Google Business Profiles have become an integral part of the renter’s journey. GBPs are likely the first touchpoint they have with your property, but they also serve as a major factor when deciding to schedule a tour, make a phone call, or sign a lease.
That’s why robust management of your Google Business Profiles across your portfolio is critical. Many choose to hire an agency to handle their portfolio of GBPs, but these agencies are an outdated solution because they can’t deliver the speed, scale, and accuracy that today’s renters demand.
Today’s solution is AI that’s purposely built for multifamily marketing. This blog will detail how multifamily digital marketing agencies are inadequate at managing Google Business Profiles at scale and how solutions like MavenAI are setting the standard.
Challenges of Scaling With a GBP Agency
Multifamily portfolios are more than a single brand or Google Business Profile. It consists of hundreds of properties with unique branding, pricing, availability, and amenities. These differences make it extremely challenging for a multifamily marketing agency to effectively manage so many profiles.
After all, many multifamily marketing agencies may still rely on manual processes to manage apartment Google Business Profiles. They go through regular review cycles for content, ensuring it meets your standards. These require monthly — if not weekly — meetings with a constant need for approval, slowing down the process of updating your profiles with relevant information.
Not to mention, multifamily marketing agencies follow the same process for each of your profiles, leading to a severe backlog of posts and updates to your profiles. As a result, your GBPs are left outdated, and renters are less interested.
Meanwhile, AI eliminates these pain points by automatically updating your GBPs at scale based on information directly pulled from your property management system.
The Hidden Costs of Hiring Legacy Agencies
In addition to the antiquated process agencies use to manage Google Business Profiles, you also need to consider the hidden costs associated with the legacy agency model.
Before working with an agency, consider the following additional expenses you may incur:
- Retainer Fees: Agencies typically lock you into a contract that comes with monthly retainers regardless of their performance.
- Add-On Charges: Expect extra fees for additional services that you may need as they come up, when in reality they should have been included from the start.
- Time Drain: Outsourcing work to a multifamily marketing agency only adds to your workload, as you’re left with the constant communication your team needs to maintain.
- Brand Inconsistency: Marketing agencies have frequent turnover, meaning new hires will have to learn your brand all over again. This creates the potential for brand inconsistency throughout the process.
- Optimizing for “Activity” Metrics: Agencies usually focus on metrics centered around activity rather than driving occupancy growth.
Comparing GBP Agencies vs. AI
Let’s compare how Google Business Profile agencies stack up against AI-first solutions like MavenAI.
| Agencies | MavenAI |
| Manual updates with only 2-4 posts/month; requires approvals | Daily automated posts pulled directly from your PMS |
| Inconsistent brand tone, depending on the account manager turnover | Locked-in brand voice that’s consistent across all properties |
| Expensive retainers, ongoing management overhead, and hidden fees | Transparent, per-property pricing; no agency overhead |
| Lack of control over posting schedule | Posting schedule managed by AI, but offers flexibility for you to review |
| You manage the agency | AI manages itself; set and forget it |
| Delayed response times for updates and reviews | Real-time pricing, availability, concessions, and Q&A |
Why AI is a Better Solution for GBP Management
MavenAI is already trusted by operators representing more than 2 million units to keep their Google Business Profiles updated with real-time pricing, Multifamily marketing agencies are a thing of the past when it comes to Google Business Profile management. AI has emerged as the more efficient and effective solution to managing your entire multifamily portfolio’s GBPs.
Here’s how tools like MavenAI make for a better solution:
- Consistency at Scale: MavenAI keeps every property in your portfolio accurate and on-brand, giving renters a clear and consistent view of their offerings.
- Real-Time Updates: New pricing, concessions, and availability are instantly pushed live, so renters always see the most current information.
- SEO Focused: MavenAI is built with SEO in mind, generating keyword-rich content to help properties rank higher in local searches and catch the attention of possible residents.
- Brand Control: You only ever have to define your tone once, ensuring updates and future content across platforms (Google, Facebook, and Instagram) match your brand.
- Cost & Time Savings: Automate manual updates, posts, and Q&As, freeing up your team from repetitive work and saving thousands of hours annually.
AI Enables Future-Proofing
In today’s market, renters demand fast, reliable, and accurate information when searching for their next apartment. And Google is no different. Both reward properties that keep listings current, which improves your local search rankings and trust in renters. In turn, you’ll drive interest in your property.
Moreover, regulations regarding fee transparency and availability make manual updates risky, as they add pressure on teams to get each detail correct every time. AI solutions eliminate this risk by directly pulling the current pricing and fees from your PMS. Through MavenAI’s partnership with Engrain, this data can now be pulled automatically into your Google Business Profiles, keeping your listings compliant while freeing up your team to focus on other essential tasks.
Adopting automation solutions that scale with your portfolio is the future of multifamily marketing. AI makes managing multiple Google Business Profiles and listings simple by automating the entire process.
FAQs: AI vs. Agency
Is AI better than agencies for apartment marketing?
Yes. AI updates Google Business Profiles in real time and only needs to analyze your brand voice once. Then, it consistently manages your profiles across your portfolio by pulling the most up-to-date information directly from your PMS while maintaining the same brand voice your residents know.
What do agencies charge for Google Business Profile management?
Multifamily digital marketing agencies often charge a monthly retainer fee. In addition, they charge for additional features or content you may request, such as extra posts, reporting, and reputation management. These costs quickly add up as you scale with more properties.
Can AI really manage Google Business Profiles without humans?
Yes. MavenAI connects directly to your PMS to automate updates, posts, concessions, and availability. All of this can be done without human interaction, but MavenAI supports the ability for you to edit or override content at any time.
What’s the biggest advantage of AI over marketing agencies?
The biggest advantage of AI over multifamily digital marketing agencies is the ability to scale effectively. AI solutions can update hundreds of apartment communities Google Business Profiles daily with new content and information in an instant. Agencies with large teams can’t compete with this level of scale that multifamily requires.
Meet Renter Expectations With MavenAI
Agencies had their time, but now you need a solution built for the scale of multifamily and the demands of modern renters. Unlike agencies, AI excels at updating your apartment Google Business Profile quickly and at scale while keeping costs low.
MavenAI is the only multifamily-specific AI marketing platform designed to keep your Google Business Profiles up to date without the overhead of a multifamily digital marketing agency. With MavenAI, you’ll automate listings, maintain brand consistency, and capture renter interest at every point of their journey.
Learn how MavenAI compares to agencies by booking a demo today!
