WHY MULTIFAMILY IS READY
FOR CONTENT MARKETING
BY SHANKER CHALEKODE
R
eal estate is a game of risks and rewards. It’s a strategic bet by each developer that
each project will generate the number of residents necessary to yield a return on their
investment. In today’s crowded market, it’s never been more important to differentiate
your property and generate leads (and ultimately customers).
Marketing in real estate has histori-
cally been viewed as a cost center rather
than a business builder. The perception
is that marketing is necessary, but also
expendable. It’s often diminished to a
building logo or a flowery brochure.
When you need to tighten the belt…
goodbye marketing!
The glaring oversight is that real es-
tate marketing rarely differentiates be-
tween its audiences (whether by gen-
eration, geography, or lifestyle); nor does
real estate marketing leveraged as a
tactic for achieving measurable business
goals. Let’s take a quick glance at the
current environment.
26 | TRENDS • MAY 2017
WHAT DOES MARKETING IN REAL ESTATE
CURRENTLY LOOK LIKE?
One size fits all. When was the last
time you were excited about wearing a
piece of clothing that says “one size fits
all?” Historically, real estate has used a
copy-paste strategy when marketing
apartments. It recycles old messaging
and doesn’t take into account the resident
or the lifestyle.
It seldom harnesses new technology.
Direct mail? Brochures? Sales speak?
The rise of technology and a new age of
consumerism has made some of these
traditional promotional techniques ex-
tinct. The industry has seldom taken
advantage of digital platforms, despite
these being used by their target audience.
It lacks measurement. With new
technology comes the ability to track,
trace, and affect the bottom line. What
kind of ROI is your marketing produc-
ing?
WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING?
Traditional marketing focused on
disruptive tactics. TV commercials and
radio programs have become less effec-
tive with the invention of the DVR and
internet radio—not to mention, today’s
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