This type of advertising has many functions.  Flyers can be mailed to prospects when a target market mailing list is available, they can be handed out and used in the rental office as well as being left with high schools for future first year students.  In the case of student rentals, mailing lists are a rarity.  Flyers should advertise the features of the property, its proximity to the educational institution, provide the prospect with floor plans of the units available, promote any special rental specials and supply all the necessary contact information needed. 

Ann Street Case Study 

Flyer advertising played a key role in the Varsity Commons Marketing Plan.  It was used 3 times during the rental process.  Firstly, it was used at the rental office; so prospective residents had a brochure they could take with them. This was very important, as many times the students are not with their parents who are needed to complete the rental process.  Furthermore, they could take the flyer to show to their friends who could become their potential roommates, which in turn, actually places them in the selling position, not the rental agent. 

The second usage for the flyer was during the on-campus presence during the last 2 weeks of January. During this time, two students were hired to hand out flyers at the university’s Student Center as people entered it at the peak times of the day.  If students had more questions regarding the property, there was a booth advertising the property with a leasing agent on hand to answer any questions.  The flyers were also available at the booth during the times that the students are not handing them out. 

The third usage for these flyers was during the off-season marketing at the high schools across Ontario.  Although some students may enjoy the experience of living on campus during their first year, there are many who opt to find a place of their own.  Furthermore, due to the vast amount of people in dorms and the university’s inability to adequately provide suitable/spacious quarters, more first year students were looking for off-campus residence.  Since Varsity Commons is catering strictly to students and offering a wide variety of amenities that on-campus residences have, plus some they don’t, it was quite plausible to generate some first year traffic.