Nothing comes close to video when looking for true audience engagement. Even as digital trends continue to evolve and change, people find themselves continuously drawn to the play button.

No matter the industry, video is the way to draw in an audience and keep them engaged with the content. A recent study from Diode Digital found that video promotion is 600% more effective than print and direct mail combined. Not only that, but before reading a single line of text, 60% of audiences will watch a video if available. And video drives a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engine results pages. Blog posts incorporating video attract 3x as many inbound links as blog posts without video and combining video with full-page ads boosts engagement by 22 percent.

Not to mention video is a much better value for the investment. Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to only 10% when reading it in text.

In the multifamily world, quite a bit of effort is put into garnering prospective residents. And for good reason! But what about offering compelling and engaging content to those who have already signed on the dotted line? Keeping current residents engaged with the community right off the bat is critical both for keeping them and creating champions for the community. In 2018, video is clearly the way to do that.

While the above statistics are compelling, it takes more than statistics for practical usage. Here are a few examples of how -and why- video can be the way to win with resident engagement.

A Welcome Video

There is only one chance to make a first impression. Now, while this may not be the FIRST first impression, it’s their first as a new member of the community. Send them a personalized welcome video via email, text, or social media. Use this as an opportunity to show off the personalities of the office team and reinforce why this they chose your community to begin with. It’s a simple way to differentiate and make a lasting impact.

Move-in Videos

From all the boxes and the to-do lists, to the double checking that this service or that has been set up, to the “did I send them my new address,” moving is STRESSFUL. Alleviate some of that stress and go the extra mile for new residents by shooting a quick move-in video for them. Many communities will send a full email or provide documents that detail the move-in processes and procedures, but embedding a video like this one can mean a 19% increase in open rates and even greater retention of what they viewed in the video. Take advantage of what video can do for your team and take the time to show new residents how to get to the loading dock, how to operate the freight elevator, and where they can find help and any other necessary details. Explaining the process in an easy to reference video can make all the difference, while also leaving new residents with a positive early impression.

Maintenance Team Videos

In multifamily communities, the maintenance team is often the glue that keeps things running. Take a moment to introduce them to residents and ensure their faces are familiar — especially since they’ll be the ones going into residents’ homes to fix things or provide other upkeep. This also allows residents to feel more comfortable with those visits and feel more engaged with the community team members. Interested in killing two birds with one stone? Film the maintenance team answering frequently asked questions about unit care or providing easy maintenance tips like how to fix a leaky sink, check if a breaker tripped, or other quick tips to send out to residents. You can also use video to promote new programs available to residents, like this video promoting new valet trash services. The more residents know, the more they can avoid simple maintenance calls.

General Community videos

Community videos can cover a variety of different and important areas. They can range from sending a video reinforcing specific community policies, like this one, to sending a video invite to a resident event, or a video of the clubhouse all decorated for an upcoming holiday. Send these videos via email to residents or share them in private, resident-only groups on social channels. And don’t worry about whether those valuable videos will be seen. Over 500 million (half a BILLION) people watch video on Facebook every day.


While video is a strong leasing tool for communities, it can also be one of the best ways to engage and retain residents while living in your community. And the happier they are, the more they’ll be willing to recommend the community to their friends, perhaps even by sharing a video or two that their savvy leasing agent has created.

Until next time…keep it real!