The Ultimate Pre-Leasing Marketing Timeline: What to Do 90, 60, and 30 Days Before Opening

blank


Pre-leasing isn’t a suggestion—it’s a strategic necessity. In today’s multifamily landscape, where renters make decisions quickly and competition is relentless, a solid pre-leasing strategy is what separates fully leased properties from those scrambling after opening day.

The truth is, most developers and property managers don’t fail because they lack a great building or team—they fail because they didn’t start early enough or didn’t have a step-by-step plan. A successful lease-up is built in layers: from brand foundations to lead generation, to conversions and tour bookings.

This guide breaks down exactly what your team should be doing 90, 60, and 30 days before opening to ensure your community launches with real momentum—and real occupancy.

90 Days Out: Building Awareness and Infrastructure

This is your foundation phase. What you set up now determines your success later.

At this point, your property is probably still under construction. Maybe final finishes are going in, or landscaping is underway. But while your physical building is being completed, your digital leasing machine needs to be getting built too.

1. Define Your Brand and Messaging

Before launching any ads or email campaigns, your property needs a clear identity.

Ask:

  • Are you affordable, luxury, boutique, or student-oriented?
  • What’s your strongest feature—walkability, pet-friendly policies, views, or amenities?
  • Who’s your ideal renter?

Once defined, build your:

  • Logo
  • Brand colors
  • Typography
  • Messaging pillars (3–4 key selling points)

This is the language and look that will appear across every ad, email, and touchpoint from here on out.

2. Build a High-Converting Landing Page

You don’t need a full-blown website just yet, but you do need a lead-generating landing page.

It should include:

  • High-level community overview
  • Floorplan previews or downloadable PDFs
  • Pricing ranges (if available)
  • Amenities list
  • Strong CTAs like “Join the Waitlist” or “Schedule a Tour”

The page must be mobile-optimized, fast, and visually clean. Every element should push toward capturing a lead.

3. Set Up Analytics and Tracking

Without data, you’re flying blind.

Now is the time to:

  • Set up Google Analytics
  • Install Google Tag Manager
  • Define conversion events: lead form submissions, click-to-call buttons, tour requests

This infrastructure will allow you to track how users interact and where to improve performance later.

4. Begin Organic Social and SEO

Organic efforts take time to grow—start them now.

  • Google Business Profile: Claim and optimize it with your address, service area, and a few professional photos.
  • SEO: Use apartment-focused keywords like “apartments in [city]” or “pet-friendly rentals in [neighborhood].”
  • Social Teasers: Post weekly updates, sneak-peek tours, construction updates, or amenity highlights.

Your goal: generate awareness and curiosity before ads even go live.

60 Days Out: Capturing Leads and Building a Pipeline

With your foundation in place, now it’s time to drive interest and generate qualified leads.

This is where the real momentum begins. Renters are starting to search actively. You want your community showing up, looking polished, and offering value.

1. Launch Paid Advertising (PPC + Social)

Your Google Ads campaign should focus on:

  • High-intent terms like “1 bedroom apartments near me” or “move-in specials [city]”
  • Geo-targeting within a defined radius of your location

At the same time, run Meta (Facebook and Instagram) ads that:

  • Showcase lifestyle visuals: pool, rooftop, gym, unit interiors
  • Offer clear CTAs like “Tour Today” or “Join the Interest List”

Budget Tip: Split spend across platforms and track which drives the best cost-per-lead.

2. Activate Email Nurture Campaigns

Not every lead will lease right away. You need to nurture interest over time.

Build a drip sequence:

  • Welcome Email: Intro to the community and value proposition
  • Highlight Email: Focus on one feature (walkability, parking, pricing)
  • Social Proof Email: Show testimonials, early move-ins, team intros
  • Action Email: Push to schedule a tour or submit an application

Automate this flow so every new lead gets onboarded into your leasing funnel.

3. Host Virtual Info Sessions or Webinars

Build buzz and re-engage leads with:

  • Virtual Q&A sessions with the leasing manager
  • Live 3D tours or video walkthroughs
  • Webinars explaining specials, floor plans, or neighborhood highlights

Use these as lead magnets—promote on social and paid channels, and follow up after with those who attend.

4. Continue Publishing SEO Content

Google rewards fresh content. Add:

  • Blog posts (e.g., “Top 5 Things to Do Near [Community Name]”)
  • FAQs (pet policies, lease terms, utilities)
  • Neighborhood guides or transit info

This builds your domain authority and ensures organic traffic continues to grow as you approach opening.

30 Days Out: Converting Leads to Leases

You’ve built interest. Now it’s time to convert it.

This is your “go-time” phase. Every tactic here should aim to get people from consideration to action.

1. Launch Retargeting Campaigns

Many people visited your site, liked what they saw, and… left. Now’s your chance to bring them back.

Use:

  • Google Display Network to show ads across the web
  • Meta retargeting to appear in social feeds
  • Messaging like “Move-In Specials Ending Soon” or “Last Chance for Free Month”

Retargeting ads remind renters why they were interested—and why they need to act now.

2. Drive Tour Bookings Aggressively

Focus your efforts on getting bodies through the door—physically or virtually.

Use:

  • Text follow-ups from your leasing team
  • Email reminders and appointment confirmations
  • Incentives: “Tour this week, get a waived app fee.”

Consider tools like Calendly or CRM-integrated schedulers to automate bookings.

3. Maximize Lead Follow-Up

No lead should go cold in this phase.

Your leasing team should:

  • Use a CRM to track every interaction
  • Follow up within 24 hours of the inquiry
  • Customize scripts based on floorplan interest or previous questions

The faster and more tailored the follow-up, the higher the chance of lease conversion.

4. Optimize Your Landing Page

Look at the data.

  • Where are users dropping off?
  • Which CTA gets the most clicks?
  • Are mobile users converting or bouncing?

Use tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity to analyze behavior. Make real-time changes to layout, copy, or form structure to improve performance daily.

Pre-leasing isn’t about dumping money into ads and hoping for the best. It’s about layering strategy: awareness at 90 days, lead capture at 60, conversion at 30.

When done right, you open your doors with:

  • Strong pipeline
  • Qualified leads
  • Booked tours
  • Signed leases
  • And most importantly—momentum

Most developers underestimate how much work needs to happen before Day 1. But your lease-up success doesn’t begin with opening day—it begins now.

If you’re ready to build your own high-performance pre-leasing playbook, we can help.

Let Lease Ups map your timeline, guide your strategy, and fill your units faster.