Marketing Insider

Just seeing a person in a photo can make the viewer stop. And yet, many apartment communities shun from using people in their marketing materials for fear of fair housing. As reported in the June 2014 issue of units Magazine, this is not a violation.

Some owner/managers such as Lincoln Property Company, with the tagline "For People. About People," are including resident photos. 

"When you look at other peoples' vacation photos, for example, you always stop at the ones that have people in them," says Lauren Gummelt, National Marketing Manager, Lincoln Property Company. 

"A beautiful apartment is nice, but it's so much better if a person is in the picture, too." Still, some owner/managers choose to play it safe and only approve [interior or exterior] property shots without people.

Gummelt says Lincoln Property Company is making the effort to show people photos as often as it can on its website, on its Facebook pages and on other forms of social media. "Why just show amenities when you can show people enjoying the amenities," Gummelt says.

She adds that Lincoln Property Company is planning more ways to help its residents become more interactive within its marketing efforts by encouraging them to share personal images or the video that they shoot at their property. 

"We want to seem approachable so residents will feel comfortable interacting with us on social media and help us tell the story of their community and Lincoln Property Company," she says.