TikTok trends and Instagram giveaway campaigns are common in student housing. They’re good for building an audience and creating FOMO. But how do you stand out from the competition? How do you take social media beyond awareness? How do you use it to truly engage with your prospects and move them through the buyer’s journey?
You answer their questions. You are unabashedly honest, transparent and helpful. You are willing to transparently talk about things no one else will – pricing, process, problems, and even competitors.
Rambler ATX’s mission was to become the best and most helpful teacher in the world for students looking to lease an apartment in West Campus, and we took to social media to do just that.
Rambler’s TikTok Pilot Program
How do you get students to watch educational videos?
You need to catch their attention with the right hook, come across as authentic, and use intentional editing and messaging to keep them engaged.
Over four months, we created 40+ engaging videos, each taking into account Gen Z’s attention span and aligning with the buyer’s journey from brand awareness to decision-making during the leasing season. We kept a close eye on performance and optimized as we went, learning what worked and what didn’t on each platform, and pivoting as needed to maximize performance.
@rambleratxWhat’s included in my #wampus apartment’s rental rate? #ut#utexas#austin#texas#atx#westcampus#college#collegeliving♬ Selfcare-demo – Bella Moulden
Summary of Pilot Results
Over four months 40+ videos hit over 300,000 views across TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, indicating a wide reach and strong audience interest.
This strategy created the type of viral success most student housing social campaigns only dream of.
The videos that went viral were not just receiving views and likes, they were getting saves and shares. Students were saving them so they could refer back later and send them to friends, roommates and parents.
Our audience was watching, they were educating themselves, and we were gaining their trust.
Social Success = Leasing Success
The trust Rambler built on social media led to leases. 52% of Rambler’s leases were signed by people who never took a tour in the leasing office, meaning their interactions were 100% digital.
Rambler outpaced the market and outperformed proforma, achieving 95% pre-lease in January 2023 when the rest of the market was 54%, and delivering 100% pre-leased.
Rambler’s TikTok pilot proved so powerful, LV Collective implemented the strategy in its portfolio across the country.
In 2024, Rambler was awarded Best Social Media Campaign at the Student Housing Business Innovator Awards.