|
Ross Taylor
Lettings (Lincoln)
Reach more students, fill rooms faster, and reduce voids. Learn why using social media to market your student property is a no-brainer.
If you’re a landlord letting to students and still relying solely on the old “To Let” boards + listing site combo, we need to talk. The digital world your prospective tenants live in is very different. Social media is not a nice-to-have extra anymore—it’s a core channel. Here’s why you should care (and how we at Student Housing are already doing it well).
In the UK, there are approximately 56.2 million social media users, amounting to ~82.8 % of the total population.
These users spend on average 1 hour 49 minutes per day across about 6.4 platforms.
For student housing markets, one study found: on Facebook/Instagram combined “Reels” approach, over 138.9 million Reels played per online minute (yes, per minute) as of December 2024.
Global social media user base: around 3.96 billion people in 2022.
Platforms matter: For general rental property-marketing, one guide cites >2.8 billion monthly users for Facebook, >1 billion for Instagram.
Put simply: your students are on social media. They live there. So your marketing should too.
Student tenants expect a digital, visual experience. They want to scroll, peek at your place, imagine themselves in it. Social platforms deliver this.
Social media allows you to build brand trust (yes, even for a letting business) rather than just “here’s a house.” For example: showing your professionalism, your responsiveness, your student-specific service (utilities included, etc.). One landlord guide highlights building your reputation as a major benefit of social-media use.
Speed + reach: When a property becomes available, you can broadcast it instantly to your followers, local student groups, and via paid targeting if needed.
Engagement = higher quality leads: Because prospective tenants engage (like/comment/share) you get a warmer lead than someone who casually browsed a listing site. A source on rental property marketing states social media often generates higher-quality leads because “potential tenants or guests have already engaged with the property’s story before making contact.”
Cost-effective: Organic posts cost you time; paid ads can be extremely targeted (age, location, interest) so you waste less money.
Yes, I realise this is self-promotion. But also, you need to show landlords that you know your stuff. Here’s our approach and our results.
Our Approach:
We maintain dedicated social profiles for each major location (Lincoln, Nottingham, Hull) so the audience is local, relevant.
We post high-quality visuals: student-friendly interiors, communal spaces, local neighbourhood highlights (pubs, transport links, nightlife, study zones).
We highlight the USP: utilities included, former-student staff, hassle-free letting. We share short video tours (Reels/Stories) and testimonials from current student tenants.
We engage with student-centric content: move-in days, local university events, roommate tips, student lifestyle moments (not just “look at our house”).
We use paid ads selectively to reach students in the catchment areas of University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent University, University of Hull and University of Lincoln and their social media-hangouts.
We monitor analytics: reach, engagement, click-throughs to viewing booking links, conversions from enquiry → tenancy.
Our Results:
(Imagine impressive figures here—yes, we know you like proof)
Significantly reduced void periods because we had a pipeline of interested students ready to view as soon as properties came on.
Strong local brand awareness: when students ask “Which letting agency should I use?” we appear.
Lots of user-generated social content: students tagging us, sharing their move-in, reviews showing up. That boosts peer trust (which matters a lot for students).
Because of our digital presence, we often get enquiries before traditional listings go live.
Because I didn’t drag myself here just to philosophise.
Pick one or two social channels where your target audience (students) hang out. For student-letting in the UK that likely means Instagram + TikTok (and maybe Facebook for wider reach) rather than just LinkedIn.
Create a content calendar: Plan posts around major moments (e.g., open days, move-in week, exam season, offers).
Use high-quality visuals and video: Students expect modern, vibrant content—not grainy phone pics. Virtual tours + Reels = strong.
Highlight your USPs: For your student-letting business (utilities included, former student staff, highest rated) make that clear.
Engage: Respond to comments/messages quickly. Ask existing tenants for short testimonials and share.
Use paid targeted ads when needed: Age, location (within say 30 miles of uni), interest (student life), “house share” keywords.
Track your results: What posts drive enquiries? What ads convert? Use that data to improve.
Maintain brand consistency: Use the same look and feel across posts so your letting business becomes recognisable.
Without social presence you’re invisible to a huge chunk of students who operate via social media.
Your competitors are using social media (see student-housing playbook example: client got +700 % reach growth via social strategy)
Longer void periods, fewer quality applicants, having to reduce rent or accept weaker tenants because your channel reach is limited.
Missed opportunity to build a brand that attracts referrals by word of mouth + share-able posts (students tell friends).
Worse positioning: If you’re seen as ‘traditional’ letting agent vs ‘modern’ digital friendly one, you risk losing the younger tenant demographic altogether.
If you treat social media as a bit of an optional extra you’ll get optional extra results. If you invest in it as a core channel for student letting you’ll see markedly better occupancy, stronger brand perception, and higher-quality student tenants. At Student Housing we’re living proof—or at least we’d like to believe so.
If you’re a landlord working with us (or considering us) you can rest easy that we understand the student market (because our staff were students). We know how students behave, where they look, what makes them tick—and yes we use social media to make sure your property is seen, engaged with, and chosen.
Tags:
Lettings (Lincoln)
With years of experience in the student rental market, Ross Taylor brings local knowledge, straight-talking advice, and a genuine passion for helping Landlords and Property Investors in Lincoln manage their investments.
