Boring Apartment Marketing Videos

I was surfing around the Internet looking at apartment websites (which I often do before going into a market) and this super boring  apartment marketing video started playing that was supposed to entice me to the pool, or calm myself in the fitness center and then offered me some information on local hotspot options. I thought, why is there this disconnect between this incredible apartment community and this terrible video? Even airlines are getting a lot more interesting with their videos.
As I do apartment marketing, it frustrates me when the full creative potential of video isn’t realized. I want to see story-based videos that create an emotional connection with the customer and does an effective job of emotionalizing the brand.

When potential residents go to the website they don’t need to see a cookie-cutter video to show them the community. Oftentimes these videos show a shot of the pool while text or a voice-over says “this is the pool” can be underwhelming and undersell the apartment community. Instead, these potential residents are looking for a video that can virtually immerse them in the experience and reveal some of the brand personality. That’s the creative potential of video – to  let the viewer know that we understand why they are choosing the our communities experience over a another.

Video as a means to accomplish a goal

The audience for a video could be a potential resident looking for a new home (where the video sells the experience), or a current resident (where the video sells amenities on site). That’s why it’s important to know your objectives before beginning.

Is it to increase leases? Then make a video for the website that will show how your experience is different.
Is it to increase the revenue … likelihood of renewal/length of stay? Then use video to continue  the sale other aspects of your community. and neighborhood.

Videos  are highly dependent on the brand aesthetic. Just as there is no “cookie cutter” formula for an apartment community, there should be no strict formula for the content.
Right now, the current idea of video is to create one “ overview” video that includes shots of all aspects of the community. If I am looking  for a new home, I don’t care to see shots of the local restaurants. I have already made the number one decision (neighborhood) it takes to lease an apartment long before I visited your website. If I am already a resident, I don’t want to see shots of the apartment I am sitting in. Instead, we need to create stories to emotionalize each aspect of the community and target the content so that the right viewer sees it at the right time, thus increasing their likelihood of renewal.