Looking for even more ways to get social media followers? See how easy it is to make property marketing videos with this three-step plan.
Would it affect your marketing plan to know that nearly half of your prospects use social media to look for a new rental home? According to the 2020 NMHC/Kingsley Renter Preferences Report, 45% of all renters will visit a property management company’s social media. That’s up 5% from the previous survey taken in 2017.
The takeaway here is simple. Your business needs a social media strategy in order to attract the right prospects. This article covers a few simple ways for property managers to gain social media followers and boost engagement with their prospects.
Make sure your social media profiles are updated
Whether you’re making new accounts or updating existing profiles, you want to ensure consistency and accuracy before doing anything else. Let’s review a few quick social media do’s and don’ts for property managers.
DO’S
- Display important information in the same format across all your accounts
- Use social media to keep in touch with residents and employees
- Take advantage of scheduling tools to help you manage content
- Market your business with appropriate calls to action (e.g., “Apply Now”)
DON’TS
- Don’t delete negative feedback (but do respond to it)
- Don’t ignore comments and incoming messages
- Don’t communicate on social media differently than you would via email (aka be professional)
Post content on a regular basis
Of the top social media channels that appeal to apartment hunters, Facebook is the most popular. That means you should have a Facebook business page for your company.
According to the 2020 NHMC Renter’s survey, the most popular sites for prospects are:
- Facebook: 82%
- Instagram: 62%
- Snapchat: 28%
TikTok didn’t make the list, but it ranked as the most popular social media app in 2020. Keep an eye on that one.
Whichever sites you use, it’s not enough to just have a profile. You need to keep it updated with fresh, engaging content. We recommend posting at least twice a week.
What do apartment hunters want to see?
We have some ideas that will help you get social media followers. Post:
- Local neighborhood content (what’s special about your area)
- Your listings
- Live online tours
- High-quality photos of the grounds, amenities, etc.
- Recent company blog content
A fast response time matters
It’s important to respond to social media messages quickly. For instance, your Facebook profile shows visitors how long it takes you to respond to messages. The faster your average response time, the more likely a prospect is to reach out to you. And of course, accumulating those initial points of contact will help you add social media followers.
Hire staff to help you
It’s all too common for businesses to abandon their social media accounts and blogs after a few weeks or months. They’ll be going strong, then suddenly, the content stops coming. Sadly, it can hurt your brand to stop posting. If you don’t have the time or ability to keep up with social, consider hiring someone who knows a lot about social media. There are many benefits to this:
- They can split their time between social media and other property-related functions or focus solely on social media
- You can bring someone in full time, part time or find a marketer to run your accounts on a contract basis
- If your new employee has additional knowledge of design, video or writing, you can leverage those skills to improve your overall marketing strategy
Establish yourself as an expert
If you can get social media followers, you’ve only won half the battle. Now you have to position yourself as the leading expert in your market. Show your prospects that the pricing, features, amenities and locations of your properties are second to none.
To do this, talk about your market. Go into the “why” of things. For instance:
- Why is your neighborhood one of the most desired locations in the area?
- Why are younger prospects applying? (And what does your community offer them?)
- Why do your features and amenities make competitive resident services?
Those are just ideas. You are most familiar with your market, so you’re the best person to come up with content to bring in social media followers.
Attend a marketing or social media conference
Property management is an evolving industry, and it’s hard to stay ahead if you’re not using the best technology and following the latest trends. For many, that means attending events held by various property management associations such as NAA, NARPM, BOMA, IREM and NAR or their regional chapter affiliates.
We highly recommend the Apartment Innovation and Marketing (AIM) Conference, one of the most detailed and informative multifamily marketing events in the industry.
Also, don’t ignore the great social media and marketing conventions that will help you step up your game. If you need a place to start, check out the Multifamily Social Media Summit, an event tailored for property managers looking to use social media to grow their businesses.
A social media conference will help you be the first to learn about the following:
- Content algorithms that affect SEO (website ranking on search engines)
- New software to help you manage multiple social media accounts
- Networking opportunities with marketers who love helping marketers
- Ways to match marketing budgets to your goals and measure results
Connect social media to your website
Yardi’s professional website service is ideal for property managers looking to boost their online presence and attract more prospects. Given that 80% of your prospects will go to your website, having a good one is a big deal!
Your website can also feature icons that send visitors to your social media sites. If you keep your accounts updated and engaging, you’ll have a good chance of getting social media followers and standing out from your competition in a big way.
