Do you know today’s student? Do you have to use Google or Urban Dictionary to understand what students are talking about? Text speak, slang, technology and constantly changing pop culture references make keeping up with this population a constant challenge. If you still use the word dope (as in “sweet!”), 1995 wants you back!
Today’s students are skeptical, constantly connected and rely on technology more than any other age-based demographic. Students seek to validate any advertising claim. Because most every statement can be researched and debunked, apartment marketing techniques must be attention-grabbing, entertaining, humorous and related to the audience.
Students are attracted by strong digital presence. They not only want to search for information on a website or an Internet Listing Service listing, they want to interact and learn about how a business (such as an apartment community) conducts itself online. They do not just look at what past and current residents are saying on apartment ratings sites, but place great importance on any real, live interactions that are taking place on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn.
When doing so, they are trying to determine how a community is different from its competitors and how it will respond to them once they make the decision to live there.
B.M.O.C. Tip #1
Stand Out From The Crowd.
Sell the experience. Marketing to today’s student is no longer just about amenities. Competitive markets make amazing amenities commonplace. Today’s student cares more about the “experience” of living there. No one wants the same old thing.
A community’s personality is its brand. Mascots are a great way to stand out and deliver an experience. The mascot becomes something the students recognize as fun and more than just a logo. Don’t forget the mascot should accompany the marketing team at campus and at resident events. It can even have its own Facebook page.
B.M.O.C. Tip #2
Focus on Relationship Building. Connect with students through advertising and interactions. Whether online, in
person or on the phone, tell a story and give them reasons to reach out to the community. By connecting with students emotionally, communities are creating discussions that could make a positive impact.
College students crave meeting new people and are constantly looking for opportunities to build a scrapbook of memories for their future. Help them to develop this scrapbook by expressing the lifestyle they enjoy and seek through the community’s advertising messaging. Because resident events are the perfect opportunity for students to network, use these events and photos of them in the community’s advertising. This will stir up fond memories later when they recall, “Remember that time back when we lived at Campus Lodge and the pool parties they had?” These are the lasting impressions that will develop continual, positive word-of-mouth marketing for years to come.
B.M.O.C. Tip #3
Connect With Campus. Focus on building strong relationships with the college or university your residents attend. Understand their resources, learn their values and priorities. Know what is happening on campus. Position the community and its staff members as the ultimate “campus concierge” to help students experience college life.
Develop a “Campus Concierge Book.” This internal book will not only “school” a community’s employees to learn all that the campus has to offer, but will also knock the socks off the residents. Understanding how to help a student while on campus provides residents with added value in service and lets them know their community can relate on what matters to them most: School.
Kim Cory is Director of Sales and Marketing, University Village, Columbus, Ohio. Dan Oltersdorf is the Vice President of Residence Life at Campus Advantage, a national student housing firm with 52 properties in 21 states.