Many multifamily communities recognize the benefits of investing in digital channels but do not have an official plan to support this investment and effectively engage their online prospects. Starting a digital marketing strategy can seem like a daunting task at first, but once you take the time to consider your goals, audience, and channels, the less overwhelming the process will become. And, once completed, you’ll welcome the insights and clear measures on ROI that you will experience having an integrated and defined strategy in place.  Here are five steps to developing a fully integrated digital strategy.

1. Determine your goals

You likely know the general desired outcome for your digital marketing efforts. Now, it’s time to dig a bit deeper to define precisely what that may look like numerically. When clarifying these goals, consider the overall goals for your property and then think about ways your digital marketing channels can support achieving these goals. Ensure the goals can be measured clearly with key performance indicators, like applications, website traffic, or signed leases, and they remain achievable and timely.

2. Define your target audience.

Knowing who you are trying to reach is essential to achieving success with your strategy. You’ll want to understand your target audience’s demographics, like age, occupation, likes and dislikes, habits, location, education, and more. Developing a persona of the ideal renter will help you fine-tune your content and marketing channels, among other tactics, so that they resonate with your prospects and foster conversion.

3. Select your digital marketing mix.

It would be best to incorporate a bit of intentionality and strategy when selecting your marketing mix. Using the information from your established goals, choose digital marketing channels that will offer the most bang for your buck. The gold standard for many multifamily communities is the incorporation of Google Ads and search engine optimization (SEO). Both methods allow you to meet your prospects right where they are. Google Ads provides great exposure at reasonable pricing in a relatively timely period and SEO, when implemented correctly, offers free organic traffic over time. You may also want to consider purchasing ad space on social media platforms to increase your success rate further. When selecting your designated channels, keep the budget and long-and short-term goals top of mind to create the best ROI for your property.

4. Cater your content to your audience.

Your messaging should be strategic, intentional and drive your audience to convert–be it to call, email, or click to sign-up for a virtual tour. You can research top keywords for your property by reviewing phrases that users are currently using to find you and your competition; then, incorporate them into the strategy. The content presented on your digital ads should reinforce the content on your website and remain relevant, clear, and easy to understand. If leveraging SEO, ensure your keywords are intentionally placed throughout your website but flow naturally. Last, incorporate call-to-actions that stand out among other messaging and optimize each page for Google’s search results. 

5. Create an evaluation plan.

Congratulations! You’re almost there. The last step in the process is to determine how often you’ll evaluate your KPIs against your pre-defined goals. You’ll want to analyze this data regularly to determine if adjustments are necessary. One of the beautiful things about digital marketing is that you can execute, pause and adjust as needed with maximum flexibility. If you notice one particular ad is not producing results, you can swap out photos, replace the messaging, and/or incorporate a different keyword. Assessing your campaign’s performance often is the number one key to creating a winning digital marketing strategy.  

Rentbot can help.

If you need assistance with crafting your digital marketing strategy, Rentbot can help. With Google Ads and advanced SEO services, we’ll help ensure your digital marketing strategy is one that will provide proven results for your property. We’ll give clear reporting each month that offers updates on your current goals, and quarterly strategy calls with your Rentbot Pro to discuss your overall campaign performance. Let us help improve your website ranking and optimize your property ads so that the right searchers notice you at the right time. Learn more about our services here.    

About the Author

Jonsette Calloway joined the Rentbot team in 2015. With a background in public relations, advertising, and copywriting, she has helped many clients achieve their marketing and communications goals within various fields, but she particularly enjoys working with the apartment industry.