Google searches outrank Twitter when looking for college apartments.
Austin, Texas — Student housing-focused marketing firm Catalyst has announced findings from a national survey of more than 500 college students about their use of digital and social media and the types of marketing tactics that typically impact their housing decision.
Fifty-three percent of students ranked Google/Internet searches as most important in helping them find a place to live. Recommendations from friends and parents followed at 37 percent and 27 percent respectively. Students identified Facebook, ads in the student newspaper, student activities sponsored by apartment communities and online ads/ promotions as least important in helping them find an apartment.
The survey also found that 98 percent of college students use Google searches to find information online, and 71 percent of the students ranked Google as the most important Web site/application they use. Google was followed in order of importance by university Web sites and Facebook. Students reported rarely turning to Twitter or Google+. The majority of students surveyed said they never use Twitter to find a place to live.
When looking for an aparment, few students use apartment-finding Web sites. The survey showed they prefer to use Internet search engines to find information about apartment communities. They also placed greater importance on digital marketing methods that leveraged the social media posts/messages of friends and peers as well as e-mail messages.