Open platforms open the door for creating best-in-class experiences

This blog was written by Olivia Johnson, Senior Director of Solutions and Partnerships at G5.

G5, a certified MRI Software Partner, is a leader in real estate marketing optimization. Through AI, its Intelligent Marketing Cloud and seamless integrations, G5 delivers hyper-personalized customer experiences, continuous spend optimization and scalability to drive results. Learn more about the G5-MRI integration here.

The first time a researching apartment renter clicks on your ad, reads an online review, or visits your website, your property has the opportunity to build a lasting (and profitable) relationship. If your ad takes them to a broken link, if your website is clunky, or if they read an online review about how terrible past renters’ experiences were…well, then you can kiss that budding relationship goodbye. That renter is already onto greener internet pastures.

Let’s skip worst case scenarios, you’re no newbie. Say this first interaction with a researching renter ends in a signed lease. The opportunities to attract, engage, retain, and delight are endless. Read on to learn how open platform technology is changing the multifamily marketer’s playbook, and what that means for the industry as a whole.

Drop the silos + delight the renters

Think of the last time you had an intentionally curated experience (plot twist: we’re not talking about the #aesthetic effort poured into your Instagram grid). How’d you feel?

This might seem like a ridiculous question, but hey, given last year it’s probably not too wild. Have you eaten at a restaurant recently? First, you select a restaurant that serves food you’re in the mood for. Once you get to the restaurant and are seated, the server often describes the specials. You carefully read through the menu, and select items. Long story short, you’re curating your dining experience.

Curated experiences don’t stop with linen napkins or Instagram grids. Your property has the same opportunity to create thoughtful, well-crafted experiences for researching renters, and current renters alike, by leveraging open platform, best-in-class software solutions. Here’s the dilemma – for too long, tech vendors in our industry believed in operating a walled garden kind of approach, meaning tech vendors didn’t always work well together. This elbows-out approach limited properties’ abilities to deliver one-of-a-kind, best-in-class experiences for renters.

The good news is, those days are gone. Innovative multifamily operators aren’t saying, ”I’m a *name of tech vendor* operator.” Instead, they’re leveraging the power of choice with open platform solutions and adding complementary best-in-class tech-vendors to their tech stacks (without the hassle of creating costly integrations or replacing back-end software). This creates the best apartment shopping, apartment leasing, and apartment living experience possible for their renters. Plus, preventing headaches for property owners and operators is a win-win.

Deliver the too good to be true renter experience

Now if this sounds too good to be true, pinch yourself, it’s real. You want researching renters to get a consistent, exceptional experience every step along their journey, from signing a lease to renting from your property.

How can you do that from the first click? Simple.

Your website should be not only be beautiful, but should answer renters’ questions intuitively and be a conversion-focused front door. This kind of website is built by making sure the single-call-to-action pathway is clear, easy to navigate and leads to conversion. We know that after the home page, the floor plans page is the second most viewed page on multifamily websites. This is why in our call-to-action pathway, the floor plans page is the first place we take researching renters after the homepage. It’s also why we believe in the proven power of chatbots on multifamily websites to convert researching renters to move-in-ASAP-renters.

It’s essential that your digital front door, i.e., your website, feeds information directly to your property management system, lead management system, or customer relationship management platform, so that question-asking, tour-requesting potential renters don’t fall through the cracks. Building an open platform stack that creates excellent experiences for your renters doesn’t go unnoticed. Don’t believe us? Go read some five-star reviews.

Turn renters into five-star reviewers

Never underestimate the power of a delighted renter who loves where they live. The internet gives us all a megaphone, and when the right experience is cultivated, that can mean excellent online reviews for your properties. The truth is, if you’re looking at online reviews for everything from the newest clean beauty line, to sneakers, to dog food, you bet renters are reading a review for where they are going to live. So, choose best-in-class tech vendors that create a space for your renters to share positive experiences about your property online. Learn more about our approach to online reviews here.

Welcome to the age of the agile renter

If you can buy a car in four clicks, then why not rent an apartment in the same amount of time? When you choose open platform solutions and best-in-class partners who are in the game to help you AND your renter, there is no mission “impossible.” Learn more about the G5 approach.