In this episode, I sat down with Lisa Horner, Chief Marketing Officer at AppFolio - LIVE at the AppFolio FUTURE Conference. We talked about what’s actually working in property management marketing today, digging into AI hype vs. real impact, why understanding your customer beats clever tactics, and how to market without sounding like… well, a marketer.

Lisa shares how AppFolio stays close to operators (literally - engineers on the tradeshow floor), why branding starts with asking “who are we?” and “what do we care about?”, and how the best marketing campaigns begin with deep empathy and strategic constraints.

We also touch on leadership transitions, the role of experimentation, and how business owners can prepare for AI-powered change (without panicking).

We discuss:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:01:44) - AI in Property Management
(00:06:03) - Marketing Strategies in the AI Era
(00:09:17) - Understanding Customer Needs
(00:16:31) - Sponsor - PropertyManagement.com
(00:20:53) - Leadership and Management Insights
(00:30:41) - Reflecting on Personal Beliefs and Values
(00:30:53) - The Fear of Defining Your Brand
(00:31:33) - Strategic Planning and Constraints
(00:32:16) - The Importance of Targeted Marketing
(00:33:00) - Sponsor - RentEngine
(00:34:54) - The Impact of AI on SEO and Digital Marketing
(00:37:47) - Embracing Experimentation in Marketing
(00:40:23) - Understanding Your Customer Base
(00:46:45) - Balancing Inbound and Outbound Marketing
(00:49:15) - Leveraging Technology for Business Growth
(00:55:34) - The Role of Marketing Beyond Lead Generation
(00:57:21) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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How AppFolio Thinks About AI, Brand, and Customer Focus with Lisa Horner