The Most Common Branding Mistakes in Multifamily (Part 2)

We’re back for part two of the most common branding mistakes in multifamily!
(If you missed part one, check it out here.)

It always feels cheaper and simpler to toss branding to the side as a last-minute, not-that-important thing.

But we’re here to tell you—you’ll likely miss out on leads and it will be way more complicated to fix your reputation and get your brand back on track if you don’t get after it from the start.

For Property/Apartment Brands

BRANDING MISTAKE #6: UNINSPIRED NAMES

If you gave me a dollar for every property that was called _____ Villas or _____ Flats, I wouldn’t need to have my own business. (Don’t do what everyone else is doing!) It’s better to start a brand off right with a name that has a story behind it, name the apartments something with meaning.

Look into the history of the area. Find out what the building (or land site) used to be. Determine whether the owners or property managers have special ties to the project. When you have a clever name, it can catch your prospects’ attention. Intrigue and curiosity goes a long way with the customer journey.

MISTAKE #7: NO STRATEGY

Just flying by the seat of your pants? Cool for last-minute vacations, but not so much for a huge investment like an apartment community. Just remember: every market is different, so having a strategy in place that goes beyond the surface level demographics will certainly boost your efficacy.

Do your research and set up your strategy to make the most of what you know. If you’re thinking, “Ah, but branding is really only a logo and colors” well, first, you’re wrong. Second, you’ve got a long way to go.

Branding isn’t just about looks. It should look good, yes, but going with what’s always been done is not going to give you a leg up on the competition. Instead, you’ll look like one of MANY that are doing the same thing. 

Since the logo is the face of the brand, it should be thoughtfully crafted. Your visual identity is also a lot more than colors and fonts. It’s everything that can be seen that your prospects and residents can connect with. Visually, you’re creating a lifestyle “vibe” that must attract and resonate with the audience you’ve done the research on. 

Create your branding strategy with an ideal resident profile in mind and you’ll find things go a bit more predictably. Those “extra elements” aren’t extra. They’re part of your brand identity.

MISTAKE #8: SKIPPING BRAND MESSAGING

Speaking of “extra”—some properties believe brand messaging isn’t totally necessary and that website copy just written for SEO is enough. This part of your brand identity (we call it the verbal identity) isn’t as obvious, but it’s just as important. When you’re one option of many for apartment hunters, residents are going to see a lot of the same ol’, same ol’ unit and community amenity lists. So how can you actually set yourself apart?

By identifying a verbal identity that is uniquely yours. “Use your words” to get their attention and tell the story of how you’re different. This can be your vibe, your history, and the whole…lifestyle package you offer. Another bonus of all that resident research you did: You have a better grasp of what their deepest desires are—and then you can align your property brand to be just that.

For Corporate Brands

At the risk of thinking corporate brands are immune to this mistake, they unfortunately are not. There’s still plenty of branding work that requires attention, especially in the larger context of corporate property brands.

MISTAKE #9: NO TRUE IDENTITY

There was a tiny wall hanging of the “Teen Commandments” in the hallway of my house as an adolescent and teen. “Stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything” was commandment five. It came to mind when I was thinking about branding.

If you’re careful, you’ll consciously create a brand that is specific and consistent. That means your brand is clear on:

• Who the brand is (mission, vision)
• What the brand stands for (goals, values, culture); and
• Everything beyond your products and services (the WHY)

There have been a number of times where our clients—property management companies—don’t know how to identify their identity. Busy thinking their brand is just the logo, they don’t pay attention to the culture being built within their company, whether intentional or not. 

MISTAKE #10:  IGNORING REPUTATION

Right in line with the “not paying attention”—a brand reputation can make or break a brand. This goes hand-in-hand with online reviews as well as word of mouth.

Good reputation? Awesome. Play it up. Use it to make the brand presence known in corporate, and prospect/resident-facing in your properties. Once your prospects and residents realize who is behind the good experience they’re having, that equates to an even better rep. If they move or want to refer friends, they’ll look for your management company first. Ah, customer loyalty.

Bad reputation? Yikes, get to work on fixing it with a rebrand. Overhaul your brand and get a fresh start on your reputation so you can rebuild it into something better.

Don’t ignore what people are saying—they’re the people who are interacting with your brand.

MISTAKE #11: LACK OF BRAND BUY-IN

Branding has to have some measure of buy-in from the top-down, and from the inside-out. If there is any bit of inconsistency or inauthenticity, it will be found out by your prospects and residents. 

At the corporate level, it’s vital to instill the brands to the whole team. Through training, through understanding, through effectively using the brand guidelines as the rule. Everyone that comes into contact with your brand should understand who you are and what you do based on:

• What they see
• What they hear
• What they experience

And when we say “everyone that comes in contact with your brand” this includes investors, owners, suppliers, AND residents.

Wondering about a rebrand now? Plenty more where that came from—check out parts one and two on corporate branding for multifamily to get even more details on what to do and how to do it.

If you’re working through multifamily branding, we hope this helps. As always, if you have more questions than answers, hit us up.