What Does a Multifamily Marketing Agency Do?

August 16, 2023

Introduction

Are you a multifamily property owner or manager looking to step up your marketing game? Hiring a specialized multifamily marketing agency can help you fill vacancies faster, attract ideal residents, and maximize your property’s revenue potential. But what exactly does a multifamily marketing agency do, and how can it help your business?

In this blog, we’ll explore:

The key services a multifamily marketing agency provides
Who can benefit from their expertise
Why their strategic approach is so effective for lease-up and ongoing marketing efforts

Whether you’re gearing up for a new property launch or want to refresh your existing community’s branding, a multifamily marketing agency has the skills and insight to meet your needs. Let’s dive in!

Services Offered

A full-service multifamily marketing agency will offer a comprehensive suite of strategic branding, design, and marketing services tailored specifically to the apartment industry.

Brand Strategy and Positioning

Conduct in-depth market research and competitive analysis
Look at demographic data, psychographic profiles, competitor offerings, traffic patterns, community highlights, and more
Understand who your ideal residents are, what motivates their decisions, and how your property can meet their needs
Define your unique brand identity and messaging
Includes naming, logo design, tone and personality, identifying your differentiators and elevator pitch
Develop a strategic brand platform you can leverage across marketing initiatives to attract your ideal residents in a crowded market
Pinpoint exactly what makes you stand out

Website Design and Development

Optimize your site for maximum conversions with compelling visuals, intuitive navigation, responsive website design, and technical SEO best practices.
Integrate lead generation forms, virtual tours, resident portals, and online leasing to capture and nurture prospects 24/7
Ensure a user-friendly, mobile-responsive website to showcase your community.
Keep your site up-to-date with relevant content, search rankings, page speed, and UX.
Have your website hub support all digital marketing efforts.

Print and Digital Ad Design

Produce print ads in local magazines and newspapers, direct mailers, brochures, banners, on-site signage, and more.
Create digital ads, including social media ads, online banner ads, pay-per-click, retargeting ads, email campaigns, and much more.
Ensure your ads stand out in the crowded market with vibrant images, compelling copy, and clear calls-to-action
Track performance metrics across every channel and make data-driven optimizations to maximize your ad spend

Professional Photography and Videography

Shoot lifestyle photography and video on location at your property from the best angles.
Showcase your amenities, model units, common areas, and neighborhood surroundings in an authentic way.
Use high-resolution photos and cinematic videos to bring your community to life.
Boost engagement across digital and print marketing materials with compelling visuals.

Social Media Management

Strategically manage your Facebook, Instagram, and other social media profiles.
Highlight community features, promote events, share user-generated content, respond to comments, and grow your follower base.
Use targeted paid social campaigns to amplify your reach and conversions
Make your social channels dynamic tools for reputation management, referrals, and generating buzz during lease-up or stabilized phases

Customized Leasing Materials

Create customized brochures, flyers, banners, presentations, signage, and more.
Provide professional, polished materials that represent your brand consistently when prospects tour your community.
Make touring, signing, and moving in a seamless, positive experience
Visually showcase your amenities, floor plans, features, and community vibe

Ongoing Marketing Content

Generate relevant digital content on a consistent basis like blog articles, social posts, ebooks, whitepapers, email newsletters, and more.
Keep your marketing fresh and engaging with new content in the pipeline
Support your ongoing SEO and branding efforts
Provide value for current residents while attracting new prospects
Outsource time-consuming content creation to the experts

Who Can Benefit?

If you manage or own any type of multifamily housing, partnering with a marketing agency can take your branding and promotions to the next level.

Owners/developers launching a new apartment community: Strategic marketing is crucial for new lease-up success. An agency can build anticipation, generate interest, and help you meet occupancy goals on schedule.
Existing apartment communities undergoing renovation or rebranding: Refreshing your branding and marketing materials gives renewed appeal to prospective residents. An agency can reposition you based on current market dynamics.
Conventional apartments seeking to stand out from nearby competition: Differentiated messaging and branding communicate what makes you unique compared to other rental options.
Affordable housing communities required to meet regulatory compliance: An experienced agency can ensure your marketing aligns with eligibility requirements.
Student housing near colleges/universities: Marketing tactics are tailored to reach this key demographic where they’re most active online and on campus.
Senior living communities: Messaging, visuals, and partnerships are customized to resonate with 55+ renters.

Essentially, any apartment community can amplify its marketing strategy with an agency’s support, regardless of your business model, location, or resident demographic. Their expertise allows you to attract more qualified leads, convert those leads to leases, and maximize occupancy and NOI year-round.

The Strategic Advantage

Rather than handling marketing piecemeal with scattered print ads and generic website listings, partnering with an agency provides:

Category Expertise: An inherent understanding of multifamily industry intricacies, terminology, regulations, and how to speak directly to the needs and desires of renters.
Targeting: Marketing initiatives are based on data-backed insights into your rental market, competitors, and ideal resident demographics. Messaging is hyper-targeted versus generic.
Cohesive Branding: Your brand identity, image, and tone are aligned across platforms – from website to social media presence and everything in between.
Innovation: Agencies stay on top of emerging technologies, platforms, and marketing trends – and find new ways to reach prospects. Tactics evolve based on performance data.
Compliance: Required Fair Housing regulations, accessibility standards, amenity disclaimers, and other legal requirements are seamlessly integrated into your marketing.
Convenience: You can outsource execution to trusted experts versus using internal resources. Your team stays focused on property operations.

In our digital rental marketplace, a strategic and consistent brand presence is more important than ever for reputation management and attracting renters. By tapping into their specialized expertise, a multifamily marketing agency becomes an invaluable asset.

Finding the Right Agency

When selecting an agency partner, look for:

Proven Track Record: Look for an agency with proven success supporting multifamily clients similar to yours – ask for case studies and testimonials.
Full Service Offering: Seek an agency that offers fully integrated strategy, design and marketing services all under one roof. Streamlined collaboration delivers the strongest results.
Work Samples: Review examples of their previous work – websites, ads, videos, etc. – to assess their visual style and expertise.
Transparency: Opt for transparent communication upfront about capabilities, timelines, and pricing so there are no surprises.
Customized Approach: Look for proactive communication and recommendations tailored to your property versus a one-size-fits-all approach.
Relevant Experience: Ask about experience with new lease ups, renovations, rebranding, stabilizations, and varying community sizes.
Client Retention: Discuss their client retention rate and what that says about their work. High retention indicates satisfied clients.

Conclusion

A multifamily marketing agency can take your branding and promotions to the next level. Let’s connect to discuss your goals and how we can drive results together!

FAQ

What’s the difference between a general marketing agency and one specializing in multifamily?

A multifamily agency understands the apartment industry intricacies, terminology, regulations, and how to speak directly to the needs and desires of renters versus a general B2C demographic. This category expertise results in marketing that truly resonates.

What does a typical multifamily marketing retainer agreement include?

Retainers are customized but often include monthly services like social media, advertising, photography, website updates, and consulting. The fixed monthly fee provides budget predictability while also allowing for à la carte add-ons.

How can an agency assist with online reputation management?

With real-time monitoring, an agency can proactively address negative reviews, feedback, or inaccurate information that could hurt your reputation. They can also develop initiatives to generate more 5-star reviews. Your online presence greatly influences prospect perception.

What’s the optimal time to bring an agency on board?

For a new lease-up, engage 4-6 months pre-launch for strategic planning and material development. For established properties, anytime is ideal for a marketing refresh and amplified ongoing promotion.

What does an agency need from me to deliver results?

Clear communication of your goals, budget, expectations, access to property info and materials. Be prepared to share occupancy data, competitor intel, and target customer profiles. Timely response to proofs and openness to ideas keeps projects smooth.

How much does it cost to work with a professional multifamily marketing agency?

Costs vary based on services, markets, and needs but often fall within $2,500-$6,000 per month for a full-scope retainer. For one-off projects like a website relaunch, costs start around $8,000+. Focus on the value delivered versus solely the pricing. Quality marketing provides an exponential return.