Explore every episode of the podcast The Apartment Department - A Podcast for Multifamily Marketers

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Paul Burke, Director of Marketing and Training at Oakwood Management Company in Columbus, OH talks to Anne and Chris about his focus on SEO, quality video content, his e-commerce experience and how an increase in organic impressions is a leading indicator clicks to come.  We end the episode in a lively discussion about bold predictions after the recent merger of Rent. and Zillow and how it may impact marketers.

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In this episode, Anne and Chris sit down with Grady Newman, founder of Resi, to dig into the messy side of multifamily marketing — from data silos and clunky platforms to the constant chase for better ROI. Grady shares how Resi got started, why centralization matters, and how smarter tech (plus a little human touch) can make marketers' lives way easier.

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In this episode, join co-hosts Anne and Chris with guest Kristi Fickert, SVP of Growth and Marketing at Kurie, to discuss the value of streaming video ads for multifamily.  For so long, TV advertising was out of reach for individual properties because of the enormous cost and lack of targeting however, the rise of streaming TV has opened up a whole new opportunity.  In a time where brand awareness is a differentiator and the race to meet the renter where they are, streaming tv ads and reusable, easy to generate video content at your fingertips is a game-changer.  You will be sold on the future of streaming ads and video after this episode.

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In this episode Eden Chai, co-founder and CMO of Flair shares critical findings from their new secret shop tool which, after gathering data from over 600 shops allowed Eden to draw one conclusion: the prospect journey is fractured (or dare we say, broken).

https://www.getflair.io/resources/free-secret-shopping-tool

This episode dives into why the prospects journey often contains unnecessary hurdles including conflicting automations, outdated technologies, and outdated contact information.  Additionally, he reveals the leasing offices best friend (and worst enemy) the phone.

After you listen to the episode make sure you try Flair's new tool.  We promise you will have several "ah-ha" moments after experiencing your leasing experience through a prospects eyes.

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In this episode Chris and Anne welcome back a fan favorite, Sarah Wieman, to discuss how marketers can embrace technology and trends to find marketing efficiencies.  They cover topics like supplier consolidation, technology to gain every day efficiencies, how to structure your marketing to get more out of your campaigns, and of course, AI.  

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Chelsea Kneeland, Innovation Insider at Multifamily Insider, is an expert at what is coming next in multifamily innovation.  In this very special episode, she gives us her take on where multifamily is going next when we use words like "specialization, centralization, and AI" and how despite all of the change that is predicted, one thing will always stay the same and that is that humans are always at the center of our business.

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In this episode, Stacey Hampton, founder of AssetNOI, and all around multifamily expert takes us into how top-notch operators analyze, diagnose, and solve occupancy challenges. In addition, she shares with us how she is able to sell marketing by reframing the conversation around revenue lost instead of expenses accumulated. Marketers - you will leave this episode knowing exactly how to reframe your budget conversations with your operations teams so that the "maths" make sense.

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In this episode, co-hosts Chris Johnson and Anne Baum reflect on their professional successes from 2024 and look ahead to 2025.

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Multifamily marketers, are you ready for 2025 to be your best year ever?  Sarah Wieman, Regional Sales Manager at REACH by RentCafe spills all the secrets on what multifamily marketers are focusing on right now to set themselves apart for 2025.  If you are ready to be inspired then this episode is for you.

Fun fact: Anne, Chris, and Sarah presented together at the AIM Conference in 2024.

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If you want to know what the next big thing in multifamily marketing will be then this episode is for you.  Matthew Kilmurry, founder of ApartmentGeofencing.com talks to co-hosts Anne Baum and Chris Johnson about the role of geo-fencing and streaming ads in the multifamily marketing funnel.  Bonus: He gives guidance to marketers on how much they should be spending on their brand and awareness budgets for their properties.

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In this episode, Chris and Anne sit down with Lauren Dewey, founder of Lauren Dewey Consulting, to discuss why the time is now for multifamily marketers to embrace the power of brand and how analyzing your entire marketing and leasing process to find the leaks is a game changer.  

Bonus: Lauren tells us what property management companies are focusing on for 2025 and her take on on-site centralization's viability.

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How are prospects interacting with our property websites and how can we, as marketers, ensure we are maximizing our number one asset?  Jon Simpson, founder of Swifty and Criterion.B, takes us through the data on how renters are interacting with our websites including most used features and most visiting pages.  He also dives into the future of apartment websites which is next level.  Hint: The future includes dynamic content.

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What happens when AI and technology team up with humans to create the ultimate tech stack? Leads convert to leases faster, ramping up revenue and cutting down on friction in the leasing process. In this episode, Paul Yount, Industry Principal at Yardi, dives into the power of speed to lease with co-hosts Anne Baum and Chris Johnson. They discuss how AI and tech solutions are enhancing the capabilities of marketing and leasing teams, shaving days off the lead-to-lease timeline.

Bonus: Paul reveals a new KPI that marketing and operations should keep an eye on to demonstrate leasing efficiency.

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Shelly Steitz, fractional multifamily CMO and marketing consultant, and Justin Jones, AI Evangelist, join co-host Anne Baum to recap one of the most epic real estate conferences of the year, Blueprint.  In this jam-packed episode you will hear their greatest takeaways from the conference including the rise of role specialization, how the Property Brothers use the power of their brand, the ever-evolving role of AI, the many structures of centralization, how big data can be attained by multifamily, and how the power of collaboration is alive and well.  

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Multifamily marketing legend, Janet Rosseth, founder of Cadence Marketing Solutions and Cadence Run Club, talks with co-host Anne Baum about her start in multifamily marketing, why she's driven to connect marketers together, and what she views as the next big things in multifamily marketing.  You'll want to run, not walk, to hear this episode.

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In this episode, Chris and Anne sit down with Debbie Balaker, Director of Marketing and Training at M. Shapiro Real Estate Group to talk all things marketing and how she's staying ahead of the curve by constantly testing and mastering new tactics and technologies for marketing multifamily communities including lease-ups and manufactured home communities.  We cover geofencing, TikTok, brand development, interactive site maps, and everything in-between.

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In this episode, Chris and Anne discuss one of our most important assets - the property website.  As prospect behavior evolves, we question if the tried and true format of websites is still relevant, what are must-have features, and how much should our vendor partners assist in the evolution. Bonus: Is it time for us to start approaching leasing an apartment as e-commerce?

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Eden Chai, co-founder of Flair, takes The Apartment Department co-hosts Chris and Anne through a fascinating journey of how searcher behavior, the introduction of new search experiences like TikTok and SGE (Search Generative Experience) in Google is rapidly changing how renters expect to discover information.  We also talk about how influencers drive demand for products and finding a balance between driving demand for a brand and reacting to discovery searches.  With surprises around every corner you will walk away from this episode with the confidence and curiosity to rethink your apartment search marketing game.

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Jude Chiy, founder of Flamingo, an all-in-one resident retention platform and a proponent of challenging the norms, joins Chris and Anne to discuss his views on the power of branding for property management companies and how to conquer resident retention.  Jude shares real-life data from Flamingo studies while highlighting the opportunity for multi-family to look to other industries, like software, to challenge our benchmarking norms.  We guarantee you will walk away from this episode ready to tackle brand and retention opportunities within your organization.

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Austin Clem, Senior Solutions Specialist from Rent, joins Chris and Anne to discuss how to use TikTok ads and geo-fencing to boost brand awareness, drive leads, or maintain occupancy.  Austin gives his expert advice on success metrics to use and what platforms and strategies to use based on occupancy numbers, budget, and property type.

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In this episode, Chris and Anne discuss how marketers can reshape the conversation around online reputation with operations teams to demonstrate the impact on NOI.  Bonus: Chris talks about his favorite strategies for driving positive reviews!

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Join Anne and Chris as they discuss key themes from AIM (Apartment Innovation & Marketing) Conference and items we are going to implement into our marketing strategies including revisiting online forums like Reddit, using video to your advantage, how to prepare for SGE (search generative experience), and how to build a brand that improves financial success.

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Chris and Anne discuss how increasing average follow ups with prospects can skyrocket lead to lease conversions rates.  Bonus: Chris shares how he's successfully motivated site teams to increase follow ups per prospect.

Produced by Carlos Marquez

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Join Chris and Anne as they delve into why reducing average days vacant is crucial for boosting revenue. They share their top strategies for minimizing vacancy periods by promoting stale units.  Easy to implement takeaways for marketing and operations.

Produced by Carlos Marquez

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In this episode, Chris and Anne discuss the role of Internet Listing Services (ILS) in our apartment marketing mix.  This includes the value of ILS sources, what metrics we measure for success,  and how to balance your marketing mix.  Bonus: Chris talks about how he is using data to take calculated risks with his marketing strategy.

Produced by Carlos Marquez

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Your Hosts Anne Baum and Christoper Johnson introduce themselves and talk multifamily marketing.  They  focus as a marketer - back to basics.

Why they started The Apartment Department. 

How they are wrapping up the year.  

What are they working on right now.

What is something you did this year that you are really proud of.

Produced by Carlos Marquez