Are you ready to drive results that matter? Property marketing spend can significantly impact NOI — in a positive way — but only if you know what questions to ask your marketing team. It used to be hard to see and understand property marketing results. Marketers had a hard enough time tracking which leads came from where, let alone which sources brought in leases. ILS and lead journey data was incomplete, and it could be hard to tell which budget items resulted in returns. If you were outside of marketing, perhaps working in operations or another adjacent department, understanding marketing spend could be even trickier. Fortunately, with better technology comes better data. Today, it’s easy to see exactly where a lead first became aware of your brand and at what point they converted. It’s also easy to see how much you’re spending per lead and lease. In fact, you can calculate how much you’re getting back for every $1 of advertising budget spent (keep reading to find out how). When you’re looking to guide your marketing team and help drive results that matter, here are five questions you should ask. 1. What is our current marketing mix, and is there data to support it? Marketers should know how the marketing budget is organized and why. Your corporate and regional marketing strategy should be based on historical conversion data and — if including a new technique or source — industry research and case study data. Marketing sources should include a balance of traditional ILS advertising and director-to-renter marketing. ILS marketing is critical for the awareness phase of the renter journey, but it doesn’t also get you the most qualified leads. Director-to-renter marketing, such as SEO and PPC advertising, sends renters directly to your websites where...
Apartmentalize 2022
NEW TECH + EVENT DETAILS
Apartmentalize, powered by NAA, is back! Starting June 22, multifamily leaders from around the nation will gather at the San Diego Convention Center. See the latest innovations and take part in conversations that will shape the future of multifamily. Find out where success happens at booth 815. We’re excited to share how our solutions are solving for industry trends at every stage of the resident lifecycle. Trusted solutions that fit your workflow We’re here to help you attract quality prospects, convert leads into leases, manage the resident experience and optimize your business. Here’s a preview of just some of what we can help you with: Attract quality prospects with expert help Ready to attract more prospects that convert? Learn how to grow awareness, traffic and marketing ROI with help from REACH by RentCafe, a dedicated digital marketing agency for multifamily.Schedule a free consultation with our REACH by RentCafe experts during the show. In just 15 minutes, you’ll learn how to create a winning web presence, stand out in search and lower your cost per lease. Convert prospects with automated communication, nurturing & fraud prevention Your customer is more than just a renter. Create a seamless prospect-to-resident experience and assist your staff with these customer-centric solutions: Chat IQ is an automated attendant that responds to chat, text, email and voice. This solution saves our clients time and money, all while delivering superior customer experience 24/7. Yardi’s CRM is your site staff’s ultimate partner. It has online and in-person functionalities that engage with your prospects and residents, supporting your staff through the entire leasing lifecycle. ID Verifyand Income Verificationare mobile-friendly solutions that use AI and automation to quickly authenticate applicant identities and income. No more back-and-forth emails to manually verify applicants – just fast, simple, online leasing. Book a meeting at booth 815 to see these solutions in action! Manage residents with an industry-leading system In multifamily real estate, delivering the right customer experience means retaining residents and keeping them in the family. Make it easier for residents to stay by enabling them to pay rent online, renew their lease, submit a work order and more from a branded resident mobile app. Then, level up with Maintenance IQ, which reduces days from your unit-turn process – making every property hum with efficiency. Stop by booth 815 to see how Yardi software continues to put your customers first. Optimize asset performance with an elevated solution One of the smartest systems in the industry just got smarter. Yardi’s Elevate Suite, including Asset IQ, Revenue IQ and Forecast IQ, helps you optimize NOI and asset value with predictive analytics backed by data and benchmarking. Make more informed decisions with a 360-degree view into your business. Expense and revenue benchmarking allow you to understand the full performance picture, placing you at an advantage to optimize occupancy and increase asset value. That’s just the start. Reserve a private demo at booth 815 to see our solutions work. See more, do more, learn more Make the most of your time at Apartmentalize with sessions that will inspire you to take action. Yardi leaders will be there to share industry insights and more. Here’s a peek: Youth & Wisdom: Pairing Experienced Marketers with Fresh Perspectives – June 22, 12:30-1:30 p.m. What can seasoned marketers learn from new employees? A lot! Hear from KETTLER and The Management Group, two industry-leading brands that create marketing magic by combining proven strategy with innovative insights. Learn how to encourage mentorship and collaboration to drive measurable results. Hosted by Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing at Yardi and REACH by RentCafe. Imploding Myths on Technology Advancement with Affordable Housing – June 23, 3-3:45 p.m. Explore potential affordable housing solutions and learn about the latest tech to advance your industry knowledge. Join Chris Voss, vice president at Yardi, in a conversation designed to address misunderstandings about barriers unique to affordable housing, including the recertification...
Yardi at Apartmentalize
Get the Details
Chicago has reopened, and Apartmentalize powered by NAA will be there at McCormick Place from Aug. 31-Sept. 2 to bring forward-thinking multifamily operators from across the country and leading solution providers together. Yardi will return as a proud top tier partner, presenter and exhibitor. Read on for everything you need to know about this year’s event. See our innovative proptech Don’t miss the chance to connect with Yardi in person at Apartmentalize 2021. Come to booth #1001 to see our latest protech innovations. We’re excited to show you how our single connected solution will help you visualize performance, reduce expenses, automate interactions and enhance operations to increase your NOI. We will be featuring: REACH by RentCafe: Improve marketing ROI with advanced digital marketing services including SEO, PPC, social media, reputation management and performance analytics. RentCafe: Drive leases and improve retention for higher rental revenue with self-guided tours, a chatbot and smart home services. Yardi Elevate Suite: Combine deep operational data, market intelligence, revenue forecasting and prescriptive analytics to optimize asset performance and increase NOI. Introducing Yardi Breeze Premier: Our intuitive and powerful property management software is making its industry debut at the show. Boost performance with an easy-to-use, all-in-one marketing, management and accounting system. Reserve a private demo to see any or all of our proptech innovations that will take your business forward. Learn with us Yardi leaders will be participating in four educational sessions to share insights on hot industry topics and trends. Take advantage of these opportunities to deepen your industry knowledge and improve your operational strategies. Meet Gen Z: Understanding the Next Generation of Renters | Aug. 31, noon-12:45 p.m. Join Esther Bonardi, vice president at Yardi, as she leads a panel on Gen Z renter preferences with Garin Hamburger, senior director of national property marketing at Cushman & Wakefield, and Brooke Atsalis, marketing and training manager at The Management Group, LLC. Over 40,000 survey responses will help you get to know Gen Z through the data. Review shifting search trends, examine touring preferences and discover five tech must-haves. Learn how to adapt your property marketing strategy and shape your future success as we prepare to welcome a new generation home. Emerging Issues: Inflation and Its Effect on the Industry | Aug. 31, 1:15-2 p.m. NAA’s AVP of research, Paula Munger, joins industry experts, Jeff Adler of Yardi Matrix and Jay Parsons of RealPage, to discuss price trends, their impact on the economy and the industry, and what we can expect for the remainder of another very strange year. How will it affect the industry and how much sleep should you be losing over it? How Universities’ COVID-19 Decisions Impact the Student Housing Industry | Sept. 1, 3:45-4:30 p.m. Join Jeff Adler and Chris Nebenzahl of Yardi Matrix for a discussion on fall 2021 pre-leasing and how it compares to prior years. They’ll discuss rent growth in a post-COVID world, new development of purpose-built student housing, how universities have handled the pandemic from operational and housing perspectives and future plans for the industry. Myth Busting: Case Studies Debunking Affordable Housing Online Application Process | Sept. 1, 3:45-4:30 p.m. Geared towards affordable housing operators, Yardi vice president Christopher Voss joins Dawn Ford of Smart Apartment Solutions and Smart Moves, Phyllis Garcia of Ovation and Shay Dugan of TM Associates as they talk about the need for conducting business online and the perceived barriers considered unique to the affordable housing market. Pick up tools and possible solutions, such as low cost/no cost and easily accessible platforms that smash the myths that technology cannot exist in the application processes. See the complete Apartmentalize schedule for more information. Can’t make it this year? Not attending Apartmentalize 2021 but want to learn more about our solutions? Check out the Yardi Multifamily Suite, join a webinar or contact us with any...
Apartmentalize, Answered
Day 2 in Denver at 2019 NAA Event
(June 27, 2019) – Yardi executives and clients brought their A game to Apartmentalize in Denver on Thursday, providing answers to pressing questions facing multifamily professionals. Read our day one recap here. The country’s preeminent apartment industry get-together continued at an energetic pace with a full day of sessions, featured speakers like actress/producer Mindy Kaling (The Office/The Mindy Project) and the NAA Expo, which opened Thursday afternoon for product demonstrations, giveaways and special interactive events. Kaling recounted her early days in New York City attempting to break into the acting and writing scene. She and her two best friends shared a railroad style apartment. Railroad style apartments have a series of connected rooms, making privacy near impossible. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but there’s one time in your life when you can share an apartment with connected rooms with your best friends, and it’s when you’re 21,” she shared. Kaling, now 40, also confided that she’d love to purchase an apartment building in New York City for her frequent work trips to the city. She couldn’t have found a more appropriate audience than 10,000 apartment managers and executives. Yardi is one of two Strategic Alliance Partners for the conference and a major contributor to the NAA Education Institute. A video that introduced the company at Thursday’s general session can be viewed below: Thursday night, conference attendees were bused to the Denver Performing Arts Complex for an epic outdoor party that included live entertainment, a silent disco, breakdancers, caricature artists, BMX riders, a slackline performance, photo booths, and food truck fare. But before party time, Yardi executives at Apartmentalize dove in to answer critical client questions in three insightful education sessions. Top Tech Trends for Better NOI Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing at Yardi, moderated a panel including Garin Hamburger, senior director of national property marketing for Pinnacle; and Taylor Wiederkehr, director of innovation services for BH Management Services. The group explored emerging technologies disrupting the future of rental housing. They focused on artificial intelligence, machine learning and energy efficiency, and the impact of each on business operations and resident experiences. Over the last decade, energy efficiency and utility management have become hot topics in multifamily. For both NOI and the planet, “it’s a good chance for our industry to make an impact,” said Bonardi. In today’s technology-focused world, how can multifamily professionals tackle energy spend? Bonardi discussed the importance of having an energy strategy. Utilizing ENERGY STAR benchmarking, implementing energy management solutions, and installing IoT-enabled devices like smart thermostats which reduce costs and energy use. “There are 17 billion IoT devices currently connected. By 2025 that will double to 34 billion,” said Hamburger. “We’ll need to have it in all of our communities because it will be the norm.” Providing a basic IoT package – a smart hub, connected thermostat and upgraded outlets – has been beneficial for Pinnacle. The national multifamily housing provider has seen higher profits and been able to raise rents at IoT-enhanced properties. Hamburger shared that featured like self-guided tours and artificial intelligence for lead nurturing have resulted in cost savings and staff efficiency. BH Management Services has fully embraced the Internet of Things. At property refurbishments, the firm has installed smart home systems across its portfolio, capitalizing on control and convenience for residents. A self-proclaimed former skeptic of IoT-connected living, Wiederkehr advised that “IoT will be the foundation for the future of multifamily.” Resilience, Climate Change and Energy Use A panel moderated by Martin Levkus, regional director of sales for Yardi, focused on the threat of continued climate change and strategies for both reducing energy use and preparing for climate challenges ahead. Speakers Deb Cloutier, president of RE Tech Advisors, and Cindy Zhu, fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy, brought exceptional insight to the topic. “In the past, resilience and climate change hasn’t been a focus of conversation. Real estate...
Apartmentalize 2019
The people business
DENVER (June 26, 2019) – The National Apartment Association’s annual summer conference, Apartmentalize, got underway Wednesday at the Denver Convention Center. It’s the ultimate destination for multifamily professionals to get educated, engaged and inspired. But a consistent theme throughout the event’s opening sessions was not renting apartments or multifamily technology, but something far simpler: people. “I love this industry because we interact so intimately with our customers,” said Melissa Joy, vice president of Village Green. “Renting an apartment is the best or the worst day of someone’s life.” Making the experience as positive as possible for residents is Village Green’s constant goal, Joy explained. “We obsess over our residents and their happiness.” The theme of this year’s Apartmentalize is “Everyone. Together.” That spirit of inclusivity pervaded the educational sessions – which covered topics like fair housing, short term rentals, technology, management techniques, benchmarking, investment ROI, leasing best practices, workplace violence, apartment advocacy, reputation management and more. A highlight of Wednesday’s Living Room Learning, a series of quick TED talk-style presentations, was Heather Blume and her service dog MoonMoon, who bluntly addressed the negative reaction she has encountered to her certified service animal. “When you have a service dog, your disability is on display,” Blume confided. But MoonMoon has enabled her to overcome debilitating panic and PTSD attacks to travel, work and give speeches again. She urged multifamily professionals to consider the whole picture when considering renting to residents who rely on support animals. “Home is supposed to be a safe place, and we are home providers,” said Blume, a training and leasing consultant from Seattle, with MoonMoon calmly seated behind her on the stage. Wednesday concluded with a keynote address by Brandon Stanton, who you may have never heard of – but he’s the...
5 marketing ideas
From Apartmentalize 2019
Apartmentalize 2019 features famous speakers – including Mindy Kaling and Laila Ali as the 2019 event’s closing address. But only one session had people camped out on the floor: that of the Apartment All Stars, a spirited group of four well-known apartment marketing consultants who shared the fun and creative marketing strategies they’ve recently observed nationwide. Working with a variety of multifamily clients with unique market conditions and challenges, here’s a quick list of fun apartment marketing ideas shared by Lisa Trosien, Toni Blake and Jackie Ramstedt. Kate Good, the fourth All Star, acted as moderator for the event. “This business is full of heart, and our humanity is our greatest amenity,” Blake said. For the crowd of leasing, management and operations professionals, there couldn’t have been a better reinforcement of their work’s value. Here are some creative ways that America’s apartments are attracting new residents in 2019: Pop culture themed marketing events. One community that Trosien worked with hosted a play on the hit HBO show Game of Thrones called “Game of Homes.” A combination of an apartment tour and an escape room challenge, prospects flooded to the property for something unique based on their favorite show. If you made it out of the “escape room,” your reward was a discount on move in fees. A large bump in leads and leases signed was the result of the event. Celebrating the character of your company. Multifamily managers and operators are known for their volunteerism and community-focused nature. Tell your residents! “We need to take the best part of the apartment industry, which is US, and make it a part of our marketing,” Blake said. Unique amenities focused on resident convenience. Trosien’s daughter lives in an East Coast property managed by Yardi client Bozzuto...
Connect at NAA
Find Yardi at Apartmentalize
What do Mindy Kaling, David Rendall and real estate thought leaders — including experts from Yardi —have in common? They will be present to inspire and energize at Apartmentalize 2019. The apartment industry’s don’t-miss event of the summer — Apartmentalize 2019 powered by NAA — heads to Denver with exciting industry education opportunities for multifamily providers of all sizes. The event is set for June 26-28 at the Colorado Convention Center. Yardi will be there to provide attendees with answers to pressing real estate questions during three expert-led educational sessions and one-on-one meetings in the Yardi booth. Read on for the top three ways to connect with Yardi at Apartmentalize. Attend Educational Sessions How do you excel in apartment management? Three Apartmentalize sessions hosted by Yardi executives promise to deliver compelling answers on Thursday, June 27: Get Smart: Top Tech Trends for Better NOI will be moderated by Esther Bonardi, vice president of marketing at Yardi. Bonardi is joined by panelists Taylor Wiederkehr, director of innovation services at BH Management Services and Garin Hamburger, Sr., director of national property marketing at Pinnacle. How to Leverage Big Data for Big Results will be moderated by Dhar Sawh, industry principal for Yardi Elevate. Sawh is joined by panelists Darren Wesemann, executive vice president and chief innovation officer at Berkadia, Diana Norbury, senior vice president of multifamily operations at Pillar Properties and Gino Ferro, director of sales and procurement at Bridge Property Management. Building Resilience with Tools, Trends & Energy Strategies will be moderated by Martin Levkus, regional director at Yardi. Panelists include Deb Cloutier, president of RE Tech Advisors and Cindy Zhu, fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy. View the full conference schedule for details and info on more great sessions. Visit Yardi’s Booth At Yardi booth #349 and in the new Yardi meeting center in the exhibition hall, Yardi experts will be on hand throughout the show to answer questions and demonstrate the features of innovative new products from the RentCafe and Yardi Elevate suites. And while we want to fill your head with exciting possibilities and new ideas, we also don’t want you to leave empty handed. Participating attendees can enter show drawings for a chance to win a number of great prizes including Apple AirPods, a Fitbit and an Amazon Echo Dot. Go Online for More Answers The learning doesn’t stop when the show comes to a close: Yardi has created the realestatequestionsanswered.com resource to give Apartmentalize attendees ongoing answers to their important real estate questions. If you’ve ever asked yourself “how do I convert more leads?” or “how do I use technology to engage renters?” among other queries, this is the website for you. Ready to get your questions answered? Don’t miss the chance to connect with Yardi at Apartmentalize. Can’t make it to the show this year? Join a webinar to learn more about our latest...
Energy Engagement
AT NAA Apartmentalize
A recent National Apartment Association study about apartment residents’ familiarity with and attitudes toward energy efficiency was the focus of an energy management panel at the recent Apartmentalize Powered by NAA conference in San Diego. The “Get Residents and Keep Them with Energy Efficiency Engagement” panel featured Martin Levkus, regional director for the Yardi Smart Energy Suite; Lexie Goldberg, senior associate for sustainability at Greystar; and Mary Nitschke, director of ancillary services for Prometheus Real Estate Group. Jenifer Paneral, senior vice president of operations at DayRise Residential LLC, served as the moderator. Last fall, NAA commissioned the Shelton Group to conduct a survey of 1,000 renters to understand the role of energy efficiency in choosing and staying in an apartment. The results were shared in Units magazine in June 2018 and presented to session attendees at Apartmentalize. The study revealed that property managers and owners can maximize resident engagement with energy efficiency. The study also found that mentioning energy efficiency at the first touchpoint is an opportunity to “get residents.” Twenty-five percent of residents participating in the survey said that knowing an apartment’s energy efficiency impacts their rental decision. According to Levkus, property managers can promote sustainability by making it convenient—and the key to convenience is technology. “Providing a portal that allows residents to easily view their consumption and pay their bills online empowers them to make changes that save money and make the property more sustainable,” he said. “Renters also like smart devices such as thermostats that increase their comfort but also reduce consumption and save money. The thermostats power down heaters and air conditioners when the unit is unoccupied.” Goldberg spoke of the importance of making energy and sustainability prominent on a property website. She described a Greystar community’s home page that...
Smart Future
Multifamily AI Panel
What is artificial intelligence (AI)? According to Wikipedia, it is “The artificially created ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings.” While this definition of AI sounds like something from a sci-fi movie script, it actually describes technology currently poised to transform multifamily real estate management. Yardi’s Dharmendra Sawh, industry principal of Yardi Elevate, led a panel of experts at NAA Apartmentalize on June 14 in San Diego for “The Age of AI: Business Intelligence Today and Tomorrow.” Apartmentalize is NAA’s annual educational conference and is the premier resource for educating rental housing industry professionals. Along with Michael Barry, vice president of data analytics at Bozzuto Management Company, Tim Reardon, chief operating officer of Bridge Property Management and Dawn Wise, national financial analyst at Berkshire Communities, Sawh discussed best practices for business intelligence (BI) today and the looming impact of AI on multifamily business technologies. “BI tools deliver analytics to provide foresight, improve business decisions and increase your competitive edge. But soon, your software could be making those decisions for you. Tracking the right measures can help future-proof your analytics in anticipation of AI,” said Sawh. The presentation covered which performance measures are most important, how technology can track that data and how to analyze and act on that information to create a successful business strategy. The session wrapped with a preview of what’s coming for multifamily owners and managers with advancements in AI. Beyond BI The panel discussed predictive and prescriptive analytics for real estate management, and the role machines will play as interpreters of data. Machine learning is a component of AI that uses historical information and correlates multiple data points to make predictions about the future — and as a result, becomes more...
NAA 2018
Lessons from Apartmentalize
The multifamily industry converged in San Diego last week for Apartmentalize Powered by National Apartment Association. Formerly known as the NAA Education Conference and Exposition, the annual event is the largest educational conference for apartment industry professionals. We highlight five of our favorite lessons from this year’s event. 5 Lessons from Apartmentalize 2018: Own the Age of AI On Thursday, industry experts discussed the impact of artificial intelligence in multifamily. Panelists included Dawn Wise from Berkshire Communities, Michael Barry from Bozzuto, Tim Reardon from Bridge Property Management, and Yardi’s Dhar Sawh. Artificial intelligence has just recently emerged in the rental housing industry. “This is so new for our industry, so the sky’s the limit,” explained Reardon. The session explored the benefits of artificial intelligence, big data, and business intelligence tools. How can you get energized for the Age of AI? Top tips from panelists: learn more about AI, and make a data strategy plan. Today’s Renters Have a Multi-Touch Journey Over the last two decades, we’ve gone from tracking walk-ins and phone calls to embracing comprehensive CRM systems. On a panel moderated by Yardi’s Esther Bonardi, Holli Beckman from WC Smith, Israel Carunungan from Greystar, and Mia Wentworth from CWS Apartment Homes discussed multi-touch lead attribution, a model for tracking and weighing touchpoints in the lead-to-lease cycle. How can smart marketers improve lead tracking? “Dig into it, study it, and it can open a whole new world,” advised Bonardi. Learn more about multi-touch lead attribution and download our free eBook. Sustainability Wins At Friday’s Apartmentalize session, panelists including Yardi’s Martin Levkus explored resident engagement through energy efficiency. In a recent National Apartment Association survey, windows were the top sustainability item residents cared about. For one panelist, energy efficient windows resulted in a $75 per month...
Multifamily Meets
At NAA's Apartmentalize
Apartmentalize powered by NAA is the apartment industry’s biggest annual event. If you’re going, you won’t want to miss out on hearing great speakers and getting energized by discovering what’s possible for your business. Apartmentalize will take place from June 13-16 in San Diego, and is the premier source for educating professionals of all job functions within the rental housing industry. The event is designed to help attendees take their careers, companies and residents’ experience to the next level. Be Sure to Attend Visit Yardi at booth #1019 in Hall E to get energized and discover what a single connected property management solution can do for your business. And while you’re there, enter for a chance to win a pair of Maui Jim sunglasses! When it comes to making informed decisions for your business, you’ve likely heard about advances in artificial or machine intelligence. To “get smart” as BI evolves through artificial intelligence, don’t miss “The Age of AI: Business Intelligence Today and Tomorrow.” The panel will discuss BI for multifamily with great insights from analytics experts from Yardi, Bozzuto, Bridge Property Management and Berkshire Communities. The session will take place on June 14 at 10 a.m. Aspiring marketing geniuses should be sure to attend the Learning Zone session “Reach Your Audience and Elevate Marketing Results with Prescriptive Analytics” presented by Yardi’s Dhar Sawh and Nima Farkhak on June 14 at 2:45 p.m. To share ways to better connect with your customers and truly understand how prospects find you, Yardi’s Esther Bonardi will moderate “How Did You Find Us? Tracking Today’s Multi-Touch Renter Journey” on June 15 at 9 a.m. Bonardi will be joined onstage by marketing experts from Greystar, EC Smith and Monarch Investment and Management Group. And finally, get enlightened about the...
