Generative AI tools are now accessible to renters looking for their next apartment.
How Generative AI Search Will Impact Your Apartments’ Digital Marketing. And What To Do About It.
We are entering a new era of online search, in which Generative AI tools are now accessible to renters looking for their next apartment.
While much of the buzz around Generative AI makes it seem like you have to completely change everything you’re currently doing in your apartment marketing strategy, the truth is that you can thrive in this new era without adding to your workload.
In this article:
- A simple explainer of how Generative AI search works
- Examples of how Generative AI impacts search results for apartments
- How to optimize your apartment marketing strategy for Generative AI search
A simple explainer of how Generative AI Search works
Generative AI search engines, like Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s SearchGPT, Perplexity, and many others, are reshaping how people find information online.
Users can ask more conversational-type questions or prompts, like ‘I have ground beef, grated cheese, and russet potatoes. What are some recipes I can make for a quick dinner tonight using those three ingredients?’ and get conversational-like answers tailored to best match what the person is looking for.
Rather than showing a bunch of website links with recipes like traditional search engines, the AI’s algorithms collect relevant text, images, and other details from sources across the web to generate a list of recipes specifically featuring beef, cheese, and potatoes.
Generative AI doesn’t consider which websites to scan for answers based on their potential ranking on the typical search engine results page.
Instead, it heavily prioritizes websites based on their content, mainly if it provides the best answer to someone’s prompt—which, as we’ll discuss later, is a clear directive for apartment marketers to ensure their community’s website features helpful, informative, and high-quality content.
Examples of how Generative AI impacts search results for apartments
With Generative AI, renters can perform various searches that specifically mention the features they’re looking for in their next apartment and indicate how they want that information presented.
Personalized search
We know every renter has certain floorplans, living experiences, and other needs on their mind before they begin their apartment search.
Using Generative AI, they can conduct a very personalized search process. They can enter a prompt asking it to research apartment communities under a strict set of criteria, like ‘Show me a list of higher-end apartments with gyms and pools that are in a quiet neighborhood of Austin, Texas, ‘ and indicate how they want the answer presented.
This is a screenshot with the prompt’s results from Perplexity, which, like many new Generative AI tools, lacks brand power but is recognized as the best AI search engine by early adopters. It generates a list of results according to the user’s personalized request. The list includes vital information such as the apartment community’s name, address, designated neighborhood, rent prices, and featured amenities (including gyms and pools, as requested).
Additionally, it curates a series of images from those communities in a gallery, along with a map plotting each location. You can also see which sources were accessed to gather the content, which, in this example, includes Yelp business listings, Apartments.com, and RentCafe.
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Conversational search
What if a prospective resident doesn’t know where they want to begin their apartment search? They have particular needs like every other renter but seek a guide to help.
This is where the conversational tone of a Generative AI search could come into play.
Let’s say they’ve just accepted a job in Lincoln, Nebraska, but are unfamiliar with the city. They want to get a feel for their new city before discovering which apartment communities to seek.
They could begin by asking an AI tool, “I’m moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, later this year. I really like to run and fish, so I’m hoping to live in a neighborhood close to a park. What are my options?”
This screenshot is a result of that prompt from Gemini. It includes a list of Lincoln parks that are great for individuals who like running and fishing, thus beginning the conversation.
Prompts that could follow, like ‘Which of those parks are closest to (company name)?’ or ‘Show me some apartment communities next to Holmes Lake Park,’ would naturally continue the conversation that began in the initial prompt and bring the prospective renter to a precise set of apartment communities.
How to optimize your apartment marketing strategy for Generative AI search
There’s not enough clarity yet into which sources or places on the web that Generative AI algorithms prioritize when collecting content.
The other challenge is that multiple apartment communities could match a searcher’s criteria, making standing out in a Generative AI search more competitive.
But here’s what we do know:
- An apartment website that features helpful and relevant information about each of your floorplans, amenities, pricing, availability, and the community’s lifestyle can be a source of truth that AI will favor.
- Showcasing attractive floorplan-specific photos and walkthrough video tours of your apartments across all of your marketing sources gives you control over the quality of the media content AI collects.
- Prioritizing the accuracy and completeness of your apartment’s local search marketing channels, like Google Business Profile, or taking steps to stand out in Google Maps will provide AI with additional reputable, trustworthy sources online from which to gather information about your property.
Here are some other tangible, easy-to-implement steps that will give your apartments the best chance to stand out in Generative AI searches:
1. Be transparent and descriptive in your apartment community’s marketing messaging.
To do this, you need to understand your target audience, their likes and dislikes, and what type of living experience they want in your apartment community. Then, apply that research to your messaging and create a consistent description for your community on your website, Google Business Profile, ILS listings, and anywhere else you’re marketing your apartments online.
Your community’s location and the places within its proximity are highly valued by both renters and AI, so it would be smart to incorporate more location-specific language in your content and call out specific attractions nearby by name.
You should also try to be as clear and descriptive as possible about your community’s amenities. Don’t try to make your messaging sound fluffy; make it clear and easy for renters and AI to list or identify specific features about your community that they’re looking for.
2. Make sure your media content is high-quality.
AI search tools utilize and display your online media content; in most cases, they will show just a single primary photo associated with your community. That’s why the quality of media content across all of your apartment marketing sources must be strong.
3. Encourage reviews and testimonials.
Knowing that Generative AI scans and analyzes review sites like Yelp or Google Business, among others, you can significantly enhance your presence by prioritizing your apartment’s online reputation.
Renters today value transparency and will want to hear from current or former residents about their living experience in your community. If you’re courageous and systematic about soliciting resident feedback and responding to reviews, you can ensure that your ratings are more favorable.
4. Maintain up-to-date listings.
It goes without saying that you should ensure that every source you’re using to market your apartments online displays the most accurate and up-to-date information. You can make this easy by utilizing marketing syndication tools or integrating your Google Business Profile with your community website.
Conclusion
Embracing the rise of Generative AI in search doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your apartment marketing strategy; rather, it requires focusing on refining and enhancing your existing efforts.
By optimizing your messaging, improving media content, and maintaining an active online presence, you can position your communities to be ready to head into this new era of online search.
Source: RentVision
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