Finding multifamily inspiration to rejuvenate your marketing efforts
Let us guess: Multifamily marketing is one of your least favorite chores. While marketing is something you wish you could just set and forget, it requires your attention and effort to work effectively. When you have all but run out of ideas, turn to these sources of multifamily inspiration.
From your own backyard to some other surprising sources, let some new inspiration change your perspective on multifamily marketing:
Take a Walk
Oh, you hoped we would start by spoonfeeding you some digital sources, didn’t you? Nope (but we will get to those in a bit).
The very first thing you should do after you finish this blog is throw on your coat and head out the door. Walk your block. Make a big loop around the neighborhood. Stop and look in store windows. Sit on a park bench and look up at the sky.
Then ask yourself:
- What draws my eyes and focus?
- Where do people congregate?
- What’s the vibe here?
- Can I find: art, music, good food, coffee, nature/parks/gardens, pets, shopping, entertainment?
- What words come to mind in this place?
- Do I see my target renters walking around?
- Are there other groups of people here who represent a new, untapped target market?
These photos represent different popular areas across the country, from Atlanta to Boise. Note how they each present a different vibe. When you understand how your neighborhood stands out from other areas, you will begin to see how you can use that to your advantage in marketing and branding.
We all tend to take our immediate neighborhood for granted. If you drive or walk the same route to work every day, try a different direction tomorrow. Pick up coffee from a different shop or vendor tomorrow morning. See how the neighborhood feels different (and more interesting) when you change it up.
Talk to People
While you are out and about, talk to local shop owners and other professionals in the area. These conversations and relationships can open up new ideas for how to support each other’s efforts.
This business writer offers sage advice on local relationship marketing:
“Partnering with other businesses can be a powerful tool. These alliances can multiply both companies’ total outreach. This works best when you find businesses with similar values and goals (and that don’t directly compete with your company).
You and your partner businesses, for example, can co-sponsor events. You can work together with your SEO content to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship. You can link to each other, too; and when these strategies are followed, every effort you put into outreach is multiplied by the efforts of your partner businesses.”
As these local relationships grow, you will help each other better understand what’s driving people to the neighborhood and how you can support each other in attracting new clients. Restaurant and shop owners benefit tremendously from the built-in audience a multifamily community helps generate, so it’s a win-win for everyone.
Look Across Borders
OK, now it’s time for some digital reconnaissance.
Most business owners and managers spend time studying direct competition, but this tactic can keep you in a marketing rut. When you need inspiration, it’s time to look at what multifamily properties do in completely different locations. Think about a place you love to visit or a town with a great reputation as a popular spot for renters.
For example, Apartment List’s Renter Migration Report shows a huge increase in outbound rental searches for Nashville, Tennessee. Sylvan Park is a hot neighborhood in Nashville, and this apartment complex plays to some unique angles in its marketing:
“Live Here If You Like to Eat.” Um, yes, please. We love to eat.
We see hot chicken, ultimate burgers, music, pets … and, oh yeah, work. This brand gets that people have multiple dimensions to their lives, but it also cuts straight to the heart of what motivates housing choices.
Find five or six communities that have different vibes and see what resonates for your community. Make sure your inspiration aligns with your values – and, if you haven’t created a set of guiding values, now’s a good time to do so.
Think Beyond Multifamily
If you search for branding and marketing campaigns, you will often see iconic consumer brands: Coke and Pepsi, Nike and Adidas, Apple, Starbucks and the like. While these brands clearly dominate their markets, their inspiration potential has limits. They found a formula and have, in general, followed it for years.
When looking for ways to reach people with lifestyle marketing, however, look for organizations going beyond a simple formula of prompting consumers to buy a product.
Motley Fool recently highlighted some social media campaigns that get right to the heart of social issues, pull at the heartstrings and resonate on an emotional level. For example, “See Vienna. Not #Vienna.” Simple, straightforward and powerful.
Or the World Wildlife Fund’s campaign to raise money for endangered species protection through emojis. Brilliant.
These messages are the kind that help people develop an authentic relationship with a brand.
Your potential renters care about social issues, connecting with neighbors, finding the right lifestyle in their neighborhood and more. Looking outside of the multifamily industry for ideas can help you better understand what’s driving today’s consumer decisions. When you think of your residents as whole people, it opens up a world of branding and marketing opportunities.
Hire Help
Sometimes the best inspiration comes from an outside perspective. A team dedicated to telling stories through branding and marketing can help you think differently about how to reach new and more renters. Especially when you feel stuck for ideas or overwhelmed by marketing functions, outsourcing can lighten the load.
Even better, design teams like ours love this stuff. We thrive on all the decisions and tactics that you find tedious. We love finding new ways to tell a brand story and better ways to engage with residents and potential renters.
Ready to feel inspired? Reach out for an introductory call with our team to learn how we can give your multifamily branding and marketing a much-needed refresh.
