Once upon a time properties for rent or sale were advertised in magazines or special newspaper sections in the hope that someone would pick one up, find something they liked, maybe figure out how to drive by the property and then call an agent. Obviously, online marketing has transformed the way consumers interact with real estate, and certain expectations have arisen when it comes to renting in your multifamily property.

An up-to-date, attractive website is a must, but now data that allows specialized outreach, as well as social media and interactive chatbots, allow you to expand upon classic marketing techniques and better enable you to reach your best prospects.

Generating interest for your property begins — and can end — with your website. In an increasingly competitive market, you need a site (and a mobile site), complete with professional photographs and virtual tours of your property. If you have the property staged before photos and videos are taken, it’s even easier for a prospect to see it as a future home. Highlight amenities you know match what your leads are looking for such as a gym, pool or specific floor plans.

Another essential on your property site is a chatbot. Since prospects are unlikely to contact you again unless they reach someone immediately, a chatbot can respond to leads when you don’t have a live person on site or that person is busy with another client. Chatbots can even make appointments and gather basic information to use when following up with a lead.

In addition to a website, list your multifamily property on all the major rental sites. It’s another important tactic to reach people who start on there and aren’t exactly sure what type of property they’re hoping to find. Apartments.com and Craigslist are free and others include Apartmentguide.com and rent.com.

Another key tactic is a continual social media presence — avoiding static information by updating and sharing the particulars of your property often. It’s important to stay authentic and not overdo it, but remember to adjust your content seasonally, making sure information on your hours of operation and available units remain current. You can take advantage of targeted advertising with social media as well, hitting accounts that are within a certain radius of your property.

Targeted advertising brings up the importance of identifying potential leads through market data. Each person now has a digital footprint that allows you to reach a very specific slice of the market. There is, however, a fine line between successfully reaching prospects and scaring people off; try to maximize this data to convert potential customers without being overly familiar or reaching out too often.

With the right amount of research, a can’t-miss website, a balanced but active social media presence and actual live responses to inquiries, you can successfully market your multifamily unit. Moreover, you can keep people coming back and referring to your property as one that’s professionally run from first glance to signing on the dotted line.