Let\u2019s be honest: social media is a big\u00a0pain point\u00a0when it comes to apartment marketing. Most multifamily marketers believe social media has value, but they admit it\u2019s an afterthought when it comes to marketing their property. Others avoid it entirely.<\/p>\n
Well, guys, social media is here, and it\u2019s heavily\u00a0used by millennials and Generation Z. So if social media seems overwhelming to you, just think of it as another channel that allows you to communicate and engage with your residents. It\u2019s also a channel that presents many opportunities for marketing. But before we can talk about approaching social media, we need to talk about why it can no longer be ignored.<\/p>\n
Tweet a company like Southwest Airlines, Capital One, or Whole Foods, and they\u2019ll probably tweet you back. These corporations have established large social media teams that are solely devoted to monitoring and engaging online. Why? Because that\u2019s where their customers are spending time, asking questions, raising customer service issues, ranting, and raving.<\/p>\n
Social media is becoming the new storefront for businesses, and the multifamily industry is no exception. It\u2019s not uncommon for prospective renters to reach out on social media. Nor is it uncommon for current residents to post about maintenance requests or even general frustrations.<\/p>\n
Prospects often contact properties through Facebook, asking for information about the community. And if you aren\u2019t constantly monitoring social media, you\u2019ll miss those opportunities to respond.<\/p>\n
To millennials and Generation Z, social media is simply another channel for communication, and it\u2019s one they are quite comfortable using. As social media becomes a secondary leasing office, it\u2019s important for multifamily properties to be both present and interactive. In short, residents are going to talk \u2014 whether your multifamily community is on social media or not. It\u2019s best to be part of the conversation.<\/p>\n
Beyond the customer service aspect, social media is a powerful marketing tool when it comes to building a reputation and relationships. However, the biggest mistake multifamily properties make on social media is talking too much about themselves. Consider our \u201cCocktail Party Approach\u201d when it comes to your multifamily social media strategy:<\/p>\n
When you arrive at a cocktail party, what do you do? Do you stand on a table and announce to everyone that you\u2019ve arrived? (Maybe you do.) For most of us, however, the answer is no. It would be selfish and rather rude to expect everyone to stop their conversations and turn their attention to you.<\/p>\n
Instead, you probably start by walking up to a small group of people. You ask each person about themselves:\u00a0What\u2019s their name? What do they do for a living?<\/em>\u00a0Eventually, the conversation will turn to you, and you\u2019ll get a chance to share something about yourself. This is how social media works \u2014 it\u2019s a conversation.<\/p>\n By the end of the night, you\u2019ve talked to several different groups of people, each time a give-and-take. On social media, multifamily properties have several groups to consider: prospective renters, current residents, neighboring businesses, other properties, etc. If you don\u2019t take the time to get to know them and engage, then you\u2019re just another annoying property that\u2019s shouting from a tabletop.<\/p>\n