18 Marketing Ideas to Attract Student Residents to Off-Campus Housing

The off-campus student housing landscape has changed. Today’s generation of students and their parents demand 24/7 steady Wi-Fi, sustainability options, outdoor and co-working spaces, and a level of sophistication unlike that of previous student residents. Interested in how to lure Gen Z student residents to your property? Read on for our property marketing tips and tricks:

1. Know Your Target

The bulk of your target market looking for housing is Generation Z, born after 2001. They have never experienced life without the Internet. As a result, your marketing must reach them where they scroll: TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

2. Talk About Your Tech

If you have stable Wi-Fi throughout the property, including at the pool, gym, and communal areas, spread the word. Doorbell cameras, smart thermostats, and smart package lockers also connect with digital natives.

3. Embrace Influencer Marketing

The web today is two-way communication, not a monologue. Influencers not only start a dialogue but also provide meaningful feedback. And remember: 92% of Gen Zers trust influencer content more than traditional ads.¹

4. Add Video

Gen Z would rather watch than read. Of course, auto captioning is always a nice touch.

5. Offer Virtual Tours

360-degree tours have evolved from a creative option to an essential marketing tool. Recent data shows that 67% of consumers want more businesses to offer virtual tours, and prospects are 130% more likely to rent an apartment when a virtual tour is available.²

6. Make Communication Easy

Ensure all phone numbers are hot-linked for a “click to dial” option. It’s also recommended that you install chatbots. Your prospects want answers ASAP and may prefer to type rather than talk.

7. Create Dedicated Landing Pages

If you’ve ever clicked on an ad and been brought to the home page, then you know the disappointment of not landing on a page filled with the answers you want. A compelling landing page lists key features, business hours, and FAQs, and is directly related to the benefits advertised.

8. Follow the Trends

It’s essential to be up on the latest crazes among Zoomers. Yugo, for example, which currently has student housing in 34 cities, leveraged the Barbie movie for a recent promotion. The “Yugo Barbie Dream Pad Makeover” contest challenged students to design their Barbie-fied space, whether through 3D design, sketches, or mood boards.³

9. Foster Word-of-Mouth Referrals

Since students often value peer opinions over other sources, incentivize current residents to refer them to your property. One of the preferred gifts is a rent reduction or a gift card.

10. Don’t Give Up on Email

Email is the only remaining platform where you own the prospect, not the algorithm. Great campaigns add hyper-personalization and make recommendations based on past interactions.

11. …And Don’t Forget About Texting

With speed a critical component of any marketing campaign, it’s key to note that the average response time for a text is around 90 seconds, compared to 90 minutes for an email, according to Broadvoice.⁴

12. Tout Sustainability

For your prospects, sustainability is more than just a buzzword. Let prospects know about EV charging stations, smart thermostats, and any other technologies that reduce your carbon footprint. If your property has solar panels, share any energy saving or carbon reduction statistics.

13. Show the Great Outdoors

Today’s renter wants an outdoor place to chill, study, grab a coffee, or meet a new neighbor. If you have a pet area, make sure to show residents’ furry friends in action.

14. Host Events

Whether it’s a food truck, wine/mocktail tasting, or a knitting circle, these types of events foster community engagement. Invite prospects and current residents who act as brand ambassadors for your property.

15. Let Them Mingle

Students from the COVID era often feel lonely. Joining others for community events, food drives, cooking demonstrations, and clothing swap parties helps create bonds between residents.

16. Install Smart Lockers

Our 2025 Resident Resident Preferences Report revealed that smart lockers consistently rank as residents’ top amenity, surpassing business centers, clubhouses/common areas, and pools and spas.⁵ Further, this amenity offers residents the convenience of retrieving packages on their schedule, aligning with Zoomers’ preference for on-demand services.

17. Incentivize Lease Signing

As beauty companies were quick to learn, gifts with purchase boost sales. Offering free tech accessories, first-aid kits, laundry essentials, and brew-by-cup coffee makers can be the difference between a “maybe” and a signed lease.

18. Encourage Reviews

Gen Z fundamentally differs from previous generations in how they evaluate rental properties. They prioritize authentic experiences over traditional advertising, turning first to TikTok and Instagram to watch reviews from actual residents and see genuine day-in-the-life content. Only 39% begin their apartment search on conventional rental websites, the lowest rate of any generation.⁶ For Gen Z, social proof and authenticity trump polished marketing campaigns.

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As you compete for student residents, note that smart lockers provide secure, 24/7 package storage that virtually eliminates theft and damage. Residents retrieve parcels at their convenience using unique access codes or mobile apps, without adjusting schedules or rushing home to catch deliveries. This on-demand accessibility perfectly aligns with Gen Z’s expectations for flexibility and mobile-enabled services. Lockers can also act as a distribution system for keys, leases, and other essential documents.

Ready to deliver more for your student residents? Speak with a Parcel Pending representative today to find out more.

Sources:

1. Rollins, Holly. Holly Rollins: Top 5 Marketing Tactics to Fill Student Housing Beds Faster. studenthousingbusiness.com. July 9, 2025. https://studenthousingbusiness.com/holly-rollins-top-5-marketing-tactics-to-fill-student-housing-leases-faster/
2. Digital in the Round. 13 Mind-Blowing Virtual Tour Statistics [Updated for 2024]. digitalintheround.com. July 11, 2021. https://digitalintheround.com/virtual-tour-statistics/
3. Bunescu, Olivia. Quick Tips: Marketing for Student Housing. www.multihousingnews.com. August 3, 2023. https://www.multihousingnews.com/quick-tips-marketing-for-student-housing/
4. Broadvoice. Text vs. email marketing: which is the best option?. broadvoice.com. n.d. https://broadvoice.com/blog/text-vs-email-marketing/
5. Parcel Pending by Quadient. 2025 Resident Preferences Report. www.parcelpending.com. October 31, 2025. https://www.parcelpending.com/en-us/resources/2025-resident-preferences-report/
6. Zimmerman, Michael. How Gen Z renters are changing multifamily marketing norms. www.rentvision.com. August 19, 2024. https://www.rentvision.com/blog/how-gen-z-renters-are-changing-multifamily-marketing-norms