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Gen Y decision-making
April 21st, 2009 by Mike Knutson
Where do millenials turn for information when they are making a decision on what places to call home? According to the “Attracting College-Educated, Young Adults to Cities” study, they are most likely to rely on the following:
- Visiting the community for a weekend
- Looking at houses/apartments
- Talking to friends who currently live there
- Talking to family members who live there
- Researching on local websites.
It is interesting to read what I’ve suspected: that they trust these “more personal’ sources of information much more than traditional marketing such a chamber of commerce website or brochure.
What it also tells me is that rural communities seeking to attract millennials should consider the following:
- Host community events that attract visitors. Consider a BBQ rib or jazz festival. Not only will existing residents love it, but it may attract millennials who have been thinking about checking out rural communities as places to live.
- Make sure it is easy for potential residents to check out your community’s available housing. Realtors generally do a good job, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure that home listings are easy to acquire. One option might be placing a “housing opportunity” listing on a community website?
- Consider developing an on-line social network strategy. Perhaps it’s a Facebook page, a community blog, or a forum. If done correctly, it will help potential residents connect with current residents and get the “inside scoop” on your rural community. The danger here, of course, is that one lone wolf saying bad things about a community can do a lot of damage.
The above ideas are just that - ideas. They not right for every community. But rural communities have to start thinking more like this if they want to succeed at attracting millennials.
Tags: attracting college-educated, people attraction strategy
Posted in Community Development, Gen Y, Quality of Life, Rural | Comments (
1 )
April 21st, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I certainly would agree that this has great possibilities and these ideas need to be followed up on in the near future.
See my comments on your earlier blog about the Kansas Sampler project.
Loren Budahl