Using Look-Alike Modeling for Multifamily Marketing Outreach
A proven technique for expanding audience for multifamily property developers, look-alike modeling should be a key component of any advertising campaign. Look-alike modeling defined Look-alike modeling certainly isn’t a new technique on the modern marketing landscape, but far too many multifamily developers and apartment complex owners fail to grasp just how valuable it can be when it comes to broadening their marketing audience base and spurring overall renter conversions. Briefly defined, look-alike modeling regards your current consumer base as a “seed audience” that can be used to cultivate a far larger audience base while mainlining highly relevant and precise target marketing practices. In other words, a skilled marketing professional will begin to create a look-alike model by analyzing your existing target audience and identifying individual consumers of exceptionally high value. The specific characteristics and behaviors of these consumers can then be used as a template in efforts to reach out to similar individuals that lie beyond the limited purview of your existing marketing efforts. The prevalence and effectiveness of look-alike modeling As reported in the leading sales and marketing medial outlet Business 2 Community, a 2014 study by eXelate determined that a 73 percent of American advertising agencies and 64 percent of advertisers regularly employ look-alike modeling to “enhance their targeting marketing focus.” Furthermore, among the advertising agencies that actively engage in the technique, roughly half say that it improved the overall performance of their marketing campaigns by 100 to 200 percent. Although no other qualified marketing industry resource has released a comprehensive survey of look-alike modeling since this most recent eXelate report, it is safe to assume that the practice has only expanded and become more effective thanks to the continuing evolution of marketing standards and improvements in digital technology. The complex nature of the look-alike modeling process As we have previously discussed, the look-alike modeling process begins when a qualified professional isolates the most valuable members of an existing marketing audience and analyzes their defining attributes. This requires a great deal of expertise because, among other potential problems, marketers who focus on the wrong consumer attributes are bound to skew final look-alike modeling results and set the process off in a decidedly less fruitful direction. GlobalWide Media Analytics Manager Zackary Cantor offered a perfect example of this issue in a recent article for the leading global performance marketing publication PerformanceIN. Detailing look-alike modeling work that he undertook for an apartment rental site that sought to boost overall numbers of online rental applications, he demonstrated the need to value certain consumer attributes far more than others. While many look-alike modeling processes simply look for overlaps in general characteristics and behaviors among different consumer profiles, Cantor quickly realized that this particular model had to pay closer attention to profile attributes for home ownership. Even prospective new audience members who share many attributes in common with the ideal target consumer were “very unlikely” to submit a rental application if they showed a propensity toward home ownership. Look-alike modeling guidelines The intricate nature of look-alike modeling makes it truly effective only in the hands of highly experienced of digital marketing professionals. But how can you tell if your multifamily developer marketing agency has what it takes to produce the look-alike modeling results that you seek? Here are just a couple of guidelines for securing the very best look-alike modeling services available: Pay close attention to any negative predictors – A strong propensity toward home ownership is only one of may potential negative predictors that can easily trump a whole host of commonalities between the most valuable members of your existing marketing audience and the expanded audience base that you want. It is absolute vital to place all data in proper context when determining consumer similarities and differences in order to identify strong negative predicators and give them the appropriate weight in your final look-alike model. Insist on full look-alike model transparency – We have already examined the ways in which the underlying elements of a less than optimal look-alike modeling framework can lead to less than desirable results. If your marketing agency can’t give you a basic understanding of the predictive modeling method that they are employing on your behalf, you may want to look elsewhere for your look-alike modeling needs. How Bigeye can help If you’re looking for a multifamily developer marketing agency with extensive expertise in look-alike modeling and other techniques that can expand your potential customer base and drive prospective renters to your door, contact a skilled and knowledgeable Bigeye representative today.
How to Choose the Best Apartment Marketing Company to Brand My Development
In light of the supreme importance of your apartment complex brand, you’ll want to enlist the help of top professionals to help develop and maintain it. But how can you find the best apartment marketing company for you? Why Branding is Essential for Your Apartment Complex If you are in the process of launching your first multifamily residential business or considering a rebrand for either a longstanding property or recently acquired apartment property, you are likely asking, “What is the best apartment marketing company to brand my development?” Furthermore, if you aren’t questioning your current branding efforts, you probably should be. Most residential development marketers realize how important it is to promote the outstanding features and conveniences of their apartment complexes and specific apartment units. However, even seasoned professionals in the multifamily residential field often underestimate the incredible value of brand optimization. An overwhelming amount of statistical research confirms the superlative importance of company branding across a wide range of industries and markets. In fact, according to the Content Marketing Institute 77 percent of marketing leaders identify branding as critical to growth. On the consumer side, Small Biz Genius reports that 89 percent of shoppers remain loyal to brands that share their values. Furthermore, 64 percent of people surveyed by the Harvard Business Review cite shared values as their main reason for establishing a consumer relationship with one or more specific brands. In the highly competitive multifamily residential real estate market, branding is particularly important for businesses that want to differentiate themselves from their closest competitors. After determining the outstanding features and amenities that make your property unique and the exact audience demographic that you wish to target, a good apartment marketing agency can develop and/or build upon a brand image that rises to the occasion to meets your particular wants and needs. Tips for Choosing the Ideal Apartment Branding Agency But how can you find a marketing company that has what it takes to spearhead branding operations for your multifamily residential business? The masterminds at Ad Age Magazine have come up with a couple of general guidelines to start you off in the right direction: Establish clear goals and expectations – Before you can find an agency to deliver a specific result, you must first clearly define exactly what that result should be. After you have established your specific objectives, you can source and examine the options that are most likely to meet them. You might search out that edgy marketing startup to make your provocative marketplace splash or gravitate toward that industry stalwart to foster an image that is both stable and trustworthy. Narrow your search – Anyone attempting to sort through thousands of potential advertising agencies will quickly become overwhelmed and lose all sense of perspective. In fact, even choosing between a dozen or so agency options can become quickly problematic. To combat this problem, Ad Age says that even “your initial ‘long” list should be relatively short and focused.” Real estate professionals can turn to their affiliated industry associations or a qualified search consultant to source only the most effective potential candidates. Forbes Magazine reached out to a variety of marketing leaders to get further tips for choosing the right marketing agency for specific branding purposes. Some of the results were quite inspired. The HOTH’s Marc Hardgrove, for example, recommends a close examination of each candidate’s in-house branding and advertising efforts. After all, any agency that cannot brand itself is likely to have difficulty branding your apartment complex. In its 2018 article, Forbes also quoted Danielle Wiley of the Sway Group, who cited a compatible business philosophy as the top reason to choose a specific marketing agency. If your multifamily residential company, like most successful enterprises, fosters business approaches that are collaborative, practical, and forward-thinking, you would be wise to embrace an advertising agency that has similar values. Reach Out to Bigeye Today If you’re looking for an exceptional branding company for developments in the multifamily residential sector, Bigeye offers a range of personalized services to help you build a unique brand from scratch, execute an efficient rebranding, or refine your existing brand to connect with a whole new audience. Contact us today – a skilled and knowledgeable marketing professional is standing by to answer any questions that you might have.