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"The success of this video campaign has been eye-opening! We'll strategically integrate video across our portfolio, tailoring online experiences to each property's needs and budget."
Angie Lombardi
Vice President of Marketing
Setting the Scene
Franklin Group develops and manages multifamily communities across senior, luxury, and affordable housing sectors. Known for its people-first philosophy and data-driven mindset, the company embraces innovation as essential to continual improvement and long-term success.
Their organizational strategy is designed to effectively address today’s challenges while ensuring they are well-positioned for future success, balancing immediate solutions with a forward-thinking approach that supports the flexibility and adaptability that drive enduring success.
At the helm of their marketing efforts is Angie Lombardi, Vice President of Marketing. She is responsible for all marketing and leasing initiatives for the company’s extensive portfolio, which spans from Rhode Island to Florida.
When two very different properties began to face distinct challenges, Angie turned to a single, scalable solution: Realync.
Company Profile
Industry: Multifamily Real Estate Investment and Property Management (specializing in senior, luxury, and affordable housing)
Headquarters: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Assets Under Management: Not publicly disclosed
Year Founded: 2013
The Challenge
For Franklin Group, it was a tale of two properties, each facing hurdles that impacted leasing:
- Lacked an Effective Virtual Touring Tool: Springhouse Apartments generates a high volume of military and out-of-market leads. As a result, the leasing team often found themselves looking for ways to showcase the property to prospective residents. Lacking a consistent virtual touring platform, the team relied on makeshift video efforts, like Facebook Live and recording their own videos. Overall, it was a disjointed approach that failed to yield impactful results.
- Outdated Advertising Tactics: Greenwich Village, on the other hand, was facing declining engagement. Running traditional advertising campaigns — with static images — just wasn’t cutting it anymore. As a result, they’re conversion rates were struggling.
Angie knew it was time to modernize the approach — and fast.
The Solution
Implementing new technology can sometimes be costly and met with resistance, particularly given the demands on onsite teams. Carving out time for training to learn a new platform often eclipses even the best of intentions, and as a result, it frequently takes months to begin using a new tool — and even longer to realize a return on the investment.
Fortunately, Realync’s intuitive virtual leasing and video tools offered a streamlined — yet flexible — solution. For Springhouse, it empowered onsite teams to engage with prospects in real time. At Greenwich Village, it became the backbone of a more effective advertising strategy. For Franklin Group, it was a strategic marketing shift that yielded phenomenal results.
Virtual Leasing Strategy To Capture Out-of-Market Leads:
Following the implementation of Realync’s virtual leasing platform, Springhouse Apartment’s leasing agent Jess Dixon wasted no time putting the solution to work when an inbound lead came in via a phone call.
The prospective resident was unable to schedule a visit to see the community during business hours, so Jess proposed and scheduled a Realync live video tour during this prospect’s lunch break, while emailing additional collateral. As soon as they connected on the live video tour, Jess began creating an apartment tour that was memorable.
Because the tour was live, Jess could personalize the experience, focusing on the apartment features that mattered most to her prospect — all while building the relationship and deepening engagement.
Following the tour of the apartment unit, Jess continued the Realync live tour, showcasing all the amenities before concluding the tour back at her desk in the leasing office. By that point, her prospect had seen all that she needed to and was ready to sign!
Angie shares, “Realync is an easy way for our teams to interact with prospects and showcase their space in a transparent way, and, at the end of the day, that makes all the difference.”
Now, for the rest of the story!
Video-Driven Ad Strategy:
Realync was already implemented at the property level and part of Franklin Group’s onsite video strategy. However, the advertising woes they were facing with Greenwich Village were altogether different. The good news is that Angie had a point of comparison and could see that other communities in their portfolio were using video ads and performing much better.
So Angie turned to Realync and GREENstick, two of Franklin Group’s trusted partners, for a collaborative solution. GREENstick is Franklin Group’s marketing agency, overseeing their digital marketing efforts, including paid ad campaigns. Realync, in addition to being Franklin Group’s strategic video solution, is also a GREENstick agency partner.
“With our volume of out-of-market leads, Realync was something that we knew would be an invaluable leasing tool for our communities across the Franklin Group portfolio. Seeing how easily Jess and the Springhouse team picked up Realync and the immediate success they found, very quickly showcased just how impactful the platform can be."
- Angie Lombardi, Vice President of Marketing
The Outcome
Whether in advertising or virtual tours, video content creates strong emotional connections, which is crucial for potential residents. The benefit is far from one-sided. It’s a solution that improves the experience for prospects and optimizes efficiency and outcomes for property managers and owners.
In the case of Springhouse, the prospect had a unique and positive experience, and for the team, the Realync solution proved both easier and more effective than other tools they had tried.
And certainly nothing had delivered a faster ROI. Less than 24 hours after launching Realync at Springhouse, the team had secured a new lease. The total time to close? 22 minutes!
Additionally, Franklin Group’s video ad campaigns for Greenwich Village exceeded expectations and captured the attention of prospective renters that static image ad campaigns hadn't reached.
Video content enhances search rankings, as it captures attention and aligns well with search algorithms. The results speak for themselves. In the first 14 days of using a video solution, they saw the following for video ads versus static image ads:
What started as an A/B test grew into Franklin Group using video more consistently across its communities’ leasing and marketing strategies. And by continuing to prioritize video content in its marketing strategy, Franklin Group will generate new leads and excite renters — all with a lower investment in advertising.
“With a remarkable 145% increase in conversion rates, our journey with GREENstick and Realync has become a testament to the power of strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technologies,” Angie said.
From personalized leasing tours to dynamic digital advertising, video proved to be the unifying solution across vastly different challenges. With Realync, Franklin Group didn’t just improve performance; they transformed the renter experience.
Their story is a powerful reminder that modern renters expect more. They expect real connection, transparency, and convenience — and video delivers on all fronts.
Let Franklin Group’s success be your sign: Don’t settle for the status quo. Realync’s virtual solutions and video tools are effective, easy to implement, and all within reach
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