We like to practice what we preach.
We firmly believe in work-life balance, in using The Office and Taylor Swift memes, and most importantly, in the power of video to engage an audience.
While the latter has been our belief for years, it’s funny how long it took us to realize that we should incorporate video into our own marketing strategy.
In other words, we didn’t initially grasp the idea of using video to connect with you — a multifamily professional — and to help you understand the significance of video engagement with your renters.
Pretty meta, right?
Shortly after this epiphany, The Lens — our video-based course — was born.
We often hear things about The Lens like…
Our video course has proven to be a standout success for ambitious multifamily pros, and we believe using video will be successful for you, too.
Below, learn how our single course expanded into three, how you can scale a video program, and their benefits for multifamily teams.
Why We Scaled an Educational Video Program
In 2021, we discovered that while some multifamily pros were eager to embrace video in their marketing, leasing, and resident engagement efforts, many were relatively new to the concept.
Despite the widespread popularity of platforms like TikTok and YouTube, there existed a noticeable gap in education around how to use video correctly, specifically in multifamily. Factors such as branding, compliance, and creative ideas posed significant challenges.
In response to this gap, we launched our first online video-based course featuring insights from Kristi Fickert, Realync’s Vice President of Enterprise Growth and a seasoned expert in multifamily marketing.
The series is a video-based email course where students receive one five-minute video a day for a week.
The topic for season one?
The first-course topic — Are You Using Video Correctly? — helped answer the questions about the effective use of video in property marketing, leasing, and renter engagement.
The course spurred great discussions, conversations, and platform demos between us and multifamily pros, leading to new partnerships.
It became increasingly evident that our program had struck a chord within the multifamily industry.
After evaluating the first season of the course, we identified areas for improvement:
- Shortening the series for greater accessibility
- Incorporating more real-world video examples
- Introducing additional expert voices alongside Kristi Fickert
- Providing practical strategies to help individuals become more comfortable on-camera
As we prepared for season two, the question arose: What’s next?”
Once again, we saw great results after the second season of the course’s launch. More multifamily pros enrolled in the new course, and our second season scored a solid 37% email open rate and 24% click-to-open rate.
Now, in 2024, we’re sitting on a mountain of video content—over 180,000 videos in our Realync database, all made by folks in the industry.
So we questioned if we should evaluate and share the top-performing videos to help multifamily pros understand what type of video content works best for our industry.
We further solidified this topic idea for season three with a LinkedIn poll.
And guess what? Our latest course season was a smash hit. Attendance doubled, and we nailed a 43% email open rate and a whopping 42% click-to-open rate.
What made the last two courses stand out? We pulled back the curtain on the Realync platform. We actually used our own video tool to give multifamily pros a sneak peek at the prospect’s view—kinda like a free mini demo.
How To Scale a Video Program in Multifamily
Let’s discuss how building a robust video strategy can also work for you. The most successful multifamily teams we’ve seen implement a video strategy mastered three main areas: Training, integration, and trust.
Train teams to use video consistently
Successful multifamily teams recognize that implementing a video strategy requires more than just handing everyone a camera. There might be a learning curve, making leasing teams hesitant to embrace it.
That’s why we offer educational resources to alleviate the hesitation in using video. However, it helps when managers encourage their teams to take time to learn about video best practices.
Take Evan Erichsen — Assistant Property Manager — for example.
He took it upon himself to have his team member Joanne shadow him as he used Realync to create, edit, and publish videos to get her up to speed and leasing efficiently.
Add video into workflows and standard processes
Successful teams don’t just use video as a one-off thing—they weave it into everything they do. Whether it’s sending personalized video messages to prospective renters or giving virtual tours to maintenance tutorials, video is baked into their everyday routines.
When using Realync, we’ve made it easy to seamlessly integrate video into your daily workflows with our tech integrations. For instance, you can embed your videos directly onto your website to create a self-guided video tour experience.
When a prospect fills out a form, you can capture guest cards directly within your Realync videos, which then automatically sync with your CRM, streamlining your lead management process.
Trust teams to leverage their creative side
Successful teams give their people the freedom to get creative. They trust them to come up with fresh ideas and try new things.
Carla Young — a Realync user — is a great example of thinking outside of the box.
Carla’s creativity came into play when prospective renters from overseas expressed discomfort with submitting proof of ID via email. Carla scheduled a Realync Live Tour to screen her prospects to verify the applicants’ proof of ID and put a face to her name.
Smart, right?
Advantages of a Video Program in Multifamily
By nailing these three things—training, integration, and trust—your teams can grab attention, connect with their audience, and stand out in a crowded market.
By offering virtual tours, how-to tutorials, and personalized follow-ups, video streamlines processes and frees up valuable time for multifamily teams to focus on what really matters.
As for us? We still like to practice what we preach. We’ve added video in every aspect of our own operations.
From creating engaging content for our audience to offering on-demand demos of our platform to adding video to our recruitment process, and integrating on-demand training for new clients, we’ve experienced firsthand the power of video to streamline processes, enhance communication, and connect with our community.
