This is from a post on Apartminty in their ongoing “Quick Marketing Wins” series. The opinions expressed in here are mine.

At first they called it the Now Generation, but I guess that had too many letters in it, so they officially named it the Y Generation but Google prefers you to call them the C Generation. Whew. Either way you look at it, these Millennial‘s want things NOW and are used to getting it that way. I speak as if this Generation is outside of my own. Err, let’s change the subject.

If you’re under 35, you’re used to YouTube, getting things now, fast computers, and small devices you can hold. This generation makes up the majority of our new renters. This is who we need to cater to.

Of course, you aren’t going to cater to them by the older, more traditional methods such as Any Apartment Magazine. It takes much bolder, more technologically driven initiatives.

In the world of Information NOW, how can you make sure you’re showing up where people are searching for you? By utilizing free tools. Remember, in this day of Marketing 5.0, the biggest new development is the proliferation of better marketing tools that aren’t just for Coca-Cola’s big budgets. In fact, I’ve found many in this industry that can help you rent apartments.

In keeping with the Quick Marketing Wins series, I’ve got 3 big ones here for you, to help you grab that Millennial’s attention for even the briefest of seconds:

Craigslist / Ebay Classifieds / Oodle

Honestly, I never say no to anything free; just look at the stockpiles of trade show giveaways in my basement. You shouldn’t either. It’s probably trite to mention but despite Craigslist’s many many cons, it’s one pro is this – It works. Don’t use it? Then you’re not going to be as successful as you should be. Think of Craigslist as your own personal advertising tool where you can present quick details about a particular unit or style where each message can reach hundreds of people for hours after it’s posted. It’s a must use but you’ve heard all this before, right? I’m simply reminding you that the pain of using it IS worth it. Post, as much as you can, and rent.

RentLinx

I’m keeping things free still by mentioning my favorite tool out there. RentLinx is a GREAT way to get your rental messages out to as many Millennial’s as possible. It will update, free of charge, the following sites – Affordable Housing Solutions, Apartment Fetch, Apartment Finder, Apartment List, EveryRent, Lovely,MapLiv, Mitula, National Housing Locator System, Oodle, Padmapper, Place of Mine, RadPad,Realtor.com, RentJungle, Rentmls, Roomhunt, Showmetherent, Todayseniorliving, Trovit, Trulia,Vast, Yakaz, Zillow and Zumper, and more. Sure, there’s a paid model and you can sign up for that for $10 per lead but you don’t have to and you’ll still get added to sites you’d otherwise have to pay for. What’s not to love?

Work your website backlinks

Backlinks are links that are directed towards your website on other websites. They help with driving search engine traffic because it can boost your Google rankings. They will also help with driving leads themselves.

Here’s my true story.

A while back, I was searching our competitors’s backlinks (a great tool to do this is MOZ) to find some additional opportunities. I stumbled across one for the Humane Society. Did you know that they have an Pet Friendly Apartment page? I emailed them and after submitting our Pet Addendum they were glad to add us. It’s been driving leads and helping to create move-ins. It was free and just required a little bit of my time.

Don’t miss out on free opportunities wherever you can find them.

Now go, and implement

If you want more marketing ideas, you’ll need to wait for the next in this series where someone else will share their fabulous ideas with the group. Hold up, did I say wait? I know what you’re thinking – how do I do that?

Happy renting everyone.