Ahead of the Curve: 2026 Marketing Predictions for Multifamily & Senior Living

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how renters search, how marketers plan, and how operators measure success. To help leaders prepare, we sat down with Andrew Cederlind, President and COO of Conversion Logix, to get his perspective on where marketing is headed, which trends matter most, and what multifamily and senior living teams should do now to future-proof their strategies.

How is AI changing the marketing landscape for multifamily and senior living companies?

Andrew: The short answer? AI is changing everything.

We’ve already seen the rise of chatbots and leasing assistants, but that’s only the first wave. 

Next year, you’re going to see the rise of AI-driven “agents” guiding renters through the entire apartment search process, from understanding preferences to navigating options.

We will also see AI becoming more of a strategic partner for marketers. It will help identify new tactics, recommend channel mixes, and guide teams toward what’s working in the market.

Search behavior is evolving quickly. What changes do you expect, and how should marketers adapt?

Andrew: Traditional search isn’t dead, but it’s not the same dependable demand engine it used to be.

“Traditional search isn’t dead, but it’s not the same dependable demand engine it used to be.”

Andrew Cederlind
President & COO, Conversion Logix

As AI-generated results push ads and organic listings further down the page, brands are losing share of voice on Google. This means decreased visibility and rising competition for the limited placements that remain. As a result, we are seeing fewer click-throughs and higher CPCs from Paid Search campaigns than before.

Historically, Paid Search often made up 50% or more of a property’s advertising budget. I can see that dropping closer to 30%. Marketers are realizing that influence happens across many touchpoints and that search can’t shoulder the entire load. 

Paid Search is still great at capturing lower-funnel, high-intent leads. But it’s losing efficiency in the mid and upper funnel. That means marketers should continue to invest in search, but not rely on it exclusively. Diversification is becoming essential.

What emerging channel or platform do you expect to surprise marketers in 2026, either as an opportunity or a challenge?

Andrew: Google Analytics is going to matter less over time.

Instead, operators will focus more on NOI and occupancy lift as key indicators of marketing performance. As the marketing landscape shifts, it’s going to become harder for organizations to track specific campaign actions with true cause and effect with out-of-the-box solutions like Google Analytics. 

With attribution becoming so fragmented, how do you expect teams to adapt?

Andrew: We’re entering the era of “The Invisible Journey.”

“We’re entering the era of The Invisible Journey. Attribution is getting more complex, tracking is getting harder, and measurement systems will need to evolve to match this new reality.”

Andrew Cederlind
President & COO, Conversion Logix

Privacy restrictions, AI Overviews, and cross-device behavior mean that huge parts of the resident journey are now happening where pixels can’t track them.

That’s why we’re investing heavily in our own attribution solutions to identify which campaigns are truly driving leases when traditional tracking methods break down. 

How is Conversion Logix using AI today?

Andrew: We use AI in a lot of ways, but always with a clear purpose: to make things easier and more effective for our clients.

• Internally, we’ve developed a Fair Housing-compliant ad creation tool that generates compliant copy and recommends suitable images. 
• We utilize AI to distill complex reports into clear takeaways, particularly for large portfolios. 
• We’ve built our own AI-driven tools that improve keyword lists and adjust bidding strategies based on conversion data.
• We released an AI chatbot solution, Claire AI+, in January of last year within The Conversion Cloud®, our suite of lead generation applications. 
• Most importantly, we’ve used AI and machine learning to build our Unified Attribution model, which tracks prospect engagement from the campaigns we run, organic search, referrals, and ILSs to identify the true combination of marketing touchpoints that yield conversions. Our account managers utilize this reporting to determine where to allocate budgets for optimal outcomes.

Which AI solutions do you expect multifamily marketers to adopt more widely next year?

Andrew: The AI tools we already see being used today to field prospect inquiries, assist with copy and creative, and manage ad bidding and delivery will continue to grow in popularity. 

But I think the biggest leap in 2026 will be in using AI to help with media mix modeling. 

As tracking gets harder and resident journeys become more opaque, marketers will need systems that can connect the dots behind the scenes and make powerful personalized media mix recommendations at the property level. 

“I think the biggest leap in 2026 will be in using AI to help with media mix modeling. As tracking gets harder resident journeys become more opaque, marketers will need systems that can connect the dots behind the scenes and make personalized recommendations at the property-level.” 

Andrew Cederlind
President & COO, Conversion Logix

These types of advancements have the power to minimize wasted spend, make effective ad spend more efficient, and help marketers reduce resident acquisition costs.

For teams planning for 2026, what’s the most important thing they should start doing now?

Andrew: Remember that the only constant is change.

There are countless new tools, but not every tool is worth adopting. Start by choosing the outcome you want, maybe it’s improved NOI or stronger occupancy, and then find the lever that will actually move that outcome.

Sometimes that means trying something new. Sometimes it means optimizing what you already have. The key is being intentional, not reactive.

As the President and COO of Conversion Logix, you’ve navigated many major industry shifts yourself. What advice do you have for leaders managing change?

Andrew: Change is never easy, but the only way out is through. 

Don’t be afraid to switch things up. Make a plan. Stick to it. Then make the next one.

Things won’t go perfectly, and the process and timeline will probably look messier than you expect. But when you zoom out and look back over 12 to 24 months, you’ll be amazed by how far you’ve come.

What Marketing Leaders Should Do in 2026

The next year will challenge marketers to rethink how they measure success, where they allocate budget, and how they leverage AI strategically, not just operationally.

The key takeaways from our interview with Andrew:

• Diversify beyond search marketing.
• Prepare for “The Invisible Journey”. Tracking will get harder before it gets easier.
• Look for opportunities to use AI to help guide strategy, not just automate tasks.
• Focus your efforts on the outcomes that matter most: occupancy and NOI.

Marketers who embrace these shifts early will be set up for success in 2026.

Interested in taking your marketing strategy to the next level in 2026? We’d love to help. Schedule a call to connect with our team.

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