Why Apartment Web Design and Multifamily Marketing Go Hand-In-Hand for Success

5 Tips for Smart Apartment Web Design

When it comes to success on the web, everyone has differing opinions on what is most effective. For many people, a good multifamily marketing strategy should help capture and generate apartment leads, and bring the desired web reputation through content. For others, a strong apartment web design is key to a good first impression and can help properties get apartment leads.

Each camp has its own experts, as well as its own pros and cons, but we’re here to tell you that neither is a cure-all for total web domination. Instead, content marketing, apartment web design, and even user experience should all be brought together to ensure a successful strategy.

Here are some of our best tips for ensuring your apartment web design and multifamily marketing strategy are aligned for success:

1. You need strong content AND design — not one or the other.

The No. 1 mistake people make when building, or even redesigning a multifamily website is taking the “Field of Dreams” approach.

Unlike the days of the classifieds and yellow pages, it is not simple enough to throw your contact information out there with your apartment logo and wait for the phone calls to come streaming in. Digital has shifted the way we purchase, and with it, the buyer’s journey has changed as well. With the advent of Google, keywords play a strong role in making sure your multifamily website is found. That means your content has to be strong and relevant, and your multifamily SEO implemented.

Wait. That sounds an awful lot like content marketing. 

Surprise! A multifamily website alone cannot bring apartment leads in, no matter how great it looks. 

But let’s say your apartment web design and content are on point. How does your information architecture look? Does your multifamily website menu make sense? Can people find things, or are they wandering aimlessly like a student lost in the stacks of a library?

2. Your multifamily website should manage form AND function.

Building a multifamily website that serves as a functional extension of your property requires more than good looks and fun features — it requires balance. It should manage both form and function: apartment web design that pleases aesthetically, while still servicing the resident’s needs.

Are things easy to find? Does the content make sense? Are there places to capture apartment leads? Furthermore, is the multifamily website optimized as a marketing tool? Are there ways for apartment leads to find what they want and progress down the multifamily marketing funnel? Is your sales team getting the information they need?

A multifamily website without these components is no more than a glorified digital brochure. These components without a website? Useless. With no way to turn visitors into apartment leads, you would be operating multifamily marketing components instead of a full marketing funnel.

So, now we’ve got you convinced: Your website and your multifamily marketing need to work hand in hand for optimal efficiency. Now you’re ready to go. 

Hold up! You’ve forgotten one key thing — is it usable?

3. Turn narcissism into a labor of love.

Websites can be a source of pride for a lot of properties. When it comes to apartment web design (and redesign), everyone from C-level executives to the leasing team has opinions on what the site should look like. The end product usually results in a multifamily website that’s visually pleasing but serves as a property’s trophy case — talking solely about the community and its accolades.

It’s understandable that a property should be proud of its offerings, but the people who end up visiting the multifamily website don’t care about the same focus the property does. This is a pretty common approach to apartment web design, and by association, even digital multifamily marketing.

4. Prioritize the user experience.

The user is the end all be all — if the property doesn’t speak to your user (resident), it may as well cease to exist. And this is where properties often get in trouble. They don’t use testing or research; therefore, they fail when it comes to digital presence.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as not using the right multifamily SEO keywords because they didn’t consider how their resident might search for their community. Other times, the error is more fatal, and the apartment community just doesn’t meet the resident’s needs. 

Does this mean you can’t talk about your property when designing your multifamily website or building your marketing materials? Not at all. But you should be taking careful consideration in understanding who your target resident is, the kinds of information they need from you, and how they prefer to see that information.

It’s a difficult and time-consuming methodology to incorporate user experience in all that you do, but it’s one that can help all your endeavors work together in the long run. In marrying these components, you end up with a fully integrated experience that works for your property and your resident.

5. Make sure your apartment web design is responsive.

As a property manager or owner, you need to stay ahead of your competition. If you begin to notice more of your residents using mobile to search for apartments and book tours and you’re not mobile-ready, then your competition’s responsive apartment web design becomes much more attractive to prospective renters. 

The bottom line: If you want to stand out as a leader in your industry, then you need a responsive apartment web design. This will be vital to the success of your property in the years ahead.

Finding the Right Formula for Multifamily Marketing Success

Ultimately, if you want to attract more apartment leads, you need to create the right balance and right formula to ensure a successful multifamily marketing strategy. Create a better user experience, prioritize the user experience, and stay ahead of the competition, then you’ll need to design responsively.