Millennials account for a huge portion of renters, especially in urban areas. Not only that, a growing number of millennials expect to rent forever due to student loan debt and rising costs associated with home ownership.
Reaching this audience should be a priority to apartment marketers, and social media is an important part of this equation.
But this generation — born between 1981 and 1996 — responds to marketing messaging differently from previous generations. Connecting with millennials could make a major difference in your bottom line, so it’s necessary to know how to approach your apartment social media marketing in a way that resonates.
Read on to learn about a few steps you can take to ensure your apartment marketing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms is optimized for millennials.
Tell a Story
Traditional approaches to advertising and marketing won’t work on millennials. They don’t want to be advertised to, they want to be part of the conversation. Grab their attention by keeping the motto, “show, don’t tell,” in mind. Give prospects an idea as to how they can expect to feel as a resident by telling a story across your social media channels about the lifestyle your apartment community has to offer.
For example, rather than simply stating that your community is located in the heart of the city, paint a picture of the type of life a resident can expect to have by living in the heart of the city.
Be Authentic
Nobody wants to feel like a number, especially not millennials. One of the top reasons why renters renew their leases is because they feel like they’re part of a true community, so do all you can to cultivate that. Host resident events like wine tastings, holiday gatherings or movie nights to allow your residents to meet each other and get to know the staff better.
You can also create a sense of community through social media. Keep your residents updated on upcoming events in your city and fun things to do nearby. Share content on topics relevant to renters, like decorating on a budget, organizing tips and easy recipes.
Try Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is relatively new in the multifamily sector, and its potential makes it something worth considering. Influencers build relationships with their followers through social media engagement and, in turn, they build trust.
Micro-influencers can be anyone — a woman who has a following for her beauty tutorials, a man who has a popular cooking blog, for example — and they can be anywhere. Maybe even in your community. Having a social media influencer touting your apartment community could be the edge you need to set you apart from the competition.
Don’t Forget About Pets
Millennials are now the largest group of pet owners, and so you can’t overlook your residents’ four-legged friends. It’s a given that pets will be permitted; millennials want their pets to be welcomed just as wholeheartedly as they are.
Demonstrate your apartment community’s love of pets by making it clear across all social media channels that your community celebrates pets. Highlight your pet-friendly features, which could be a dog washing station, a dog park, pet contests and pet waste bags set up throughout your community. Encourage your residents to post photos of their pets enjoying life in your community and share them on your apartment social media channels.
Conclusion
The millennial generation is now the largest ever, outpacing Baby Boomers, and its influence is strong. It’s no longer enough for an apartment community to simply have a social media presence. Apartment marketers need to ensure their message is connecting with millennials by understanding who they are and what they want, and meeting them where they are.
Respage’s New Content Discovery Engine
Respage has launched an enhanced platform that makes it easy to find compelling, relevant content to share across your apartment social media channels. Our tool pulls in content from a large variety of online sources that are tailored to appeal to the millennial renter and focus on topics like local happenings and apartment life. Speak to our team to learn more!
