Student housing in the US has been on a decline for a couple of years now. Most experts argue that this trend is tied to the decrease in college enrollment, but the gap between supply and demand is way too large for that to be the only reason behind the shortage.
For example, Florida International University, which is known as the fourth-highest enrollment institution, had the largest shortage among all universities nationwide. In fact, this university enrolls around 57,000 students each year, yet there is a shortage of 35,000 beds in on-campus student accommodations. [1]
So, the majority of students in the US are forced to seek out housing elsewhere. This presents an opportunity to cater to these potential residents’ needs as long as you implement some crafty marketing ideas for student apartment communities and show these young people that there is, in fact, a place where they can stay.
After all, student housing is specifically designed for them with amenities and their preferences in mind. If students do have to seek out housing off-campus, they’d rather pick something with their best interests in mind. With that in mind, let’s have a closer look at some of these innovative marketing ideas that can help you attract more student residents.
23 Creative Marketing Ideas for Student Apartment Communities
- 1. Social Media Marketing
- 2. Virtual Tours
- 3. Open Houses
- 4. Event Hosting
- 5. Post on Pinterest
- 6. Apartment Storytelling
- 7. Blogging
- 8. Chatbots
- 9. Customize Your Website
- 10. Emphasize Amenities
- 11. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok Ads
- 12. Leverage Advanced Technology
- 13. Offer Referral Programs
- 14. Property Videos on YouTube
- 15. Resident Events
- 16. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- 17. Student Lists
- 18. Email Marketing & SMS Text Marketing
- 19. Property Events
- 20. Community Event Tickets
- 21. Add a Move-in Special
- 22. Build a Digital Community
- 23. Building a Strong Brand
When analyzing marketing ideas for student housing, you must sometimes think unconventionally. The main reason is that students aren’t your typical consumers. They know what they want, they are tech-savvy, and most importantly, they’re not so easily impressed.
After all, new generations redefine trends, forcing businesses to adapt and keep up. That’s why it’s of the utmost importance to truly understand your target audience so that you can appeal to them in the best way possible.
Here are a few marketing ideas that will help you do that.
1. Social Media Marketing
Nowadays, almost everyone has a social media profile, especially younger generations. As a matter of fact, youngsters between the ages of 16 and 24 spend more than seven hours a day on social media. [2] This makes social media an ideal channel to target students with your marketing efforts.
However, you have to keep in mind that students have their preferred networks where they spend most of their time. For Millennials, that was Facebook ,and for Gen Z, that would be TikTok. This is important to know because you want to focus on building your presence on relevant platforms where your target audience is likely to be.
2. Virtual Tours
Virtual tours are the best way to showcase your properties to a multitude of people without risking that things may get a bit overcrowded. Everyone who is interested can join a virtual tour of the property from any location and share in the experience.
Students do, in fact, prefer such technological solutions because they can still focus on their daily activities and join a tour when they have some downtime. In other words, juggling studies and other college activities while trying to find a suitable apartment for rent is difficult enough for students, which is why they rarely have the time to look at properties in person.
3. Open Houses
In-person tours of properties are arguably the best way to truly portray your student housing. You can only show so much with videos and images. However, seeing everything the way it actually is provides people with a whole new sensation.
As mentioned before, students have a lot on their plate with classes, studies, and other activities, so be flexible with your open house schedules. Students might rarely venture out of their way to view properties in person but that doesn’t mean they don’t do it at all. You just have to meet them halfway.
4. Event Hosting
Hosting events is an excellent way to raise awareness about your properties, new amenities that you’ve included or additional features that have been implemented. Whether you choose a physical location or you wish to host an online event on social media is entirely up to you.
Just make sure that you send out invitations to both your existing residents and potential residents so that most people will participate. Event hosting is actually a more subtle way to advertise your student housing properties. After all, you’re not targeting anyone with ads, but instead, you’re hosting an event at your property that just so happens to be available for rent.
5. Post on Pinterest
If you want to spice up your student housing marketing and make it more relevant, consider posting your visual content on Pinterest. Just make sure your properties look their best, which means both exterior and interior design must be awe-inspiring.
After all, Pinterest is all about inspiring people through visual storytelling, which is exactly what you want to do with your apartments and/or houses. In most cases, astonishing visuals are exactly what’s needed to ensure that potential residents decide to sign the lease.
6. Apartment Storytelling
More often than not, showcasing your properties through visual content isn’t enough to nudge potential residents in the right direction. So, in order to make things more interesting and appealing, why not consider telling your apartment’s story? How it came to be, where it is located, what amenities are in the vicinity and things like what are sure to interest your potential residents.
Providing potential residents with relevant information via apartment storytelling is more effective than just listing information on your website for people to seep through. That’s just plain and boring, which might give potential residents the impression that your properties are just as boring.
7. Blogging
Every property management company should have its own blog where it posts all sorts of relevant, informative, and sometimes entertaining content for its visitors to enjoy.
Content doesn’t just provide prospects with relevant information about your properties or anything related to it. It also shows that you’re an expert in the field and that you know what you’re talking about.
It gives you credibility and authority that is sometimes needed to convince residents that your properties are worth renting out. Not to mention the fact that blogging greatly aids your SEO efforts, should you decide to invest in that marketing strategy to begin with.
8. Chatbots
Now, chatbots are one of the newest technological marvels that have revolutionized customer service and support as we know it. More importantly, younger generations don’t seem to mind that they’re talking to a computer program instead of a real person, which is a huge advantage when you’re targeting students.
Chatbots are often powered by artificial intelligence and they can effectively mimic human behavior. That means that a single chatbot can cater to multiple people at once 24\7 without a need for a break or vacation. And if there’s anything a chatbot can’t handle on its own, it will direct a visitor to a human representative so that no leads will be lost in the process.
9. Customize Your Website
Advertisements, emails, backlinks and other marketing efforts all lead back to your website. Once leads land on your pages, it only takes them 50 milliseconds to evaluate your website and decide whether they will stay to explore further or bounce off.
This is why it’s very important to customize your website properly so that it feels more inviting than otherwise. Know your audience and you’ll understand what they like and what irritates them. This information will be crucial when designing your apartment website, simply because you want visitors to stay and explore your offers instead of running away as soon as they land on your home page.
10. Emphasize Amenities
Just like the rest of the consumers, students have their needs and preferences you must meet in order to ensure they’ll become your future residents. Hence, amenities, such as gyms, libraries, pet areas, coffee shops, and other relevant facilities, are important to students, so it’s just as important for you to emphasize amenities when promoting your properties through marketing endeavors.
The more you show your audience that you can meet their needs and expectations, the easier it will be to both attract and convert them.
11. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok Ads
Paid ads, especially Facebook and Instagram ads, are an excellent channel for targeting the right people with the right message at the right time. This marketing strategy allows you to get the desired results in a short amount of time. TikTok ads can also be a success if your property has the video assets to make a compelling ad.
Moreover, if you’re already running a paid ad campaign on Facebook/Meta, you can use the existing ad template and modify it to target students. Facebook and Instagram ads are highly customizable so that you can craft your copies with relevant ease and use them as you see fit.
12. Leverage Advanced Technology
As mentioned before, younger generations love technology and anything associated with technological innovations. You can use that to your advantage to make your student housing properties all the more appealing. For example, you can equip your apartments with smart technology and advertise them as smart homes. Here are a few gadgets worth considering:
- Smart thermostats
- Smart security systems
- Solar panels on the roof for renewable energy
- Smart stoves and refrigerators
- Smart Wi-Fi
13. Offer Referral Programs
If you feel that your marketing strategies aren’t as fruitful as they should be, you can always rely on word-of-mouth marketing to move things along. Referral programs are a perfect example of such endeavors because who is better at convincing students to rent out your apartment than other students who just so happen to be your residents?
Of course, referral programs are a two-way street. You have to reward your residents every time they bring someone in, which is only fair considering that they’ve also contributed to your company’s success.
14. Property Videos on YouTube
Did you know that nine out of 10 marketers use video content for advertisement purposes [3]? This just shows how effective videos are in today’s digital marketing realm. That said, YouTube continues to be the main go-to platform for video marketing, with testimonials and explanatory videos being the most viewed content.
So, if you want to impress your audience and showcase your properties the best way possible, don’t hesitate to make a high-quality video about it and post it on as many channels as you possibly can.
15. Resident Events
Community meetings are a perfect way for potential residents to experience what it’s like to live in your student housing first-hand. Organizing resident events is, therefore, not only necessary but also very effective if your potential residents are still a bit on the fence and they need just a little nudge in the right direction.
Meeting other residents will surely put things into perspective for students who are considering renting out one of your apartments. Seeing how others live and enjoy themselves might inspire them to join the community.
16. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the absolute best organic marketing strategy for building awareness, visibility and credibility for your business and your properties as well. Although SEO needs time to get things going, once it does take off, it will be well worth the effort.
However, since SEO is an ongoing strategy that needs adjustments every time search engines change their algorithms, it’s advisable to have a digital and social media management strategy in place that will help you keep track of everything you’re doing. That way, you can ensure that you’re always utilizing every strategy to its fullest potential.
17. Student Lists
Creating an effective student rental listing is all about providing the right information the right way. After all, you want students to not just know about your property but also to become interested in renting it.
Therefore, don’t forget to include relevant information, such as property description, lease terms, contact information and so on. The more information you include, the more students will know about what you’re offering, and they’re likely to reach out to you to find out more.
18. Email Marketing & SMS Text Marketing
The great thing about email marketing and text marketing is that it allows you to guide each prospect along your sales funnel every step of the way. Going from just a prospect to a resident is a journey, and you can be there to see it all through, thanks to email.
Moreover, email segmentation allows you to categorize prospects based on where exactly they are on the same journey. That way, you can craft direct messages based on their willingness to convert and gently push them along until they decide to sign a lease.
19. Property Events
Property events allow you to combine several activities into one. For example, you can organize open house viewing, resident get-together and themed parties to create a unique experience for everyone involved. If you’re looking for a way to impress potential residents, this type of event is the way to go.
20. Community Event Tickets
While on the topic of property events, why not take everything to the next level and give an event a noble purpose?
For instance, you can sell community event tickets for a symbolic price, and everything you collect will be donated to a local charity, such as an animal shelter or something similar. This shows that you’re not another generic landlord but a caring one who wants the best for their community and all its residents.
21. Add a Move-in Special
A move-in special is a type of incentive that can urge potential residents to sign the lease and move into vacant properties sooner rather than later.
Such special offers often include free rent for a month or two, a longer lease agreement, a discount on rent for the rest of the year, free parking and so on. Since your main audience is students, consider tailoring the move-in specials to their needs and preferences, like free Wi-Fi, for example. Students can’t function without the Internet, after all.
22. Build a Digital Community
Managing multiple properties and multiple renters at the same time while trying to attract more residents is enough to give anyone a headache. So in order to retain a grip on everything without losing control, consider building a digital community for everyone.
This can be a forum, social media group or group chat on one of the messaging apps. Whatever works for you is fine as long as you organize everything accordingly and ensure you communicate with everyone regularly.
23. Building a Strong Brand
Standing out in an oversaturated market is not easily accomplished. When every business looks more or less the same, and their offers are also more or less the same, getting noticed by potential residents requires creative thinking.
Building a strong brand can get you exactly what you need. Branding elevates a business and ensures your company is unique enough to stand out in a crowd of others.
Moreover, if you’re crafty enough, you can even stand out among other brands. But for that to happen, you’ll have to research both your audience and your competitors well so that you can find a way to create an exceptional branding strategy.
Student Housing Marketing Made Easy With Brindle
Every property manager wants to make sure that their marketing ideas for student housing produce viable results. Sometimes, all you need is a bit of help from professionals who know all the ins and outs of the digital marketing world.
Here at Brindle Digital Marketing, our team has skills and tools that will turn your ideas into reality with the services we offer:
- Branding and apartment website design
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Social media marketing and paid advertisement
All you have to do is book a intro meeting, and together, we will create an amazing marketing strategy to promote your student housing properties in the best way possible.
Conclusion: Making the Most Out of Marketing Ideas for Student Apartment Communities
Student housing is, indeed, in high demand these days. While universities are falling short of providing proper accommodations to their enrollees, students are forced to find a place to stay off-campus.
This is why it’s of the utmost importance to utilize our marketing ideas for student apartment communities to their fullest potential because if you don’t act fast enough, your competitors certainly won’t wait for you to turn those ideas into actionable marketing strategies.