Apartment Marketers Experiment With Latest in Digital Channels

The media consumption habits of the next generation of renters are rapidly evolving. As fragmentation continues, apartment marketers are trying to keep up with the proliferation of channels and platforms such as influencers, TikTok, and YouTube.

Janet Rosseth, CMO at Cadence Marketing Solutions, and Dave Hoffman, Interim Head of Industry for Real Estate – Multifamily at Google, discussed the power of an integrated approach to combining traditional marketing strategies with some of the newest marketing channels and trends during the Apartment Internet Marketing Conference with moderator Kathy Neumann, Chief Marketing Officer, Rent.

Hoffman said consumers’ digital expectations are based on whatever channel they last used, whether it was Amazon or other e-commerce platforms.

“Renters don’t really mind how many touchpoints they receive during the marketing process as long as each has value and moves them forward in their buying journey,” he said.

Experiential marketing is trendy right now, the panelists said, but that experience doesn’t have to take place live and in person, such as walking past a storefront. It can be something they see on TikTok or YouTube.

Rosseth said that efficiencies come when marketers shoot once and use the material in multiple ways in multiple places.

“You might have a close-up shot of a pool or of feet on a treadmill: these can be used for multiple apartment websites,” she said.

Hoffman added, “When shooting video, take advantage of what ends up on the B roll. You might do a polished, 30-second video, but there’s plenty else you can access.”

Both panelists agreed that with digital marketing, there’s the chance to test anything. Don’t fear failure. The world is moving so fast, but don’t be afraid of it. Try new things. Be nimble.

Finally, don’t make decisions based on the budget, make them based on the value of the action you are taking, Hoffman said.

“As marketers, you need freedom. If you’re only concerned about budget, you might miss your leasing goals,” he said.