By Tracy Hanes
How to frame your marketing for the right demographic
Have you heard this one? A baby boomer, a millennial and a Gen Zer walk into a sales office…
Of course you haven’t. When it comes to new-home marketing, it’s not one-campaign-fits-all—and the sales office isn’t the magnet it used to be. Real estate marketing has embraced the digital age. Campaigns are tailored to different demographics through their preferred content consumption method, interests and needs.
Debbie Cosic, CEO and founder of In2ition Realty Brokerage, says today’s marketing must be very targeted, and marketers need to drill deep. “You have to fine-tune your story and your market,” Cosic notes. “The story has to be different for each group, and you must target each market differently. People aren’t walking into sales offices anymore.”
It’s important to know potential buyers and do an analysis before any campaign rolls out, explains Linda O’Connor, principal of Ryan Design International and winner of the BILD 2024 Riley Brethour Leadership Award. “We look at the target audience and want to know their dreams, desires, what they are afraid of, what’s motivating them, what their strengths and weaknesses are, their biases and where to find them.” That analysis highlights the preferences of each generation and enables O’Connor’s team to develop effective marketing plans.
Riel Sammy, principal and strategic director of Channel 13 Advertising & Design Inc., starts brand planning early in the process, determining what a builder is trying to achieve and what special features are offered by the project and its surrounding area, among multiple other details. “I try to understand the project perspective, then move on to the location, understanding who is living there now, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and what opportunities may come from the strengths,” Sammy says.
Low-rise marketing also depends on the product design, says Cosic. “We aren’t going to market three-storey stacked townhouses to baby boomers, but to millennials and Gen Xers. Boomers want fewer stairs, one or two levels and traditional architecture.”
With condos, various demographics live in the same project, “So what we’re doing is stratifying the marketing and design,” Cosic indicates. “We’re designing smaller suites for younger buyers and investors, and middle-sized for suites Gen Xers who don’t want to live in 500 square feet and want at least 1,000 square feet. Each group will require a different marketing approach.”
Jessica Frutti, V.P. of sales and marketing at Eleven Eleven Realty, says marketing is heavily dependent on location. Her agency handles projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including Niagara, Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford and Durham Region, plus Muskoka and Collingwood. “Collingwood is a natural retirement area, but there are a lot of families there,” she says. “It’s a weird dichotomy because you don’t have that middle group. You have people in their mid-20s and 30s, then true retirees.” Stratford has a similar dual nature. It may become a large retirement area but is also attracting people with families who may work in the Kitchener-Waterloo tech industry. For locations like those, it’s important to identify common interests regardless of age, such as recreational activities.
Channel 13 is marketing the newest phases of Mason Homes’ Lakeside Village in Port Hope, and he says it’s a much slower sales process than in the 416 or areas of the 905 closer to Toronto. “It’s not just about the transaction; it’s about people becoming part of the community,” Sammy says. “People who don’t live in the area may not know where Port Hope is, what it’s about, why it’s charming. It takes more time for that education.”
He says the project will appeal to empty nesters and potentially Gen Xers and baby boomers. Empty nesters in the 60-65 age range are nearing retirement, have some flexibility in their work life and can be further away from the city, have more time to enjoy leisure activities, and want more home for less money.
Extending your Reach
The explosion of social media has dramatically changed the way housing is marketed. But some traditional forms of advertising, such as print, signage, TV and radio, are still used.
“Everyone is on Facebook and Instagram, all age groups,” says Cosic. “We target age groups, demographics, areas. The 25-to-40-year-olds enjoy Instagram, blogs, lifestyle content and TikTok. Gen X takes more time and wants a ‘Show-me-why-should-I-buy-this’ approach, so we use emails, webinars and information sessions in sales centres. Baby boomers want a very personalized approach, so we reach out via phone calls or personalized direct mail communication, emphasizing conveniences, safety and the security of the investment. If it’s a condo with a mixed demographic, we will market to all groups simultaneously but mix up the content to appeal to the different age groups. Most people like to live in mixed-demographic buildings. We’re very strategic in our campaigns, but we cover them all.”
Sammy likes digital advertising that can be tracked, such as Google searches, Facebook and Instagram, and has a “plethora” of ad types for each platform. “When we have a sense of potential buyers’ age range, we can target their interests and geo locations.”
Sammy’s team will also use specific publications that target the demographic they are aiming at, as well as purchasing radio ads. “It creates more brand awareness and is another touchpoint to get people searching online,” he explains. “Once someone registers, you can nurture them through email. People don’t click on an ad and then come in and buy. It becomes part of their thinking. They sign up for email. They may register but not be totally ready to buy; they may shop around online and get a few emails before they come to visit you.
“We start with digital to validate a lot of the things we’re doing, and that allows us to fine-tune our marketing,” Sammy says. “We use social media and Google search to understand who these people might be and what they’re looking for. When we start, our vision is far into the distance. Then as we walk forward, our vision gets clearer.”
Sammy is working on a campaign for a Meaford development offering resort-style living. Buyers could be looking for a second residence, a ski chalet, an investment property or a four-season home. A digital strategy will be the baseline for the marketing, supplemented with signage people will see as they drive north from the GTA and in nearby Collingwood. Advertising will be purchased in publications specific to the lifestyle and location.
“This will be more grassroots, and we’ll go to private ski hills and golf clubs, offer incentives to members, and aggressively use Google search, Google display ads and all the Facebook ad platforms,” explains Sammy.
Influencers and launches can also be part of the marketing mix. “I haven’t done influencers, but I have colleagues in the city who have done it with success,” says Frutti. “There’s Cameo too, an app where celebrities send personal messages and do shout-outs for a project. It’s cool and unique and puts eyes on a project. But I don’t yet know what the conversion to sales has been.”
Launch Control
Launches are back, says Frutti, and they can create organic social media. “There are agents we’ll invite who work to get a lot of followers and who do a good job of building and maintaining client bases through social media. Some may go the educational route, and some make flashy videos, almost like a movie.”
Frutti says if her agency holds an event and gets 30 or 40 blasts on social media, “that attention lasts for a moment in time.” Her agency builds its own database and does e-blasts and emails with registration options. Once buyers are registered, it’s time to invite them to the sales office. “Boomers want to sit and talk; they don’t want to be in a room of 100 people. It’s about relationship-building, one-on-one or two-on-one appointments. If it’s a product for the younger generation, on the other hand, I’m packing that room, as I want them to feel the urgency.”
What do these different groups want and how does that inform the marketing for a project? Generation Z wants more convenience, and if they have a good job in a city centre, they want amenities at their doorstep and to socialize with friends rather than spending a lot of time on maintenance, says Sammy. Affordability in their desired location carries much weight for them.
“Gen Z buys mostly through real estate agents,” says Frutti. “They want flash and immediacy. The home doesn’t have to be big, and you can sell them upgrades, but they have to be able to visualize.”
Gen Z also wants a great value proposition, whether it’s a condo or purpose-built rental with high-quality features and finishes, Frutti says. To reach them, “we will advertise in cool publications or sites such as Toronto Life or Blog Toronto,” in addition to social media.
Gen Xers tend to be cautious about home-buying decisions. One reason is they experienced multiple recessions as children and young adults, says O’Connor. They are “all about family,” and many want a house with an in-law suite, a loft upstairs or a basement apartment, or are buying a future home for their kids, says Cosic. “People are being smart and buying upfront now. They know their kids will not be able to get into housing otherwise. They will rent it out until their kids are ready to take it over.” Cosic calls them “tiptoe investors”—quietly buying for their family in the long run, even though it could be five to 10 years until the time is right.
“Gen Xers are the hardest, unless they are investors—then they are the easiest,” says Frutti. “They want what their parents had and are old enough to remember when things were really good price-wise. They are less trusting of our industry as a whole and consume content through social media.” That said, Eleven Eleven will do signage and billboards in places such as Stratford or Niagara, where Gen Xers may be visiting, see the signage and come into a sales office on a whim.
However, says Frutti, “they don’t want to be somewhere on the cusp of transition or somewhere that will be under construction for years to come. They want community-oriented amenities such as schools and parks.” Frutti has had success marketing homes in Fort Erie to Gen Xers, as “the communities are gorgeous—there are established schools, mature trees and a finite number of homes built there. That’s part of the appeal.”
Youngest and Biggest
Millennials now represent the largest home-buying cohort, Cosic notes. “They are very digital and want online content. They like visual things; they want location and design. They respond to influencers and Instagram. They want trendy and hip.”
That’s why an effective campaign on social media will play up spectacular amenities that will appeal to them, such as hot and cold plunge pools, meditation rooms or social media studios, says Cosic. “Many of them have side hustles and are selling on Amazon or working as influencers.”
“Millennials typically prioritize affordability, convenience to work, commute times, energy efficiency, open floor plans and modern features,” says O’Connor. They also prefer low-maintenance and easy-to-care-for outdoor spaces. They often turn to products that offer in-law suites or two residences in one, such as Spaces from Heathwood or DUO from eQ Homes, both of which O’Connor is marketing. “We find that families helping families are key purchasers of these two products. Going to the Bank of Mom and Dad is easier if Mom and Dad also live under the same roof and help to pay the mortgage.”
Frutti says millennials are split into two groups: the younger ones and the ‘elder millennials’ in their late 30s and early 40s, who are more established and prepared to spend more money. They have a negative view of the real estate industry and are more comfortable purchasing through an agent.
As for older baby boomers, most want to live closer to family members in retirement, says O’Connor, while others want to downsize. As the generation most likely to purchase a home in a small town, baby boomers want to live in a safe and peaceful city. While older baby boomers tend to purchase the newest homes on average, with single-storey layouts and low-maintenance features, younger baby boomers tend to move the furthest distance and live in their homes for the most extended period.
Then there’s the silent generation—those born from 1928 to 1945—and the second-most-likely group to buy new construction homes. They want convenience and access to top-rated healthcare facilities, says O’Connor. They want to downsize to smaller homes to save money, enjoy accessible features, and gravitate toward purchasing homes in established neighbourhoods with a strong sense
of community.
“The issue with marketing communities to people 55-plus is that those communities end up with a large cohort of the silent group because they are living longer,” says O’Connor. “That makes the overall community harder to market to younger boomers. People want to live where they can thrive and garner energy from their surroundings.”
O’Connor says it’s important not only to watch population growth but changes within the categories year to year. The Silent Generation, for example, makes up just 4.5% of the total population but grew 3.5% year-over-year in 2024.
Regardless of the demographic, digital technology has been a game-changer in the new-home industry. With its ability to collect data, target specific buyers, build brands and tell hard-to-resist lifestyle stories through compelling visuals and social media hashtags, it will continue to be a critical component in the marketing of new homes.
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