Multifamily Guide: How to attract Generation Z renters

Each generation has its own quirks. Gen Z is no different and appears to be more practical than others. While we’ve seen that some generations are happy to rent forever, Generation Z sees it as a stepping stone. In fact, 97 percent of them want to buy a home someday. Now, most of them won’t leave their parents’ home and immediately buy a house. This means you still have a chance to reach them. With this in mind, let’s cover how multifamily operators can reach Gen Z where they are spending most of their time – online.

Social media marketing

Gen Z is more reluctant to use traditional social media channels such as Facebook. Instead, try reaching out to them via a partnership with influencers and creating a strong presence on channels like Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok. Influencer marketing is a useful way to spread the word to younger renters. Consider setting up a referral program to your residents in exchange for promoting your community.

Online video content

It’s official. Gen Z spends the least amount of time watching TV. They spend most of their time watching online videos, so consider sharing video tours of your property. To help keep their attention, be sure the content is concise, engaging, digestible, and shareable.

Mobile-friendly website

Generation Z spends an average of 26 hours per week on their mobile phones and uses laptops rather than desktops. They also grew up with Google and Siri in their back pockets, so they expect fast and easy interactions. Forget about emailing or calling, they want to ask a question and have an immediate answer. Multifamily websites are no exception, property managers will want to make sure that their website is optimized for mobile and accessible on the go, from any device.

You might ask yourself; how do I fill this need of instant gratification? Try adding chatbots. Chatbots are programmed to interact with users. They get to know a user by asking a series of questions and are then able to provide the user with answers. For example, a chatbot could ask a user where they want to live, how much they want to spend, and what amenities they want. Then based on those preferences, respond with information. Chatbots could also help with managing maintenance requests. A renter can interact with the chatbot making them aware of a broken A/C unit and schedule the maintenance. Allow Gen Z renters and other potential renters to interact in the way they want.

How to appeal to Gen Z renters

Keep it simple, mobile, and digital. Make everything accessible online– basic communication, rental applications, community news, virtual tours – all these can and should be managed online.

Create a highly rated online reputation

Be authentic. This generation is keeping up with what you’re posting to social media and what is said about your community online. Stay consistent and realistic with all your posts and responses to online reviews. If you receive a bad review, it’s not the end of the world, just be sure to respond immediately. For Gen Z, seeing the negative reviews might provide balance and will allow you to show how you deal with conflict in your community.

Pricing

As natural researchers, Gen Zers know where to look for the best deal and answers. Property managers must keep units priced appropriately to capture this group. If you have your apartments listed above market value, they won’t be attracted to your community.

Gen Z is a largely untapped market waiting to be recognized. If your real estate business is proactively seeking to tap into this market and improve resident engagement, implementing the technologies and content strategies that appeal to this generation should be a large part of your strategy. If companies manage to incorporate lively video posts and conversation-starting events into their marketing routines, they will increase their odds of winning over this generation.

Related article:  The growing impact of Gen Z on the Multifamily Housing Industry

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