Marketing Predictions for 2020

Marketing teams were not always the analytical beasts that they are today. They used to be the team that helped with flyers, balloons and maybe a sign. But those days are long gone. The acceleration of online technology and the creation of new digital marketing channels has forced marketers to learn how to drive traffic digitally, measure these efforts and vet new technologies.

So what’s next in the evolution of marketing? What will marketing teams be focused on in 2020? I have a few ideas.

The Customer Experience
Yes, right now we’re all concerned about the customer experience. But multifamily isn’t using the right technology to streamline it. We still expect customers to enter their information multiple times when executing a lease agreement. Prospects have to fill out multiple lead forms on multiple sites when gathering information. Our systems don’t talk to each other or share information in a way that really makes an impact on our prospects or customers. But marketers are currently researching ways to overcome this and the deployment of these solutions will be a reality within 12 months.

Self-Guided Tours
Talk about the most controversial topic in multifamily. And the hesitations carry legitimacy. How can we let someone tour a community unattended? What about the risk to current residents? How do we protect ourselves from liability? But early adopters of SGT technologies are saying they are saving their leasing teams time and are providing a better leasing experience for their prospects. It seems that the benefits outweigh the concerns with this tech. The day when self-guided tours are a no-brainer is quickly approaching.

The Google Snippet
I’m not sure where multifamily is on this yet. Every leading marketing team has a comprehensive SEO strategy, but achieving a snippet requires intention and diligence. To be frank, I have no idea if this is on anyone’s radar. But it should be. Imagine a prospect searching for an apartment in any submarket, and content from your website displays in a snippet, completely organically. This should be a priority for all marketers in our industry, because the first to achieve it will have a true competitive advantage.

Updated Data Practices
Data analysis happens at multiple departments within multifamily organizations. And often that analysis is kept in silos, which prevents collaboration and efficiency. Looking forward, marketing teams will explore new ways of communicating, sharing and visualizing data, increasing collaboration between pricing, operations and many other teams. These new data practices will revolutionize the way multifamily communicates, identifies revenue opportunities and makes strategic decisions.

Marketing teams have proven their resilience by acknowledging new technologies and adapting their efforts and functionality accordingly. These new trends will only further develop our skill set as a multifamily partner and accelerate operations overall.