Are you hoping to attract millennial tenants to your rental property? There are unique apartment marketing ideas you should take advantage of. Here’s how to strategize if millennials are your target market.
If you’re a landlord or property manager, you don’t want to ignore millennial tenants. This generation is driving the rental market in several ways. For starters, they’re much more likely to rent versus buy a home because they value the freedom renting gives them while they job hunt.
Many are also delaying marriage and starting families and paying off student loan debt first. They won’t be looking for a mortgage any time soon.
While you’re happy to have any good tenants rent your units, you may want to take steps to market your building and play up amenities that will appeal to Generation Y. Here are some apartment marketing ideas that will help you attract millennials.
Create an Optimized Online Presence
When a millennial wants to start researching apartments to live in, the first place they’re going to turn to is their trusty mobile device. In fact, millennials tend to interact more with their smartphones than other humans.
This means you want to make sure you have plenty of information available online about your rental property and amenities. Make sure your website is up-to-date and easy to navigate, and that all information is accurate. DARO Apartments is a great example of such a website.
Give prospective tenants a way to ask questions digitally, whether it’s by email, chat, or text. Millennials appreciate having these alternatives, as they’re less likely to call someone.
Available WiFi is important to millennial tenants so if your building offers it, make sure to highlight this feature on your website. Your millennial tenants will also prefer a way to pay for rent online as many have never owned a checkbook.
Millennials put a lot of value into online reviews and will turn to Yelp and other review sites to make a decision on where to rent. While there’s not much you can do about negative online reviews, you can respond to them to show you care about your tenants’ concerns. You can also ask current tenants to leave positive reviews to bring your overall rating up.
Put the Spotlight on Social Media
This is a generation that soaks up social media, spending a lot of time on Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and other channels. If you’re not taking advantage of these apps to highlight the benefits of your property, you’re missing the chance to connect with millennial tenants.
Keep your social media channels up-to-date on a daily basis if possible. Don’t only advertise available units, but play up the neighborhood. If there’s public transportation and trendy restaurants nearby, this will create attractive social media content.
YouTube is another avenue that you can use to reach millennial tenants. You can create a video highlighting the building’s features or the neighborhood’s attractions. You can also interview a few current millennial-age tenants on what they like best about living at your property.
Keep in mind as you write your social media marketing posts for your website that millennials like brands that don’t speak to them directly. You’re better off including them in conversation without marketing to them only. Some millennials see this tactic as disingenuous. Values such as diversity and sharing define a lot of millennials. They also like getting plenty of information so they can make their own decisions.
Flashy ads that are heavy on the sales copy will turn them off. Avoid using real estate buzzwords when describing units and your building. Instead, try to paint a story of what life is like at your apartment complex and the value living there can bring to a tenant’s life.
Play up Features Millennials Love
Millennials are partial to open green space and care about the environment. If your apartment complex features a quiet outdoor or community space on the property, include that in your marketing efforts.
If your building has a recycling program, that can be a draw for millennial tenants. So is having appliances in your units that feature the latest technology. Millenials love energy-saving fridges and thermostats that can be self-programmed.
Is your building accessible to public transportation? This one is huge because millennials are not big car owners. They instead opt to use the subway and bus and services such as Uber.
Millennials want to feel safe and protected. Features such as gated communities, double locks, and a security presence are things they look for when choosing an apartment.
Does your building have an indoor gathering space, lounge, garden, or other areas where tenants can gather to get to know one another? Don’t forget to mention this feature on your site and social media channels along with some photos or videos. Despite their high internet usage, millennials enjoy socializing and feeling a sense of community.
This generation really loves their pets. This is the largest demographic of pet owners, with some studies reporting that over three-quarters of millennials own a cat or a dog. A pet-friendly complex is non-negotiable for them, and one you want to put front and center when promoting your building to renters.
Remember that your apartment building can’t be all things to all renters. These are some of the features that millennials seek when looking for a place to call home and ones you want to put at the forefront of your ads, website, and social media channels.
Other Apartment Marketing Ideas
You may want to consider throwing an open house to invite potential millennial tenants to come to see the amenities your building has to offer. This also allows them to socialize with other tenants.
You can also reach out to current tenants and ask them to share photos or videos on your property’s social media channels. Ask them to show how much and why they enjoy life at your apartment building.
Learn More
By incorporating these apartment marketing techniques you’ll attract and retain millennial renters. To learn more real estate marketing tips, visit our site for the latest blog posts.
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