Send us Fan Mail

Brand is one of the most powerful levers in multifamily marketing—but many operators underutilize it. Understanding where your marketing and leasing process leaks leads can be a game-changer for occupancy and revenue.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Chris and Anne sit down with Lauren Dewey, founder of Lauren Dewey Consulting, to discuss why now is the time for multifamily marketers to embrace brand strategy. Lauren explains how conducting a full marketing and leasing gap analysis can uncover hidden opportunities, improve performance, and set your properties apart in a competitive market.

The conversation also explores what property management companies are focusing on for 2025 and examines the viability of on-site centralization as a strategic model.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why brand strategy is essential for multifamily marketing
• How to identify and fix gaps in marketing and leasing processes
• Opportunities to stand out in a competitive market
• Predictions for multifamily marketing in 2025
• The role and viability of on-site centralization

Key Topics:
multifamily brand strategy, apartment marketing gap analysis, marketing and leasing optimization, property management strategy, occupancy improvement

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

Your property website is one of the most important marketing assets in multifamily but is it truly designed around how renters behave?

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Jon Simpson, founder of Swifty and Criterion.B, shares data-driven insights into how prospects interact with apartment websites today. From the pages renters visit most to the features they rely on, Jon highlights where marketing teams often miss opportunities to improve conversions.

The conversation also explores the future of apartment websites, including dynamic content that adapts to each renter, personalized experiences, and tools to increase leasing results.

If you’re responsible for marketing performance, leasing results, or digital strategy, this episode will challenge how you think about website design, measurement, and optimization.

In this episode we discuss:

• How renters navigate apartment websites today
• Pages and features that drive engagement and leads
• Common missed opportunities by marketing teams
• Dynamic and personalized content for future websites
• Measuring website impact on leasing performance

Key Topics:
apartment website design, multifamily website strategy, renter behavior, digital leasing experience, website conversion, property marketing performance

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

In multifamily operations, speed is money. When AI and technology work alongside leasing and marketing teams, leads convert to leases faster—boosting revenue and reducing friction in the leasing process.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Paul Yount, Industry Principal at Yardi, joins co-hosts Anne Baum and Chris Johnson to discuss how modern tech stacks and AI solutions are accelerating lease timelines.

Paul shares actionable strategies for enhancing leasing efficiency, improving collaboration between marketing and operations, and shaving days off the lead-to-lease process. He also reveals a new KPI that operators should track to demonstrate measurable leasing performance.

In this episode we discuss:

• How AI is enhancing apartment leasing performance
• Tech solutions that accelerate lead-to-lease timelines
• Collaboration between marketing and operations teams
• KPIs to track leasing efficiency and impact on revenue
• Practical strategies for implementing a “speed to lease” tech stack

Key Topics:
apartment leasing technology, AI in multifamily marketing, lease acceleration strategies, Yardi, marketing & operations efficiency, multifamily KPIs

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

The Blueprint Conference is one of the most important events in real estate, bringing together experts to discuss the future of multifamily marketing, operations, and technology.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, co-host Anne Baum is joined by Shelly Steitz, fractional CMO and marketing consultant, and Justin Jones, AI evangelist, to break down the most important takeaways from the event.

The conversation covers a wide range of topics that are shaping the multifamily industry, including the rise of role specialization, leveraging brand power (like the Property Brothers), AI’s growing role in marketing, centralization structures, big data strategies, and the continued importance of collaboration.

In this episode we discuss:

• The evolving role of AI in multifamily marketing
• How branding drives engagement and leasing
• Key data strategies for multifamily operators
• The rise of role specialization in marketing teams
• Structures of centralization in property management
• Collaboration and knowledge-sharing across teams

Key Topics:
multifamily marketing trends, AI in property management, apartment marketing data, Property Brothers branding, role specialization, collaboration in multifamily

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

Janet Rosseth, founder of Cadence Marketing Solutions and Cadence Run Club, is widely recognized as a leader in multifamily marketing. In this episode of The Apartment Department, co-host Anne Baum sits down with Janet to explore her journey in the industry, the strategies that have shaped her success, and the emerging trends that operators and marketers need to know.

From building meaningful connections within the multifamily marketing community to identifying the next big opportunities, Janet shares actionable insights for marketing professionals looking to stay ahead of the curve.

In this episode we discuss:

• Janet’s start and evolution in multifamily marketing
• Key strategies that drive results for apartment marketing teams
• Emerging trends and what’s next for the industry
• Building networks and connecting marketers in multifamily
• Lessons from running Cadence Marketing Solutions and Cadence Run Club

Key Topics:
multifamily marketing strategies, apartment marketing trends, marketing leadership, multifamily marketing insights, property management marketing

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

Multifamily marketing is evolving faster than ever, from social media advertising to geofencing and interactive property experiences. Operators who test and master new tactics gain a significant edge in leasing performance.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Chris and Anne sit down with Debbie Balaker and she shares how she stays ahead of the curve by constantly experimenting with emerging marketing technologies and tactics across multifamily communities, including lease-ups and manufactured home communities.

The conversation covers actionable strategies to improve marketing performance, including social advertising, branding, interactive property experiences, and location-based marketing.

In this episode we discuss:

• How TikTok and social advertising can drive leasing traffic
• Using geo-fencing to target prospective renters
• The role of branding in multifamily marketing
• Interactive site maps and other property tech tools
• Testing new tactics for lease-ups and community marketing

Key Topics:
multifamily marketing strategies, apartment marketing, lease-up marketing, TikTok advertising, geo-fencing, property branding, interactive site maps

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

Apartment websites remain one of the most important marketing assets for multifamily operators—but renter expectations are evolving quickly.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Chris and Anne explore whether the traditional structure of apartment websites still matches how prospects search for and evaluate communities today.

They discuss the must-have features every property website should include, how vendor partners influence website strategy, and whether the industry should begin approaching apartment leasing more like e-commerce.

The conversation challenges long-standing assumptions about digital leasing experiences and explores how operators can improve website performance as renter behavior changes.

In this episode we discuss:

• Whether traditional apartment website formats still work
• Features that improve apartment website performance
• How renter behavior is shaping digital leasing experiences
• The role website vendors play in website evolution
• Whether leasing apartments should function more like e-commerce

Key Topics:
apartment website design, multifamily website strategy, apartment marketing websites, leasing conversion, digital leasing experience

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

How renters search for apartments is changing quickly. New discovery experiences from short-form video to AI-powered search are reshaping how people find information online.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Chris and Anne are joined by Eden Chai, co-founder of Flair, to explore how evolving search behavior is impacting apartment marketing.

Eden explains how new discovery channels like TikTok and emerging AI search experiences in Google are changing how renters expect to find apartments and evaluate brands.

The conversation also explores the growing role of influencers in shaping demand and how apartment operators should think about balancing brand demand generation with traditional search-based discovery.

In this episode we discuss:

• How renter search behavior is changing
• The role of TikTok in apartment discovery
• What Google’s AI-driven search experiences mean for marketers
• How influencers shape renter demand
• Balancing brand awareness with search-driven marketing

Key Topics:
apartment search marketing, renter search behavior, multifamily digital marketing, TikTok apartment marketing, AI search, apartment discovery

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

Resident retention is one of the most powerful drivers of profitability in multifamily but many operators underestimate the role branding plays in keeping residents long term.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Chris and Anne are joined by Jude Chiy, founder of Flamingo, a resident engagement and retention platform.

Jude shares his perspective on why property management companies should rethink how they approach branding, community engagement, and retention strategy. Drawing on data from Flamingo research, the conversation explores how multifamily operators can challenge traditional industry benchmarks and look to other sectors, like software companies, for inspiration.

This episode highlights the opportunity for operators to rethink how brand, community, and resident experience work together to improve retention.

In this episode we discuss:

• Why branding impacts resident retention in multifamily
• How operators should rethink retention benchmarks
• Data insights from Flamingo on resident engagement
• Lessons property managers can learn from the software industry
• Practical ways to improve retention and resident satisfaction

Key Topics:
resident retention strategy, multifamily branding, apartment resident experience, property management operations, multifamily engagement platforms

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

Send us Fan Mail

Digital marketing channels are evolving quickly in the multifamily industry. From social media advertising to location-based targeting, operators have more tools than ever to reach potential renters.

In this episode of The Apartment Department, Chris and Anne are joined by Austin Clem, a digital marketing strategist, to explore how apartment marketers can use TikTok advertising and geo-fencing strategies to increase brand awareness, generate leasing leads, and maintain occupancy.

Austin shares how different marketing approaches should change depending on occupancy levels, budget constraints, and property type. The conversation also explores which metrics actually matter when evaluating digital advertising performance.

In this episode we discuss:

• How TikTok ads can work for apartment marketing
• What geo-fencing is and how it targets renters
• Digital marketing strategies based on occupancy levels
• Budget considerations for multifamily advertising
• Metrics operators should track to measure marketing success

Key Topics:
apartment digital marketing, TikTok ads for apartments, geo-fencing marketing, multifamily advertising strategy, apartment leasing leads

The Apartment Department explores the people, systems, and strategies shaping the future of multifamily.

Flamingo - Resident Retention App
400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.