked with an assortment of templates. 

These templates should be customizable, allowing property managers to seamlessly incorporate their unique branding, messaging, and visual elements. Furthermore, the templates should cater to various use cases, such as community announcements and resident event invitations, ensuring that the content remains relevant and captivating. You’ll know you’ve found the right software when it’s easy to create, upload, and publish professional-looking messaging in minutes.

The Ability to Choose How Property Message Screens Display

Not all community management-generated screens have the same purpose. Although many property managers prefer broadcasting their alerts and notifications full screen, the ability to choose from a selection of custom content displays is ideal. 

End users with the option of using static displays, for example, often have designated spaces to keep office directories and after-hours contact numbers prominently displayed. The best screen creation software allows administrators to choose where and when their message is displayed, a definite plus in communities with multiple screens.

Turnkey Integration With Content That Community Residents Enjoy Watching  

Although most residents (and their visitors) are initially impressed with display screens added to their common areas, generic content that lacks engagement won’t keep residents watching. 

The inevitable tenant disinterest can be especially problematic in buildings with generic RSS feeds or repetitive playlists that managers don’t have time to update. Residents with little hope of seeing anything new or worthwhile stop paying attention. 

You can solve this issue by investing in a partner that offers customizable tenant communication software bundled with professionally curated, frequently updated programming from trusted, well-known sources.

Accessibility

There’s still one more software feature you’ll want to consider before finalizing your decision—accessibility. The ideal screen creation and management software should be cloud-based, enabling users to access and manage their content from anywhere, at any time, whether from computer or mobile device. 

This flexibility not only streamlines the content creation process but also ensures that updates and modifications can be made in real time, keeping the digital displays fresh and up-to-date.

Five Ways Digital Signage Software Will Enhance Your Residential Common Areas

The ideal screen management software for your digital display proptech provides everything you need to create, edit, upload, and publish property messages–while effortlessly keeping everything else up-to-date and appealing. Community managers benefit from enhanced communication alongside a continuously updated programming mix that attracts and retains viewer attention. 

Now that you know exactly what to look for as you compare screen management software solutions, you may want to consider exploring how property managers are making the best use of the technology. Of the almost limitless possibilities, here are five effective examples.

#1: Improve Community Engagement

The time and money saved by streamlining communication can be invested into new ways to improve community engagement. Tenants who feel part of an inclusive community are more likely to renew their leases. With the right mix of templates, it’s easy to keep residents informed of upcoming events.

Not only will your tenants appreciate having a designated space where they know to look for invitations to board game tournaments, family movie nights, maintenance updates, philanthropic efforts and more, but broadcasting community engagement opportunities on common area screens will make a positive impression on visitors looking for a new place to call home.

#2: Update Residents From Anywhere

With cloud-based screen creation software that’s accessible from nearly any internet-capable device, it’s easy for managers to create screens announcing new amenities, alert residents to important information, or schedule other messaging at their convenience. 

Screen creation software can also be used in much the same way to build enthusiasm for newly implemented services selected to drive incremental revenue. Preparing screens in advance eliminates the stress of last-minute scrambling.

A significant amount of residential communication is transmitted electronically. However, most property managers are finding that email, text notifications and other digital communication tools are less effective today than in the past.

In response, they’re using display screen proptech in their lobbies and high-traffic common areas to ensure every resident is notified of planned maintenance, temporary amenity closures, and other property-related issues. Their tenants also know where to look for critical property updates and emergency notifications..  

#3: Keep Residents Informed of Area Events

Residents who feel involved in their communities are more likely to participate in referral programs, post positive comments on social media, and renew their leases. People who feel a strong connection to their neighborhood tend to feel they have too much at stake to justify relocating.

Property managers focused on optimizing neighborhood involvement appreciate the impact of publishing screens that keep residents informed of upcoming events and special offers provided by area merchants. 

Some software providers include templates that make it easy for property managers to invite local business owners to advertise on their residential screens to offer residents discounts, promote events for residents to enjoy and also support successful local businesses that keep the neighborhood thriving and desirable to new and existing residents.

#4: Integrate Interactive Elements into Your Screens

Once you know how the software used to create residential message screens helps property managers keep residents informed, you’ll want to use the same technology to automate administrative tasks by adding interactive elements to messaging screens.

Take the use of QR codes, for example. Community managers are cutting their workload by incorporating the 2-dimensional matrix barcodes to automate RSVPs, track tenant satisfaction surveys, provide answers to frequently asked questions, automate previously manual responses and more.

#5: Promoting Resident Referral Programs

Offering incentives that bring applicants to your doorstep is a mutually beneficial endeavor shown to have a positive impact on occupancy rates. Residents appreciate the opportunity to earn a one-time rent reduction, gift cards, or merchandise from local businesses in exchange for their recommendations.

A program like this, displayed front and center on modern proptech around the building,  can take a lot off your plate. Not only can the screens in your common areas be used to easily promote residential referral programs and direct interested parties to the promotion’s terms and conditions, but common area screens embedded with QR codes can also be used to direct visitors to images (and floor plan) of vacant (or soon-to-become vacant) apartments.  

Related: Millennial Trends | What Makes a High Rise Building a Home?

Choose the Right Digital Signage Software to Enhance Your Residential Common Areas

Most residents in multifamily communities consider how certain amenities align with their needs before renewing their lease. While there was a time when fitness centers, family-friendly play areas, and pet accommodations were all that was needed to ensure maximum occupancy, today’s apartment dwellers expect property owners and their management teams to create a warm, inclusive environment that integrates modern proptech. 

Property managers can meet and exceed those expectations by installing display screens in their residential common areas to promote new amenities, publish alerts, and keep residents informed of upcoming events. Screens optimized to give tenants even more reasons to love where they live display user-generated content alongside world-class programming from sources viewers recognize and respect. For that precise combination, your screens need Captivate.  With a Captivate | Go plug-and-play device and our ScreenCenter™ content management software (CMS), it’s remarkably easy to select a template from our expansive library, customize the text, and publish tenant messaging screens in minutes. You’ll also offer your residents a curated, bite-sized programming mix that includes news reports, health information, holiday gift guides, real-time traffic updates, and more. To get started, submit a contact form.