Michigan Lease-Up Triples Leases in Under Six Weeks
Conversion Logix partnered with this community to accelerate leasing momentum for a 424-unit hybrid workforce housing lease-up facing construction delays in Traverse City, MI.
The Results
16 → 56
Leases
3,157
Campaign Sessions
104
Key Events
The Situation
The marketing team was tasked with leasing Corners Crossing, a 424-unit workforce housing community in Traverse City, Michigan. Unlike other affordable housing properties in their portfolio, only 51% of units are rent-restricted under an AMI-based affordability model, with the rest set at market rate.
This meant that, to successfully lease this property, the team needed a competitive strategy that could not only capture demand but also drive it. "Because a subset of the renters had more choice available to them, we needed a marketing strategy that could compel renters to leave their current apartment and choose Corners Crossing over other options in this market," said the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Branding.
The property was originally planned to open in September 2025, but faced several months of weather-related construction delays, which tightened both the budget and the lease-up timeline. The opening was phased, with the first building coming online in mid-April and additional units being released gradually as construction allowed. Pre-leasing in the winter months in Traverse City's snow-heavy climate added another layer of difficulty.
Their in-house team partnered with multifamily advertising specialists at Conversion Logix to develop and execute a campaign that would quickly and strategically accelerate leasing momentum without overspending ahead of construction.
The Solution
Conversion Logix built a full-funnel digital ad campaign with a $2,950 monthly budget, combining YouTube for demand generation, Performance Max to capture high-intent search traffic, and Facebook, Instagram, and Display Retargeting to keep interested renters engaged.
Before the campaign launched on May 13th, the property had leased 16 units. By the end of May, that number had climbed to 33, and by June 22nd, Corners Crossing had secured 56 leases, surpassing the team's goal of 49 occupied units by the end of June.
Over that same period (May 13-June 22), the campaign generated 3,157 sessions and 104 key events.
The Strategy
To build demand without overspending, the Conversion Logix team proposed a phased budget tied to construction progress, starting lighter during pre-leasing and ramping up once units and updated photography were ready to show prospects.
"With this campaign, it was really important to design a strategy that addressed the entire funnel," said Conversion Logix's Digital Strategist Christine Carrozza. "The key to a lease-up is building brand awareness. You need top-of-the-funnel strategies in place before you can really capitalize on the high-intent demand.”
By spreading the campaign budget across a variety of channels (YouTube, Performance Max, Display, Facebook, and Instagram) and investing in awareness, retargeting, and demand capture strategies, Wallick achieved impressive results within the first month and a half of the campaign.
Increase Visibility With YouTube
The YouTube campaign generated 3,635 video views introducing Corners Crossing to in-market renters in the local area who weren’t yet aware of the property. The campaign drove 2,215 website sessions and 28 calls. YouTube was the second-largest traffic driver to the site, accounting for 22% of new website visitors.
Retarget Website Visitors
Facebook and Instagram Retargeting and Display Retargeting kept the community top-of-mind for visitors who had already been to the site.
The Facebook campaign delivered 45,374 impressions and 370 sessions at a 31% engagement rate, and the Display campaign delivered 63,185 impressions, 175 direct sessions (at a 16% engagement rate), 476 post-view site visits, and 53 post-view key event conversions.
Capture Demand With Performance Max
Performance Max helped to catch local in-market renters already searching with intent. The campaign targeted both market-rate and workforce-housing audiences across a variety of Google placements, using a mix of market-rate and affordability-oriented keywords, income-informed targeting, and geographic radius targeting. Performance Max ads generated 397 sessions and 13 key events (11 calls and 2 apply now clicks).
Optimize Website to Increase Conversions
At the start of June, the Conversion Logix team made a few suggestions to increase engagement, website conversions, and improve conversion tracking that the team worked quickly to implement:
- Add pricing to the floor plans page
- Improve or enable tour scheduling so tours can be tracked distinctly instead of blending with general contact forms
- Refresh the creative once new photography becomes available
Key Takeaways
1
Full-funnel strategies accelerate leasing.
Lease-ups succeed when they pair awareness strategies that drive demand with retargeting and demand capture strategies.
2
Phased budgeting protects ROI during construction delays.
Phasing spend to match unit availability keeps leads warm and avoids wasted dollars before a property is ready to show.
3
Clean tracking and a frictionless website make every dollar work harder.
Accurate attribution and small conversion-path fixes, like enabling tour scheduling, compound the results of the media spend behind them.
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