The Download

Harnessing the Power of Content Marketing to Better Establish Your Online Brand

With so many options available in the digital marketing realm, it can be difficult to determine which methods are most lucrative for your property’s ROI. Between social media posts, blogging, SEO-based copyrighting, and paid advertising and search, it’s no wonder that so many get lost on where to place their marketing dollars.

However, if you are interested in creating significant, long-term impact, content focused marketing has emerged as the ultimate method expand your digital footprint. Paired with social media, content marketing creates what is known as the “marketing loop,” a strategy that begins with pushing engaging content to your website, syndicating the content to social media channels, and effectively driving prospects back to your website through unique links.

Beginning with the basics, content marketing refers to the creation and distribution of valuable content designed to appeal to a target audience. Though not as aggressive as direct-to-consumer sales or in-your-face digital advertisements, the objective of content marketing remains the same: to inspire gainful consumer action. The key difference between content marketing and outbound marketing, though, lies in the former establishing industry credence rather than jumping straight to sales tactics, which an overwhelming majority of today’s consumers refuse to actively engage in.

Despite digital marketing’s ever-changing nature, content marketing has maintained an impressive level of fortitude and stands to grow even stronger — thanks to its cost efficiency and immense lead-generating power. Yes, believe it or not, content marketing garners over three times as many leads and costs approximately 60 percent less than standard outbound marketing efforts. Additionally, the market research company, Statista, asserts that content marketing revenue will exceed 300 billion dollars by next year, establishing it as the go-to method among modern marketing managers.

These findings also come at a time when market researchers are discovering that 91 percent of paid digital ads are viewed for less than one second, rendering approximately 38 billion dollars of ad spend worthless. Content marketing, however, is consumed at considerably improved rates. Despite our short attention spans, we still choose to consume content inherent in content marketing campaigns with almost half of consumers viewing three to five pieces of content before contacting a business, and over 80 percent of customers seeing a company in a more positive light after reading custom content

Now, are you ready to kick ineffective marketing tactics to the curb and embrace content marketing for your multifamily community? With the following tips at your side, you can increase your brand visibility, industry credibility, and overall lead generation.

• Ensure that your content is relevant to your target audience. In the multifamily housing context, content should address topics of interest, work with your team to develop relevant information for both future and existing residents. Consider producing content about community events, cutting-edge amenities, lifestyle tips, and the like. The sky is the limit as long as your content is useful and highly relevant to the reader.
• All published content should be easily shareable. The goal with any solid content marketing strategy is to create buzz around your product or services by utilizing content that can be posted, Tweeted, or texted in an instant. By allowing your content to be easily shared on social media and other digital channels, your community will not only cast a wider net to gain potential followers, but it will also more quickly establish itself as a leader in the market and the relevant subjects that revolve around it.
• Do not limit your content to written copy. A common misconception is that “content” can only refer to written copy, but it is a far-reaching and all-encompassing term. If you do decide to go the written route, just remember that this content should also be paired with a graphic for optimal audience engagement. Considering that our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, it is ideal to include a wide variety of visual material to build a more compelling digital presence, boost interaction with followers, and gain favor in search engine results
• Post content on a regular – yet realistic – basis. In a perfect world, you would publish new and exciting content daily, but truthfully, your publishing schedule will likely depend on the size of your operation. Devise a posting schedule that is sensible for your company yet holds you accountable and stick to it. Even if you don’t feel as though your audience will notice inconsistent posts, odds are that they will. 84 percent of consumers expect brands to publish content regularly, yet 60 percent of brands fail to deliver what consumers deem useful material. So, stay ahead of the curve by committing to a consistent content schedule, whether it’s daily or monthly.

As modern marketing evolves to accommodate the needs of its consumers, the multifamily housing industry can expect the scope of content marketing to continue to grow. With the appropriate content published on a consistent basis, you are sure to notice improved customer relationships, brand engagement, and website rankings, in addition to lower marketing costs. Utilize this innovative yet widely accepted marketing technique effectively and you will reap the rewards of an ever-growing catalogue of original, shareable, and SEO-friendly content for years to come.

Is your team interested in content marketing? 365 Connect is a pioneer in automating content marketing for apartment communities. Our award-winning content marketing platform is designed to boost your community’s digital presence, drive more traffic, and keep you ahead of the competition.