About
I help local businesses create and manage their online storefronts.
For my clients…
For my clients…
Services
Articles by Mike
Activity
7K followers
-
Mike Whaling posted thisMost marketing teams in multifamily are understaffed. If you're on one of those teams, it can feel impossible to keep up. There's always more to do. Something new to learn. More fires to put out. And often, no real way to know if you're focused on the right things. Yet, that's exactly why I'm more energized about this moment in marketing (and business in general) than I have been in a long time. Why? Because knowledge is no longer a barrier. Coding is no longer a barrier. Curiosity is a superpower. The people building the most interesting tools with AI right now aren't all engineers. They're the ones willing to ask: "I'd love to be able to do X — how could I make that happen?" It's also forced me to relearn how to think, for the better. How to break a project into smaller pieces and actual jobs to be done. And that's exactly where small teams find their leverage. In all those jobs to be done. A daily check-in, analyzing a weekly report, updating website copy, drafting a resident email, catching listing discrepancies — a thousand tasks, big and small. And making sure every one of them reflects your property's brand voice, accurate details, and Fair Housing compliance. Here's my challenge to you: Take one week. Look at everything you do through the lens of "how could AI help me with this?" Could it improve the output? See it from a different angle? Proactively catch an issue before the owner does? Compile those numbers or reformat that report for me? Hit me up next Friday with your list. Then set aside two days to build the tools you need. I won't sugarcoat it: this takes effort. It won't build itself ... at least not without you taking the first step. We've been working through this at 30 Lines, and it has already fundamentally changed the way we work. Time for the blatant sales pitch: This is exactly the gap we're trying to fill at Multifamily NEXT. Hands on. Build the tools that solve real problems across your team. Some real examples of what we've already built with attendees: ✅ A personalized prospect follow-up assistant that actually uses what the prospect shares (this one has been a hot button issue in the feed lately) ✅ A renter journey architect that shows where you have gaps in your marketing ✅ A floor plan analyzer that builds customized leasing guides for each layout ✅ A consumer mindset specialist that identifies decision triggers for any market or property type Every one trained on brand voice, property details, and operational standards. Your team doesn't need to become AI engineers. You need 2.5 days, the right frameworks, and time with folks who can help you overcome roadblocks when you get stuck. That's exactly what Multifamily NEXT is built for – peers, experts, and an environment focused on solving real problems and building tools you can take home and start using on Monday morning. I'm ready to build what's next. Want to join me? Check the comments.
-
Mike Whaling posted thisI know two ridiculously talented marketing executives – genuinely exceptional people – who've quietly outgrown the organizations they're in. Both are coming from the operator side of multifamily. Both move the needle in visible and tangible ways. Both are ready for their next chapter. And both would be a serious upgrade for the right company. What they're looking for: ✅ A leadership team that understands and appreciates what great marketing can do as a growth driver for the business ✅ An organization ready to lean into where technology and consumer behavior are heading (not scrambling to catch up) ✅ A culture where marketing has a seat at the table and isn't just seen as a line item in the budget They're strong fits on the operator side – but honestly, I think they'd be exceptional at an industry supplier or proptech company looking to level up their marketing leadership. If that sounds like your company (or one you know), reach out. I'd love to make the intro.
-
Mike Whaling shared thisI'm excited to announce our latest venture! Introducing **30 Pines**: the multifamily industry’s bold new partner in natural growth. For too long, apartment operators have been distracted by “solutions” like websites, CRMs, lead nurturing, PPC, SEO, centralized leasing, resident experience platforms, chatbots, and other such modern nonsense. We dared to ask the question nobody else has the courage to ask: "...but have you tried more trees?" Yes. Trees. Not a few tasteful trees near the monument sign. Not a modest row of ornamental trees by the clubhouse. We’re talking about a full-scale, portfolio-wide commitment to arboreal excellence. 30 Pines officially launched today as the multifamily industry's first and only full-service arboreal strategy firm. Founded by a team of industry marketers who "just couldn't look at another conversion funnel," we offer end-to-end tree planning and placement for apartment communities nationwide. At 30 Pines, we help multifamily companies solve their toughest challenges with one simple strategy: Plant. More. Trees. Occupancy slipping? More trees. Need stronger curb appeal? More trees. Leads down year over year? More trees. Poor online reviews? Have you considered... more trees? Struggling with resident retention? Shade. Privacy. Squirrels. More trees. Our proprietary ecosystem-first methodology helps communities unlock new opportunities, including: 🌳 A tree for every balcony 🌲 Rooftop trees 🌳 Parking lot trees 🌴 Trees near the pool 🌳 Trees in areas previously considered “not ideal for trees” 🌲 Luxury tree packages for Class A assets 🌳 Value-add tree repositioning for communities needing a fresh start 🌴 Strategic sister-property tree alignment across regional portfolios (I recommend our Timber Max option – we simply fill your parking garage with saplings.) Why invest in flowers, shrubs, seasonal color, or “landscape balance” when you could go all-in on the only amenity that truly matters? Trees create presence. Trees create mystery. Trees create a sense of place. And in some cases, trees create mild root-related infrastructure challenges that signal authenticity. In an age of AI, automation, and tech overload, 30 Pines is helping multifamily get back to what renters really want: to feel like they live in a forest. Our team of highly unqualified tree-forward strategists is ready to help ownership groups, operators, and onsite teams reimagine the future of leasing through aggressive canopy expansion. We're growing fast – 30 Pines has already signed LOIs with fourteen apartment communities. (Three have since called to clarify that they thought they were hiring a landscaping company.) At the end of the day, your prospects don’t want better follow-up. They don’t want clearer pricing. They don’t want a smoother digital experience. They want to look out from their balcony and think: “Wow. That is an irresponsible number of trees.” 🌲🌳 30 Pines – Rooted in results. 🌳🌲
-
Mike Whaling posted thisFacebook launched business Pages in 2007. *Years* later, there were still marketing professionals and leasing teams who had to manage their property’s page through their personal cell phones ... because Facebook was still blocked on their office computers. Think about that. One of the largest, most widely-used communication platforms on the planet, yet teams were banned from it. Forced to go rogue, hiding their phone under their desks just to share a post or respond to a comment. All because someone up the chain didn't embrace that it was the next thing. Eventually, companies caught on. Today, social media is widely accepted as a core component of how we communicate with prospects and residents. Guess what? History doesn’t always repeat, but it often rhymes. That “shadow” access to what became a critical business tool? It’s happening again today. Right now. In your organization. Only this time, it’s not social media – it’s AI. And the implications (good and bad) are even greater. “Everyone on our team has Copilot.” I hear you. They do. But they’re also asking ChatGPT to craft a response to a sensitive resident issue. They’re uploading financials to Claude. They’re testing tools like Nano Banana and Relay and GenSpark and Manus and Lovable and OpenClaw. They see there’s a better way. And they’re exploring. I’m here for it. But I also want to see that it's done right. I want to see organizations embracing these tools *responsibly*. I want to see training that shows our industry what’s possible, then helps them build it. That’s why I’m partnering up with Tami Siewruk and Tamela Coval to join the Multifamily NEXT team. There are no shortage of AI resources and experts out there today. Lots of folks are sharing new tools and skills daily. But if you feel like you’re: ✅ trying to keep up and filter the signal through the noise ✅ seeking to understand how today’s tech fits into your business and simultaneously reinvents it, and ✅ want to do it responsibly with the right guardrails in place, …then there’s a place for you in the Multifamily NEXT community. This is about more than tips and prompts and vibe-coded quick wins. This is real literacy. Understanding the fundamentals. Setting the foundation for the next wave of change to propel your business forward. Hands-on workshops to apply the work and start building solutions immediately. Our next event is coming up in Atlanta, and we’ll be coming to cities across the country throughout the year. Your people are already exploring. Ignore it, and they’ll stay in the shadows (likely bringing your company and customer data with them). Not the path you want to take? Then join us in Atlanta and start building what’s next for your business. Know someone who should be there? Tag ‘em in the comments – exactly where you’ll find the link to register.
-
Mike Whaling posted thisLots of multifamily operators I talk to right now are working to shrink their tech stack. Honestly? It's *not* always the right move. But after years of adding point solutions for every problem, there are plenty of portfolios paying for overlapping tools that don't talk to each other as well as they should. One part that doesn't get enough attention: paying attention to what your existing platforms are rolling out. Case in point. Google Business is now testing AI-generated replies to reviews, right inside GBP. (Link in the comments) You can review the suggestion, edit it, and post. Respond in bulk if you want. No third-party tool required. Is it perfect? Not yet. It’s still a bit rough around the edges. But it’s going to get better – fast. (Side note: I don't love the idea of AI responding to my reviews, but I know people are paying for exactly that as a service. If you are, now you don't have to.) That raises a real question: What are you paying a vendor to do that you might be able to automate with your core platforms (or on your own)? It's a pattern across property management software, CRMs, and website/marketing platforms. Vendor partners are here adding new features and capabilities ... and there’s likely a lot you’re not currently leveraging. Schedule a tech review with your core partners 1-2 times each year. (Seriously, this is a conversation I'm excited about and ready to have with any client.) Then supplement that with your own homework. Schedule a monthly deep research report (try Perplexity or Gemini for this) that analyzes your current tech stack and problems you’re trying to solve. Have it look at what shipped in the last 90 days. then give you a full analysis of any new features that might be worth a closer look. You'll almost always find something you're paying someone else to do. Then take it a step further: is there something you’re paying for today that you can replace with your own “vibe coded” apps built with tools like Claude Code, Gemini Canvas, or Lovable? Some point solutions aren’t much more than features you can now build yourself with a little patience and curiosity. None of this means you should cancel everything tomorrow. Plenty of third-party tools earn their keep. The vendors who survive this cycle will be the ones adding value your core platforms genuinely can't replicate. But if you're not regularly pressure-testing that assumption, I can almost guarantee you're paying for overlap you don't need. Don't let your tech stack become a museum of "how we used to do things." Keep your stack lean, keep your data central, and keep a close eye on what the giants are building for you – before you cut another check for something you already own.
-
Mike Whaling shared this"We need more traffic." It's one of the most common things I hear from apartment operators when “marketing isn't performing.” Sometimes, more traffic is the right answer. But more often? The bottleneck is somewhere else entirely – and throwing more ad spend at the top of the funnel doesn't fix a problem that lives in the middle or bottom of it. What we really need is **more visibility.** At 30 Lines, we've been working with clients to build portfolio dashboards that give operators and their marketing teams real visibility into the full leasing funnel – from search presence and website traffic all the way through signed apps and occupancy. And what the data keeps showing us is this: The problem you think you have usually isn't the real problem. If your Tours → Applications conversion is lagging, that's not a traffic issue. That's a follow-up issue, a touring experience issue (people or curb appeal), or maybe a pricing issue. If you're getting online traffic but zero leads from any channel, that's probably a pricing or product signal – not necessarily an indictment of your ad strategy. If some channels look great in isolation but leases are flat, you're likely dealing with attribution confusion or a breakdown in your nurturing system. The data you need to tell this story is often in many different places. One thing I can promise: **you're never going to have all the data you want.** But you can still piece together enough to understand where each property sits against portfolio benchmarks across traffic, conversions, and occupancy – so you can see at a glance exactly where to focus. But don’t stop there. Make it actionable. Once you've isolated where the issue lies, apply your playbook designed to improve that specific area. A few things operators can do right now: ✅ Connect your data sources. Ad channels, Search Console, GA4, Google Business performance, your CRM, box score reports, occupancy trends, and industry data … all feeding into one view, instead of living in separate spreadsheets and reports from various systems. (Happy to help if you need some help here.) ✅ Define your benchmarks for each step. What's a "normal" traffic-to-lead conversion for your portfolio? Lead-to-tour? Tour-to-app? If you don't have benchmarks, you don't know what's broken. ✅ It’s natural to diagnose issues by channel. But you also want to diagnose by stage (and the jump from one stage to the next). For marketers talking to ops and ownership: This kind of data changes the conversation. Instead of defending ad spend, you're walking in with a map that shows exactly where the friction is and what kind of intervention it calls for. That's a very different meeting than “We got 84 leads this month … but we don’t know why we’re not leasing.” More traffic is sometimes the answer. **More visibility** almost always is. I’d love to hear from you: what data sources are you pulling together to get a cleaner read on your full funnel? What's working for you?
-
Mike Whaling shared thisWe’re seeing three massive shifts in how apartment marketing is evolving and what that means for your marketing strategy. The common thread? Data ownership. Here’s one example: More operators are pushing the top of the funnel higher with more broad awareness marketing — geofencing, local sponsorships, streaming TV, Spotify. The surge is exciting to see … and long overdue. But as we create that expanded awareness of our communities and our brands, we often don’t have the tools to meet those folks where they are *right now.* If someone sees your ad, then hits your regional landing page, but isn’t ready to move for six months, you still want to earn the opportunity to reengage that shopper later. And you shouldn’t have to collect their preferred property and floor plan in order to capture that lead. **They** don’t even know that info yet, but most industry CRMs demand it before you can submit a guest card. With the right toolkit, this exact situation is easy to solve for. (We've been building this for clients at 30 Lines for over a decade now.) And it makes your top-of-funnel awareness marketing significantly more effective. Why? Because you now have the ability to adjust your strategy to where the customer is today. That’s just one example. There are two more in the article that I want you to keep your eye on. In each case, the trend points back to the same foundation: know your audience, earn permission to stay in touch, and use what they've shared with you to make the experience feel personal. As *how we execute marketing* expands, that gives us new ways to introduce and re-introduce our brands. But we have to meet people where they are. It starts with the right data. More specifically, building your strategy in a way that allows you to collect more of the data that’s most useful for marketing up and down the customer journey. Collect what you can, provide the value, and the conversions will follow. And stop renting attention from platforms that keep raising the price of admission.3 Massive Shifts in Apartment Marketing, All With a Common Thread3 Massive Shifts in Apartment Marketing, All With a Common Thread
-
Mike Whaling posted thisThere’s debate right now about whether AI can replace the "human touch" in leasing. But the more data we see at 30 Lines, the more I’m convinced we’re asking the wrong question. It’s not about who or what delivers the message. It’s about the psychology behind it. We pit our teams against automated solutions. We’re quick to point out when a bot feels "robotic" or misses context. But a human-led interaction can feel just as cold if it’s purely transactional. (Think about your experiences dealing with the cable company or almost any government agency.) The real divide we see in performance isn't "human vs. AI." It’s psychological vs. transactional. Most templated leasing outreach (and property websites, for that matter) –whether human or automated – is focused on "the close." "When can you come in to tour?" "Start your application now!" This feels efficient to us, but it immediately creates friction for a renter. Signing a lease is a major financial decision. When we lead with the transaction, we ignore the anxiety that comes with a move. 🧠 The psychology-first approach Your goal: lead with "calm competence." The focus should be on building trust first. **Minimize time to value, not speed to lead.** We’ve found that when you lead with content designed to help the customer first, the results shift dramatically: ✅ Acknowledge the context Use the data you have to show you listened. "Thanks for reaching out! I saw you're looking for a two-bedroom and need to move around April 15." ✅ Explain the process Tell them exactly what happens next so they don't have to guess. "I'm here to help get all your questions answered. When you're ready, we can set you up with a tour or get your application started." ✅ Ask, don't demand Ask if there is anything else they need to provide before jumping to the tour. "Is there anything else you're looking for in your next home? Any dealbreakers or must-haves? Just hit reply and let me know." You're actually listening and trying to help. And shoppers notice. 📊 The data speaks for itself The average response rate for typical follow-up emails is about 3-7%. They feel like noise. Especially when all the comps in the market use the same systems and canned messages. But when we meet people where they are and lead with psychological safety, we regularly see response rates jump to 30-35%. The customer thinks, "Finally, a company that actually wants to help" … and they engage. This isn’t just for lead nurturing, either. We have clients receiving 5-star reviews for "timely communication" and a smooth move-in process ... all driven by automated welcome sequences that simply made the process less daunting. So focus less on whether a human or a bot sends the message, and more on whether that message addresses the customer's needs. Build systems that deliver the context your team (human or AI) needs to get there. When you solve for the renter’s anxiety, the transactions take care of themselves.
-
Mike Whaling shared thisThis week, Daniel and Mathieu teamed up (with Adrian as referee) for the ultimate debate to determine which platform is best positioned to capture renter demand. Will the ILSs maintain their dominance? Or will the champ be defeated by the upstart competitor. (Link to the recording in the article). It was a fun, thoughtful conversation. Well-researched, insightful points. No blood spilled (at least not to my knowledge). But it’s a false dichotomy. The question isn’t “AI or ILS.” Sure, the discussion makes for interesting content … but don’t get lulled into thinking you have to give up *even more* control to some third-party. Now more than ever, the opportunity is there to move beyond the ILS and create a more efficient, more effective marketing machine that positions you to be discovered in AI, traditional search, and whatever comes next. Thanks for a great discussion, gentleman! When is round two?
Mike Whaling commented on a post
1d
I will argue all day that follow-up and your scheduling can 100% create or reinforce an emotional connection … even when parts of it are automated. :)
Besides that, you’re absolutely right about where to apply the tech.
Mike Whaling replied to a comment
1d
Paul That’s basically what operators did when they invested in RET — Aimco, Essex, MAA, UDR, Starwood, Cortland, and GID all invested in proptech companies, then their own properties essentially became the beta customers
-
Mike Whaling reacted on thisMike Whaling reacted on thisPrediction: Large tech acquiring real estate companies is going to become a thing. Why is nobody talking about this?
-
Mike Whaling reacted on thisMike Whaling reacted on thisI guess it’s about time I update LinkedIn on what the heck is going on in my life. 2026 has been off to a great start! At the start of this year, I had the amazing opportunity to head back to my original proving ground, my career alma mater if you will, Vendasta at a consulting capacity to tackle some massive initiatives! It has been incredibly rewarding to dive back in, bring new experiences to the table, and help drive these projects forward: 🔄 Channel Partner Onboarding Ecosystem: I am working closely with Sales and Operations to redesign the onboarding journey. We are hyper-focused on our North Star metrics: reducing Time to Value (TTV) for new partners and driving adoption of our in-platform AI tools. A huge part of this was managing, training, and building out the team with the core competencies to execute flawlessly. I have also had the opportunity to jump into the trenches to provide the white-glove, custom approaches needed to successfully execute high-stakes Enterprise pilot and launch programs. 🤖 Agentic AI for Customer Success: I have had the privilege of aiding in the development, launch, and ongoing management of our new AI Employees and workforce that provide success and support! This included building out the reporting framework and support structures to ensure their success as a true asset on the platform. It is a really important component and conversation around where Agentic AI lives in the Customer Success realm. I have been loving this work to automate as much as possible and instead focus on the areas of the customer journey that still benefit from human touch. 📚 Building the Foundation: You cannot scale without good documentation, data and an outcome focus! I am spending time mapping the ecosystem, developing our team’s Knowledge Base, working with RevOps on tracking and reporting the right things. I am also really enjoying crafting comprehensive Playbooks and Resource Docs to empower the team. Returning to a place that helped shape my career to help them roll out such innovative tech and streamlined processes has been a major highlight of my year. It doesn’t hurt that I gotten to work with some of my favorite humans again 😊 Excited to see how these initiatives continue to grow throughout this year and beyond! This project has been an absolute blast and a great reminder of what I love doing. Before we know it, I will be looking for my next big challenge—partnering with a Company long-term where I can truly plant my feet, align with a forward-thinking vision, and drive mutual growth. If you are hiring or know a team that could use my expertise in CS and Operations, my DMs are open! #CustomerSuccess #AgenticAI #PartnerOnboarding #Vendasta #SaaS #TechCareers #TimeToValue
-
Mike Whaling reacted on thisMike Whaling reacted on thisI missed the Social Media Strategies Summit, but my clients and advisors shared some highlights. Something that was top of mind was a rumor about Google Business Profiles. Specifically, it's circulating that Google will soon preventing us from using the Products feature to show apartment community floor plans. I can't find anything online to confirm this is happening, but it wouldn't surprise me. Read my LinkedIn article to know why it seems like an inevitable change to me and what you can do to prepare.The Google Business Profile Feature Apartment Marketers Rely On Could Be Going AwayThe Google Business Profile Feature Apartment Marketers Rely On Could Be Going Away
Experience & Education
-
30 Lines
View Mike’s full experience
See their title, tenure and more.
or
Licenses & Certifications
Courses
-
Facebook Blueprint (All Content: Introduction to Facebook, Best Practices, Facebook Pages, Purchasing Ads, Managing Ads, Advertising Objectives, Targeting, Campaign Optimization, Reporting and Measurement, Additional Insights, Instagram)
-
-
Google Tag Manager Fundamentals
-
Projects
-
St. Joseph Montessori School - Website Development (Responsive Design)
-
SJMS already had a good starting point for a redesign of their existing site, but they needed someone to execute the design, including custom programming; coordinating the sitemap, information architecture & all of the new content; and rethinking the design for mobile devices.
The 30 Lines team coded the new site to work on the WordPress CMS, coordinated with SJMS staff and volunteers to organize all of the content, and developed a responsive design that ensured the site looks great on…SJMS already had a good starting point for a redesign of their existing site, but they needed someone to execute the design, including custom programming; coordinating the sitemap, information architecture & all of the new content; and rethinking the design for mobile devices.
The 30 Lines team coded the new site to work on the WordPress CMS, coordinated with SJMS staff and volunteers to organize all of the content, and developed a responsive design that ensured the site looks great on smartphones and tablets.Other creators -
Honors & Awards
-
PRSA Award of Excellence
Central Ohio Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
Award of Excellence presented to the Columbus Chamber of Commerce for the redesign of their website, Columbus.org. With a fully responsive design, traffic to the site in the first quarter after launch increased by over 30% year-over-year. The site was produced by the team at 30 Lines in partnership with the Columbus Chamber.
-
Broadband Properties Top 10 MDU Pioneer
Broadband Properties
Recognized by BBP as one of the "virtuosos who have championed FTTP for multi-tenant environments" - http://bit.ly/Z6LcPo (BroadbandProperties.com)
-
Florida Trend Up-and-Comer
Florida Trend Magazine
Organizations
-
Downtown Columbus YMCA
Advisory Board Member
- PresentFor more on the Downtown YMCA, visits http://ymcacolumbus.org/downtown.
Recommendations received
5 people have recommended Mike
Join now to viewOther similar profiles
Explore more posts
Explore top content on LinkedIn
Find curated posts and insights for relevant topics all in one place.
View top content