Category: All Articles - Page 20

Brand Style Guides for Multifamily

Written by Stacey Feeney on August 9, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Branding.

Brand style guides are the ultimate way to create brand recognition. For your community, that’s just one piece of the success puzzle. When your internal team knows your brand (thanks to a super clear and beautiful brand style guide) they’ll keep things consistent. And that consistency equates to brand recognition from the inside, out—to your residents.

Create a style guide and get ready to go on branding cruise-control…most of the time, anyway. First you might be wondering:

What’s a brand style guide?

A brand style guide keeps your visual identity intact. All your branding elements are gathered together into one (beautiful) package. It can be stored online as a pdf, or printed in booklet format. The style guide lays out every one of the visual and verbal pieces of your brand including:

Brand Story
Brand Voice and Tone
Logos
Colors
Typography
Design Elements
Imagery

With a cohesive branding package, you’re able to both lay down the law and function as a neutral party (think Switzerland) for when a colleague wants to go against the grain and use a color or font that isn’t remotely representative of your brand.

Why do I need a brand style guide?

The brand style guide for your community will help you update existing marketing materials, or design new ones. It allows you to create consistency across channels and media: social, digital, print, anywhere your brand shows up.

As we mentioned above, it’s a tool for beautiful consistency. A guide for everyone on your team to know and feel your brand when they hear it and see it. Everywhere your brand appears is an opportunity. Don’t miss it.

Externally, you can develop or deepen brand recognition with your residents and partners through consistency.

Internally, you (and your colleagues) can be more efficient in your marketing and branding decisions.

The brand style guide should be developed by your marketing team and/or a professional creative agency, like zipcode, and be accessible to everyone at the company. This will minimize any “I didn’t know the right color to use” issues down the line. Providing a clean, clear brand style guide will easily create brand clarity, no excuses.

How do I create a brand style guide?

BRAND STORY

Set the stage. Tell what your community does. Tell about your history, goals, values, mission, and vision.

BRAND VOICE & TONE

If your brand was a person, what kind of attributes would they have? Identify this in the brand voice and tone section—especially in regards to how they use language and emotion.

LOGO

Show all the variations that are acceptable for use with your logo—your primary logo, your secondary logo and any submarks. Tell the user exactly how to use the logo and exactly how not to use it: No rotation, no stretching, no different color applications, and no weird color fill.

COLORS

Show your true colors (ha). And identify the colors using the Hex number, the RGB color codes and CMYK or Pantone color codes. Identifying all four of these will help the reader apply the correct color whether they’re working in print or digital.

TYPOGRAPHY

Get technical here. Choose your font styles, the sizes, and the spacing. Show how and where each would be used, especially as headlines, sub-headers, body copy, and accent fonts.

IMAGERY

Define your photographic style—bright and colorful? Moody and deep? Stark and modern? And give plenty of examples.

Once you’ve compiled all the pieces, put it together in an easy-to-digest format, using your fonts, your colors, and plenty of examples. Distribute it far and wide within your company and keep it handy in your brand’s internal files for reference.

Extra Brand Style Guide Tips

If you have a brand style guide already, consider updating it.
If you don’t know where to start, use this as a guide.
Include as many details in the brand style guide as you think are needed.
List out Dos and Don’ts.
Provide plenty of examples.
Every so often, take a close look at your style guide. Make sure your branding is still tracking right alongside it. If you need to make updates, whether in the style guide, or rerouting some ill-advised branding choices, do so.

Brand recognition is reliant on a successful understanding of your brand from the inside out. It starts with a clear brand style guide being consulted and used internally; once you have that, your consistent brand can now stretch as far as you need it to, without getting warped. Contact zipcode creative to get your brand style guide updated or created. Check out our brand questionnaire to get a head start.

Email Marketing for Multifamily Communities

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 20, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Graphic Design, Marketing, Writing.

Email marketing: It can all feel a little mysterious. If measuring your “open rate” is about as scientific as you get, it’s time to take a closer look at your email marketing, especially as it relates to your sales funnel. From leads to residents, it’s important to know what to send when. (You don’t want to send an introduction email to your current residents, right?) Make it easier on yourself by creating an email marketing funnel. Pick your funnel section, and start crafting an email that they’ll want to open.

The first step is to outline your process. Then, set up some email templates and keep a focus on personalization. The more your prospective resident feels seen, the more likely they are to: 1) open the email; 2) take action; and 3) share the email.

And that’s what we all want. Opened emails, follow-through, and brand advocacy. When you’re able to create a pathway or journey for your leads from Point A to Point B, it means more leases signed (and renewed). Check out the tips we’ve created so you can create the ideal marketing email for each section of your funnel, whether you choose to automate, or set up triggered emails for your apartment community.

Emails for Awareness

THE AUDIENCE

This email is for the “I’ve never heard of you” crowd. The reader of the email might be someone who was referred to you, someone who found you through a web search, or maybe they’re part of a prospect email list you’ve purchased with the hopes of converting a handful of leads. They may have also found you through a blog post or, even more likely these days: through social media.

WHAT TO SAY

In this email, you’ll want to clearly introduce yourself. Include a link to your About page, and show off your best sides. Don’t get too granular, but create a little intrigue. This is your opportunity to solidify your branding—the same branding that you’ll need to keep consistent throughout your email marketing funnel. It’s also a good time to give them an option to learn more about what you have to offer. Add in calls to action that lead to your website for a low-barrier-to-entry CTA: “Explore our floor plans” is an easy one.

FOR EXAMPLE

If you’re having a grand opening, for example, this is a good time to let them know when you’ll begin accepting lease applications, and what you have to offer, in terms of type of community, and number of bedrooms and bathrooms in your units.

Emails for Consideration

THE AUDIENCE

Emails for consideration are the natural next step after your awareness-building email. They are for the group of leads that might say “Oh, yeah, this community! I wonder what their apartments include.” Now, you get to answer their questions that might have come up between the previous email and this one. Remind them who you are, what you offer, and make sure that you are clear about your differentiators. It’s time to stand out. For more tips, check out our blog post on brand differentiation here.

WHAT TO SAY

When it comes to consideration, you’ll have to add in some social proof. Bring in the reviews and the testimonials, and sprinkle in some of your biggest selling points. The point is to throw your hat in the ring, and show your community not only as a competitor, but as the best option for the lead reading your email.

FOR EXAMPLE

Outline your market, make your case, and show off the best that you have. Embed reviews, and place a few short-and-sweet testimonials to drive home your point. Place in a call to action to Learn More and make sure your landing page is chock-full of good stuff, like photos, floor plans, site maps, and all the things that attract residents the most.

Emails for Conversion

THE AUDIENCE

You’re so close. It’s time to close the deal. This email is for the crowd who’s thinking “Okay, I really need to make a decision about where I’m going to live.” They’re ready to choose, and they should be choosing you.

WHAT TO SAY

Keep their attention. Put your amenities and biggest selling points front and center and make the calls to action (with the buttons and links) super clear. As you tell your lead more about you, make a point to also be learning about them and their needs. Use quick surveys, and offer up customer service contact information, too. At this point, they don’t need more information, they need to get the lease application filled out and submitted to you, so they can make it official.

FOR EXAMPLE

Make it easy, and get them to follow through. When they click on “apply today” or “book a tour”, make sure it goes straight to the page that they need. For more help with calls to action, read our blog on CTA best practices.

Emails for Loyalty

THE AUDIENCE

Why is your best friend your best friend? You spend time together. You know each other. You probably have their coffee order memorized. This is the goal with your email marketing funnel, too, especially when you get down to the loyalty aspect. You want to not only attract your residents, you also want to retain them. These emails are meant to make your residents say, “They know just what I’m thinking.”

WHAT TO SAY

Send out emails about community events. Create a social media competition and build your email campaign around it. This portion of your email marketing funnel may last a little longer than the others, because you’re building up your relationship through keeping the lines open. Your goal is also to stay front of mind. (Out of sight, out of mind—let’s not even go there!)

FOR EXAMPLE

Keep bringing helpful information and every once in a while, toss out a lease special or a giveaway (free gift cards to local shops, for example) so that your email readers feel a little more like VIPs, getting the special deal.

Emails for Advocacy

THE AUDIENCE

This email is for your resident who thinks “I wish all my friends were my neighbor. I wonder if they have lease openings.” Well, luckily for you, you’ve built a relationship with your resident, and now it’s time to take it to the next level: turning your loyal resident into a brand advocate. They love living in your community.

WHAT TO SAY

Jump in and let your happy resident know that you’re accepting new lease applications. Give them extra “points” for sharing—offer a gift card or referral bonus for successful referrals. Encourage them to post on social media about their experience, or to share one of your posts—it’s fun to reward social media advocates of your brand.

EXAMPLE

Try offering up a reward for leaving reviews. The reward can be a small gift card, a gift basket of local goodies, or just plain cash. Note: Offer this only to residents that you’ve confirmed are happy with your community. You can use a satisfaction survey prior to this offer, and streamline your reviews successfully. When you make the ask via email, you can see who’s clicking on it, and use that info to follow up as needed.

Email marketing can feel complicated, but breaking it down into sections of the funnel will help you prioritize your methods and reach your audience with the right words and visuals.

Still feeling overwhelmed? That’s understandable. Reach out to zipcode creative to get our help with a custom-designed email blast (one or multiple) so we can take care of the pretty parts for you. If copywriting is where you’re getting stuck, we can help with that, too! Bottom line: We make things pretty—whether it’s words or design. Get in touch.

Images in this post are ©Fairfield Residential | Work executed by Stacey Feeney, owner of zipcode creative, while under creative direction and employment at Fairfield Residential.

Outdoor Amenity Spaces Outdoor Amenity Spaces

Outdoor Amenity Spaces for Summer Marketing

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 20, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

During the warm-weather months, there’s nothing as relaxing as enjoying the sunshine and soaking up some vitamin D. Reframe your marketing to give your outdoor amenity spaces a leg up—since it’s what prospects and residents are thinking about!

If your community has outdoor amenity spaces like event lawns, a pool, or grilling areas—or even private outdoor areas like patios—it’s important to weave these elements into your summer marketing strategy so that prospective residents can see everything you have to offer. From lounging by the pool to picnicking on the common lawns, the outdoor lifestyle they could lead in your community is an important differentiator. Try using these tips and tricks to focus on summertime seasonal amenities to make your community feel irresistible amongst the competition.

Summer Swag

Developing seasonal swag is an amazing way to highlight specific outdoor amenity spaces. If you have a pool, for example, consider creating beach towels as a move-in gift to enhance their experience If you have a grill area, you could create outdoor dining accessories in your brand colors and accented with your logo. Similarly, tennis courts pair well with branded tennis balls, and outdoor dog runs are the ideal opportunity to create pet-friendly swag like leashes or portable dog bowls. While prospects are evaluating their future living situation, these pieces showcase not only your community’s amenities but also your thoughtful approach to resident engagement.

Local Partnerships

If you want to branch out and reach new prospective residents, partnering with local businesses can be an amazing way to expand your audience. Consider teaming up with local bars or restaurants to host events in your outdoor space. From a concert series to weekly food tastings to happy hours, it will allow you to solidify yourself as a staple in the community—and it also allows you to showcase the beautiful amenity spaces you have to offer. While not everyone who attends may be looking for a new place to live, it’s an amazing way to generate positive word of mouth and get the word out there about your community.

Prospective Resident Events

Hosting prospective resident events, like happy hours or cookouts, at your outdoor amenity spaces allows you to not only answer all of a prospect’s questions but also show off your outdoor area at the same time. You can even combine these events with existing resident events to allow prospects to mingle with your current residents. This will allow interested parties to get a feel for the lifestyle and demographic of your community and gauge whether it’s a good fit for what they’re looking for. The best part? Instead of doing dozens of individual apartment tours, you can host a large number of prospective residents at once to generate a higher volume of warm leads. It also helps to keep existing residents engaged for a win-win way to market your amenities.

Seasonal Marketing

While you likely have evergreen marketing assets like a brochure or direct mail postcards, why not change it up for the summer months? Revisit both the copy and design elements of your existing marketing materials to give them a summer spin. Feature eye-catching photos of your outdoor amenity spaces, like your pool or barbecue area. Be sure to also infuse your copy and content with summer-themed language, like “Make a splash!” or “Fun in the sun.” These small changes will help set your marketing apart from local competitors and help to re-engage prospects that may have gone cold. If it’s in your budget to do so, create a leasing incentive and turn it into a summer campaign!

No matter how you choose to showcase your outdoor amenities, now is the time! This peak warm-weather season marks the most popular time of year to move, so highlighting all of your outdoor amenities can help distinguish your community from your nearby competitors.

If you need help crafting your materials or figuring out where to start, our expert team at zipcode creative can help. From developing distinctive branding to overhauling your direct mail materials, we can give your marketing a polished, professional look. Reach out today to learn more about what our team can do.

Brand Differentiation in Multifamily

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 19, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Branding.

Welcome to the Multifamily Mini-Marketing Insights Series! Marketing your multifamily community is a big task. And while your best marketing methods might be happy accidents, you can be a lot more effective if you’re proactive about building the foundational marketing pieces of your brand—from the inside out. Today we’ll talk about brand differentiation: what it is, how to define your multifamily community’s brand differentiators, and how to use those differentiators effectively.

Definition of Brand Differentiation

WHAT IS IT?

What is brand differentiation? It’s how you show that you’re the right choice for your residents. It’s how you distinguish yourself and make your brand memorable and stand out. It sure sounds like a mouthful, but brand differentiation isn’t wildly complicated. In fact, it’s probably so simple that a lot of brands might not even be thinking about it (and they certainly aren’t leveraging it). Much like a “Spot the 10 differences” in children’s magazines, humans naturally compare one thing to another and identify the feature that’s not consistent.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

It’s important to use brand differentiation to offer your unique selling proposition. What you offer that no one else does. Maybe you are the only 55+ active adult community with resort-style amenities in your town in Ohio. Maybe you have a unique access point to a hiking trail that’s exclusive to your residents. When you get specific with your offerings, you can beat out your competition—especially if you’re aware of who your ideal resident is. Competitive edge, engage!

STAY TRUE

One of the biggest draws for today’s buyer (or prospective resident in this case) is uniqueness and authenticity. Make sure you’re consistent in your branding (that’s another piece of differentiation) and really own who you are. Take a moment to create something about your brand that’s special. This can be created from scratch, especially if you’re marketing a new construction, or this differentiation exercise can help tailor an existing detail into a major selling point for your community.

How to Identify Your Community’s Differentiator

There are a couple of ways to approach differentiation. One industry might focus on one or two pieces, but no industry or company should be marketing the exact same “unique” thing—that’s the deal with differentiation.

EXPERIENTIAL

This kind of differentiator shows your prospective residents something that is completely unique and different from the typical multifamily experience. Maybe you have really fun, engaging community events that are well-attended every week. Perhaps you have a really friendly family atmosphere that you’re well known for. Or it’s possible that you’re offering high luxury amenities in an area where it’s typically lacking. All of these are experiential differentiators—take note of your resident reviews. See what stands out: Friendliness? Fun events? Fast maintenance service?

INNOVATIVE

The way that Volvo is known for safety, or Apple is known for clean, modern tech, your company can also be known for something that is innovative. You can use smart home features like a Nest thermostat, a Ring doorbell, and wi-fi enabled washers and dryers. If technology is important to your target resident, then it should be important to you. Additionally, younger residents are more concerned with the environment, and this could be the perfect moment to roll out a green initiative program, with energy star appliances, valet trash and recycling pick up, and showing off how you conserve water in your community. Keep these in mind—if you’re on the cusp of something big and bold and innovative with your community be sure to advertise it well.

BRANDING PRESENTATION

The cohesion between your marketing collateral and your company branding has to be tight to use this one for your differentiator. Tony the Tiger is inextricably linked to Frosted Flakes. McDonald’s golden arches and bright red color have worked for them throughout the years. This is a method of creating identifiable pairings of color, shape, and ideas with your brand, which helps you create brand recognition. Another piece within your presentation is your brand voice—are you youthful or experienced? Are you serious or a jokester? This can come through in your brand voice, and can help you stand out in your marketing collateral, simply because you sound different from the rest of the communities you’re in competition with.

INCENTIVES AND SPECIALS

This is always a bit of a tricky one. But if you can land on one side of the spectrum that’s different from the communities around you, you can set yourself up to do one of two things: 1) attract more prospective residents thanks to your value pricing; or 2) charge higher prices by selling yourself as a luxury brand.

EMOTIONAL

For multifamily communities, this brand differentiator can be easily leveraged. Emotions are a big factor in decisions. Think about the emotional connection that any resident makes with your community: Home. This is a place where they can feel comfortable, relaxed, and where all their favorite stuff is. Think specifically about the way that your community or apartments make your residents feel. Hone this differentiator into something that also takes into consideration another differentiator (such as your branding presentation) and combine them to create your brand’s distinctive offering.

Next Up In Brand Differentiation Definitions

(Say that five times fast.) After you define how you’d use each of the differentiation categories above,

ASK THESE QUESTIONS

1) Are you capable of the above options—with regularity? Tell the truth.

If you can’t do it, don’t claim it.

2) Who is your target resident and what do you offer to them right now?

Find your ideal resident and understand what differentiators are the ones you offer to them.

3) Which of your differentiators are most important and most relevant to them, specifically?

Of the differentiators you’ve determined, figure out the pain points of your audience and which ones are most important to them. Now: Use your differentiator as a solution.

4) Which differentiators can stand out from your competition?

(It’s not a differentiator if it’s the exact same one as your neighboring community.)

5) Can you prove what you’ve claimed?

Make sure you can back it up.

How Can You Use Brand Differentiation?

Now that you’ve identified what gives you your competitive edge, how can you use it? Set yourself apart in the categories you’ve created, and keep it consistent. A brand style guideline can be an effective tool to use while identifying your unique brand offers.

IN BRANDING

Being consistent and being authentic is key here. Work with zipcode creative to make sure your branding is on point across the board. We’ll make sure that any place your brand shows up, it looks good. If your logo or your tagline doesn’t feel like it works with your differentiator(s), we’ll be here to help rework it or start from scratch.

IN MESSAGING

This is where the rubber meets the road in brand differentiation. You are communicating what your specialty is, and why your prospective resident should choose you over your competitor. Find your biggest selling point that’s unique and run with it. Have it show up everywhere (mailer, e-blast, brochures, social media) so that at the end of the day it’s what you’re known for. Period.

READY, SET, ATTRACT

When your audience shares the same values as you, or if they have a problem that you’ve just claimed to solve, they’re probably ready to hop in the ol’ sales funnel and become a lead. You’ve just attracted one by leveraging your brand differentiators!

Attracting the Right Residents: Active Senior Living

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 6, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

When you’re targeting a specific type of resident, it’s more important than ever to understand what they’re looking for. If your community is set-up specifically for active senior living, creating programs, amenities, and a culture that supports their needs should be your top priority.

But it’s not only about having the things they want readily available within your community—it’s also about how you market it. Strategically messaging all of the best aspects of your community is integral to attracting your target market. Use these tips and tricks to get the word out there about everything your community has to offer active seniors.

Social Events

For active senior living residents, community events are a major draw to multifamily living. Having easy access to social events like community dinners, movie showings, or game nights are a major draw to your community and represent a huge advantage over homeownership. While not a traditional amenity, a jam-packed social calendar is often what prospective residents are looking for when touring active senior communities. It also allows residents to easily make new friends, expanding their social circle and having a built-in community close-by in a way that isn’t always possible otherwise.

To attract the right residents, be sure to showcase your community programming in all of your marketing materials. From group fitness classes, to community clubs like garden and book clubs, to art classes and lecture series, the sky’s the limit to what you can offer your residents. Add a sheet to your brochure or welcome packet that outlines the extensive programs that you offer, so prospects know exactly what their social life might look like if they decide to move in.

Convenient On-Site Amenities

Being just steps away from the gym, the pool, or the clubhouse is another major draw for active seniors looking for their new home. This unbeatable convenience means that they don’t have to worry about commuting to their favorite activities, or plan elaborate activities to get out of the house. Instead, it’s as simple as walking down the hallway or across the community to take part in their favorite pastimes. It also allows for more spur-of-the-moment social plans with friends and neighbors. Instead of painstakingly planning an outing or activity, all it takes is a quick phone call or text to meet up by the pool or for a spontaneous game of cards.

On leasing tours and in prospective resident collateral, use high-quality images of your top amenity spaces and outline all of the details. This shows off the best your community has to offer and allows prospects to get an instant understanding of the potential lifestyle they’ll lead in your community.

Maintenance-Free Living

Many prospects interested in active senior living are downsizing from single-family homes. While there are definite perks to being a homeowner, there are also a lot of downsides: lawn upkeep, snow removal, property taxes, and general maintenance, just to name a few. When they make the decision to move into a multifamily community, they get to say goodbye to all of the headaches and hassles associated with homeownership.

Apartment living is much simpler in many ways. When something breaks, you can simply submit a maintenance ticket. You pay rent once a month, and don’t have to worry about hidden fees, taxes, or unexpected maintenance costs that pop up throughout the year—instead, it’s all taken care of for you. These perks are important to outline in detail in all of your assets, so that prospects understand the exhaustive list of benefits of apartment living. This not only helps them make an informed decision, but also helps you bump your community to the top of their wish list.

If you’re struggling to showcase the right aspects of your community, it might be time to enlist the help of the experts. At zipcode creative, we’ve worked with multifamily communities of all types—including active senior communities—to tailor their messaging and create compelling marketing materials. Get in touch with today to get started.

Attracting the Right Residents: Student Housing

Written by Stacey Feeney on July 6, 2022. Posted in All Articles, Marketing.

Whether your apartment community is conventional housing near a major college or university, or if you have specified student housing, it’s important to attract the right residents. Student housing marketing is vital to the success of your community. Since your turnover rate may be higher than most communities (unless you’ve got a few Super Seniors) it’s important to keep the sales funnel filled with possibilities of your next residents.

In order to be the community that’s synonymous with student housing, you need to be sure to leverage every tool you have. Ready to learn?

Be Visible

In order to become the community where students want to be, you have to take a deep dive into student culture.

GET ONLINE

This generation of students are the first tech-native generation—life is online. So meet them where they are, with instagram reels and stories. Make sure your website is up to date and your branding is on point. Be careful with your aesthetics, and have us create custom-branded graphics for your social media posts.

MAKE PARTNERS

Create a partnership with the college and university nearby. Get in touch with the student development office, and answer any questions they have. When you’re known (and appreciated) by the college staff, they’ll be much more likely to recommend you as an option for housing. Show up at the schools (colleges, trade schools) and drop off information—packets for touring students, or offer incentives with school-based codes so you know where your residents are attending/coming from.

TALK TO MOM

Keep in mind, also, that the student may not be the only one investigating where to live. If this is the student’s first home away from home, parents or even grandparents may be helping them make the decision, too. (It may very well even be them co-signing a lease or helping with monthly rent payments).

EVERYONE’S INVITED

Finally, for visibility, word of mouth and social sharing will be key to get your name out there. Consider hosting an annual pool party and have residents invite 1-2 guests (with passes) and be sure to have a food truck or two on hand. Get out plenty of fun pool floats, and have your leasing specials and incentives on display for any future student residents who are still looking for a place to stay.

Be Relatable

Being fake is something that this next generation of students seems to be able to spot without even trying.

SPEAK THEIR LANGUAGE

It’s important to be able to speak their language, though. They don’t want emails. They want social media. They don’t want documentaries (necessarily)—they want short video snippets. Keep a shorter attention span in mind when you’re creating any sort of video marketing collateral, and put in closed captions as well so they can enjoy it with the sound off.

POST IT

As for instagram, post regularly. Make sure there are people in your photos. Have plenty of testimonials and photos of current residents. Advertise your fun community events coming up. Keep an updated running calendar of events saved on your stories—it’s not helpful if it’s from 2 years ago! Also consider having a Live Q&A or an “Ask Anything” box on your stories. Not only does this answer the question one resident has, it can help clue you in to what they value and what’s important to them. This, then, can help you determine what to post (that’s relevant) on your page. Make your posts attractive (aesthetics mean a lot) and stick with your branding: colors, fonts, student focus. Videos can help you reach your biggest audience. Create some reel ideas as a fun version of FAQ, such as “a packing list” “where to park” “pool rules” and other fun topics. Ask actual residents to help you with these, so it feels relevant to your followers.

WEBSITE MATTERS

Beyond short videos and Instagram, it’s important for you to create a clear landing page (where prospective student residents will go from social media) on your website—one that’s made for student housing exclusively. Be sure to include an actual FAQ, and focus on the group of students that are most likely to live in your community—not all student residents are the same; some want a more dormitory feel and some may want a more residential feel, if they’re upperclassmen, for example. Tailor your web copy and content so that it feels like you’re speaking directly to them.

Be Comfortable

Students love options.

BIG DEAL

Like we said above, not one size fits all. Same goes for budgets. Consider offering lease signing incentives. Student residents have student loans looming, and they’re careful with their residential bills. Focus on practical and useful amenities, and show off the things they’ll get with their unit: wifi? Pool access? A good study space? A fitness center?

THIS IS YOUR HOME

Also create attractive floor plans. 2d or 3d options with furniture details can give them a hint of what life could be like as a student in your community. Creating a family feel in your community is vital, as well. Build out the calendar with youthful-focused events like video game night, popcorn and a movie night, cooking classes, and of course: food trucks and coffee carts. When students are known, it creates a close-knit community, similar to a dormitory. And don’t forget a personal touch: write a welcome note upon move-in letting them know you’re there if they need anything.

BE HELPFUL

The biggest key to newbie residents? Be helpful. Create move-in checklists. Show where to put empty moving boxes. Indicate where your bike storage is and where students should park. Outline security policies (parents will love this) and keep all the amenities functioning properly. It’s also important to point out the best your neighborhood has to offer with a community map—so they know where to go to get the best cup of coffee or a late night snack nearby.

BOTTOM LINE

Most of all, you must provide value, whether it’s through amenities that put you above the competition, or through your leasing incentives. Another great way to stand out is by showing off your green side. The latest generation of students are concerned about the environment. Create a campaign or capitalize on an existing one—show off your eco-friendly apartments through social media and on your website.

When it comes to student housing, you’ll need to know your resident well to speak to them directly. Beyond authenticity, helping students is vital. Being a comfortable place to live will help students take that big first step out of their family home and into your community.

Need help attracting student residents to your community? Reach out to the experts here at zipcode.