Corporate branding and community asset branding are similar…but not exactly the same in multifamily.

Multifamily corporate branding differs in its goals, audience, and the way it's rolled out. But the strategy is much the same:

• Get employee buy-in
• Keep things consistent and clear
• Maintain the brand promise

Let's review all the aspects of corporate branding.

The goal with branding is to help a business—a company—be successful. But the steps to get to that point are less straightforward. There are four common groups and associated goals that will see your multifamily brand and need to resonate with it. Depending on who you want to attract, your goal may shift.

Striking, consistent branding is a show of strength to investors—the effort you put in can display professionalism and what they can expect going forward if they're looking to make a sound investment. If your company's primary goal is to attract investors, they should be your target audience. Strategically develop the corporate brand to resonate with them while communicating the company's services and capabilities to create trust.

If you want to sell your third-party management services to owners, get your culture aligned. Similar to how any business owner vets and interviews potential employees—they're a representation of your brand. Creating a clear corporate multifamily brand can help speed up the process of selling third-party management services to owners. The clearer a corporate brand is internally, the clearer it will likely be externally, with all your business transactions and partnerships.

If you want to attract employees, make sure your brand is embedded in your culture. Not all employees are top–of-the-line. You have to attract or train them, and then: retain them. The branding in place can do this by helping create a culture around the corporate brand. When your culture is established, the corporate brand helps do some of the heavy lifting for you—the prospective employees may be able self-sort and be attracted by the brand that resonates with them. Additionally, your brand promise is lived out in how you interact and treat your staff. They won't believe a word of your "We want everyone to feel at home" mission statement if you berate your employees.

If your main goal is to get leases signed, make sure your brand is air-tight. Seeing a corporate brand that has its stuff together is good for a number of reasons—residents will have some semblance of brand recognition, and your management company's portfolio may end up being top-of-mind for the residents when they have to relocate if they've already had a good experience at another community your corporate brand is managing.

Also: If you're aiming to make your brand more resident-facing (more details on brand visibility in the next section) and your website will function as a "mini ILS" to show off a searchable version of your portfolio of properties, you'll want to gear your messaging and brand toward the end user.

Say you saw a sign for "Sunseeker Hills—Managed by Zenith Properties". Does that feel out of place? Normal? Too much? Not enough? How should a corporate brand show up at the property level? That completely depends on the owner, the operator, the desires of both.

Depending on how your corporate brand wants to show up will initiate its visibility level.

If you want residents to have clear knowledge of the property management company that operates the building, make your brand more visible. This can come at a variety of levels:

Light - The brand may appear minimally in resident announcements, and staff may wear corporate branded attire (think "Managed by X Companies" in smaller lettering underneath the asset name, for example.

Medium - For a little more visibility, having "Property Name by Corporate Brand" stated on everything brings it up a notch—all collateral marketing and signage. This level of visibility makes it clear to prospects and residents alike who operates the building.

Heavy - For the most visibility, brand the properties as the corporate brand (like hotels) or a portfolio-wide brand. This will propel brand awareness and recognition in the market

There's also the option to have your corporate brand completely independent of your property brand. If you want to keep them separate and have the operating brand kept behind the scenes, that's a totally fine and valid choice. Note: If the residents don't see the corporate brand, it should still be developed and maintained for groups beyond the resident (investors, owners, operators).

Of course, not all property brands are the same. From sharing a logo to being completely independent (on appearance)—there are a few paths a property brand can take.

Corporate branded properties have a property brand which is the same as the corporate brand. Same name, same logo, same visual identity.

Portfolio branded communities are all branded the same as one another, but still individual from the corporate brand. From one property to the next, the name, logo and visual identity are the same, but the corporate brand is entirely independent and different.

With portfolio named properties, each property has a twist on one name—they are individual brand identities, but have the same Portfolio name. Yet, it's still individual from the corporate brand. In this case "Alta" is the portfolio name.

This is currently the most common way to manage corporate brands and property brands. The property brand is fully individual from the corporate brand and other properties owned or managed by the same company. They don't look or sound related.

Every brand—whether in multifamily or another industry—needs to create brand loyalty. Crafting corporate brand loyalty requires a more specific strategy, attuned to the right audience.

Making costs transparent, and making pricing simple is part of the key to affordability (and building up a reputation as a corporate brand that cares). Keep it simple and straightforward without nickel-and-diming with deposits and fees all up and down your leasing charges. Even if you're a luxury brand.

Speaking of hotels, creating brand loyalty can stem from a robust rewards program. At hotels, you can often claim rewards from staying at the same corporate brand (Hilton Honors or Marriott Bonvoy, for example). These rewards could help you earn discounts or a free stay, depending on how much you use them. Similarly, a corporate brand may create a rewards program for someone renewing for another year, referring a friend, or simply paying rent on time.

Though it's not always the best bang for your buck, Starbucks Rewards work in that it keeps people coming back—because they can earn double stars on specific drinks or at particular times or days. Getting something free makes us a little blind on how much we're spending to get that free coffee.

Taking into account mental and physical health can help create a culture shift in your brand.

Consider offering different programs like:

• A Mental Health Day - A day staff can take off for mental health, even if more for corporate employees can show residents the company cares for the total wellbeing of the employees
• Classes and Services at the Fitness Center - A fully rounded health experience can go beyond gym equipment
• Health Education - Bringing in local professionals to teach classes or guide residents through meditation
• Information for Mental Health - The more assistance with hotlines and local services you offer, the clearer it is that your brand truly cares
  
  
  

This is a big one. Seeing a corporation do good in the world brings all the warm fuzzies. If you know that paying a little more for one brand will help you support them bringing better food access to those in need—you may be convinced that your extra dollars are money well-spent.

Showing this community involvement can be a little tricky, but looking at what your audience cares most about can help you find a few causes that align.

Depending on your target audience, your goals for your multifamily corporate branding may shift in strategy. But keep your brand solid and steady.