3 Marketing Strategies to Attract Student Renters

By Tamiera Vandegrift on June 24, 2017

If your property is anywhere within the vicinity of a university or community college, you are bound to have flocks of students interested in renting space. This means that the business of your property is bound to expand exponentially.

However, there is a catch. You will not be the only property manager trying to attract students to live in their space instead. So at this point you are probably asking yourself, “How can I set myself apart from the rest?” or “How can I prove to potential student renters that my property is the bee’s knees?”’

The answer you are seeking can be summed up in a single word: marketing. The right marketing campaign can make the difference between a popular, reputable property and a lesser known, irrelevant property. Do not let yourself become the latter. Keep reading for tips and tricks for attracting student renters.

Image via: www.pexels.com

Use Social Media to Your Advantage

This is the digital age. Everyone is online, especially students. Students use social media for anything and everything they can, from ordering food to shopping. Everything is online, so you definitely should be online too! Websites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will allow you to show off the attractive side of your property, whether that is through a few witty posts or some aesthetically pleasing shots of your property.

Be sure to stay up to date on campus news so that you can continually apply it to your social media posts. This will attract students’ attention as they use social media to seek things related to their school. For instance, during game days, make a post about how you are rooting for the team or upload a picture of residents wearing the school colors.

Use social media to let students see the image of your property that you want to enforce. The more school-spirited and relatable that image is, the more likely that students will be attracted to the idea of renting a space there.

Get Mobilized

Often, universities will host market days or fair days where local vendors can set up shop on campus and conveniently sell their product to students passing by. Universities may also have fair days specifically made for local properties to market to students. Take advantage of this time and space to get up close and friendly with your potential renters.

If the closest university does not offer something like this, feel free to take initiative. Set up a table near campus or at a campus-related event (like a football game!). Depending on how far away your property is from campus, it is possible that other students do not know much about your property and its features.

By setting up a stand near campus occasionally, you will be able to let students know about your property and gain their contact information. However, sometimes the convenience of being able to speak with a property manager in between classes is not enough to make students budge. This brings me to the next, and perhaps most important, tip.

Image via: www.pexels.com

Offer (Free!) Incentives

There is nothing that a college student will appreciate more than free stuff. If you want to really catch a college student’s eye, offer free products. Order cups, shirts, water bottles, pens, and more. Customize them so that they are embellished with your company logo. Once students are wearing and using your product, it will catch the eye of everyone those students come across.

For instance, if a student takes one of your shirts and wears it to the gym the next day, your property will be advertised to hundreds of other students at that gym. The same thing goes if this student should go to class or walk across campus with your merchandise. Merchandise that represents your company is absolutely priceless because there is no limit to the amount of advertising that you might receive.

The next best thing that you can offer students is free food! Bring pizza, cookies, and other treats and you will be guaranteed to have students approach your table. At this point, you might be asking yourself, “What am I getting out of this?” It’s a fair question. After all, purchasing the merchandise and food will cost you.

Well, before you give everything away, make sure that you require students to give you something in return. Ask for their contact information, their living plans, or you can even have them fill out an application for your property right there and then. After all, it is hard to say no to someone that is offering you free things (especially food!). Trading advertising merchandise and free food for future potential renters will yield good results. It’s a pretty sweet deal that will take the business and popularity of your property far.

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