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Apartment Photography Checklist Optimized for Marketing

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

You know the whole “golden hour” perfect lighting part of the day? Well, the summer months are the “golden hour” season of the year—the time when everything looks a little better, a little dreamier. Use our property photography checklist to get the best photography of your communities, optimized for marketing.

The goal is always to lease-up your community. Well, having a collection of beautiful photos (the best possible ones) will make marketing’s job way easier.

Property Photoshoot Prep Checklist

You’ll want to check off every one of these property photoshoot checklist items before your photographer arrives (not while they’re trying to capture the perfect shot). You’ll both save time and headaches if you prepare ahead of time:

Zipcode-Creative-Photography-Property-Photoshoot-Prep-Checklist

Quality Property Photography’s Important

LONG SHELF LIFE

When you invest in high-quality images, you’re not throwing money down the drain. By choosing the proper season (summer) and preparing in advance (with our checklist) you’ll be that much closer to taking photos that will stay useful in your marketing for a good, long while. Since the gallery is one of the most viewed pages on your website, having a great photo of your clubhouse or pool creates a longer lasting impression than any amenities list ever could. (Think of it this way: Would you rather see a photo of a pool with all the umbrellas and chaises around it, or would you rather read “large pool” in the list of amenities?)

BUILD THE BRAND

Quality apartment photography captures beautiful images—but also so much more: the lifestyle and the experience your property offers. Your space is unique, your ambiance is different, and your community isn’t the same, according to your brand. And your photos should reflect that. When you show off beautiful, well-composed photos that work within your brand guidelines, you set yourself apart. Images, or rather, photos, evoke emotion, tell your brand story, and lead to a more consistent brand image. Bottom line: Investing in quality property photos shows your prospects that you’re invested in your brand, and likewise: in them.

Apartment Photography Shot List Checklist

Capture multiple angles of the property for each of these areas in both wide/overview shots as well as tighter details when worthy. 

Zipcode-Creative-Photography-Checklist-Apartment-Shot-List

*Adjust this apartment photography shot list checklist to the specific spaces your community has to offer. Add or remove amenities as needed.

Get the Details

While you have a photographer there, take a closer look. By adding detail shots to your list (more interesting angles, photos of people at the clubhouse, closeups of feet in a pool, someone cooking dinner in their unit) you can create an unstoppable lifestyle image library that NO one else will have. And the photos will be authentic because they’re actually part of your community. Provide your photographer with your apartment brand guidelines so they know what kind of vibe and ambiance they should be looking for and helping capture.

When you get the photos back, you can use them to enhance your brand and make completely unique visuals for any number of your marketing materials.

The heart of summer is a lovely time to refresh your property photos, and it’s our favorite for when plants look their best. (But your brand may be an “autumn”—so you do you.) Follow our checklist, invest in high-quality, professional photography, and bump up the appeal of your property to your prospects (and likely your current residents, too). Your marketing efforts are about to get an extra shot of sunshine.

Branding Multifamily Value-Add Communities

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

New “luxury” style communities are coming into the market at break-neck pace. As they dominate the market, older multifamily communities are struggling to keep up and compete with their newer, more modern counterparts.

Even if your older communities aren’t the newest or the nicest on the block, you can leverage their unique strengths and employ smart marketing strategies to stand out as you figure out your best methods for branding multifamily value-add communities.. 

Spotlight Your Community’s Strengths

LUXURY IS OVER THE TOP

New “luxury” communities are pushing their neighbors to the limit. Offering unheard-of amenities that go a little farther than necessary: golf simulators, pickleball courts, speakeasy bars. Things that residents don’t necessarily need—but could be attracted by. There are a lot of “it’s like vacation, every day!” style places that may be going overboard, because they feel the need to have all the bells and whistles to snag their residents. 

ADVANTAGES OF OLDER COMMUNITIES

Just because the modern competition is bringing some wild apartment amenities to the table doesn’t mean you give up. As an older community, you’re established. You (may) offer:

  • An ideal or convenient location
  • A quiet, homey atmosphere
  • A mature setting with full trees, nearby parks, bike trails close by
  • Larger units compared to newer developments

Beyond these things (which are far better than most amenities) if you have a culture of close-knit community at your apartments, that’s huge. Long-term renters help create the family feel, and loyal employees help with familiarity, as well. Loyalty goes a long way!

Smart Marketing For Multifamily Value-Add Communities

WHADDAYA GOT?

Amplify what you have. We talked advantages. Take note of those things that make your community special, whether it’s a listed amenity, or just a feeling. Pro-tip: that vibe is part of your brand. That resident and staff loyalty is in direct correlation to how you present your brand and how you fulfill the promises you’re making.

That said, there are a few specific things you should focus on to market your older community.

MARKETING IDEAS

Emphasize location – Location matters. What are the area trends, the vibe, the history, the culture? Look into cross-promotion with another local spot, and consider offering a local hot spot tour for your newest residents.

Focus on the atmosphere and vibe – Feels like home? Easy to catch public transit? Big trees everywhere? Trails nearby? Everyone knows each other? These things are a BIG DEAL. Authentically brand your community by pointing these gems out. It’s not everyday you move into an apartment that feels welcoming and homey.

Be the neighborhood know-it-all – Get the inside scoop on everything. Even if you’re not a luxury hotel or apartment, you can still function as a concierge with pro-tips for your new residents. Throw neighborhood recommendations out like confetti, and bump the resident experience up a few notches.

Spoil residents in small ways – You don’t need to hand out golden retrievers as a party favor. Instead host events, like a movie viewing with popcorn. Or a pool party with lemonade. Give your residents small gifts, make them feel seen and valued, and bring about some community bonding in a natural way.

Branding-for-Lower-Property-Classes

Branding for Lower Property Classes

Branding is value made visible and tangible. Older communities may lack amenities but branding can make up for it, even if it’s on the simpler side—lower class apartments can still use branding. (Consistency accounts for a lot.) You can create culture with your apartment brand. Here’s how:

RESIDENT EXPERIENCE

How your brand makes your resident feel is directly tied to their living experience at your community. Ensure that you are communicative, friendly, and get your residents what they need. Your brand is not your offerings. It’s how you interact, engage, and grow your resident relationships over time. Your brand can encompass a whole lifestyle: of home. Of welcome. Of comfort. 

COMMUNITY CONTEXT

What does your community bring to the fabric of the neighborhood? What role do you play in the value you offer to your residents, neighbors, and the broader area? Consider how you interact with local shops and non-profits. Philanthropy and community engagement bring about a better neighborhood and make your brand more authentic and relatable to your residents, as well.

Older multifamily value-add communities can still compete.
Just leverage what you have to offer and get creative with your marketing. And use your branding! That will be your best tool to help underscore your value to your residents as they have a positive experience with your property.

Explore creative apartment branding and marketing strategies for your communities with us at Zipcode Creative—no matter the year your community was built.

NAA Apartmentalize 2024 Guide for Multifamily Marketers

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

Multifamily conference season is still going strong. Up next: NAA Apartmentalize 2024! This year it’s taking place in Philly, the city of brotherly love. Apartmentalize offers learning, networking, and solutions specifically for multifamily, and helps you stay current on industry trends and best practices.

We know that hitting every conference isn’t always an option, so if you’re going, we outlined some of the best ways to make the most of your time at NAA Apartmentalize 2024, with some scheduling tips, and top picks for sessions and speakers.

Given that we’re all up in the branding scene, we aimed to pick out our favorites for marketing and branding in multifamily. There are a ton of sessions, so we narrowed our picks to speakers we know or admire, and topics we think will be most helpful for your community branding and marketing efforts.

Organizing Your 2024 NAA Apartmentalize Schedule

 

With over 100 sessions and 10,000 attendees, you might feel a little lost. Take a deep breath and make a plan. Think of it as a Choose-Your-Own-NAA-Adventure.  Registration is open each day, beginning on late Tuesday morning. 

Expo Eats will get you a complimentary lunch on Thursday and Friday—be sure to find it.

Below are some important things you’ll want to take note of for your schedule (June 19-21):

WEDNESDAY

  • Education Sessions: 1-1:50pm, 2:05-2:55pm, 3:10-4pm, 
  • General Session: 4:15-5:30pm
  • Welcome Reception: 5:30-6:30pm

THURSDAY

  • Education Sessions: 8:30-9:30am, (Express: 12:30-2:30pm) 2:15-3:15pm, 3:30-4:30pm
  • General Session: 10-11:30am
  • Complimentary Lunch with Expo Eats
  • Thursday Night Party: 7-10pm

FRIDAY

  • Education Sessions: 9-9:50am, (Express: 10am-1:30pm) 11am-11:50am
  • Complimentary Lunch with Expo Eats
  • General Session: 1:45-3pm

PRO TIP: Don’t forget to take a break, get some water, go to your room for a few minutes when you need to have a little quiet to collect your thoughts. Making a plan will help. Find the sessions you care about most, and prioritize those.

NAA Apartmentalize Top Topics

 

There’s a lot to see at NAA Apartmentalize. We chose a handful of topics that looked good to us—from a marketing and branding perspective, of course. If you’re feeling extra on-top of things, you can even click “add to planner” next to your favorite sessions, so you can organize it through your MyNAA Planner Account!

 

What’s the Big Idea? Marketing Innovators Pitch Game-Changing Strategies

Wednesday, June 19

3:10-4pm
Location: 115ABC

Education Session

With: 

Esther Bonardi, VP, REACH by RentCafe

Israel Carunungan, Chief Marketing Officer at LCP Media

Josh Draughn, Vice President of Marketing & Customer Experience at Weidner

Anne Baum, Director of Marketing at Towne Properties

Expected Takeaway:

  • Discover how to realistically create an authentic brand that connects with potential and current renters while avoiding stock photos
  • Use data to assess marketing risks and rewards so you can reallocate spend and balance your marketing strategy
  • Learn how media assets can help improve your leasing experience, increasing engagement and conversions

Why It’s Our Pick:
Breaking open marketing norms and creating a sense of place? Yes. Learning how to use media assets to better your leases, engagement and conversions? Also yes.

Open Space #5: Romancing Your Residents to Renew: (Pets, Amenities, Community Events and More)

With:
Maria Pietroforte
Katie Rigsby, President/Multifamily Consultant at Katie Rigsby Inspires, LLC

Why It’s Our Pick:
Be part of the conversation and learn from contemporaries at this Open Space. You can help guide the conversation and be part of the bigger picture in a peer-to-peer learning event—this one is particularly interesting because it’s all about focusing on amenities and making a community feel like home for your residents. Branding is part of that culture, too!

Additional Thursday sessions we’re interested in:

From Data to Decision: Are Your KPIs Actionable or Irrelevant?

Open Space #4: How Can Affordable Providers Compete with Market Rate (Leasing Rates/Incentives, Salaries)

The Power of Market Research: Positioning Properties for the NextGen

Friday, June 21
9-9:50 AM
Location: 108AB

With:
Marcus Armstrong, Research and Development Engineer at J Turner Research
Chelsea Kneeland, VP, Strategic Partnerships at J Turner Research
Tyler Marker, Director of Marketing & Professional Development at Zidan Management Group

Expected Takeaway:

  • Be able to identify different types of market research, and what needs and wants are on Gen Z prospects’ minds that impact your market.
  • Learn how to collect and analyze market research data for better decisions.
  • Develop better strategies for implementing their market research findings.

Why It’s Our Pick:
Gen Z is a big topic for us. They represent a huge market share, and we should be paying attention to their desires in order to be competitive. 

From Search to Signature: The Resident Experience

Friday, June 21
12:15 PM – 12:45 PM
Location: Booth 1165
Express Education

With:
Paula Munger, Vice President, Research at National Apartment Association

Carl Whitaker, Chief Economist at RealPage, Inc.

 

Expected Takeaway:

  • Explore survey results from residents who have recently searched for an apartment to learn their methods and motivations.
  • Consider how the survey results translate into potential future staffing models.
  • Discover which technologies industry professionals are using to improve the prospect experience and boost occupancies.

Why It’s Our Pick:
What’s the secret behind how prospects choose you? First they have to find you, then they have to narrow down their choices to you. With a new generation of renters, we have to meet them where they are. All IRP, all the time—using data to make decisions is smart. (Including in your branding, of course.)

Additional Friday sessions we’re interested in:

Breaking Barriers: The Impact of Adaptive Reuse Projects

Paid, Earned and Owned: The New Rules of Influence Marketing

NAA Apartmentalize 2024 Speaker Picks


The general sessions are full of award-winning stars, heroes, and actors. It can be fun to fawn over them with any fellow fans—so be sure to check out the general session schedule to see when you can catch vocalist/songwriter/author/actor Leslie Odom Jr., Medal of Honor hero and veteran Kyle Carpenter, and actor/producer/philanthropist Mark Wahlberg.

Beyond household names, we’re also interested in hearing from our own multifamily stars. 

NAA Apartmentalize 2024 has broken down the rest of their sessions into:

  • Game Changers – Inspiring speakers from three outside industries: Comedy, AI, and Workforce Strategy
  • Education Sessions – 90 sessions on all manner of multifamily topics (ops, leasing, affordable housing, marketing)
  • Express Education – 30-minute interactive sessions with Q&A and storytellin
  • Open Space Sessions – Small group discussions with a dedicated topic for creative conversations

So, there are a lot to choose from here. But these were the speakers that stood out to us (and the bios are straight from the NAA website):

Noel Carson, Vice President of Marketing, Creative Director at Bozzuto

Noel Carson is the VP of Marketing and Creative Director for Bozzuto. He is charged with championing the Bozzuto brand as a compelling voice in the multifamily category and leads the team responsible for the brand development, launch, and commercial performance the organization’s new development pipeline. With two decades of experience in brand and creative direction, his work has been the recipient of over 70 regional and national awards through the American Advertising Federation, Creativity International, among others. Noel graduated from the University of Notre Dame with majors in Marketing and Design and holds an MBA from Georgetown University.

SESSIONS:

Friday, 9-9:50AM: Static to Dynamic: Revolutionizing Apartment Websites in the Digital Era

Janet Rosseth, Founder and CMO at Cadence Marketing Solutions LLC

Janet Rosseth is the founder and CMO of Cadence Marketing Solutions, a Minneapolis-based boutique consulting agency specializing in pacing new initiatives and supporting multifamily marketing endeavors. Her career spans 25+ years serving multifamily developers and operators in roles directing marketing and leasing strategies. Her expertise lies in assessing needs and deploying both traditional and disruptive solutions that aid in asset performance, optimizing marketing infrastructure, extending the bandwidth of marketing teams, and removing the friction factor in the renter experience. She leads the Cadence Run Club online community for multifamily marketing influencers, connecting & supporting marketers, operators, and vendor partners who challenge the status quo in marketing. She’s a speaker and facilitator for large and small groups, local and national industry events, often sought on panels to represent the voice of the marketing teams and clients she serves.

SESSIONS:

Wednesday, 2:05-2:55pm: Take Control of Lead Generation with On-Demand Ad Strategy

Kim Boland, Director of Digital Marketing at Morgan Properties

Kim Boland is the Director of Digital Marketing at Morgan Properties, where she leads the development, implementation, and maintenance of digital marketing initiatives for the company’s expanding portfolio. With over a decade of experience, Kim has been a driving force in enhancing Morgan Properties’ online presence and supporting promotional efforts for both apartment communities and corporate ventures. Throughout her tenure at Morgan Properties since 2009, Kim has earned numerous accolades for her exceptional contributions to the company and the industry. Notably, she was honored as a national-level winner for Connect Media’s 2021 Women in Real Estate, recognizing her outstanding achievements and leadership in the field. In addition to her role at Morgan Properties, Kim is a sought-after speaker at industry events, sharing her expertise and insights with fellow professionals. She also serves on the Advisory Boards for AIMconf, G5, Rent. and BetterBot.

SESSIONS:

Wednesday, 1-1:50pm: Surf’s Up! Marketing Channels Making the Biggest Waves

Thursday, 8:30-9:30am: The ROI of Apartment Automation: Real-World Case Studies

Kristi Fickert, Vice President of Enterprise Growth at Realync

Kristi is the VP of Enterprise Growth at Realync. She spent 15 years in a senior marketing role for a Top 50 management company before working in the technology sector of the industry. She speaks at the industry’s largest conferences and has been a featured speaker for the Cincinnati Reds, Urban Land Institute and Commercial Real Estate Women. She’s been on numerous podcasts, published in UNITS magazine and spent two terms as a City Councilwoman.

SESSIONS:

Wednesday, 3:10-4pm: Open Space #3: How Does AI Fuel Your Everyday Workflow?

Thursday, 3:30-4:30pm: Leasing Across America: Insights and Impacts From 100 Shops

And there you have it! Your 2024 NAA Apartmentalize guide—from Zipcode Creative. (Don’t forget to have fun!)

MME Conference Recap: A Look Inside the Exclusive Multifamily Marketing Event

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

MME 2024 has just wrapped up! And we couldn’t be more excited for next year’s event

Multifamily Marketing East (MME) is an invite-only, limited-access conference. It’s less about being exclusive, and more about concentrated and focused. 

If you missed out, the content was top-notch and the topics (and speakers) were on point. Read on to find out more about this East Coast multifamily conference.

MME Welcomes YouMME Conference Recap

The MME Conference

FORMAT


The conference took place at The Pendry, a waterfront boutique hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. The main thing at MME 2024: the breakout sessions.

For these breakout sessions, attendees joined their peers for small group discussions focused on topics they pre-selected at registration. Each of the 10 tables has a different topic, a sponsor expert on the topic, a moderator, and a presenter. What made this experience extra unique and special was the pre-planning that took place over virtual calls leading up to the day of the event. Sponsors and moderators got together to plan out their session topic to be prepared to lead the conversation with enticing questions and talking points. Our favorite, from Session #2 was “Scaling Branding with AI: Faster, Farther, Cohesive.”

After the breakout tables were complete, a presenter from each topic shared the group’s key insights and strategies on the main stage. In this way, attendees were able to participate in the topic they most wanted to discuss, while still reaping the benefits of gathered knowledge from the other 9 tables. Attendees gained a broader perspective, and left with actionable knowledge.

These breakout tables and reflections occurred twice, and both times, attendees came away with a wealth of knowledge. Like a book club at their own roundtable discussion—a deep dive, while the Reflections and Takeaways functioned more like nuggets out of Cliff Notes.

 

Breakout Sessions

Table #1

Topic 1: MarTech: Enhancing Customer Experience & Operations (Presenter: Jillian Fickert)
Topic 2: Emerging Trends: Proptech & AI (Moderator: Noel Carson)
Sponsor: Revyse

Revyse is a vendor discovery and review platform. They help multifamily professionals find their ideal proptech and vendor solutions.

Table #2

Topic 1: How AI can Help with Industry Pain Points (Presenter: Matthew Cummings)

Topic 2: Evolution of Marketing Metrics: Adapting to New Trends & Practices (Presenter: Michele Jose)
Sponsor: Hy.Ly

Hy.Ly is invested in the power of ‘Human + Machine’ to develop products as a multifamly marketing technology company that creates products to improve multifamily experiences.

 

Table #3

Topic 1: Unlocking Success: Mastering Conversion Ratio Optimization (Presenter: Ashleigh Dawson)

Topic 2: Maximizing Video Content: Ads and Beyond
Sponsor: Realync

Realync is a cloud-based, web and mobile platform that enables live virtual tours, live virtual open houses, and DIY pre-recorded videos of real estate—all to unlock authentic experiences to connect and convert.

Table #4

Topic 1: Maximizing Performance, Efficiency, and Timelines

Topic 2: Google Ads Unleashed: Maximizing Your PPC Potential including PMAX (Presenter: Sabrina Leckemby)
Sponsor: Digible

Digible offers seamless solutions for the multifamily industry: multifamily marketing services and technology build for apartments.

Table #5

Topic 1: Building Data- Powered Social Strategies

Topic 2: Mastering Influencer Marketing: Strategies for Success
Sponsor: Social Kapture

Social Kapture creates custom content and proven strategies for social media and digital advertising—specifically for multifamily.

Table #6

Topic 1: Apartment Branding for Marketing Success (Presenter: Jillian Letourneau)
Topic 2: Scaling Branding with AI: Faster, Farther, Cohesive (Presenter: Renee McIntyre)

Sponsor: Zipcode Creative

Zipcode Creative is a multifamily focused boutique creative agency that offers apartment branding and marketing design.

Table #7

Topic 1: Build Internal Partnerships Using Marketing Data
Topic 2: Uncovering Retention Trends in Resident Reviews

Sponsor: Widewail

Widewail is a reputation management company for local businesses, offering monitoring, review management, and review invitations.

Table #8

Topic 1: Streaming TV Advertising for Apartments
Topic 2: Mastering Geofencing: Market Rate to Affordable and Urban to Suburban

Sponsor: ApartmentGeofencing.com

Apartmentgeofencing.com offers location-based advertising technology so properties can reach prospects wherever they are.

Table #9

Topic 1: Understanding Prospect Preferences with Mobile Location History (Presenter: Elaine Delude)
Topic 2: Post Covid Rental Landscape – From Migration to Back to Work (Presenter: Eddie Vasquez, Jr.)

Sponsor: Placer.AI

Placer.AI helps properties make better business decisions through geolocation data: location intelligence and foot traffic data. Find your customers, find your opportunities.

Table #10

Topic 1: Staying Motivated and Efficient with Reduced Staff
Topic 2: Your Guide to Creating a World-Class Company Culture in 2024 (Presenter: Nicole Drayton)

Sponsor: ApartmenGeofencing.com

Apartmentgeofencing.com offers location-based advertising technology so properties can reach prospects wherever they are.

Stacey-Stage

KEYNOTES

The speakers at MME are all recognized in the industry—they’re experienced and invested in learning and engagement, which made them perfect for the MME conference.

“The Making of a Love Brand”
with Kelley Shannon, Senior VP, Marketing and Customer Experience, Bozzuto

“Gaining Traction for Your Brand”
With Matthew Kilmury, Founder & CEO, ApartmentGeofencing.com

Along with these sessions, the panel discussions also offered up plenty of opportunity to see things from a different angle, or take a deeper dive.

PANEL DISCUSSIONS

“More With Less: Leveraging AI to Overcome Constraints”

Moderator: 

Elaine De Lude, Vice President, LIVEbe Communities
With Panelists:

Daniel Paulino, Vice President, Marketing, Bozzuto

Moshe Crane, Vice President, Branding & Strategic Initiatives, Sage Ventures                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Description:
In an era where “doing more with less” has transformed from a challenging necessity into an industry mantra, we delve into the pivotal role of AI as an empowering tool. Budgets and teams may not be growing, but expectations for performance are. The question remains: how can one amplify output and efficiency with the resources available?

This panel explores cutting-edge solutions within AI that address this perennial marketing quandary. With recent technological breakthroughs, AI has emerged not just as a means to compensate for resource limitations, but as a strategy to surpass even the highest of expectations. Join us as we unpack the transformative potential of AI, providing practical insights into maximizing performance.

Key takeaways:

  • Cutting-edge AI solutions
  • Practical insights into maximizing performance

“Marketing Metrics Are Changing—Are You Ready?”

Moderator:
Wendy Simpson, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Edgewood Management
With panelists: Kevin Wilson, Director of Marketing, Strategy and Planning, Southern Land Company                                                                                                                          

Michelle José, Vice President, Property Marketing, Mill Creek Residential

Xiyao Yang, Director of Marketing Analytics, Bozzuto       

Description:

Digital marketing metrics are changing, and they’re changing fast. Are you ready? In this session, we’ll explore how your marketing teams can adapt to recent regulations and innovations, and set themselves up for success in today’s rapidly-evolving digital landscape. With an eye on digital trends that transcend industry, but told through a multfamily marketing lens, we’ll dive into different marketing areas like branding/awareness, findability, and social engagement.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Key Takeaways:

  • How to adapt to recent regulations and innovations
  • How to get set up for success while digital trends evolve

Our Insights

Since this was the first year of MME, we wanted to give you the full insider scoop. So we asked Zipcode Creative founder and creative director, Stacey Feeney, to give us the lowdown.

What was the best part of MME?

All the time we got to spend together networking and really getting to know each other was so different from other conferences where there feels like such a barrier between sponsors and attendees. Breakout tables were a nice way to bring the conversations into smaller groups and really connect to and relate with one another!.

What are some key nuggets that will stick with you as you get back to work, answering emails and working on apartment brands?

Strategy and discovery is a crucial step that should always precede brand creation and it’s too important to be skipped.

Invest in what makes a brand and tells its story.

A brand needs a narrative, and that comes from strategy. That narrative may need to pivot over time, like during a phase two lease-up, especially if the goals for the property or the resident persona have shifted –a brand should be a “responsive brand”

Brand strategy should continue throughout the resident journey, even after they are living in the community. The goal with brand should be to create an emotional connection with prospects and maintain that connection while they are residents. 

Educate your teams on the importance of a cohesive brand (and how to understand it), create a playbook for guidance and then empower them to create through the help of user friendly and AI tools like Canvas, chatGPT and MidJourney, for example.

Anything else?

Huge shoutout to Matthew Kilmurry, CEO at Apartment Geofencing. He and his team organized the whole MME conference. Along with the involvement of the sponsors and content committee, everyone had a part to play in this super-cool collaborative conference. Also, the Bozzuto marketing team really prioritized this event as a full-on retreat for their team. That made me feel warm and fuzzy inside!

Please stay tuned for more updates from the multifamily marketing east conference—can’t wait to see everyone next year!

Lessons-for-hospitality-multifamily

Lessons in Hospitality Branding—For Multifamily

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

Guest Post by Stephanie Shore, Director of Marketing and Brand Development, Bozzuto (formerly with Marriott International and Hilton)

Lessons in Hospitality—For Multifamily (1)-03

Multifamily branding and marketing could take some notes from other industries—like hospitality. In hospitality branding, the critical focus is the guest experience; customer loyalty and maintaining brand reputation are the keys to success.

Each of these principles can be easily, almost seamlessly, applied to multifamily.

At an apartment community, the resident experience is the key to retention—and that’s why you work hard on your branding, your marketing, and your resident services—to bring it all together so they renew their lease (AND tell their friends).

Before we get much further, let’s break down the hospitality experience, and what it really means to create exceptional guest experiences.

Understanding the Hospitality Experience

THE KEYS TO HOSPITALITY

The key components of hospitality branding are as follows:

  • Personalized Service
  • Attention to detail
  • Creating memorable moments

These each mean something a little different. 

Personalized service means you receive emails with a personal greeting; welcome cards in your room; and plentiful spa treatments, dining options, and room service items that are available to your guests.

Attention to detail means every single component of your guests’ experience matters. Cleaning the remote. Making sure that order gets to them on time. The TV isn’t too small. The bedding is noticeably soft.

Creating memorable moments is getting an inside track to what your guests want most. Understanding their desires leads you to bringing them the solution—while they’ve barely uttered “Do you have….” Short of reading minds, it means you’re anticipating their every need and making sure that experience wows them.

 

REAL-LIFE HOSPITALITY EXAMPLE:

For Exceptional Guest Experiences: The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton is synonymous with service. Arguably the best known in the industry for their standards of exceptional service, The Ritz-Carlton has founded its brand on the principle, “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen.” Its Three Steps of Service are instilled in all team members, from front desk to housekeeping to management, and guide all guest interactions to create a noteworthy guest experience:

  1. A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest’s name.
  2. Anticipation and fulfillment of each guest’s needs.
  3. Fond farewell. Give a warm good-bye and use the guest’s name.

Applying Hospitality Branding Principles to Multifamily


But how can multifamily properties adopt these principles to get improved resident satisfaction and thereby boost resident loyalty?

Use hospitality as the inspiration for your branding and marketing:

  • Equip your teams with training so they can serve your residents better.
  • Execute a brand strategy (think: brand messaging, brand differentiators) to deliver an excellent experience.
  • Make sure that brand is carried through every element of the customer journey, from the website to the tour to the resident experience.

But, it might be easier to show you with a few examples of stellar branding, amenity, and service.

REAL-LIFE COMMUNITY EXAMPLES:

1331

1331 in Washington D.C. is conceived to exceed expectations, and enables a lifestyle that is unattainable at any other residence in D.C. The level of service at 1331 is similar to a world-class hotel. Every need has been anticipated, beginning before a resident moves in with the Move-In Concierge to Away-From-Home Services assisting with pet or plant care while they are out of town to on-site event planning. The menu of options even extends beyond the building itself, through exclusive partnerships. Residents of 1331 enjoy access to Salamander’s spa, fitness center and restaurants, as well as catering and events. Those on the Penthouse Level receive elevated access to Salamander and an additional selection of personalized services to create an all-encompassing services experience.

The Barrett & The Claude at Chevy Chase Lake

At both The Barrett and The Claude at Chevy Chase Lake, your experience is everything.

That’s why, in addition to the world-class design and amenities, both apartments offer exceptional services for residents. Available services at The Barrett and The Claude include concierge services, Away-from-Home services, in-home customization services, grocery delivery, room service, a garage care center, exclusive retail partnerships, monthly fitness programming and events, and the Bozzuto Welcome Home commitment.

Heron at Water Street Tampa

Heron offers you every modern comfort to streamline your life and enhance your experience. From a state-of-the-art fitness studio to a green-roof viewing garden to direct access to the Tampa Riverwalk. A bike storage room even has a repair station equipped with tools so you can get back out onto the Riverwalk in no time. Life at Heron is enhanced by the bespoke services offered to residents; the24-hour concierge helps to coordinate a variety of personalized home care services for residents’ comfort and convenience, including pet care and housekeeping recommendations.

Branding Strategies Inspired by Hospitality

Hospitality is hyper-focused on branding. With good reason. A strong brand identity creates differentiation, highlights unique characteristics, and emphasizes the values of the hotel brand.

The same goes for a community. A brand that communicates why it exists through its storytelling (throughout its marketing) creates a more compelling emotional connection than any run-of-the-mill “Lease Today for 1 Month Free!” offers could ever manage.

VISUAL BRANDING

Branding’s more than a logo. But that’s certainly part of it. Brand visual identity can (and should) be used to convey the uniqueness of the community itself: its interior design, its level of service, its features and amenities.  Typefaces can help carve out your identity—for example, serif fonts can feel more elevated and refined, while sans serif fonts can lean into a more approachable brand feel. Color palette can be used strategically as well: High-contrast neutral colors  can feel more elegant than, say, bright, deeply saturated hues. Unique visual identifiers like design elements and imagery can aid these basics to solidify brand recognition.

Marketing Strategies Taken from Hospitality

When you know your ideal customer—guest or resident—you can attract them based on what you know about their motivations, pain points, preferences, and overall lifestyle. For someone with a dog, you can offer on-site grooming and a grass-filled, shaded dog park. For someone who works from home, you can ensure your messaging talks about flexible desk spaces and high-speed internet.

EMAIL DRIP CAMPAIGNS

Targeted marketing campaigns ensure that your messaging reaches the right audience at the right time—email drip campaigns are a great tactic to ensure your messaging is sent throughout relevant stages of the customer journey. Automation makes this kind of campaign even more frictionless. For example, if a prospect signs up for a tour of your community, you can automate an email that follows up confirming key details, and perhaps pairs brand messaging with any applicable concessions. Hospitality brands are great at this—always staying on top of their guest messaging with incentives to book another stay.

SOCIAL RAPPORT

Additionally, hospitality brands are highly active online: social channels are another lever to tell the brand story, while websites feature inspirational photography and clear booking capabilities. Communities can easily do this with desirable photography, a thoughtfully designed site, and clear calls-to-action. 

Pro tip: Dedicate sections of your website specifically to service. For example, creating special callouts for your Penthouse(s) shows your dedication to deliver on those top-notch services, and differentiates your community brand from competitors.

All in all, every community and hotel we’ve shown conveys the high level of service at the property—starting from the earliest point in the customer journey. 

When everything’s done in the service of the resident and in the service of the guest—the goals for multifamily and hospitality aren’t all that different. To create a successful community, keep your residents happy, and keep residents at the heart of everything you do – it’s what hospitality brands do, and it’s what we try to do in every Bozzuto community.