AIM 2025 Recap: What Multifamily Marketers Need to Know About AI, GEO & Renter Behavior

The AIM Conference 2025 was a powerhouse of innovation, offering bold new insights into how AI, data, and search trends are reshaping the multifamily landscape. From Google’s latest breakthroughs to Zillow’s economic deep dive, to the rise of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), this year’s sessions delivered practical strategies and eye-opening revelations for today’s multifamily marketers.

Here’s a breakdown of the biggest takeaways from three must-see master classes, and what they mean for your marketing.

Google Insights: The Future of Multifamily Search, Advertising, and AI Impacting Renter Journeys

Carlos from Google and Josh from RealPage, Inc. gave us a peek behind the curtain at how AI and search are shaking things up for us multifamily folks.

Key Nuggets:

• The AI Evolution is Now: Carlos made it crystal clear – AI isn’t some far-off future thing. It’s the third major tech shift, right after the internet and mobile. Think about how those changed everything! AI is that big.
  
  “We’re (in) the third major tech shift of our time. First, we have the internet that basically allowed us to access information differently. Then it’s the mobile, right, allowing us to connect everywhere, anytime, with everyone. And now we have AI, which opens up a new world of possibilities and creativity.” – Carlos Rubio, Google
  
  
• Google Search is Getting Smarter (and More Conversational): People aren’t just typing in short keywords anymore. They’re asking full-blown questions. Google’s AI Overviews are their way of answering those directly. Make sure your website is packed with rich, detailed content (text, killer photos, walk-through videos!) so Google has plenty to pull from.

• Ads are Sneaking into AI Overviews: Yep, you heard that right. If you’re investing in Google’s AI-powered ad campaigns (like Performance Max, which they were seriously hyping), your ads can show up right in those AI-generated answers. If you’re not already exploring Performance Max, it’s time to take a hard look. Check out our Performance Max page to learn how you could take advantage of this latest campaign type from Google. 

• The Renter Journey? Longer and Windier Than Ever: Carlos pointed out that people are taking more time and hitting more touchpoints before signing a lease. This means you need to be present across that entire journey, and AI-powered tools are key to capturing their attention at the right moment.
  
  “The customer journey has become more complex, demanding, and longer than ever before. People are searching, people are scrolling, people are screening, and shopping. So the only way to keep it up with this content changing behavior for customers is by leveraging AI.” – Carlos Rubio, Google

• RealPage’s Take: AI as Your Leasing Team’s Wingman: Josh’s team found that on-site folks are actually digging the idea of AI handling routine stuff like answering basic questions and scheduling tours. Think of AI as augmenting your leasing team, freeing them up for those crucial human connections. But a word of caution: AI accuracy is still a work in progress, so keep a close eye on it.

• Backend AI Magic You Need to Know About: Here’s a gem: AI can analyze your leasing calls! It can tell you if your team is qualifying leads effectively and even gauge the prospect’s interest.
  • 💡Pro Tip: This kind of data can be fed back into your Google Ads to target those higher-intent renters.

• Content is Still King (Especially for AI): When asked about showing up in AI Overviews, Carlos was clear: beef up your website with valuable, multimedia-rich content. And don’t forget those AI-powered ad tools for extra visibility.

“Generally speaking, what I would recommend to customers is that they invest more in your resources and your websites. Try to include more information in your website, trying to include more images, more videos as much as possible… as long as you keep providing relevant information, rich information useful for the user, including multimedia, images and videos, you will be able to show up if you’re relevant on AIR reviews.” – Carlos Rubio, Google

Making Sense of the Market: Data & Insights that Matter for Multifamily Marketers

Skylar from Zillow, along with Brian, Arthur, and Brent, gave us the lowdown on the market using hard numbers and real-world experience.

Key Insights:

• Mortgage Rates are Keeping Renters Renting Longer: Skylar laid it out – buying a home is a much bigger financial leap right now, so more people are staying in rentals. Your target demographic might be older and more established than you think. Are your property features and marketing speaking to them?
  
  “Pre-pandemic, I would save hundreds of dollars to become a new homeowner, so long as I had that down payment. Now, I’ll probably lose money on a monthly basis to be a homeowner.” – Skylar Olsen, Zillow
  
  
• The 42-Year-Old Renter is Your New Average: The average renter is now in their early 40s. They might have families, established careers, and different priorities than younger renters.
  
  “More people are renting for longer in their lives. The average renter is now 42 years old. Think about what that means, about what those buildings should look like or what they might need to offer if the renters are older, they’re in a more career stage of their life. They potentially have kids, right? Your average renter is different than they used to be.” – Skylar Olsen, Zillow
  
  
• Rent Growth is Stable, But Concessions are Up: While the base rent might not be skyrocketing, more properties are offering deals to get leases signed. Be smart about how you present value. Highlight those included amenities or limited-time offers in your marketing.
  
  “Asking for rent might be sticky, but cash is king when people are uncertain, right? So you’ve got more and more and more rental concessions.” – Skylar Olsen, Zillow
  
  

• Migration Patterns are Marketing Gold: Zillow has data on where people are searching from and to. Use This! If you see a lot of interest from a specific out-of-state area, tailor some of your ad copy or community highlights to resonate with those folks.

• Zillow’s Got Your Back with Data: They have a ton of free tools and reports on search trends, affordability, and renter behavior. Head over to Zillow’s resources and start digging into the data for your market.

• Panel Truth Bombs: The panel emphasized that even with all the tech, your online listings need to be top-notch because renters are doing their homework. And guess what? Reviews still carry major weight.

Unpacking the Search Evolution: Ready, Set, GEO!

Brooke from YES, Kyle from Reach by RentCafe, and Melissa from Fogelman broke down this new world of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).

Key Takeaways:

• What the Heck is GEO? It’s all about optimizing your content to get featured in those AI-powered search answers, not just ranking on a page.
  
  “GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. It’s a strategy that focuses on optimizing content to be featured in the results of AI-powered search engines… Unlike traditional SEO, which focuses on ranking pages in search results, GEO focuses on getting your content cited and used in AI-generated answers.” – As defined by Google’s Gemini and discussed by the panel.

• GEO is Hitting Top-of-Funnel Queries First: Think those “best neighborhoods in [city]” type searches. Bottom-of-funnel (“apartments for rent in [city]”) is still mostly traditional search. The Opportunity: Get in front of renters earlier in their research.

• Your GEO and SEO Need to Be BFFs: The panel laid out four key areas to focus on for both:
  • Google Business Profile: Treat it like your digital storefront. Keep it updated and use all the features.
  • Reviews: Still crucial! Encourage specific feedback.
  • Social Media: It’s starting to influence AI rankings. Share valuable, local info.
  • Website Content & Technical SEO: Create comprehensive, question-answering content with proper structure (headings, lists). Nail your technical SEO (schema markup!).

• Rethink Your FAQs for GEO Wins: This was a gold nugget! Instead of just basic property info, answer those early-stage research questions. 

Example: “What are the best dog parks near our community?” Then, create in-depth blog posts on those topics and link them to your FAQ.

“What FAQ, to me, really gives an opportunity to do is go beyond those typical content opportunities and get to really unique opportunities, especially now… What these questions are, are questions that we wish users would ask that our website is a great answer for.” – Kyle Jones, REACH by RentCafe

• Reviews Still Rule: Seriously, don’t slack on reputation management. User-generated content is what these engines trust.

• Aggregated Content is Getting Noticed: Sites that pull together local info are showing up in AI Overviews. How can your property be featured in local “best of” lists or neighborhood guides?

Alright, there you have it, the need-to-know from AIM, served up with a side of actionable advice. Now go out there and make some smart marketing moves!

If you want a second opinion on if a tactic is right for your property or are curious about how Performance Max actually works, book a call with one of our experts, and we’d be happy to help you out!