As a marketing agency immersed in the multifamily industry for years, we can confidently say: we’re at an inflection point. The way properties attract and retain tenants is changing and it’s all thanks to AI and predictive analytics.
If you’ve been hearing these buzzwords but aren’t sure how they can apply to your property, don’t worry, you’re not alone. In this post, we’ll break down how AI and predictive analytics are transforming multifamily marketing, and more importantly, how you can start using them to fill units, save money, and simplify your workload.
What Exactly Is Predictive Analytics?
Think of predictive analytics as your property’s crystal ball. It uses data you already have, like tenant preferences, market trends, and property performance, and applies advanced algorithms to forecast what will happen next.
It’s not magic, but it’s pretty close. Here’s why it matters for multifamily properties:
- Get Inside Your Renters’ Heads: By analyzing data from current and past tenants, predictive analytics can help you understand what future renters care about. This means you can tweak your offerings (or even your marketing messages) to highlight the amenities, locations, or features that are most likely to resonate.
💡 Pro Tip: Use surveys or move-in questionnaires to collect tenant data, then analyze trends to create targeted messaging for your ads and emails.
- Stretch Your Marketing Budget Further: Predictive analytics identifies which marketing channels and strategies drive results, so you can double down on what’s working and ditch what’s not.
💡 Pro Tip: If you’re running Google Ads, set up conversion tracking to see exactly which campaigns are driving the most inquiries. Use that data to focus your budget on the top-performing campaigns.
- Reduce Vacancies Before They Happen: Predictive analytics can flag trends that signal a future slowdown, whether it’s lower website traffic or fewer inquiries. Knowing this ahead of time means you can act quickly, ramping up outreach or promotions before occupancy drops.
💡 Pro Tip: Set up automated reporting to track key metrics like website traffic, inquiry volume, and move-out rates.
Real Results: A Case Study in Predictive Analytics
One of our property management clients was looking for a fresh approach to fill vacancies quickly and sustainably in their Nashville apartment community.
They partnered with Digible to craft a hyper-local paid search strategy, leveraging proprietary AI technology like Fiona to dynamically optimize their campaigns.
Here’s what happened:
- 20% lift in occupancy
- 24% increase in organic website conversions
- 8% increase in PPC conversions and 33% decrease in CPC (cost per click)
- 5% boost in Google Maps visibility
By focusing their budget on top-performing channels and tailoring messaging to tenant preferences, they didn’t just attract more leads, they attracted better ones.
How to Use AI & Predictive Analytics at Your Property
The good news? You don’t need to be a data scientist to start using AI and predictive analytics. Here are a few easy ways to get started:
- Automate Your Reporting
Tools like Digible’s Fiona or Google Analytics can help you track website traffic, ad performance, and lead volume in real time. Look for trends like dips in traffic or spikes in missed calls, and use that data to adjust your strategy.
✅ Quick Win: Use Google Business Profile posts to drive more local visibility. Posting daily updates about availability or specials can increase engagement and inquiries.
- Segment Your Marketing Campaigns
Predictive analytics works best when you segment your audience. Break your prospective renters into categories by location, budget, or even lifestyle, and send targeted messages that speak directly to their needs.
✅ Quick Win: If your property has family-friendly amenities like playgrounds or large floor plans, create a campaign specifically targeting renters with kids.
- Use Data to Set Your Ad Budgets
Don’t let ad spend be a guessing game. Predictive analytics tools can help you see which channels (Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc.) are delivering results, so you can allocate your budget where it counts.
✅ Quick Win: If you’re running low on leads, shift your ad budget to high-converting campaigns, like branded Google Ads or Performance Max campaigns.
- Leverage Your CRM If you’re using a property management system like Anyone Home or Knock, make sure it’s fully integrated with your marketing efforts. This allows you to track where leads are coming from and calculate the cost per lease.
✅ Quick Win: Set up UTM tracking on your ads to see exactly which campaigns are driving inquiries in your CRM.
Why Now Is the Time to Act
The multifamily market is more competitive than ever, but AI and predictive analytics are giving properties a serious edge. The difference between properties that thrive and those that struggle will come down to who can act on their data, and who can’t.
At Digible, we’ve helped properties like yours use tools like Fiona to make smarter decisions, fill units faster, and save time.
Ready to learn more? Let’s chat about how predictive analytics can work for your property.
