CHALLENGES
The property owners never had trouble finding new tenants for their rental unit—until the university made a significant change to their off-campus living policy, essentially cutting their prospective tenant base in half. Even the best word-of-mouth advertising, which they had depended on to attract new renters year after year, wasn’t enough to maintain a steady flow of likely candidates. And without a social media strategy and website to bring their message to students searching for housing online, they knew it was time for an updated marketing solution.
Solutions
The RyTech team proposed a two-pronged approach to optimize the property’s local and social media web presence. They developed a secure website using the property's address, and created and managed two budget-friendly pay-per-click Facebook campaigns specifically targeting undergraduate students attending the University.
“Renters today, especially always-connected college students, start their search online,” explains Steve Ryan. “And you can’t underestimate Facebook as a place to reach them,” he continues. “When a housing solution comes through their feed, just one click takes them directly to the property’s website where they can learn more about the house, view pictures of its interior, and take the next steps.”
Results
152potential tenants drove to the website in a 2 week period |
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The low-cost Facebook ad campaigns performed impressively: the first campaign reached 2,162 students, was seen 4,975 times, and resulted in 92 clicks to the property’s new website; the second campaign reached 3,767 students, was seen 5,129 times, and led to 60 click-throughs. The property owners caught the attention of more than enough potential tenants, and after providing a handful of tours, they were thrilled to welcome new residents into their building within just 60 days of launching their campaign.