Market a development in five phases that follow the construction schedule. Pre-construction builds trust with renderings, site aerials and community engagement. Construction produces a monthly drone progress series and milestone content. Pre-leasing shifts to model units, virtual tours and neighborhood stories. Launch uses leasing events and broker and media tours, and stabilization turns to resident life and reviews.
The common thread is that each phase produces assets the next phase needs. A baseline aerial from before groundbreaking becomes the “before” in every progress comparison. Monthly construction flights become a timelapse for the leasing launch.
Why marketing starts before the shovel
Most developers think of marketing as a leasing expense. In practice, the audience for a Detroit project starts forming long before units are available: neighbors, city officials, lenders, brokers, future retail tenants and the press.
For larger projects, that audience is formalized. Detroit’s Community Benefits Ordinance applies to projects valued at $75 million or more, or receiving $1 million or more in property tax abatements or city land sale or transfer value. Those projects go through a Neighborhood Advisory Council and community meetings held over roughly three months, typically five or six formal meetings depending on project size.
Even projects below those thresholds benefit from the same discipline: clear visuals, a plain explanation of what is being built, and a consistent place where people can follow along.
Phase 1: Pre-construction
Renderings. Renderings carry the early story, but label them as renderings everywhere they appear. Keep one approved set so the building does not appear to change from post to post.
Site aerials. Fly the site before any work begins. Capture wide context shots showing the site’s relationship to downtown, the river, transit and the surrounding blocks, plus straight-down views for planning boards. These become the baseline for every progress comparison. If the project will take more than a year, a winter set and a summer set are both worth having.
Community engagement. Put renderings, site aerials, a short project description and a sign-up form on one project page. Use the same materials in community meetings, so what neighbors hear in the room matches what they read online.
Phase 2: Construction
The monthly drone progress series
A progress series is the most useful asset a development produces, because it serves the owner, the lender, the contractor and the marketing team at once. The method matters more than the gear:
- Fly the same positions, altitudes and headings every month.
- Fly at a similar time of day so light is comparable.
- Add a close pass over whatever changed that month.
- Store each month’s files with consistent naming so a timelapse can be assembled at the end.
Coordinate every flight with the general contractor. Cranes, active lifts and crews working at height change what is safe and permitted. Our construction progress drone guide covers scheduling and deliverables in more detail, and our construction drone team runs these series.
Milestone content
Milestones give the public a reason to pay attention: groundbreaking, foundation complete, topping out (the traditional ceremony when the highest structural element is placed), facade complete, crane down, first move-in. Plan photo and video coverage for each, including short vertical clips for social. Before publishing construction footage, have someone check it for visible safety issues, such as missing fall protection. Those clips get noticed.
Phase 3: Pre-leasing
This is the phase where marketing shifts from what the building will be to what it is.
Model units. As soon as a model unit is finished and staged, photograph and film it. Real photography of a finished unit does more for leasing than any rendering, because prospects can judge light, finishes and scale.
Virtual tours. A 3D or video tour lets out-of-town prospects, relocating employees and busy locals shortlist the building without visiting. An FPV fly-through that moves from the street through the lobby and amenity spaces works well as the opening shot on a leasing site.
View shots. Before upper floors are accessible, a drone positioned at the height of those floors can show prospects the actual view from their future unit. For river-facing or downtown-facing buildings, this is often the strongest single image in the leasing campaign.
Neighborhood content. People rent a neighborhood as much as a unit. Film the walk to the nearest coffee, the park, the transit stop. On the riverfront, that context is concrete: the Detroit Riverwalk runs almost five miles from Gabriel Richard Park to Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, the 22-acre park at 1801 W. Jefferson that opened in October 2025. Show what residents can actually reach, and keep claims about distances and amenities accurate.
Phase 4: Launch
Launch concentrates attention into a few weeks:
- Leasing center opening or open house. Invite neighbors, the sign-up list and local press. Photograph and film it for social.
- Broker tours. Brokers need a clean information packet, current photography and a tour that shows the best units first.
- Media and creator tours. Local press and creators produce coverage that paid ads cannot. Give them access to the model unit, the amenity spaces and, where safe, the roof.
- Paid social and search. Target by geography and life stage, and point ads to the real photography and tour rather than renderings.
Have leasing copy and ad targeting reviewed for fair housing compliance before anything runs.
Phase 5: Stabilization
Once the building is mostly leased, marketing moves from promotion to proof. Replace remaining renderings with finished photography, including completed landscaping and retail frontage. Refresh aerials once the site is complete. Cover resident events and retail tenant openings, with permission from anyone on camera. Ask residents for reviews, respond to all of them, and keep the Google Business Profile current with new photos each season.
Deliverables by phase
| Phase | Typical timing | Core deliverables | Main audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-construction | Before groundbreaking | Approved renderings, baseline site aerials, project page, community meeting materials | Neighbors, city, lenders, press |
| Construction | Groundbreaking to substantial completion | Monthly drone progress series, milestone photo and video, social clips | Owner, lender, public, future tenants |
| Pre-leasing | Several months before first move-in | Model unit photos and video, virtual tour, FPV fly-through, view shots, neighborhood content | Prospective residents and tenants |
| Launch | First move-ins | Leasing event coverage, broker packet, media and creator tours, paid campaigns | Prospects, brokers, press |
| Stabilization | Through lease-up and after | Finished photography, updated aerials, resident and retail content, reviews | Residents, prospects, community |
Set up the asset library on day one
A development produces hundreds of photos, clips and renderings over several years, and many people want them: the owner, the lender, the architect, the general contractor, the leasing team, brokers, retail tenants, the city and the press. Without a plan, files end up scattered across inboxes and nobody can find the March progress aerial when the lender asks for it.
Three decisions early save a lot of trouble later:
- Usage rights. Confirm in writing that the developer can use every photo, video and rendering across all phases and share it with brokers, tenants and media. Renderings in particular often come from the architect’s team, so clarify who owns them and whether edits need approval.
- One library. Keep a single shared library organized by phase and month, with consistent file names. A progress series is only useful if month 14 can be found next to month 2.
- Approval path. Decide who signs off on public-facing content and how fast. Construction content goes stale quickly, and a two-week approval loop means posting last month’s progress.
Measure each phase on its own terms
Each phase has a different job, so each needs a different yardstick. Judging pre-construction content by leases signed, or lease-up content by social likes, leads to bad decisions.
| Phase | What to track |
|---|---|
| Pre-construction | Project page sign-ups, attendance and questions at community meetings, press coverage |
| Construction | Consistency of the progress series, reach of milestone posts, growth of the sign-up list |
| Pre-leasing | Tour views, inquiries, tours booked |
| Launch | Leases or pre-leases by source, broker activity, cost per qualified lead |
| Stabilization | Occupancy, renewals, review volume and rating, resident referrals |
The sign-up list deserves special attention. Everyone who joins it during construction is a warm lead when leasing opens, and the list costs almost nothing to build if the project page and progress content are already in place.
Drone rules and site logistics, briefly
Every flight in this plan is commercial work. The FAA requires a Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107 for commercial drone operations. Since April 2021, Part 107 pilots can fly at night and over people and moving vehicles without a waiver if they meet the rule’s requirements, but airspace authorization is still required in controlled airspace. Parts of Detroit sit in controlled airspace, so authorization should be part of every flight plan. Our Detroit drone rules guide covers airspace, permissions and what to ask a pilot.
On an active site, add a pre-flight check with the superintendent, a plan for crane activity, and clear communication with crews so nobody is surprised by a drone overhead.
How RDG works with developers
Drone and aerial work is our largest service line. Recent projects include an aerial and interior tour for The Residences at Water Square and an aerial preview of Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park. We can run one phase or the full sequence from baseline flight to stabilization. Our real estate marketing page outlines how we structure development campaigns, and our real estate drone page lists current starting prices.