Many United States suburbs have everything you could want. There are job opportunities, beautiful neighborhoods, local shops and more. The only thing that these suburbs are missing is young home buyers. Millennials do not have the best perception about living in the suburbs. The draw is typically more towards the city.
Many towns are turning the focus of their marketing to attract millennial residents. Social media is the key platform to gain appeal. Younger buyers prefer an urban style with walkable distances to key locations. The idea of a suburban neighborhood needs to be rebranded.
Diana Ichton Nelson is the co-owner of Black Fly Media, a public relations firm that is responsible for the rebranding of Portland, Maine. She says branding can begin to raise awareness or shift perception by promoting a town’s positive attributes.
Lake Forest is one of Michigan’s most affluent suburban neighborhoods. They are undergoing a rebrand to attract the millennials. The campaign is planned to last three years. After the first year, home sales started to climb.
Although rebranding can be the sole success for the right suburb, additional work is necessary for most. For the towns that have a lot to offer, the rebranding is simple. It is content to work with that will appeal to home buyers. Areas that are not in the right location without affordable housing and attractions are going to be hard to amp up.
There are many important factors to focus a campaign on. Home buyers look for a community that is pleasant to look at, have a sense of community, and have excited people currently living in the area.
Many millennials view the suburbs as where they will end up once they are married and start a family. Suburbs never start off as the first place a millennial is going to move to. Across the United States, many favorable suburbs are upping their marketing to rebrand for the younger generation.
