In our hyper modern era, sometimes forging connections within our communities can feel challenging. Have you ever tried to strike up a friendly conversation with your neighbor just to realize they have got their AirPods in? Right, us neither.

While it might be tempting to bemoan the decline of the neighborly “hello,” our shared digital fluency has made it easier than ever to foster new relationships within our communities. Utilizing digital marketing for apartments and creating an engaging newsletter that pops up in your residents’ inboxes on a regular basis is essential in staying connected with your residents.

We’ve brought you 15 community newsletter ideas that will delight, inform, and empower your readers to engage with their neighbors and their entire building.

What Should You Include in a Community Newsletter?

Think of your community newsletter as the property’s bulletin board, containing relevant and valuable information about happenings in the building and community. It is one of the most essential property management solutions.

But did you know that your newsletter can be as lively as it is essential? It’s just a matter of empathizing with your readership’s needs, anticipating their interests, and having some fun with the medium. To get started, try incorporating some of these illuminating, inclusionary, and interactive content ideas.

1. Property Updates

Use the newsletter to alert your residents about any upcoming services or changes in the property, like hot water outages, construction, cleaning, or repairs. This newsletter idea is a proactive, pragmatic approach that will not only build trust and authority—it will also help you build a strong subscriber list.

2. Events

Have a great list of community event ideas? Let your residents know when local venues are holding special events and when plays and performances come to town. If you love the vibrant neighborhood and your proximity to cultural local events like art exhibits and poetry readings, share your excitement with your friends and neighbors.

3. Discounts

Half-off Margherita pizzas every Tuesday at the nearby Italian bistro?! By promoting local deals with great content, you can make your newsletter a boon to local businesses and your building. Say hello to discounted pies at this year’s holiday party.

Fun Fact: Alfred’s Marketplace is made up of 80% local businesses. So when you use Alfred, you can be sure you’re shopping local and supporting your community.

4. Community Service Initiatives

Research shows that volunteering together helps to foster deep bonds between coworkers. The same is almost definitely true about neighbors. Your newsletter content is the perfect place to announce building- and community-wide initiatives like:

• Blood drives
• Voter registrations
• Food donation

5. Caption Contests

Spark an idea from the New Yorker and include a caption contest with each newsletter. Encourage engagement by offering the winner a gift card to a local restaurant or sweet boutique.

6. Missed Connections

One way to get your audience’s attention? Ask them to write in with missed connections and share them at the bottom of the newsletter content. They might look a little something like this: “You: in the elevator, wearing a yellow beanie. Me: in a jean jacket, holding a Sally Rooney paperback. Hoping to start a Conversation with Friends.”

7. Community Marketplace

Use your newsletter as a space where outgoing tenants can offload goods that might not make it to their next spot, and existing and incoming residents can finally score a Le Creuset for a low price.

Let readers write in to:

• Swap goods
• Sell used items
• Solicit odd-jobs and work

8. Guest Writers

Welcome a guest writer into the fold. Your community is likely filled with inspiring individuals who have fascinating insights into your shared community, including:

• Impactful personal experiences and resident features
• Under-the-radar local upcoming event dates
• Ideas for improving the building and neighborhood

Pass along the newsletter duties (and take a break from writing updates about which washing machines are out for repairs).

9. Art and Literature Showcase

You never know what artistic skills lurk in your email subscriber list. Offer the newsletter as a platform to showcase the wide range of your residents’ talents and interests, including:

• Poetry
• Short stories
• Photography
• Art

10. Competitions

Whether you tempt your participants with cold, hard cash, rent reductions, or just bragging rights, competitions are a sure-fire way to breathe some feisty fun into your newsletter and community. Consider competitions like:

• Riddles
• Window decoration contests
• Building scavenger hunts

11. Building History

The history buffs in your building will delight in a deep dive into your building’s history. Consider researching and reporting on:

• Notable tenants
• Any previous usage of the building or plot of land
• Facts about the developers or architects
• Input a quick “This Day in History” that relates to your city or neighborhood

12. Book Club Picks

How about a virtual book club to bring back a little elevator small talk? Assign a new pick each month, along with some conversation questions in the following newsletter. You might either pick a common area to meet and discuss or encourage residents to set up their own book parties.

13. Resident of the Month

Build investment in your newsletter—and break the ice among readers—by electing a “Resident of the Month” and celebrating them in the newsletter with a headshot and questionnaire.

14. Pet Pics

Writing for residents of a pet-friendly building? Ask your readership to send in some favorite snaps of their four-legged (or two-winged) friends.

15. Celebrate Holidays, Seasons, and Milestones

If your newsletter falls around a special day or season, spruce up the look and tone of your newsletter so that it feels rich with holiday cheer. Take advantage of:

• Fun fonts
• Playful GIFs
• Colorful themes
• Evocative language

Elevate with Alfred

At their best, newsletters can serve as customizable platforms that support thriving communities that every community member wants to read. And at Alfred, we know that community lies at the heart of every exceptional living experience.

That’s why we bring property owners and managers cutting-edge technology and hospitality service software designed to make the residential experience seamless—so you can focus less on tracking down maintenance requests and more on setting up that monthly book club.

Interested in bringing Alfred’s luxury concierge services home? Write to us at partners@helloalfred.com today.

Sources:

Forbes. 12 Smart Ways To Create The Most Engaging Email Newsletter. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/12/28/12-smart-ways-to-create-the-most-engaging-email-newsletter/?sh=42168c6cfcc3

TinyPulse. Why Volunteering is Good for Employees and Great for Your Culture. https://www.tinypulse.com/blog/sm-volunteering-best-team-building-activity#:~:text=Building%20Bonds,together%20can’t%20be%20underestimated.