How Social Media Can Help You Fill Your Apartment Vacancies

If you are in the commercial real estate or property management business, social media may not be on your radar. And if it is, you probably aren’t quite sure how to maximize its benefits. So many social channels to choose from — where to begin? Social media marketing for the real estate and property management industry requires a unique strategy and mindset. Used correctly, social tools can help you obtain and retain residents.

Here are our top tips and tricks for apartment communities to pack a punch using social media:

1. Pick your profiles

Generally, a Facebook page should be the bare minimum for an apartment complex to start with. Chances are, many of your residents spend a good bit amount of time on Facebook—so meet them where they are hanging out! Google Plus can be equally as important due to the amount of traffic you receive from Google searches (it’s good for your SEO). Twitter is best for real-time announcements, and can be effective when utilizing hashtags of your city or location, but I would put Facebook over Twitter if you’re prioritizing your social marketing.

2. Understand your ROI

Here’s the deal: people will probably not happen to stumble across your Facebook page and make a decision to purchase or rent an apartment…at least probably not that very moment. The goal of your Page should be to build awareness of who you are as a community. It’s a place where you can:

– Build awareness of property – both to search engines and to potential tenant
– Showcase the community through photos of events, property updates, fun activities, area happenings
– Help retain current residents by sharing updates and “what’s new” information
– Stay on top of mentions of your property (reputation management)

3. Choose content wisely

The content you share on social media has the ability to enhance your residents’ experience and build/connect a strong community. Many apartment communities make the mistake of utilizing social media from a selling standpoint alone, or posting only when an event is taking place. In order for social media to be worth your time, you have to make it engaging for your target audience by sharing great content. And if you’re only posting once a month, you may as well pack it in – you’re probably doing more harm than good.

Consider the following questions:

– What sort of things make living in your area desirable?
– What events are taking place in or around your community for your residents to participate in?
– Do you have any apartment announcements to make?
– Do you have any giveaways or contests to help engage your viewers?
– What kind of content could your residents contribute? (Photos, reviews, announcements)

Rather than focusing on simply selling, create a lifestyle based content collection that will get your community talking. Post mainly for your residents’ enjoyment, sprinkling a few self-serving posts a month.

4. Keep it transparent

One of the worst social media offenses we see, across all kinds of industries, is avoiding negative reviews. Let’s face it—you’re not perfect! Mistakes happen. By choosing to delete or ignore a negative comment on social media, you are doing a disservice to your residents and to putting a dent in the reputation of your community.

The solution? Face it head on. Provide a response within 24 hours. If it’s something that is a known issue, this is your chance to show how you are going to fix it. By doing this, you are sending the message that you are listening to your tenants, and are working on a solution. It’s not a good idea to bury your head in the sand if you know the complaint is valid.

Be mindful when handling your public responses. It is a good idea to publicly respond to general issues, but be careful when things get a bit more personal. If the comment lists another tenant’s name or addresses a personal matter, the response is better kept offline.  Ask that the person send you a private message with their contact info so you can reach out directly.

There are definitely times when you must delete a negative post — if it’s inaccurate or malicious, it’s perfectly fine to hit the “delete and ban” button on Facebook.

Social media can be incredibly effective for any apartment complex—the trick is understanding how to use it. Creating content to tell the story of your community is the best way to allow future residents discover who you are and current residents to feel at home.

How are you using social media to build your community?