MHN Solutions Showcase: Q&A with RentPath

Is there a particular market segment (student, affordable, seniors, etc.) that you will be focused on in the coming year?

Like many of our clients, our focus this year is on Millennials, who are the targets of our national advertising campaign. The Rent.com campaign reaches Millennial renters on media channels that they interact with every day, including select television programming, websites, mobile apps and sites, and social media.

Explain how you have been asked to better serve the apartment renter or property manager with your product.

We completed a number of surveys, focus groups and behavior research, based on how prospective renters use our network of sites, to find the perfect place to live for our Rent.com advertising campaign. The most glaring thing we learned was that prospective renters are extremely frustrated with the process of finding an apartment, because it’s so difficult to find legitimate information about apartment communities online. Of the 1,000 Millennial renters we worked with, 62 percent said illegitimate listings were the most frustrating part of the apartment search process. That’s why we verify every single listing on our network of websites.

Can you describe an example of how a company or individual has used your product or service to differentiate their product in the marketplace they are serving?

Associated Estates utilized our LeadMail service to promote its Showcase of Apartment Homes program, which was designed to draw more attention to Associated Estates communities in the slow leasing months. Essentially a modern version of the direct mailer, LeadMail offered a fully designed email that was sent to a list of prospective renters who showed interest in renting an apartment home in the market. The promotional emails were sent to 77,465 prospective renters via LeadMail in November and resulted in 2,734 click-throughs. Associated Estates received 305 leads per week during the promotion period, a jump from an average of 190-260.

What will be the most surprising change in the multifamily housing industry over the next five years?

The most surprising change we believe we’ll see in the industry is an increased sophistication of marketing. As a growing number of people are choosing to rent rather than buy, apartment marketers will have to work even harder to differentiate their apartment communities. That will translate into even greater sophistication in marketing efforts in terms of more prominent national brands, use of more promotional channels and even more complex online advertising, like those offered through RentPath’s network of sites.

How are your customers managing their businesses more efficiently with your product/service?

By leveraging  the power of the RentPath network of sites through bundles with Apartment Guide and Rent.com, along with additional products like Community Reputation PROSM, AG Sites™ and Media Center, apartment owner/operators are creating an efficient integrated marketing program that produces quality leads that convert. The full suite of products and services we offer creates a comprehensive marketing program that maximizes exposure and increases the efficiency of the marketing program.

Scott Asher is Vice President of Sales Operations at RentPath

RentPath, a leading digital media solutions company, empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Through its leading brands—Apartment Guide, Rent.com, Rentals.com and Lovely—RentPath connects consumers with a home that reflects their personal lifestyles. With powerful online and mobile solutions that provide prospective renters with the information and tools they need, RentPath continues to simplify the apartment search experience while driving quality advertiser leads that result in occupancies and a high return on investment. Their clients benefit from maximum exposure and lead generation on a total of four industry-leading digital platforms. RentPath offers a complete solution to clients with innovations like AG Sites™, HD Image Pack, Certified Resident Ratings & ReviewsSM, Media Center, Community Reputation PROSM and Rentmatic®.