Harnessing Social Media to Show Off Multifamily’s Interior Design

Market-rate and student housing community marketers are getting a step ahead of their competition by creating social media-friendly campaigns to show-off their communities’ interior design.

Whether it’s a focus on living spaces or common spaces, today’s prospective residents are considering their apartment homes to be more than a place to live – as it is expected that 40 percent to 50 percent of employees will be working from home by 2025.

During the session, “How Social Media Influences Design Choices and Why It’s Important,” last week at National Apartment Association’s Apartmentalize conference in San Diego, moderator Dora Cheng, co-founder, Uforis VR, discussed strategy with Lisa Pulsinelli, principal, SouthPark Interiors; and Jourdan Vartabedian, director, new development, CA Student Living.

Pulsinelli said operators need to focus more on their “great spaces” and how they can be used for work spaces and then highlight the flexibility of those rooms when marketing apartments.

Vartabedian said that two-bedroom apartment homes can also be marketed as one-bedroom units with the other room used for office space. 

She said that current residents are using counter spaces for “desk” space and are taking images of their surroundings and sharing them through their social media channels.

For communities that have open work areas with sound-proof lighting fixtures, Vartabedian recommended highlighting that amenity in images to demonstrate to prospective residents that living there gives access to that type of space.

Create ‘Instagram’ Moments

With interior design images, Pulsinelli said it’s best to focus on walls as backgrounds because many residents today want to impress during video conferencing by being seated in an attractive spot. 

Ways to pretty-up these spaces is by including colorful, patterned wallpaper that demonstrates comfort and beauty and can also serve as backdrops for “Instagram moment.” Decorative, stickable tiles can help beautify plain, empty walls, she said.

Vartabedian said that marketing photography for older, more worn-out communities can be a challenge if full-room views are not that attractive. In that case, focus on tighter shots of individual smaller items such as pillows, lamps or fitness equipment to show fashionable design. Create a common area Boho Lounge to show-off the community.

Advanced Planning Pays Off

Using the highest quality of renderings of the property pays off when marketing a new community, the panel said.

Pulsinelli recommended that marketers try to get involved in the design process as early as possible. Ask for the design boards and plan around their color and decorative themes, she said.

Blogging is another effective way to get the word out about a community, Pulsinelli said. Best is to include important keywords that improve search results. In some cases, she said she was able to get one property to advance from the eighth page of search results to the first page.

Take Advantage of Design Trends

• Pulsinelli said she is finding that residents prefer images with exposed millwork more so than those showing furniture. 
• Vartabedian said to always think hyper-local in how the community is presented. Include local artists and take local photo shoots of the area so you can better connect with the surroundings. 
• Showing multi-colored or multi-styled cabinets and shelves can really show-off a room.
• Furnished apartments are leasing successfully. Many younger, new residents don’t own or aren’t going to want to bring the type of furnishings they are used to.
• With college students, owning pets has become very popular and these future market-rate apartment renters will bring their pets with them to the next place they live. Leverage that through marketing, the panel said.