Developing a brand identity that encourages customers to form a personal connection with your product is one of the most important steps in securing a sale. This is especially true in the multifamily industry, where residents need to be fully confident that your apartment is their best option before they commit to a lease. A relationship such as this one is built on one fundamental element: trust. But how do you build trust with a potential resident before they even walk into the leasing office?

When building trust, your biggest asset actually comes from your current and former residents. Not surprisingly, consumers trust the opinions of others more than what companies say about themselves, and the influence and input of others is crucial in the decision-making process. This concept, called social proof, reveals that we are psychologically programmed to learn from others to prevent making potentially detrimental decisions. One of the primary ways customers learn information about a product or service, second-most only to information directly from the company itself, is from what they hear from others. Therefore, it is incredibly important for potential residents to see your apartments through the experience of current or former residents. In a digital marketing campaign, the best way to do this is through user-generated content.

User-Generated Content Marketing

Others’ opinions and experiences with a company have become so influential in a brand’s publicity strategy that an entirely new branch of marketing has developed to account for it. User-generated content marketing (UGC), or consumer-generated content marketing, is when businesses utilize content crafted by consumers to promote their brand. UGC includes social media posts on sites such as Instagram and Facebook, blog posts, podcasts, customer reviews, a short comment on a forum and content on any other digital platform that’s created by a third-party customer. It can be photos, text, videos or any other form of media.

Although it may seem trivial, UGC has a powerful effect on conversion rates. A study by Business Insider concluded that customers who engage with UGC when shopping for a specific product are a whopping 97% more likely to convert than those who do not.

It’s apparent that UGC makes an impact on the purchasing decision, but how can property managers apply this strategy when marketing apartments?

How Can I Use UGC to Market Apartments?

The content your residents put out into the social sphere about your apartments often creates enough buzz alone, but one of the best ways UGC can be used to market an apartment is to add it to your company’s own social media outlets and website.

Add a Google review to your website, or find fun pictures on social media of a resident’s apartment décor and ask if you can use it for marketing purposes. Contests are also good ways to get UGC. Host a best decorated apartment competition where residents enter by submitting a photo of their apartment. You could also host a contest where residents receive a prize for writing a Google review.

Many of our residents at Trimark Properties post photos of their luxury apartments in Gainesville, FL, which is a great way to get our apartments in front of potential renters who are usually connected with tenants on social media.

The best part about UGC marketing is you can get creative and see the innovative ways residents have shown off your apartments. Think outside of the box when looking for UGC to use in your marketing strategy!

Why Use User-Generated Content Marketing for Multifamily?

Aside from making a connection with your residents, how does UGC marketing directly benefit you as a property manager?

Using UGC Improves SEO

Google’s page ranking algorithms take into account the amount of unique content on a website, and UGC provides inimitable material for the search engine spiders to crawl, meaning a potential spike in your Google ranking.

More Time for Other Marketing and Management Activities

Because residents create the content for you, UGC allows you to spend more time on other important property management activities, such as leasing and logistics.

Free Advertising

User-generated content is essentially free advertisement. You won’t have to pay a graphic designer or photographer to develop images for a website, because you will be getting relatable, free content from your residents.

UGC is a creative, low-cost, and strategic way to market your apartments. When potential residents see your properties from the perspective of current residents, they are more likely to engage with your products and their trust in your company will increase.

What creative UGC marketing tactics have you used?