Full-Stack-Marketing

Pros and Cons of Full-Stack Marketing 

In multifamily, we hear the term full-stack marketing often. How do you know if this is the way to go for your marketing needs? First, let’s understand what it means. Full-stack marketing is a form of marketing encompassing various marketing types rather than focusing on a single tool or service. To help you make the most informed decisions, we’ve put together some pros and cons when considering a full-stack marketing strategy.

Integrations

Ideally, all your marketing tools should be integrated. Many teams enjoy having all their tools under one umbrella so that the integrations are sure to work. This depends heavily on the platform. For instance, there are some platforms that may advertise that they all work together however, many of the tools that are used under that company’s umbrella may have been acquired at a later time. This means that the integrations would be the same as if you were to use any external tool. That’s why it’s important to understand the level of integration available between your tools.

Reporting

Consider the cost of investment in your tools before making your choice. Will it be more cost-effective to go with a tool within the services you’re already using, or would you get more for your money with an outside tool? If your full-stack marketing company offers a tool for free, consider the costs. You’re probably thinking, “What cost? It’s free.” However, it’s important to acknowledge that free doesn’t always mean it won’t cost you. Typically free widgets and add-ons are built by companies that provide a CRM, website, etc. The widget is not their primary focus, so it will not be optimized in all the ways it should be. That said, a paid model saves time and money in numerous ways. We break it all down in our article that shows why free doesn’t always mean

ROI

At the end of the day, it’s important to make the best decision for your team. Sometimes it can actually be beneficial to have multiple services under one roof. However, there are some things that can be done better by experts that focus on one specific service. It’s important to consider these points when making a decision on your marketing strategy. To learn more about getting the most value out of your tools, check out this article focused on Factors Multifamily Marketers Should Keep in Mind When Calculating ROI.


At the end of the day, it’s important to make the best decision for your team. Sometimes it can actually be beneficial to have multiple services under one roof. However, there are some things that can be done better by experts that focus on one specific service. It’s important to consider these points when making a decision on your marketing strategy. To learn more about getting the most value out of your tools, check out this article focused on Factors Multifamily Marketers Should Keep in Mind When Calculating ROI.

Onsite Marketing

Ways Multifamily Leasing Teams Can Contribute To Marketing Efforts

Let’s face it; onsite multifamily leasing teams are constantly busy. They consistently have prospects and residents at their offices, applications to process, and apartments to tour. Now we want to throw marketing into the mix, too?

Here are some simple ways on-site teams can contribute to marketing their communities with little effort. 

Social Engagement 

This one is pretty obvious. Sure, corporate teams can market for communities, but the posts that always do the best are the ones curated by the property directly. That’s because they are where the action is happening and can post in real time.

If your onsite marketing team is short on time, just coming up with the content can be helpful. Snap a quick photo of your resident event, or film a quick video of your model unit as you set up for the day. Sharing this content with your marketing team can help show prospects and residents that their community cares. 

Creating Moments of Connection

Speaking of showing you care, the second tip is to create moments of connection. What does this have to do with marketing? When prospects and residents feel cared for, they are more likely to recommend your community to their friends. They are also more likely to leave a positive review online when asked.

Nowadays, reviews are vital to communities and affect the traffic received. Sprout Marketing shares a great article on how to get resident testimonials, which can positively impact the way your communities are viewed and attract more of the residents you’re looking for. 

Leveraging Technology

One way teams can help is by leveraging technology whenever possible. Automating low-stakes processes allows the on-site team to focus on the more involved portions of the job. For example, BetterBot’s multifamily automation solution saves an average of 100+ hours (per property, each month), allowing team members to focus on more critical tasks.

Let’s be very clear: technology will never replace humans. It simply creates efficiencies of marketing scale while reducing repetitive tasks that humans either don’t do, doesn’t like to do, or don’t do very well.

Humans will always be needed to handle interactions that require thought, empathy and complexity. So let’s let humans be humans and utilize automation and technology to do the rest. Check out our article on Solving The Onsite Labor Shortages In Multifamily Through Technology to learn more about this topic. 

In conclusion, we know how busy onsite marketing teams get. This is why we must be mindful of what we ask our teams to do. Marketing your community is crucial, but there are some small yet impactful ways to get the onsite marketing team involved.

Implement these everyday habits into your marketing strategy for maximum results, and learn more about BetterBot’s automatic leasing platform for more.

Marketing To Multiple Generations

How to Market to Different Generations Simultaneously

In multifamily, we like to talk about renting millennials, wondering why that is? According to the Pew Research Center, in 2015, Millennials became the largest generation in the U.S. workforce. Plus, they are the largest living adult generation next year. So, of course, we can get hyper focused on renting to this generation as an industry. 

However, looking at customers more closely, it’s a diverse group. More often, baby boomers are selling homes and choosing the convenience of apartment living. With Gen Z entering early adulthood, they are also becoming a massive segment of renters today. Post-Millenials account for 33% of the global population, and they contribute $44 billion annually to the US economy, according to Commscope

More often than not, multifamily developers are tasked with designing communities that simultaneously appeal to all different generations. How is this even possible? 

Common Spaces

All generations tend to gravitate towards common areas within their communities. However, they appreciate them for different reasons. Gen Z’ers and millennials typically prefer being “alone together.” They want to spend time within the clubhouse, but they want to be in their own space. On the other hand, baby boomers love onsite group activities such as dance classes, cooking lessons, or brunches that allow them to socialize. Developers often have to find the balance in designing common areas to accommodate both needs.  

Leaning into this feature when marketing your community can be beneficial in attracting prospects of all age ranges. You have the opportunity to appeal to a wide array of people, and it’s essential to utilize that. 

Technology Preferences

Most of the world uses technology nowadays, but each generation has a different comfort level when utilizing these tools. Gen Z and Millenials have had internet most of, if not all of, their lives. They have been immersed in the benefits that the internet offers, like instant access and information at their fingertips. This is why it’s essential to use tools that appeal to both generations. For example, Millennials and Gen Z’ers tend to gravitate toward solutions that take up the least amount of social interaction. It’s not that these generations aren’t social — they are vastly social. However, they often prefer to save their social energy for meaningful interactions rather than transactional ones. They want information whenever and wherever they are, and as marketers, it’s our job to give them that. 

On the opposite side, baby boomers can and like to utilize technology but in a different way. They want a solution that’s easy to use, takes minimal thought and gets the job done. They’d prefer to talk with someone directly when it comes to complex processes. To learn about a solution that can appeal to all generations, check out BetterBot. The automation platform allows self-service when it makes sense and passes along traffic at optimal points. 

Location

The real estate cliche still holds strong today: location, location, location. It still matters, and it’s still heavily considered. Developments 10 minutes away from a central business can offer some exciting perks. These developments allow developers to build at a size and finish at a level that attracts all types of residents. They often provide proximity to jobs that renters of all ages are seeking. 

Strategic Marketing 

Every generation responds differently to marketing techniques. When trying to generate leads, it’s important to consider geography. In areas that tend to have a younger population, email and text campaigns can do well. In more suburban areas, you may need to focus more on face-to-face interactions, regardless of age. 

Today, prospects are comprised of a wide range of people. The diversity in age can pose some challenges, but if you know how to handle those challenges, you can be successful if you continue to plan strategically. For customized marketing tactics, check out our article on Why You Should Tailor Your Chatbot to Your Unique Property Type.

Why ILSs Love BetterBot

At BetterBot, it is vital for us to keep strong relationships with other partners in the industry. That’s why we’ve made a considerable effort to build strong connections with ILS vendors, also known as internet listing sites. These sites help prospective renters find their potential home a little bit easier by displaying local communities all in one place. They also allow the renter to filter some of the specific criteria they are looking for, including price, number of bedrooms, washer/dryer, and so much more. We are here to work with the ILSs. There are a few reasons why ILSs love working with BetterBot, including:

  • Improved Lead Quality
  • BetterBot Plays Nice
  • 24/7 Prospect Engagement 

Let’s dive a little bit deeper into each one! 

Improved Lead Quality

Frequently, ILS accounts will have an overwhelming number of leads come in through their platforms. 45% of all inquiries to the property are just asking for more information. That’s where BetterBot jumps in. BetterBot handles these initial inquiries, which lessens the number of leads that are not serious. Thus, providing improved lead quality and attributing these leads to the correct sources. No more fluffed-up numbers, just valid leads. 38% of companies could book more qualified meetings using a conversational sales solution such as BetterBot. 

BetterBot Plays Nice

Working together is essential to a thriving work environment, especially for vendor partners. BetterBot integrates with all significant ILS sites and works directly with their teams to provide a seamless experience for prospects and property management teams alike. We also integrate with all the multiple calendars so that appointments are accessible for the site team to manage and easy for prospects to schedule in one place. 

24/7 Prospect Engagement

BetterBot engages with prospective renters at any time of the day or night. No more unanswered inquiries. Each person that interacts with BetterBot gets answers to the questions they have and passes them along to the property at the appropriate point in the renter’s journey. This is great for ILSs because it encourages users to interact with their platform and move through more engaging topics. 

As we mentioned earlier, strong relationships are essential in the multifamily industry. BetterBot helps ILSs share more qualified leads and engage with renters 24/7/365. We also play nice with others and do everything in our power to create a seamless experience using leasing automation. If you’d like to learn more about which ILSs are standing out, check out this article from an experienced renter that breaks down an honest review of the most popular ILSs. 

Multifamily-Marketing-Trends

Multifamily Marketing Trends To Look Out For In 2022

As the multifamily industry continues to evolve, some practices are essential to keep top of mind. 2020 brought massive change to the industry, and 2021 was no different. Now, looking forward to 2022, you may be wondering what’s on the horizon. We’ve got you covered with the multifamily marketing trends to watch in the upcoming year.

Increasing Social Goodness

Social goodness is one thing more and more prospects, residents, and employees are becoming aware of. They want to know what impact companies are making in the world. In the realm of property management, individuals are wanting to see higher involvement through community efforts at the property level. This impacts not only the world around you but also the reputation of your company and communities. Residents are also highly considering social goodness as part of the resident experience. People are looking for easy ways to get involved in causes around them and providing opportunities to make a difference is crucial. 

We caught up with Paul Edgeman at Thrive Communities, they recently created a “Strive to Thrive” internal organization to coordinate their efforts and maximize organizational impact – Thrive’s teams have had a blast building tiny houses, partnering with Move for Hunger for consistent measurable food donations, and organizing clothing drives for aspiring professionals in need.

First-Party Data Takes Over

Meeting consumers at their first touchpoint can tell a lot about their behavior and what’s working — that’s where first-party data comes in. For example, BetterBot collects first-party data because it is the first touchpoint. With the reports that are available in BetterBot’s dashboard, you can see where traffic is coming from and how they interacted with the information you’ve provided. You’re able to see what renters really want to know and where they are actually looking for their next home. This data becomes important because it helps your team make big decisions like where to allocate spending.  

Short-Form Video Marketing Efforts

In the past few years, content creation has become increasingly important. In fact, social media posts with videos have 48% more views. Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and image content combined. One trend that is occurring more and more is an increase in short-form video marketing efforts. Christina Singleton, Co-Founder of Show My Property (SMP), the apartment industry’s biggest provider of video content, recommends short-form video released weekly onto social media feeds, a video advertising strategy that suits each platform (it’s not one size fits all), and a website video to live on the top third of your homepage, on loop – for the greatest success. Video content should be one of the following: authentic, beautiful, funny, inspiring, emotive. One of these will evoke emotion and create a memory, below is one of Show My Property’s favorites.

Automation of the Prospect and Resident Journey

Of course, the switch to automation may seem daunting. However, it’s essential to embrace the shift so that you can take full advantage of it. Utilizing automation such as chatbots, follow-up processes, and lead nurturing are some of the trends we see more and more of. This trend is not meant to replace humans but to help them. Not only does this provide a great user experience for prospects, but it also helps the teams save time, allowing them to focus on more important tasks. Embracing automation is one thing your communities will want to begin doing in the year 2022 and moving forward. 

Again, we know that it can feel overwhelming to think about what’s to come in the year ahead, but it doesn’t have to be! You’ve already taken the first step by researching what trends to watch out for. Now it’s time to put these multifamily marketing trends into action. For more ideas on how to take your marketing to the next level, check out our article about Pandemic Tech Trends That Are Here To Stay & How our Leasing Chatbot Can Help.

Top 3 Ways To Engage Traffic Before You Have a Website

Leasing up a new community can be a lot of fun and also a lot of work. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together three easy ways to engage traffic before you have a property website. This way, you can be engaging with your prospective renters before you even have a building and getting your property in a great position to fill up. 

1.Get The Word Out 

First things first, you’ll want to get the word out about your property. Create some buzz on social media and get people excited about your community. Share what great features and amenities your property will offer. You can also partner with other social accounts to help spread the word. Get creative and think about how you can engage on social media and build your following. 

2. Answer Questions….FAST! 

It’s vital to acknowledge your prospective residents as early as possible. That’s why it’s essential to answer questions as quickly as possible. Prospects also want to be able to find information with ease. If your property does not already have a website, consider a chatbot solution. BetterBot offers a bot solution that you can use as a landing page while your property site is getting the finishing touches. Once your site is up, it’s easy to embed so that you never miss a prospect. 

3. Claim Listings ASAP

Be sure to claim your listing sites as soon as you can! Sites such as Google My Business, Yelp, and others may get created without your permission if you don’t act fast. This is why it’s crucial to have your finger on the pule and gain control of your listings ASAP. 

Working in a lease-up community can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! With these three steps, you can get your property in a great position to fill up in no time. For more information on how BetterBot can jump in and ease your workload, CLICK HERE. 

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