Since their emergence in the mid-2010s, Built-to-Rent (BTR) communities have become more than just a trend — they’re a significant and successful segment of the greater multifamily real estate industry. These purpose-built neighborhoods offer residents a unique living experience that combines the flexibility of renting with the functional privacy of homeownership. This sector of the multifamily industry is expected to continue growing over the next decade, so it’s crucial for multifamily marketers to understand the distinct needs of selling BTR communities to prospects.
The Rise of Built-to-Rent
Representative of a greater industry paradigm shift, BTR communities serve a previously untapped portion of the rental market. Unlike traditional apartment complexes or townhome communities, BTR developments are designed from the ground up with long-term renters in mind. Significant features like detached homes, private outdoor spaces, and neighborhood-like community structures appeal to prospects seeking a different rental experience.
The number of BTR communities delivering to market has proliferated in recent years. With changing lifestyle preferences, affordability concerns in the housing market and a desire for more space and privacy than typical apartments offer, prospects’ demands are changing while developers rush to fill their needs.
As this trend gains momentum and the BTR space becomes more crowded and competitive, it's essential to differentiate your BTR community with a strong social media and digital ads strategy.
Strategic Built-to-Rent Content
While BTR communities share some similarities with conventional multifamily housing, they require a distinct content strategy that highlights their unique attributes. Here's why:
Unique Value Proposition.
Yes, the combination of single-family home living with the conveniences of renting needs to be clearly communicated, but the need to differentiate goes beyond the basics. Nearly every community — whether BTR or conventional — will have a great pool, a modern clubhouse and other basic amenities, so highlighting those aspects is not sufficient to differentiate in a competitive market. The distinguishing elements of your BTR community should be skillfully woven into all types of content through polished copywriting.
Brand-Focused Approach.
BTR developments often emphasize a strong sense of community, highlighting community events and the professional management staff that will enhance residents’ day-to-day. This community-centric content should take center stage, but under the spotlight of your community’s brand. Branding is especially important in BTR because it’s easy for on-the-ground prospects to overlook your BTR community as a rental option as they visually appear to be homes—a challenge that conventional apartment buildings don’t face. This is especially true during the construction, pre-leasing, and lease-up phases. Brand awareness and recall are supported by a strong content strategy that keeps the holistic view of your brand in mind.
Long-term Resident Focus.
BTR developments have the unique opportunity to create true communities filled with long-term residents who plan to stay for extended periods of time beyond the traditional lease terms. Not only is this a benefit for BTR operators, it can also be a key selling point for prospects who want that neighborhood-esque lifestyle. Your BTR content strategy should reflect this advantage with authentic content like team member spotlights, user-generated content from residents, community event showcases and day-in-the-life content.
SKxBTR
At Social Kapture, our teams are dedicated to maximizing the impact of the content we create for all our clients and that includes specific approaches for BTR communities. Our tailored strategies for BTR properties start with specific service recommendations and continue with dynamic content and ads to support your community throughout each phase from construction to stabilization.
When you partner with SK to market your BTR community, you can expect:
Specific budget recommendations for your local market to boost visibility and meet your prospects where they are online
Custom content that matches your unique brand
Enhancements that boost SEO, increase brand reach and support leasing efforts
Simple tools to facilitate requests from your BTR onsite team to keep content authentic and connected to their operations
Detailed live reporting access through the SK Dashboard
As Built-to-Rent communities continue to gain popularity as a sector of the multifamily housing industry, a well-crafted content and ads strategy is increasingly vital. By highlighting the unique aspects of BTR living, fostering a sense of community, and leveraging a mix of organic and paid social media efforts alongside Google Ads, BTR marketing managers can effectively attract and retain residents in this competitive market.
Interested in launching your BTR community’s content and ads with Social Kapture? We’re ready to support your goals! Schedule a call with our team to learn more.
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