The Apartment Department

Go-to-Market: The Framework for Better Customer Experiences

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2360683/fan_mail/new] Go-to-market is a well-established business framework, but it's a concept that's only beginning to gain traction in multifamily. In this episode, Anne Baum and Chris Johnson sit down with Mike Wolber, Chief Sales Officer at Apartment List, to explore how go-to-market thinking can help organizations design better customer experiences. The conversation begins with Apartment List's latest AI innovations, including the launch of Kaleno and Sunny, and how they're rethinking renter search and demand generation. From there, Mike shares why the best organizations don't optimize individual departments. They align marketing, leasing, operations, and leadership around one connected customer journey. Together, they discuss how multifamily can embrace go-to-market as a framework for breaking down silos, creating alignment across teams, and delivering better experiences for prospects and residents. Mike also shares his perspective on why data without context is just noise, why clarity is more powerful than micromanagement, and how AI can strengthen the customer experience without replacing the human relationships that matter most. In this episode: * Apartment List's latest AI innovations and what they mean for multifamily * How go-to-market thinking can transform the customer experience * Why cross-functional alignment is essential for better outcomes * The importance of using data with context * Leadership lessons on clarity, culture, and building stronger teams Flamingo - Resident Retention App [https://getflamingo.com] 400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

The Rise of Identity Economics in Multifamily

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2360683/fan_mail/new] What if renters aren't choosing communities based on amenities at all? In this episode, Lia Nichole Smith, Chief Brand Strategist at Spherexx, joins Anne Baum and Chris Johnson to explore the rise of identity economics and what it means for the future of multifamily. Lia argues that today's renters are increasingly making housing decisions based on identity, belonging, and community fit rather than simply comparing features and amenities. As consumers become more hyper-tribalized, the communities they choose become an extension of who they are and the lifestyle they want to live. The conversation explores why apartment marketing has fallen into a sea of sameness, why traditional buzzwords like "luxury" often fail to resonate, and how operators can use zero-party data to better understand what truly drives leasing and renewal decisions. In this episode: • What identity economics means for multifamily • Why renters are becoming more values-driven and community-focused • The problem with amenity-based differentiation • How zero-party data can reveal why residents choose, stay, or leave • Why "luxury" may be one of multifamily's most overused marketing terms • A new approach to demonstrating value at renewal • How authentic community partnerships can strengthen brand awareness If multifamily is going to stand out in an increasingly competitive market, Lia believes the answer isn't better marketing. It's building communities that people genuinely want to belong to. Flamingo - Resident Retention App [https://getflamingo.com] 400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

The Future of Leasing Is Built on Renter Conversations with Andrea Taylor

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2360683/fan_mail/new] Andrea Taylor, Founder and CEO of Livsee, joins Anne Baum and Chris Johnson to discuss how AI is reshaping multifamily leasing, pricing, and operations by turning renter conversations into a continuous source of intelligence. Andrea shares how operators are using AI-powered follow-up to re-engage lost leads, improve tour conversion, and uncover what prospects and residents actually care about. These signals are then feeding into decisions around pricing strategy, concessions, amenities, and retention. The conversation explores: • Why “dead leads” still contain valuable leasing intelligence • How renter conversations reveal patterns that impact occupancy and demand • The role of AI in follow-up, renewals, and leasing workflows • Why concessions and pricing decisions are becoming more data-driven • How operators are using conversation data to inform amenity and asset decisions • The ongoing challenge of attribution and understanding true renter intent • What voice AI and automation may (and may not) change in the leasing experience Along the way, the group discusses how renters are more informed than ever, how search behavior is shifting earlier in the decision process, and why the future of leasing will depend less on isolated touchpoints and more on understanding the full context of renter intent. This episode highlights a shift in multifamily from managing leads to learning from every conversation that happens along the renter journey. Flamingo - Resident Retention App [https://getflamingo.com] 400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

How Apartment Search is Changing with Martin Canchola

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2360683/fan_mail/new] This week, Anne and Chris sit down with Martin Canchola, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Apartment SEO and founder of Multifamily Builders Club, for a conversation about how apartment search is evolving and what multifamily marketers should actually be paying attention to right now. Martin explains why many of the SEO fundamentals marketers have heard about for years, like local listings, reputation management, FAQs, schema markup, and helpful content, are becoming critical again as platforms like Google, ChatGPT, YouTube, Reddit, and Bing reshape how renters discover apartments online. The conversation explores: * Why Google Business Profile and Yelp still matter * How reviews and sentiment influence visibility * Why video may become one of the biggest opportunities in multifamily marketing * How marketers can experiment with emerging tools without getting overwhelmed * What operators should prioritize first as search behavior continues to change Martin also shares the vision behind the Multifamily Builders Club and why curiosity, experimentation, and AI fluency are becoming increasingly valuable skills for multifamily marketers. This episode is packed with practical takeaways for anyone trying to understand where apartment search is headed and how to stay visible as the landscape evolves. Flamingo - Resident Retention App [https://getflamingo.com] 400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.

The New Rules of Multifamily Marketing with Brian Miller

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2360683/fan_mail/new] This week on The Apartment Department, Anne Baum and Chris Johnson sit down with Brian Miller, Director of Partner Experience and Engagement at Zillow Rentals, for a conversation about what marketing teams are really navigating right now. Drawing from conversations with operators and marketers across the country, Brian shares the patterns he’s seeing across the industry, including affordability pressure, rising concessions, operational complexity, and changing renter behavior. In this episode, they discuss: * Why nearly 40% of rental listings nationally now include concessions * Markets where concessions are appearing on more than 60% of listings * Zillow data showing that nearly 1 in 13 for-sale shoppers also engage with rentals * How renters are using technology and AI to evaluate communities differently * Why communities need their online presence to match the actual resident experience * The operational reality behind managing apartment marketing today * How marketers are pulling data from multiple systems just to understand market position and property performance * The growing conversation around enterprise-wide AI strategy inside multifamily organizations The conversation also explores how marketing teams can better communicate what makes a community valuable, why generic messaging is becoming less effective, and how operators are thinking about flexibility, speed, and transparency for today’s renter. If you work in multifamily marketing, operations, or proptech, this episode offers a grounded conversation about the challenges teams are trying to solve right now and how the industry is adapting. Flamingo - Resident Retention App [https://getflamingo.com] 400K+ units use Flamingo’s Resident Retention Platform to stop Retention Leak & hit 63%+ retention.