Everyone knows a great story when they hear or see it. It grabs you. It makes you feel something. Whether you’re reading, listening or swiping on your phone, a great story drives an emotional response. And emotions tell people that something is important to them.

Storytelling in any business is vital, but it’s especially so in the apartment industry. You are creating homes, lifestyles and a rich community with neighborhood players. Your residents and potential residents are hungry for information and ideas about your area and their interests. Multifamily content creates brand identity and a connection to current and future residents.

“Your stories are whatever your audiences are dreaming about,” says Stephanie Reid-Simons, director of content at Zillow Group. “You can tell powerful stories for all your different audiences across many different channels with images, motion and words. As we work to connect with consumers and renters, we want to do it in a way that is engaging, appealing and shareable. You want to be the person at the party with the most interesting things to say.”

But how does “interesting things to say” translate into returns? As a marketer on the hook for every dollar and every minute spent on a given initiative — and as the person accountable for proving its worth with data, data and more data — how do you show the ROI on really good storytelling?

In a recent webinar, Stephanie shared her perspective on ROI as it relates to powerful storytelling. If creating quality content is something you want to do, here are several ways to think about your strategy and results.

Storytelling is a long game

It’s not easy to attribute a specific behavior to a single tweet, but over time, people who engage with you on social media are more likely to become loyal fans and amplifiers. Everything you create expands your reach. Be patient. Building quality content is a long game and not immediately measurable.

Build a foundation

Creating shareable stories expands your reach. Your readers will not all become residents, but the more buzz you create, the larger your pool of potential residents becomes.

Quality beats quantity

Invest in quality pieces that you can repurpose across marketing channels. You don’t need to put all of your resources into content if you focus on what resonates with your audience.

Emotion drives action

Emotional engagement with your audience is about feelings, but that’s just the beginning. If your content makes your audiences feel something, they know it’s important. Powerful storytelling is about driving action.

Focus on the big picture, not a single campaign

Think about the end game. What are you trying to build? Don’t think of social media as campaign driven, but as a campaign driver. Content at its best serves many campaigns across many different channels. Focus on creating thriving channels, and you’ll have campaigns that engage in multiple places over time.

It’s OK to fail, really

Not everything is going to be a hit. Flops happen, even to some of the best (remember Lone Ranger?). It’s OK to fail because even if you create something that doesn’t perform in the short-term, you can still achieve a long-term benefit. Quality stories can be reused, and if something doesn’t resonate — but it’s good — give it another shot next quarter or next year. Sometimes “hits” come out of a slow and steady build.

Your stories are…

An amenity

What’s the ROI on your pool or your media room? If someone didn’t use your pool for a couple of days, would you rip it out? Think about quality content as an amenity. It’s a way to show that you operate a thriving community that’s a vital part of your neighborhood. It shows your residents and future residents that you are interested and ready to make them happy.

Capex

Quality content is an investment. It’s a capital expenditure. When done right, great stories pay dividends over time.

A garden

Think about your channels like gardens where you can grow a whole slew of things. A gardener wouldn’t dig up the whole lot due to one bad zucchini crop. Creating a healthy growing garden takes care, persistence, patience and time — just like your social channels.

A tank of gas

Content is what gets you from point A to point B. If you’re driving from Chicago to L.A., can you measure the return on your tanks of gas? Not directly — but you get where you want and need to go.

Above all, remember that everything you create is working toward your end game. A good story — told through one picture or over the course of a year — expands your reach and moves your closer to meeting your marketing goals.