Most apartment communities in Wilmington are paying too much per lease. They're running broad Google Ads campaigns with no negative keywords, boosting Facebook posts instead of running real lead gen campaigns, and leaving their Google Business Profile half-empty. This playbook fixes all of that, channel by channel, with real benchmarks where the data exists.
What Does Multifamily Marketing in Wilmington Actually Cost?
Before you optimize anything, you need a baseline. For a mid-size apartment community in the Wilmington, NC market, a realistic monthly paid media budget breaks down roughly like this:
- Google Search Ads: $1,500 to $3,000/month for a 100 to 300 unit community
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ads: $800 to $1,500/month
- Retargeting (Google Display or Meta): $300 to $500/month
Industry benchmarks from WordStream and Google's own multifamily data put the average cost-per-click for apartment-related searches between $3.50 and $7.00, depending on the specific submarket. Wilmington proper and Wrightsville Beach adjacent properties tend to sit on the higher end due to demand. Leland and Hampstead searches cost less per click but convert at similar rates.
A well-run campaign should yield a cost-per-lead (CPL) between $25 and $60. If you're paying $150 or more per lead, the problem is almost certainly targeting, landing page quality, or both.
How to Structure Google Ads for an Apartment Community
Search intent is the biggest advantage Google Ads has over every other channel. Someone typing