Google My Business Reviews Begin To Return For Multifamily

Even Google can't avoid the disruption of COVID-19, but signs of a return to normalcy are beginning to emerge. Back in March, the search engine giant made an announcement that there would be a temporary pause of new Google My Business reviews as the company shifted its focus to COVID-19 specific updates for business listings. Like all companies, Google took safety measures to protect the health and safety of its own employees, which led to a backlog of workload alongside a shift in focus for typical Google My Business edits. While dealing with work-life disruption and trying maintain the updates needed on GMB listings for businesses heavily impacted by COVID-19, Google has been playing catch up on the more standard edits to Google local listings- many of which pertain to multifamily communities.

Perhaps in good timing, as many multifamily management companies begin to reopen or prepare to reopen certain amenity spaces within their communities in various parts of the country, Google is getting back to providing more normal support for Google My Business Listings. To start, digital marketers are beginning to see a resurgence for newly published online reviews and review reply capabilities.

Google My Business Reviews, Q&A, and more begin to see gradual return to normal.

Why should multifamily management companies care?

Stabilized Apartment Communities

As your properties begin to re-open and as Google review capabilities are restored, your multifamily reputation management strategy should be on high alert. Many residents and prospects will have the returned ability to post reviews about rent collection processes, onsite communication, and amenity re-opening procedures during uncertain and stressful times. It's safe to say many will have opinions about how your communities are handling these processes and others- some of whom will go to your listing to share their thoughts. Naturally, the timing of pool re-openings will be a hot topic as Summer quickly approaches...property managers beware. Over-communicating your re-opening procedures to your residents ahead of time should help avoid an influx of negative or opinionated online reviews on your properties' Google My Business listings. Furthermore, aligning your reputation management strategy/vendor with your corporate re-opening procedures should help show current and prospective renters that your company has taken the proper measures to handle these situations responsibly. Together, these approaches should help avoid any huge hit to your online ratings or reviews on your multifamily Google My Business Listings.

New Lease Ups

If you are ramping up your digital marketing strategy for any new lease ups, this news is especially important as new developments look to claim their Google My Business listing. Verifying your apartment communities' GMB profile helps solidify your business with Google and strongly impacts SEO efforts and local map placement. We at Street Digital Media have directly experienced the turnaround time to verify Google My Business listings for new lease ups return to more normal expectations. This is extremely good news for lease ups launching their multifamily digital marketing strategies as they look to make their presence known in their local markets.

Quality Over Quantity: Using Price Extensions To Inform Your Prospects

The multifamily industry has been hearing from their advertising vendors for what seems like centuries, "we give you quality leads, not quantity." While asset managers and owners always seem to be in dire need for "more traffic," having well-informed, bottom funnel prospects contact your onsite team for leasing and tour information vs. unqualified leads is of substantial value. While your ILS ads are showing (or should show) live pricing and availability for your apartment communities, multifamily marketing teams can take matters further when managing their Google Ads campaigns to better inform prospective renters.

Adding Price Extensions To Your Multifamily Google Ads Helps Inform Your Prospective Renters

In come price extensions (pictured left). These ad extensions can be applied at the campaign or account level for your multifamily search engine marketing campaigns. The extension allows you to display pricing at the floor plan level to better inform prospective renters when they see your ads. An added benefit, is the extension allows your ad to take up more real estate on the search engine results page- making it more visible for

prospects to see and read. By providing your pricing on your Google Ads, you are able to inform unqualified traffic upfront and avoid spending unnecessary ad dollars on clicks, improve website engagement from qualified leads, and use your leasing team's time more wisely.

If you have any questions on how to apply price extensions to your multifamily marketing campaigns, feel free to contact Street Digital Media at dk@streetdigitalmedia.com.

Paid Social Ads Show Greater Reach in April, More Action in May for Multifamily

The impact of COVID-19 has extended its way into paid social media performance for multifamily. The economic toll of the global pandemic has forced every business, large and small, to reevaluate their marketing strategies as we shelter-in-place. While certain e-commerce goods have boomed during the lockdown- at-home fitness equipment, puzzles, cooking supplies, etc.- many businesses have pulled back on their digital marketing spend until life becomes a bit more certain and consumer optimism returns. The result has led to a reduced amount of competition within Facebook ads alongside an increase in user time spent on social media sites as we spend more time at home. With an increase in time on site and less competition, multifamily social media campaigns seem to have benefited in some ways in April with signs of renter optimism returning in the early days of May.

When comparing April social media ad performance to March, Street Digital Media saw a 9.08% increase in Reach, the number of unique users who see your ad, on Facebook and Instagram. While overall impressions remained flat month over month, it shows that more individual users are seeing your multifamily social media ads, giving your brand greater exposure in your local market without having to

change your budget. While multifamily benefited from greater brand awareness, the economic and scientific uncertainty of COVID-19 looks to have led to a decrease in engagement and conversions from the ads themselves. Overall cost per click on Facebook Ads saw an increase of $.09 while unique clicks on the ads to the property website saw as high as a 31% decrease in some markets. Understandably, renters were apprehensive to move during a global pandemic.

The shift in consumer optimism seems to be changing, however. When comparing the first week of May to the first week of April, Street Digital Media saw a 5% increase in results, a 4.82% increase in unique clicks, and a 5.66% increase in landing page views on our Facebook remarketing campaigns. This shows glimmers that prospective renters are seeing multifamily social media ads and are more interested in moving to different apartment communities based on their increased engagement with the ads. As states ease into re-opening businesses timed with the beginning of the Summer leasing season, signs of renter optimism could not come at a better time. While rent collections continue to surprise many in and out of the industry, many properties are reporting concerns of lower projected occupancy in future months as some renters have been forced to adjust their living situations given the financial impact of COVID-19. Early signs of greater reach and increasing engagement show that renter optimism might be starting to shift and can help drive more traffic during the Summer.