Author: Stacey Feeney

Photorealistic Renderings—A Game Changer for New Development Leasing

Written by Stacey Feeney on April 21, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

On the back of a napkin, a quick sketch. In Microsoft Paint, a quick pixel-by-pixel outline of a future blueprint. A developed architectural drawing of the elevation. And today: A soft-ware generated, photorealistic rendering for multifamily marketing.

What does it all mean?

We’ve come a long way, for one!

Photorealistic renderings create 3D images of a project design. Those images are based on 3D models. The computer software is used to first create a virtual model of the building structure(s) and then light, texture, and the environment around it is introduced—think plants, the sky, people.

Photorealistic renderings in multifamily marketing provide near-perfect ideals of interiors and exteriors of apartment communities.

Because of Stacey’s (Zipcode Creative’s founder) background in professional architectural photography, photorealistic renderings are our jam. Not because they’re not real photos, but because they capture the ultimate for a project.

Photorealistic renderings have the capacity to bring a project fully to life, getting it out of the designer’s head, and in front of the residents’ eyes. It showcases the design, like never before—especially when you incorporate 360 views.

Power of Photorealistic Renderings

Your prospective residents may just want to come “kick the tires”—but what if your building isn’t built yet? A new development can certainly gain some power of persuasion through photorealistic renderings thanks to both 1) accuracy and 2) efficacy.

ACCURACY

Remove uncertainty in your prospects’ minds by accurately displaying where they’ll eventually live—right down to the way the sun shines in the window on the tufted couch in the clubhouse.

CONTROL

What’s even better is the amount of control you can execute over the image. You control the lighting, the weather, and the surroundings. No random pieces of trash blowing by, or a hose that wasn’t put away. Ideal!

EFFICACY

With improved visualization (how’d you get that perfect shot?) you can use the images for any phase of your apartment marketing: pre-leasing? Check. Long-term marketing when you’re working on retention? Also check. The images you get through photorealistic renderings are the ideal shot.

With 2D drawings or plans, only a portion of your prospects can “see” it—sometimes it falls short or gives the wrong idea. But with photorealistic renderings, your prospective residents are able to visualize every piece of the community because it’s right in front of them.

Building Trust Through Realism

Potential residents’ trust can increase when you use photorealistic renderings for your multifamily marketing. Blurring the line between real and fake, your residents feel more confident in leasing since what they see in the rendering is typically what they can truly expect.

Plus, if you’re seeking out investors for a new construction, photorealistic renderings are the icing on the cake. Investors love to see a finished product—and it shows how seriously you’re taking the construction and execution of your beautiful new community.

Enhance Online Search Experience

If you’re a prospect and you search for an apartment community in Plano, Texas, for example, and you see there’s a new community, that might pique your interest. If you click and there are no images whatsoever, that may be a problem. Or worse—a few photos of empty rooms and a lackluster clubhouse with a single folding chair.

Using a rendering can help the online search experience go far more smoothly. Add some visuals, and your resident will be able to picture themselves there—because it looks real!

TYPES OF RENDERINGS

There are a few different kinds of photorealistic renderings, each with a slightly different purpose.
Photorealistic still renderings – These look like photographs of the interior or exterior.

VR Walk through tours – Prospects can digitally tour the property in an online search.

Each of these types of renderings offer a powerful prospect experience. This is particularly true with pre-leasing new constructions. In your early branding efforts as well as in your pre-leasing marketing, these renderings can help you seal the deal. If you get a jump on your branding over a year in advance, and get your marketing up to snuff for pre-leasing, you could feasibly get the first units leased before they’re even delivered. Pure magic.

You can read more about apartment branding by development phase here.

Investment and Returns

Photorealistic renderings for multifamily are amazing—but they come with a significant cost: from $800-$3000 per image for large exterior rendering. The financial investment is likely worth it for your community, though. In seeing the dividends with how many ways you can use it (thanks to its long lifespan): in brochures, on your website, in your virtual tours, as hero images for your giant banners. Count up the number of leases you may be able to get signed by using this technology and take a long look at that marketing budget.

Our Experience with Photorealistic Images

As software improves and the line between real and fake gets blurrier, finding the best artists is necessary—at Zipcode, we handpick our photorealistic artists to ensure you get a top-quality results. With Stacey’s experience in architectural photography (who knows and hates a bad photo), photorealistic renderings in new development leasing are the next frontier.

By investing in high-quality photorealistic renderings for multifamily—literally handing your residents the picture of their ideal community—could put you far ahead of your competitors.

Branding Adaptable Reuse Multifamily Developments

Written by Stacey Feeney on April 15, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding.

The advent of adaptive reuse multifamily developments is now.

But what is adaptive reuse—and why is it suddenly popular? Adaptive reuse is redevelopment that takes an existing structure and adapts it for another use. In multifamily developments, this can look like a partially remodeled historic hospital converted into a mid-rise apartment community. (The project also employed new ground-up development.) Adaptive reuse has become more popular thanks to its sustainable ideals—reusing existing structures is practical both financially and ecologically.

Mark Twain is often attributed with saying, “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” This can go two ways—use what you have or buy up more land. But…

“Use what you have” is behind this movement. That idea can also, luckily, be applied to branding—use the history of the building to create a brand story that will capture your residents.

Adaptive Reuse: Multifamily

Adaptive reuse for multifamily holds a few benefits over new construction in its ability to appeal to the newest wave of prospects along with residential developers—if you play it right.

AFTER SAVING TIME AND MONEY

By taking an existing building, you might avoid pouring footings, foundations, structural bits and (sometimes) masonry. This could cut down on construction time, allowing you to open for leasing sooner. Those same footings, foundations, and structural pieces that you’re not building could also save you some money.

Remodeling and renovating certainly have costs associated (think rezoning, or a possible need to gut the building), but depending on the condition of the building you’re adapting to reuse, your multifamily community could be sitting in a comfier place. Any construction savings could be funneled into beautiful branding and over-the-top amenities to draw your residents in.

APPEAL TO GEN Z

Speaking of drawing residents in, the next wave of renters is here. Time to brand your multifamily community for Gen Z. The reasons Gen Z would like a space aligns pretty closely with how adaptive reuse functions:

Eco-friendly – Taking what’s already there will cut down on fossil fuels needed—if you start from scratch, you’re redoing work that didn’t need to be done.

Sustainable: Cities are getting more crowded with population growth as well as housing prices ever outpacing income levels. Going up instead of sprawling out makes sense. And using buildings that exist will be faster and more sustainable than building brand-new.

Meaning behind the Multifamily community: What was the building before? A hotel? A hospital? A school? Taking a building that’s served a separate purpose and using it for housing offers up so much meaning to a segment of prospective residents—meaning that deep is hard to resist.

APPEAL TO RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPERS

Remember when we talked about 2024 trends in multifamily? Was adaptive reuse on your bingo card?
“Adaptive reuse will be an ongoing build and design trend in 2024,” says Esther Sperber, founder and CEO of ST Architects. “It is more sustainable to reuse existing structures than building from the ground up. Reusing old warehouses, factories, etc., will continue to appeal to residential developers in 2024 and beyond.”

Traditional, new construction might take more time and more money to create. A residential developer is interested in how urban dwellers will interact with the space—because they’re the end-user. And when Gen Z is interested in sustainability and meaning, adaptive reuse fits the bill and makes more sense as an investment.

History—the STORY behind the Brand

Meaning. It has to come from somewhere, whether it’s created, or simply needs to be tapped into. With adaptive reuse multifamily buildings, it’s not drawn out of the ether. It comes with the territory! The story is in the walls, lived a thousand different ways already. Finding the piece that connects with your ideal resident is what you’re missing. When you find it, draw it out into the branding (using it as the structure for your brand both literally and figuratively.)

TELL THE STORY OF ITS HISTORY

Telling the story you’ve uncovered in the building can enrapture your audience—your ideal resident. Learn more about the building’s previous use. Get information on the history. Identify the building’s architectural style. Read up on the current events of its hey-day. Use everything you can to create the story of your building’s brand.

Now, select the highlights of those historical elements and tie them into your branding. Architecture can inform the brand style. History can inform your amenity names. Your logos, your signage, everywhere your brand appears, you can take inspo from the building’s history. Be choosy with what you’re diving into—not everything is viable to be public-facing. But go deep and find out everything you can, so you have enough to go off of.

This is especially true of your apartment’s name. Find a name that can work with the history, not conflict with it, or ignore it. Lean in, and create intrigue. And when your residents do move in, give them a gift that goes with the building. Old hotel? Give them a hotel style keychain. Old school? Give them some branded No. 2 pencils. Previous warehouse? Do a giveaway based on what used to be produced or stored there.

STORYTELLING

Continue the thread through your community’s content and copy. Your tagline, headlines, mission, vision, values. Your website copy—this is where you storytelling gets to draw on history. While it doesn’t write itself, the structure is there, just like the building. The best part about using history to tell the story is the creativity and authenticity. When drawing inspiration from an actual place in the past, one can connect with the ideal residents to create a brand that’s never been seen before, and will never be seen again!

Brand Vibe and Personality

How does one capture the vibe and personality of a historical building? What if it was a warehouse? Ask deeper, bigger questions: What time period was the building built in? When was it in use? What kinds of items did it store? Who worked there, and were there any stories told about them? What major events happened when it was open and functional? (Wars? Riots? Parades? World fairs?)

ADAPTIVE REUSE BRANDING EXAMPLE

Rather than continuing to talk about the how and why, let’s break for recess, and take a look at an example.

Ivywild, a Colorado Springs marketplace with eats, drinks, and shops, is housed in an elementary school that closed in 2009. The communal atmosphere that developed was supported by the neighborhood, especially because it maintained a historic facade and revitalized a structure that could have otherwise stood empty, or worse, become a public eyesore. Our favorite part? “The Principal’s Office” cocktail bar. Clever. The school’s roman-columned facade is part of the logomark. One of the restaurants was housed in a short yellow school bus out front.

Though this is an adjacent industry, the multifamily realm could just as easily rise to the occasion, to bring historical buildings back into the limelight. (Take inspiration where you can get it!)

Why Adaptive Reuse Multifamily Branding?

We’re very much of the thought that you should brand everything. When it comes to adaptable reuse, this is the best possible opportunity for a brand—it’s fun, intriguing and has an outline already. The history is there, waiting for you to spin it into a yarn. Getting creative with it, no one will have the same story as you. Adaptive reuse in multifamily could be the next big thing. Save money, save time, attract GenZ-ers, appeal to residential developers, and be a little greener.

Build it and they will come?
More like: Adapt it and they will come.

Reach out to Zipcode Creative: Storytelling experts with copywriting that converts and branding that beautifies.

Corporate Rebrand for Property Management Companies

Written by Stacey Feeney on April 6, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding.

Time for a property management corporate rebrand, multifamily marketer? Perhaps the whole marketing team is in on the idea. It’s been in the works, you’ve collected preliminary quotes, estimated a possible budget, but now: you need to get the rest of the team on board.

Let’s carefully talk through why and how to get them on board.
You’ll need to grab the people that matter, consider the competition, and present some proposals you’ve collected. But first, let’s do a quick overview of corporate branding.

Multifamily Corporate Branding Guide

WHAT IS CORPORATE BRANDING?

Your multifamily company’s corporate side is a brand, too. Corporate branding, at its simplest, is creating and adhering to a visual and verbal brand identity for owners and operators, developers, and third-party management.

WHY IS CORPORATE BRANDING IMPORTANT?

Do you want to:

Make a name for yourself?
Grow?
Attract investors?

With solid corporate branding, all of that will be a lot easier. Your reputation can grow (positively), your consistency will create a basis of trust for investors, and your apartment communities may become a well-oiled leasing machine.

According to G2, consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 10-20%. Capture that ROI with a rebrand that makes everything more streamlined for those inside your company—and those looking at it from the outside!

HOW DO WE EXECUTE A CORPORATE REBRAND?

Branding starts with asking the right questions:

Who is your primary target audience?

Investors?
Owners seeking third-party management?
Residents in your communities?

Your answer here determines your next branding steps; branding is built around who you’re serving—and why you’re the best one to serve them.

What is your company’s main goal?

Develop and manage communities until leased up and then sell?
Be resident-facing with a mini-ILS of your property portfolio?
Acquire properties and rehab them for long-term hold?

Your answer to this question will determine the tasks and steps you need to take to achieve your main goal.

How Much Attention Do You Want or Need?

Are you more behind-the-scenes?
Do you want to be known and recognized?

Depending on how you want to appear or want to be known, you’ll have to work on visibility and consistency more carefully if you’ll be more “out-front”. If you’re behind-the-scenes, you can turn down the amount of collateral you need. Any branding can still help with consistent company culture—which will come through in any interaction.

Take each of those bits and outline your next steps—do you need a new logo? A brand voice? A visual identity? A new mission and vision? Every branding guideline you cement now will help you stay clear and consistent in everything you choose to do for your brand in the future. (It definitely helps if you hire professionals, like Zipcode Creative.)

Now for the fun part: Getting everyone else on board. Grab your corporate branding “What, Why, and How” (see above!), and put it into a slide deck.

And THEN:

Steps To Get Your Team Onboard for A Corporate Rebrand

1. Gather Your Corporate Stakeholders

Everyone that’s necessary should be in the room where it happens. If they have decision-making power or vetoing power or both—they should be included in the process. A quick checklist of the most-wanted VIPs that should be invited to participate in your corporate rebranding:

Executives
Owners
Marketing Team (everyone!)

Executives have the ultimate power here. What they say goes. Of course, they’ve helped assemble the team, so they should be open to new ideas, especially when it’s backed by logic and possible ROI. (Plus—a better brand attracts better talent. According to Firstpost, 75% of job applicants say they evaluate employer brand and reputation before applying.)

The Marketing Team is the brains behind this corporate rebrand (yep, we’re heavy-handed with the flattery here). They see what’s going on in and outside of the industry, and they’re ready to make a move, but need a little more buy-in before they can sign the contract. They should be the main points of contact with any agency helping with the rebrand, too.

2. Showcase The Competition

Next, find a competitor that has executed a successful rebrand—one that you like. Definitely choose one example inside the multifamily industry so it feels like you’re comparing apples to apples, and not something far beyond the achievable—and then choose one in an adjacent industry, like commercial real estate or hospitality to show some fresh ideas.

When you showcase these branding strategies, highlight specific aspects and the reason behind its success. Then connect it with your corporate goals.

Employing visuals and case studies will also help bring home the point: If you were to rebrand your corporate side, you may be able to achieve the goals (higher retention) you’ve set out to accomplish. If nothing else, you’ve at least broached the topic, and this will set you up for further discussions around branding.

3. Prep For Next Steps

You’ve gathered the crew and you’ve shown off what thoughtful branding has done for the competition. When your stakeholders ask, “What now?” it’s your chance to jump into action.

Bring the proposals you’ve gathered from agencies you admire. Talk about their history, experience, and what they’ve said they can do for you—and at what cost. Outline how the investment in this now will help you reap dividends later.

Next, refer to relevant articles about rebranding. Send out links to webinars that outline the purpose, goals, and success from companies who have rebranded. Offer up our guide (see above!) with the what, how, and why of corporate branding.

Our team at Zipcode Creative helped Edison47 with a new custom corporate website with the goal of growth into third-party management. We enhanced the brand with clearer messaging and developed a visual identity, to better showcase their expanded offerings and capabilities and to build on the company culture they’d created.

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A corporate rebrand is an all-hands-on-deck situation—we’re happy to help bring you to the discussion and decision zone with your stakeholders, and walk you through what a rebrand could look like (and do) for your corporate side. Reach out today!

Happy Maintenance Appreciation Month

Written by Stacey Feeney on March 31, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

It’s Maintenance Appreciation month!

In the background of your apartment crew, and as the backbone of your community, your maintenance crew needs a little appreciation! They keep things running smoothly, often on call for your residents anytime there’s a repair needed. Thanks to their timely and tip-top service, your residents can keep calling home “home”.

The time to celebrate them is today—make sure they’re credited for the hard work they do, and that your brand story isn’t told without them. (If you’re looking for resident appreciation, check here!)

Put a Face to the Maintenance Name

Are residents unfamiliar with your maintenance crew? Not anymore!

HIGHLIGHT MAINTENANCE IN MARKETING

If you haven’t already, start highlighting your maintenance staff with your leasing staff in your marketing. Everyone is part of the team, and they’re just as important to your community’s success. Showing them on your marketing, in brochures, or on the website as part of the team helps create familiarity for newer residents, prospects, or even for residents that haven’t needed maintenance repairs yet.

HUMANIZE YOUR MAINTENANCE CREW

Walking through the grounds of the community, residents will feel more comfortable when they recognize the folks who are taking care of the building and the grounds. It humanizes every one of your maintenance crew, and it helps them feel more accessible to your residents. They know who is likely coming to their apartment when they request service. That kind of connection can only be built up through authenticity and familiarity, which you can create by including them in your marketing.

Build Your Brand Story with Maintenance Appreciation

HELP TELL THE STORY

The story of your brand isn’t a single page. It’s a multitude of stories that all come together to create a tapestry of experiences. This includes your maintenance crew. Sharing about them firms up the story of your brand that you’re already telling. It shows what you value, and what you prioritize. When you connect their story with your history, mission, and/or values, you can get engagement from your prospects, and loyalty from your current residents. Telling a story is something that appeals to the masses—it’s not just about problems and solutions, it’s about the people who are helping solve those problems (and why they’re passionate about it).

SOLIDIFY YOUR BRAND PERCEPTION

If your brand is perceived positively, congratulations, you have a brand to protect and push forward. If your brand is thought of negatively, you have your work cut out for you. Either way, highlighting your maintenance shows where your priorities lie:

You care about the residents and their comfort
You value your staff (every one!) and want to keep everyone happy with quick maintenance fixes

How to Show Maintenance Appreciation

It’s not quite enough to post about maintenance staff on socials and include them on your team page or About Us page. Make sure you show your appreciation for maintenance with something tangible, too. (Think gifts!)

MAINTENANCE APPRECIATION GIFT IDEAS

Appreciating your maintenance team isn’t quite as simple as a thank you note—but a handwritten note of thanks would go really well with these gifts for your maintenance crew, who have gone above and beyond:

Branded swag (something they can use!)
Amazon gift cards to let them do the shopping
Beer or liquor to enjoy on their off days
Extra PTO—speaking of off days, this is a fantastic thanks for hard work or extra hours put in
New tools to make their work easier

If gifts aren’t really the best way to show it, then throw them a party! At the party, you can hand out awards, and even involve your residents to help show appreciation, since residents have the most to be thankful for when it comes to maintenance. Once you connect residents and maintenance, your community will be stronger for it—jokes exchanged and bonding over a party will help solidify the positive culture you’re working so hard to keep (or create).

MAINTENANCE AWARD IDEAS

In order to really recognize your crew going above and beyond—give out awards! Based on performance and dedication, you can determine the best categories and criteria. Here are a few of our ideas:

Jack of All Trades – A maintenance person who always goes above and beyond to resolve resident issues quickly and effectively
Handyman Hero – Someone who takes pride in their craftsmanship and shows exceptional skill
Customer Service Champ – Resident satisfaction scores always skyrocket after this maintenance staff member completes their work
Team Player Award – Someone who is willing to jump into any maintenance problem to help out
Innovator of the Year – Solutions outside of the box are the norm for this staff member
Safety Star – For this maintenance crew member, safety protocols are the name of the game
Rookie of the Year – Newbie alert! This staff member has made huge strides in their work in the community in a short amount of time
Lifetime Achievement Award – If a staff member has been around for a long while, unwavering in their dedication and service, this is the award for them

FREEBIE ALERT!

Submit this form and we’ll send you the downloadable award certificate graphics!

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Your maintenance crew helps your apartment community be successful. It’s not the most glamorous job, but without a leaking tub fix or an air conditioner serviced on a hot day, your reviews might go down and your reputation can suffer.

Your maintenance crew works hard—be sure to formally appreciate them this month (and any other month you like)!

Apartment Logo Design – Branding Ground-Up Developments

Written by Stacey Feeney on March 24, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding. 1 Comment on Apartment Logo Design – Branding Ground-Up Developments

Let’s talk apartment logo design. Logos are more than a symbol—they state something, particularly in multifamily brands.

In this blog, we’ll let you into our creative process for logo design for new developments.

First, we provide multiple design options (with a little insight into the process and inspiration behind them) and the client gives us feedback.

In a typical process, we’ll hear from the owners, the developers, and the marketers. They all have a different valuable vantage point regarding how the designs may land with their ideal resident profile.

And we have a pretty good vantage point, too, that we always work to share with the client. One example: The photo-realistic rendering. We get to show them what the property looks like to give context to the rest of the artistic choices we made. Once they understand the property build and interior design, the rest of the brand strategy can start to fall into place, and make sense from the inside-out (or the outside in)

As the designers and brand creators we then corral all the opinions into one, cohesive brand that would resonate with their target resident.

Developers and Branding

When working through branding for a new development, we have a lot of voices, opinions, and ideas, as we mentioned. There are pitfalls to branding, and you’ll have to take care to not fall into the these traps as the stakeholder:

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Okay, we know it’s usually “cooks” but if we get too many voices and opinions, it’s going to be even harder to land on a consensus where everyone feels heard and happy. Find the most important opinions, and allow those to have more weight.

Missing the Forest for the Trees

Details are important. But when we’re creating a brand vibe, it’s the overall, overarching, general idea and feeling behind the images, the colors, and the textures. Please: Don’t throw out the entire idea because you’re not a fan of one stock image we chose.

Bottom line here? We know that developers have their finger on the pulse of the building—the product. And while we certainly take inspiration from the building itself, and the physical space and architecture, the marketers and designers should be given space to position the brand well.

Initial Concepts

With every brand development, we create preliminary brand style vibes for logo design. Whichever concept is chosen is then further developed into a fully fledged brand. Every concept leans on a different aspect of the information we’ve collected through research and discovery with the client:

Demographic (age, gender, marital status)
Location (Where’s the community, and what is the base-level of amenities provided?)
Jobs / Hobbies (Do they work nearby? Blue collar? White collar? What do they do in their free time?)
Purchasing Habits (Luxury vs. bargain; Research vs. Spend-Happy)

Each of these demographics are viable options to inform the brand vibe we create with the logo, palette, textures and photos. Here, we explore the inspo, the vibe, and the client feedback that guided the ultimate decision. (And yes, we’ll reveal the “winner” at the end!)

Seabird

The new community development is an actual luxury, Class-A property with all the bells and whistles. We created a palm-bird logo mark and a relaxed, but trim vibe. The typography in the logo has all the makings of a private beach kind of style, but wasn’t ultimately deemed seaworthy by our stakeholders.

La Boheme—at the Beach

Ripples and light dancing in the water. The tickle of pampas grass and palms. Sand. Miles of it. And crystal clear water. With natural beachy colors as well as a strong, but elegant sweep through the logo’s font, this concept was meant to feel like a Florida coastal vacation, but forever.

Eclectic Edge

Deep purples, A little haze. Plenty of dogs. A little early 90s combos of purple and blue. High contrast. And very much not bright blue, and no palm tree in the logo. We went counter to what was expected and did something different—a more abstract and lighthearted approach.

Lines in the Sand

The warmth of sand, the cool of tile, the weightlessness in pools, the evaporation of water droplets from your skin. This one is a whole feeling. Stripes make it preppy, playful dogs bring it levity. The light, yet bold typography in the logo is meant to appeal to both the young and the young-at-heart.

Grey’s Sun

Grey blue. A little chill in the air. Clean. So clean. This concept welcomed the viewer to fill in the blanks. Showing texture in design rather than photos. Showing part of an arch instead of the full picture.

The Selected Direction: La Playa

Winner, winner, beachside dinner! This one was by far the most playful. Social gatherings, happy sunkissed dogs, with plenty of simplicity to show off the “easy life”. A few angles and a few interesting shadows show the interplay between night and day, while the organic textures and shapes recall a more improvised approach to life.

Feedback:

Further development and expansion on this one resulted in a beautiful brand that stood out, had an eye-catching logo, and worked to for the IRP the stakeholders wanted to reach.

Final Brand Style (and How…and Why)

Aspire Naples, which offers a breezy, idyllic lifestyle is dedicated to be the best to appeal to a community full of culture and curiosity. The youthfulness of the logo along with the combined brightness, yet earthiness or the color palette is one that will appeal to a wide range of residents.

Breaking up the word on the logo mark creates a modern feel, while the curve of the typography keeps it from being too stark. The (mis)alignment is playful and the black color keeps it clean.

Using modern and softened approaches for the logo meant the brand’s visual direction and vibe could, too. Pulling some old and some new ideas kept it balanced, particularly for reaching their wide demographic.

By incorporating seemingly opposed elements (curved font and sans serif, black and white, organic materials and sharp shadow) the Aspire Naples brand captures the essence of a life filled with spontaneity and joy—one for residents to also aspire to.

Branding for Gen Z at Multifamily Social Media Summit 2024

Written by Stacey Feeney on March 18, 2024. Posted in All Articles, Branding, Marketing.

At the Multifamily Social Media Summit 2024, multiple speakers are talking on how to attract Gen Z. Do you speak Gen Z’s language? Do you know what makes them tick…is TikTok really the only way?

Understanding how Gen Z interacts with brands—in this case, apartment brands—is integral to attracting them as a lead and capturing them as a resident. Your brand should work towards that goal. Understanding, creating strategies, crafting an experience, and building community through engagement are all part of the puzzle. The key here: 76% of Gen Z consumers state that they like to buy from brands that stand for a greater mission or purpose. That alone should tell you a lot about what they want from you—and how, in branding for Gen Z, you can make it clear to them.

Understanding Gen Z Residents

Gen Zers are independent thinkers. According to Forbes, “Gen-Z is well-known for holding deep convictions and high ethical standards.” They prioritize diversity and inclusion and are focused on maintaining both their mental health and keeping their finances in the black.

GEN Z FAST FACTS

Currently Ages ~12-27 (born 1997-2012)
Prefers access over ownership (streaming vs. CDs)
Attracted to brands with a story or purpose
Values social and political involvement; racial and social justice; sustainability
Spend 6+ hours daily on phone; check online for reviews before purchases; TikTok is the #1 app
Racially and ethnically diverse
Have completed more education than previous generations
Have the most pessimistic outlook of the future and highest prevalence of mental illness

(Sources: McKinsey; Pew Research; Forbes)

VALUE AND VALUES

Because of Gen Z’s situation in life, they’re prone to look for value (bang for their buck) and values (companies that share their care for social and environmental causes). Your apartment community must align with, or at least consider, Gen Z’s values and preferences as they create their branding. This is particularly true as Gen Z gets older, moves out of the house and into the city, works toward building a career, and looks for a home—which could be at your community.

Strategies in Branding for Gen Z

Being an authentic brand, meeting Gen Z where they are, and focusing on sharing values with them will help you reach this new generation of residents. Here’s how:

AUTHENTICITY

Gen Z will see right through your barely-propped-up values statement. You’ll have to state and act on the things that your community cares about, with full proof. Being an authentic brand is more than a mission/vision/values page. It’s the events you create, the companies you partner with, and the way that you celebrate specific holidays. Transparency is key here, because they’re going to see through you anyway. Your heart has to match your appearance! Need a little homework? See our 6 Steps to Authentic Branding in Multifamily here.

GO WHERE THEY ARE: SOCIALS

Screen time knows no limits with Gen Z. Get in front of them with social ads and a full-on social media strategy. At the Multifamily Social Media Summit 2024 we’re looking forward to a specific talk on Gen Z and TikTok. Use the info to your advantage and find a way to meet Gen Z where they are.

GO GREEN

“The earth is failing and humans are to blame.” — this could be said by practically any Gen Zer. The factors of zero waste and sustainability are huge in the Gen Z generation. How will your brand address this? What kind of sustainability measures is your community putting in place? Walking the walk here will especially get you brownie points with Gen Z. Living somewhere that shares your values is a kind of heartwarming feeling that could extend into the signing of a lease. (“They know what I care about most! They know me! This is home!”)

Create a Community Through Experiences (Sell a Feeling!)

Creating a branded experience is one thing. Creating a branded experience that actually resonates with Gen Z is an entirely other thing—and it could eventually create the culture of community in your apartments.

THE EXPERIENCE OF AMENITIES AND SOCIAL SPACES

Amenities and spaces must work within the values framework you’ve built. Because Gen Zers crave authenticity when interacting with brands, creating social spaces and community amenities that feel in line with what you prioritize will be important. For example, offering a coworking space as well as flexible home office space in your apartments could be helpful for a community brand that wants to support the next wave of entrepreneurs.

TECHNOLOGICAL INTERACTION

Technological and digital updates or experiences you can add to the community can make you stand out among the competition. Gen Zers expect things to happen quickly, at the touch of a button. Having a beautiful website with branded messaging and aligned aesthetics makes it a full experience from home page to home sweet home.

Additionally, as Gen Zers spend more time on TikTok than any other group (and more time on their phones than most) work on leveraging user-generated content, get some hashtags going, and consider partnering with influencers to create a real-life feel to get more brand engagement from this target market.

As for digital marketing, make it personal. According to marketing tech company, SheerID, Gen Zers want personalized ads (preferred by 81% of Gen Zers vs. just 57% of Millennials). So start segmenting.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Your resident events and activities can speak volumes about your values—where your priorities are. Remember how we talked about being eco-conscious or zero-waste? Host a Fix-it Fair, or offer up electronics recycling a few times each year. Create fun resident events and activities that are centered around volunteering for the community.

Most of all:

Start rethinking your branding strategies to attract the next wave of residents. Get branding for Gen Z—be authentic, be personable, and live out the values you claim to have as a brand.

(And probably don’t fake it till you make it. They’ll just know.)