Boston runs on the academic calendar.
Move-in, finals and graduation reshape demand for nearly every neighborhood business in the city.
· 5 min read
September is your January. The move-in weeks in late August decide who a student uses for the next nine months, from the gym to the salon to the sandwich place on the corner.
Get in front of them before they arrive. Parents are making a lot of those first decisions, from a different state, and they respond to a completely different message than the student does: safety, hours, a monthly price they can see.
Then plan the summer trough on purpose instead of being surprised by it every June. Shift the offer to year-round residents, do your maintenance and renovations, and stop paying for ads aimed at a population that went home.
More on this market: Small business marketing in Boston
The short version
- Front-load August. September is already too late.
- Write to parents during move-in season.
- Cut summer spend deliberately and use the time.
Sources and further reading
- Research division, student population and neighborhood profiles, Boston Planning & Development Agency
- Regional economic research, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
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