In case you have one property in a college town or a portfolio of students' properties all over the UK, social media is the starting point for the majority of prospective tenants. Students use social networks as a tool for discovering different kinds of accommodation, living styles and areas, hence, the landlords that enhance visual content and the ways to make a transaction get more showings and ideal renters. Start by linking your property to our student accommodation listing so curious prospects move from scroll to enquiry in one click. This short guide gives UK landlords step-by-step social media tricks that reduce vacancy days, increase qualified enquiries and protect your time. The advice is practical, platform-specific and built for landlords who want results rather than impressions. Read on to learn how to create content, run cost-effective ads, use trusted student voices and measure the actions that actually produce bookings.

Which platforms should landlords use?

Students spread their attention across multiple short-form and visual apps. Pick platforms that match the content you can consistently produce and the way students search for rooms. Focus on where 18 to 24-year-olds spend time and where your creative assets perform best. Hard numbers show high social penetration across the UK population and rapid growth on short video platforms, so platform choice should be data-driven.

Points for landlords

  • Prioritise Instagram for photo and reel listings.

  • Use TikTok for quick property tours and neighbourhood clips.

  • Maintain Snapchat for timely updates and local deals.

  • Keep a pinned Facebook post for local campus groups.

  • Cross-post but adapt the format for each app.

Explanation of points
Instagram Reels and posts provide landlords with a polished visual gallery that converts browsers into leads. TikTok generates discovery through short, repeatable videos that can reach students beyond your immediate network. Snapchat offers immediacy for last-minute viewings and promotions, while a pinned post in local campus or community spaces helps capture students using classic group search behaviour. Cross-posting saves time, but adapt captions, lengths and CTAs to each platform so students see content native to the app. These platform choices reduce wasted effort and direct attention to your listing quickly.

How do I create engaging content?

Landlords win by showing life in the property, not by listing specifications alone. Create content that answers student questions before they are asked and that removes friction from inquiry. Use natural lighting, short room walkthroughs, tenant testimonials and nearby amenities to tell a relatable story. Explore insights in our related blog, “Top Social Media Trends Driving Gen Z Rentals”, to help landlords learn context.

Points for landlords

  • Post 30–60 second room tours with captions.

  • Share short clips of commute times and local cafés.

  • Use tenant testimonials filmed casually on mobile.

  • Post before-and-after furnishing ideas for budget students.

  • Save highlights of FAQs and application steps.

Explanation of points
Short tours let students imagine daily life in the room and reduce uncertainty, while short clips of local transport and cafés show practical advantages of the address. Casual testimonials from current tenants build trust faster than text alone, especially when viewers recognise the people as peers. Before-and-after furnishing content demonstrates how a low budget can translate into a liveable room, increasing perceived value. FAQ highlights answer common queries and acts as an evergreen asset. Together, these formats move students from curiosity to enquiry by addressing both emotional and practical decision factors.

Should landlords use influencers?

Micro-influencers and student ambassadors create authentic reach among peers and often cost less than traditional advertising. For landlords, the goal is verification and demonstration rather than celebrity reach. Partner with local micro-influencers who genuinely live or study nearby and who can show the property in use. Influencer campaigns have shown strong ROI in many sectors, so track bookings tied to each campaign.

Points for landlords

  • Work with micro-influencers (1k–10k followers).

  • Ask for honest room tours and lifestyle posts.

  • Provide a unique tracking link for each influencer.

  • Offer a short stay or incentives for authentic content.

  • Reuse influencer clips in your own ads.

Explanation of points
Micro-influencers usually engage their core audiences quite a lot, who appreciate and value real recommendations coming from them. In this case, landlords should make it a point to explain the influencers about their expectations and give them the freedom to present the content in a way that the audience perceives as a genuine student viewpoint instead of a commercial promotion. Make sure to set up distinct tracking links or codes in order for you to keep track of the potential customers acquired via the influencer posts. A tiny reward, like a little discount or a local gift card, makes the promotion more real, and at the same time, it does not raise the cost too much. Using influencer videos as social ads is like doubling the initial investment, and at the same time, it increases the trust signals in your paid creative.

How do I measure social success?

Measuring the right metrics tells you which posts and ads produce enquiries and which waste budget. Track both engagement and downstream conversions so you can invest in content that leads to viewings and signed tenancies. Combine native analytics on each platform with referral tracking on your listing pages to connect social activity to real bookings.

Points for landlords

  • Monitor reach and engagement by post.

  • Track click-through rate to your student accommodation listing.

  • Measure conversion rate from click to enquiry.

  • Calculate the cost per enquiry for paid campaigns.

  • A/B test creatives and captions to improve CTR.

Explanation of points
Reach and engagement indicate visibility and appeal, but click-through rate (CTR) to your listing is where value begins. The conversion rate from click to enquiry shows whether the listing page answers questions and invites action. For paid campaigns, cost per enquiry is the clearest efficiency metric. Regularly A/B test different visuals, opening shots and captions to improve CTR and reduce cost. Tie platform analytics to the tracking link on your student accommodation listing so you can see which platforms consistently produce the highest quality leads.

Conclusion

For UK landlords, social media is a high-return channel when used with clarity and measurement. Focus on the few platforms you can service well, create authentic visual content that answers student needs, and test paid and influencer initiatives with tracking in place. By sending social traffic directly to our student accommodation listing, you shorten the path to enquiry and reduce the time your property sits empty. Use localised hashtags, geo-tags and timely posts during peak application windows to increase visibility. Keep posts practical, polite and fast to respond to questions. When you are ready to scale, review what produced the best enquiries and allocate ad spend to those creatives. If you want a trusted place to list and convert those enquiries into viewing bookings, list your property on StudentTenant.com today.