MHN Executive Council: Tips for Building AI into Your 2026 Marketing Strategies
Get beyond chatbots!
Artificial intelligence in multifamily has moved beyond just a chatbot for prospects. Industry leaders are exploring how AI can transform property marketing, from automated ad optimization and content creation to deeper insights into renter behavior. As you begin to make your 2026 plans, it’s crucial to figure out how you’ll be using AI. This month, the MHN Executive Council gives insights on how they’re going to use AI in the coming year. Hopefully, they’ll inspire your plans as well!
Tailored Message
Leveraging AI means you can be more efficient, more targeted and deliver a better experience to prospects and residents—all of which helps occupancy, retention and marketing ROI. AI can ingest data (past leads, inquiry behavior, website interactions, demographic and psychographic signals) and generate individual-level segments rather than broad buckets. That means you can serve tailored messaging to a prospective renter: their preferred floorplan, move-in time, amenities they care about, maybe even lifestyle cues (pet owner, remote-worker, fitness-oriented).AI can help generate marketing content: blog posts, email drafts, social posts, virtual tour captions and video scripts. The use of AI tools provide scale and speed—ensure you keep brand voice, authenticity, and quality. While this is slightly adjacent to pure marketing, AI & imaging tech (like automated 3D walkthroughs, virtual staging) enhance your listing and help marketing stand out. These visuals are more engaging, leading to more inbound leads. —Maria Pietroforte, President, Maria Pietroforte Consulting
Analyze, Create, Communicate
At The REMM Group, AI is becoming an integral part of how we analyze, create and communicate. By 2026, we see AI continuing to elevate our marketing through three primary channels:
1. Data-Driven Insights
AI tools are allowing us to move beyond static reports and toward predictive analytics—identifying where leasing demand is trending, which amenities drive engagement, and how we can optimize marketing spend in real time. This helps our teams refine strategy before market shifts occur, rather than reacting afterward.
2. Smarter Content and Advertising
AI is helping us personalize content for each audience—from social ads and community websites to email campaigns and virtual tours. These tools allow us to deliver hyper-relevant messaging to renters based on their location, lifestyle, and search intent, improving lead quality while lowering acquisition costs.
3. Efficiency That Amplifies Human Creativity
We’re leveraging AI to handle the repetitive tasks—data entry, ad optimization and A/B testing—so our marketing and onsite teams can focus on what matters most: authentic storytelling, customer service, and human connection.
We will continue to stress that AI not as a replacement for people, but as a powerful tool that enhances creativity, accelerates insights and helps our teams “go beyond, creating value” for both residents and clients. —Susan McPeak, Corporate Ambassador, The REMM Group
Multipurpose
We actively use AI in our Partner in Yes program, which helps builders and developers make the most of their stakeholder presentations. With AI assistance our designers develop a presentation that communicates a new project’s story with engaging visuals that complement an in-person presentation. These meetings help stakeholders secure municipal approvals and/or private financing by helping them envision a completed project before it even begins.
When preparing new business proposals, we utilize AI tools in our market research. This includes a deep dive into the competitive landscape as well as developing data points on demographics and local emerging trends and influences that shape the approach to a new project.
AI is also helpful in developing budgets, cost estimates, social media planning and in overall operational efficiencies which keep clients satisfied and coming back. These efforts augment our own intelligence—we recognize AI will never replace our critical touchpoints, since our business is so relationship driven. —Mary Cook, President, Mary Cook Associates
Creative Partner
As we look toward 2026, I see AI continuing to play a pivotal role in transforming our marketing strategy, particularly across search, content creation and operational efficiency.
AI-driven search, both paid and organic, is poised for the next major leap as generative models become increasingly embedded within the search experience itself. This evolution will reshape how audiences discover and engage with content. Our focus will be on optimizing visibility and relevance within these AI-informed search ecosystems, ensuring that our marketing not only reaches people where they are, but anticipates how they search and interact in this new environment.
From a content standpoint, AI has already proven to be an invaluable creative partner. As language models continue to advance, their role in refining tone, improving clarity, and accelerating content production will only grow. This will allow our team to focus more on strategy, storytelling and brand alignment, while AI handles the repetitive aspects of content development.
Operationally, AI will deepen its role as a strategic assistant, analyzing performance metrics, surfacing insights, and identifying opportunities for efficiency. By pairing human creativity with machine precision, we’ll continue to strengthen both the reach and the impact of our marketing efforts. —Jim Love, Vice President of Marketing & Brand, Draper and Kramer
Redefining Marketing
By 2026, artificial intelligence will redefine how apartment operators market their communities—shifting from intuition-based tactics to predictive, data-driven strategies. AI will empower teams to personalize renter engagement, optimize campaigns in real time, and connect marketing performance directly to leasing results. The catch? You must have a platform with a holistic view of analytics to continue making the best decisions.
What should you be thinking about?
- Invest in AI-driven analytics—Use intelligent platforms to transform resident and prospect data into marketing strategies that predict behavior and drive measurable results.
- Prioritize personalization at scale—Leverage automation tools to deliver tailored content and campaigns that resonate with diverse renter audiences across channels.
- Align marketing with resident experience—Integrate feedback, survey insights, and performance metrics to ensure your marketing reflects and enhances the on-site experience.
And for multifamily supplier companies, AI will enhance marketing precision. By leveraging insights, suppliers can align their messaging with operator goals—turning every marketing effort into an opportunity to build stronger, more strategic partnerships. —Stephanie Anderson, Senior Director, Grace Hill
Predictive Tools
AI is a big part of how we market and lease apartments. It helps us identify who’s most likely to lease—like prospects searching for pet-friendly two-bedrooms—and automatically tailor ads or emails to match their interests. AI leasing assistants chat with prospects 24/7, answer questions and even book tours right from the website or social media. Predictive tools flag when occupancy might dip so we can adjust pricing or promotions early. —Jess Carpentier, Regional Marketing Manager, CSM Corp.
Interested in joining the MHN Executive Council and sharing your insights? Email Jessica Fiur.
