How to Buy Marketing Supplies for 10, 50 or 100 Properties

At one property, marketing supplies are a small line item. A manager orders a banner here, balloons there and a few signs when something breaks. Across dozens of properties, those small orders add up to real money, with little control over quality or price.

How you buy should change as the portfolio grows. Here’s what works at 10, 50 and 100 or more properties.

What counts as marketing supplies

• Signage: “Now Leasing” banners, directional signs, parking signs, A-frames, window signs
• Entrance displays: flags, balloon displays and seasonal decorations
• Printed materials: floor plan sheets, brochures, business cards, door hangers
• Leasing office items: welcome gifts, branded items, tour folders
• Event supplies: tents, tables, banners and displays for open houses and resident events

At about 10 properties: set a simple standard

At this size, the goal is consistency without much overhead.

• Make a short approved list. One or two banner designs, a standard directional sign, approved colors and an approved entrance display.
• Pick one vendor per category. One sign company, one print shop and one display supplier.
• Order together. Combine orders across properties once a month or once a quarter for better pricing.
• Keep a shared spreadsheet of what each property has, what condition it’s in and when it was bought.

(See A Simple Outdoor Marketing Plan for Owners With Multiple Properties.)

At about 50 properties: buy centrally

At this size, central purchasing usually pays for itself.

• Name an owner. Someone at the regional or corporate level owns the approved list, the vendors and the budget.
• Negotiate pricing. With predictable volume, ask vendors for portfolio pricing, set prices for a year and standing terms.
• Create kits. A “leasing kit” per property with the standard signs, banners and display, so a new or newly acquired property can be set up in one order.
• Keep a small stock. Hold extra banners, signs and display parts at a regional office for fast replacements.
• Use an ordering form. Properties request items from the approved list instead of ordering on their own.

At 100 or more properties: run it as a program

At this size, marketing supplies are a program with its own budget, inventory and reporting.

• Use a vendor portal or procurement system so properties can order approved items with set pricing and approvals.
• Standardize by property type. Garden communities, mid-rise and lease-ups may each need a different kit.
• Plan seasonal refreshes across the portfolio, such as new banners before leasing season.
• Track condition and replacement cycles, so you can budget for replacements rather than react to them.
• Review vendors yearly on price, quality, delivery speed and service.

What to standardize first

Start with the items that are most visible and most often bought:

1. Entrance displays and “Now Leasing” banners. They’re seen by every passing driver, so consistency matters most here.
2. Directional and parking signs.
3. Printed floor plans and brochures.
4. Event supplies, which can often be shared between nearby properties.

Buy for durability

The cheapest item isn’t always the cheapest choice. A banner that fades in three months or a display that has to be replaced every week costs more over a year than a durable one that lasts.

When comparing items, look at:

• Cost per month of use, not just the purchase price
• Staff time to set up, maintain and replace
• How it looks after a few months outside
• Whether parts can be replaced instead of the whole item
• Whether it can move between properties as needs change

(See Latex Balloons vs. Durable Outdoor Balloon Displays.)

Keep track of what you have

A simple inventory saves money at any size:

• What each property has
• When it was bought and what it cost
• Its condition
• When it’s due for replacement

Even a shared spreadsheet with a photo of each property’s entrance, updated quarterly, makes it easy to see what needs replacing.

The bottom line

As a portfolio grows, buying marketing supplies should move from individual orders to a simple standard, then to central purchasing, then to a full program. Standardize the most visible items first, buy for durability rather than the lowest price, and keep track of what each property has.

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Balloon Street Media is building durable outdoor balloon displays for property management companies that want a consistent look across many communities. Talk to us about your portfolio.