Six Apartment Marketing Trends to Tackle in 2019

One month down, only 11 more opportunities to leave a significant mark on this year’s marketing performance.

Has the start of your new year been as fast-paced as mine? If you’re a multifamily marketer, I’m guessing so. Apartment marketers always seem to be moving at a superhuman pace. I mean, at what other speed could we possibly run with all we are tasked to accomplish?

We are leading teams, setting budgets, pitching strategies, tracking performance, building reports, handling acquisitions, leasing apartments, and countless other duties – all with an expectation we should always be in-the-know and executing on all of the new marketing tools and trends.

As a multifamily professional turned V.P. of Marketing and Training at 30 Lines, I too can quickly become so enveloped in the daily grind that I lose sight of what we’re trying to accomplish. Thankfully my team is always here to reel me back in and help ensure we’re still on task and trending in the right direction.

Here at 30 Lines, we take a lot of pride in our ability to progress the multifamily industry forward with our behavior-based approach to digital marketing. We’re not afraid to test drive the latest tech, pull inspiration from other industries, and challenge our teammates to stay at the forefront of digital trends.

But remember – one month down, only 11 more to go. How can we not only keep up with the latest trends in digital marketing but also take action quickly and turn those trends into wins that drive more signed leases? After all, that gives us the significant ROI our bosses will surely be asking about.

Here are the six apartment marketing trends we’ve identified that will continue gaining traction in 2019.  

Join us right here, on our 30 Lines blog, over the next few weeks as we breakdown actionable ways you can tackle each of these trends.

Your 30 Lines team has your back, and we want to inspire you to have an efficient, flawless launch without losing another marketing minute.

1. A Growing Need for Social Proof

Get your reputation right, first.

Reputation matters. Paying attention to how your property is perceived online can pay dividends in the long run, and even reduce your spend on lead generation.

When you search for an apartment community on Google, one of the first things you’ll see are the property’s ratings and reviews. That’s because Google knows ratings and reviews are critical in a prospect’s decision-making process. In today’s digital age, 91% of 18-34 year-olds trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

Know that a poor reputation will cost you. You’ll need to spend far more in ads to make up the additional traffic you’ll need to maintain occupancy, whereas you don’t need to spend nearly as much when people see that they won’t get burned doing business with you.

2. Marketing Automation, Made Simple

Capture potential prospects earlier and often.

The sooner we can welcome apartment shoppers into our marketing channels, the better. The marketplace is noisy, and we’re all competing for the prospect’s attention. We need to capture prospect information as early as possible, and then nurture them toward a lease with multiple touch points.

Marketing automation covers a wide range of products and services, and it can be tough to figure out where to start tackling this tech-savvy yet complex topic. However, prospects don’t automagically wind up in your desired marketing funnel. First, we have to get them taking action and opting in.  

Adding a smart website pop-up (optimized for mobile and meets all Google guidelines) can help you capture more prospects without relying on them to find and use your “contact us” page. It’s one of the easiest and most affordable things you can do to automate your marketing, and we can help. 

3. Online Tour Scheduling

Make it easy to do business with you.

How many steps and how much time does it take a prospect to set an appointment with your team, or schedule a tour?

Automating your tour calendar to let prospects see available times and schedule their appointment can have an impact – not only for the prospect but also your leasing team.

Those who are using a tour scheduler with 30 Lines see that 89% of prospects who schedule their appointment are showing up for their tour. And, out of those individuals who do a tour, nearly 40% go on to rent. If you don’t currently have a tour scheduler on your property website, it’s time to take action in 2019.

4. More Multimedia 

Visual content is king.

Even before stepping foot into their future apartment, prospects want to open the door to their future living experience – online. Whether offering 360-degree tours of available units or providing high-quality photos of featured amenities, visual content has become an integral component of a property’s digital strategy.

Every year it seems like visual content grabs a more significant piece of the overall digital puzzle, and 2019 is indeed no different. As apartment marketers, we’re fortunate to have a visual product to sell, and we have to take advantage of this opportunity as often as possible. We can’t wait to show you how to tackle this trend. 

5. Chatbots

Give them what they want, automatically.

Chatbots will remain a hot topic of conversation in the multifamily industry throughout 2019. However, getting a chatbot up and running is only the first step. With the right chatbot in place, there are so many strategies you can implement to take your bot’s performance to the next level. That’s why we recommend employing a chatbot that can work on your website, your property Facebook page, in your online ads, in email signatures, and anywhere you can share a link.

Want to leverage the largest social platform in the world to help you build robust multifamily marketing campaigns?

Consider using a chatbot that runs through Facebook Messenger. That way you can get more out of your chatbot, beyond just the instant conversation it holds on your team’s behalf with your customers. With a chatbot that runs on the backbone of Facebook Messenger, you can: send ongoing follow-up messages, automatically ask for reviews, and retarget warm leads by diverting a small portion of your advertising budget to target those who interacted with your bot.

6. Voice Assistants

You need voice strategy, now.

Alexa, how can multifamily pros use voice tools to lease, market, and manage their communities?

Voice search is on the rise, with 58% of consumers using voice assistants (like Alexa and Google) to find local businesses in the last 12 months. Comscore projects that 50% of all search queries will be conducted via voice by the year 2020.

This means, instead of typing search terms into a web browser search bar, customers will begin asking their personal assistants to complete the search query for them.

However, the power of voice extends beyond the confines of search engines. It can also impact onsite experiences. Consider how valuable it could be to offer an Alexa programmed with specific information about your community as a move-in gift to new residents. And then, the resident could merely ask their Alexa for the maintenance team’s emergency phone number, or where the nearest grocery store is to the community.

We’re always aiming to get ahead of trends, and we’re working to build the best voice-powered guide in the business. Sign up and be the first to know when we’re ready to program custom Alexa skills for you and your community: http://via.30lines.com/voiceguide.

Have an idea or challenge that’s currently trending for your team, or even something you’re anticipating will come up this year?

We’d genuinely love to learn more. Connect with us and let’s brainstorm the next steps together. At 30 Lines, we’re committed to acting as a resource for you in 2019 and beyond.

Now, let’s tackle these trends one-by-one together. Stay tuned to our 30 Lines Blog for an in-depth dive into how to improve your property’s online reputation.