Digital channels play a central role in marketing today. Various industries, including Technology, Professional Services, and Telecommunications, have embraced digital-first strategies to capture online audiences. Marketing automation has been a key technology driving this shift by helping businesses attract, nurture, and convert leads effectively.
Last Updated: Feb 2025
91% of top-performing marketers agree that marketing automation is crucial to overall marketing success. (Source: Marketo & Ascend2)
The multifamily industry is undergoing a similar transformation. The availability of new lead sources, such as Apartments.com, Apartment Guide, and Zillow, has increased lead volume. However, traditional manual lead-to-lease processes struggle to keep up with this influx, and lead quality has also declined.
To overcome these challenges, multifamily marketers must adopt, optimize, and excel in marketing automation.
This blog post will introduce marketing automation concepts and explore why they are essential for multifamily marketing success.
What is Marketing Automation?
Marketing automation has multiple definitions, much like the classic “six blind men and an elephant” analogy, where each person sees only part of the whole. Here’s a comprehensive definition:
Marketing Automation combines digital automation, data intelligence, and workflow management to save leasing agents time, deliver more sales-ready leads, and improve the overall prospect experience.
Here is our definition of Marketing Automation that takes a rather expansive view:
Marketing Automation uses a 1-2-3 punch of digital automation, data intelligence, and workflow management to save agents’ time, deliver more sales-ready leads, and improve the prospect’s experience of the sales cycle.
How about a few other perspectives?
Content-Marketing Centric Definition
The first part of the above definition emphasizes the content marketing aspect of marketing automation. While that is true for industries such as technology and professional services, it may not be as relevant to the apartment industry. (It does not hurt that Mystique is a marketing communication company!)The second part of the definition is relevant for the multifamily industry: improving efficiency, speed, tracking, and ROI of the lead-to-lease process. These goals are universal across all industries.
Artificial Intelligence Centric Definition
This definition emphasizes the key role played by data and analytics. This intelligence is used to segment and score your leads, pick the right action at the right time for each prospect, and focus on the most promising leads and campaigns with the best ROI.
Software Centric Definition
It is now Multifamily’s turn to adopt, exploit and excel in Marketing Automation.
This definition makes it clear that software is an essential element of marketing automation. While marketers need to define the content, processes and channels for their marketing effort, marketing automation software is essential to bringing those strategies and tactics to life.
Said another way, there is no marketing automation without automation software!
Why Do Marketers Like Marketing Automation?
#1 Benefit: More and Better-Quality Leads
For multifamily marketers, a lead is anyone looking to rent. However, not all leads are ready to sign a lease immediately. With marketing automation, leads can be nurtured through various channels such as email, blogs, live chat, videos, and property visits, turning raw leads into high-quality prospects.
Most Compelling Reason for Adoption: Revenue Growth
By automating marketing processes, multifamily businesses can:
- Improve renter engagement through targeted messaging.
- Analyze renter behavior to personalize offers.
- Increase lease conversions by aligning marketing efforts with sales goals.
Biggest Benefits According to Marketers
- 74% say automation saves time.
- 68% report increased customer engagement.
- 58% experience more timely communication.
- 58% see greater upselling opportunities. (Source: Adestra)
Measuring Performance
For multifamily marketers, conversion rate measurement is essential. Key metrics include:
- Website visitors who convert to leads.
- Prospects who schedule property tours.
- Leads who close leases within a specific timeframe.
Benefits of Marketing Automation
ROI & Business Impact
- 68% of companies see ROI within a year of implementing marketing automation. (Source: Regalix)
- Marketing automation users report a 34% average increase in sales revenue. (Source: Pardot)
- Companies report an 80% increase in leads and 77% higher conversions. (Source: VentureBeat)
- 50% more sales-ready leads are generated at 33% lower cost per lead. (Source: Forrester Research)
Faster Sales Cycles
- Companies using automation experience 70% faster sales cycles and 54% quota achievement improvement. (Source: Bulldog Solutions)
- 67% of B2B marketers see a 10% or greater increase in sales opportunities through lead nurturing. (Source: DemandGen)
For multifamily businesses, this means:
- Shorter lead-to-lease cycles.
- Lower vacancy rates.
- Consistent leasing processes.
Marketing Automation Channels
Marketing automation utilizes multiple channels:
- Email: Primary lead nurturing channel with personalized campaigns.
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn for targeted engagement.
- Landing Pages: Capture and qualify leads via digital guest cards.
- Video: YouTube & Vimeo for virtual property tours and testimonials.
- Mobile: SMS, WhatsApp, and FaceTime for quick communication.
- Print: Limited but valuable for targeted local outreach.
- Slideshare: Share engaging presentations with potential renters.
Marketing Automation Tools
Essential Tools for Multifamily Marketing Automation:
- Batch Email Tools: Manage bulk emails and track open rates and click-throughs. (Examples: Mailchimp, HubSpot)
- CRM Integration: Store and manage lead data for seamless follow-ups. (Examples: Salesforce, Zoho CRM)
- Analytics & Reporting: Track website visitors, conversions, and campaign performance. (Examples: Google Analytics, Haley Marketing Automation)
- Content Creation: Tools for email templates, landing pages, and infographics. (Examples: Canva, WordPress)
Implementation Timeline
75% of companies implement marketing automation within six months. (Source: Pepper)
For multifamily businesses, the timeline varies:
- Smaller companies: Implementation can be completed within 3-6 months.
- Larger enterprises: Centralizing marketing processes may take 6-12 months.
Conclusion
The traditional agent-driven lead-to-lease process is inconsistent and inefficient. By automating marketing efforts, multifamily businesses gain:
- More structured and transparent lead nurturing.
- Higher efficiency in capturing and converting leads.
- A consistent and engaging prospect experience.
Have you automated your lead-to-lease process yet? What benefits have you experienced?