Simplifying Multi-Channel Marketing to Reach an Evolving Student Housing Market

For the arrival of each generation, student housing operators need to extend the welcome mat long before the key goes in the lock. In recent years, generational preferences made a big leap with Millennials and they continue to evolve with next group leasing student housing. The evolution is affecting the way operators produce and capture leads. Traditionally, student housing operators have been able to cast a big net through third-party lead generators in hopes of attracting prospects to their websites. While website presentations have become differentiators, property managers have generally been at the mercy of one-way traffic flowing into their webbing of prospects.  But technology has reshaped how student housing operators can stand out in the crowd. Properties now have the ability to better target prospective student renters in the places where they are looking for housing. Through geo-targeting and greater search and social media visibility, properties can extend their brand into the places where students look for a place to live. It’s an approach that the student housing industry has long needed, says Brock MacLean, senior vice president of business development for RealPage, Inc. “The industry desires to be more efficient from a lead generation standpoint,” he said. “There is a need to focus on those leads that are more likely to convert and extend reach of brand to places where consumers search today. It’s more varied than ever with Google, social media, Facebook marketing and geo-targeting people as they search a general area.” “The idea is to give greater flexibility to the customer and how they market properties.” Reshaping the pursuit of leads and conversion LeaseLabs by RealPage GoDirect Marketing is reshaping the way property management companies can generate and convert leads in the student housing market through a single platform. Property management companies can simplify their multi-channel...