10 Simple Tips You Can Implement Today to Enhance Your Multifamily Marketing
You can’t run, and you can’t hide…
Social media for apartments is here, and it’s not just the millennials and Gen Z swearing by it — Gen X, baby boomers, and multifamily marketers are using it too.
According to a HubSpot study, a whopping 97% of B2B marketers use social media in some form, and 78% of salespeople engaged in social media are outselling those who are not. This presents many opportunities for multifamily marketing. We’re here to explain how.
1. Be a resource and share helpful content.
One of the first things to realize about social media for apartments is that it’s not a microphone for self-promotion. While there’s a time for that, interruptive promotion isn’t effective. Rather, use social media as an opportunity to be a resource, a thought leader, or a value-add for your audience.
Keep in mind that social media for apartments is like a cocktail party. In other words, 20% of the conversation should focus on you while the other 80% should be about who you’re talking to. Share articles, recipes, local events, restaurant openings, and quick reminders with your residents and they’ll start coming back for more.
2. Utilize Instagram Reels to build your reach beyond followers.
Since Reels debuted a few years ago, they’ve become Instagram’s fastest-growing feature. So, how do you use this tool to reach more people in your audience? Reels are a lot of work, but the key here is consistency. Reels receive 22% more engagement compared to other forms of content on Instagram, and we’ve experienced the fruits of that labor first-hand.
Try to set a goal for yourself or your leasing team to post at least one Reel per week. At the end of the month, check your analytics to see which Reels performed the best and how much your engagement and reach increased on a month-over-month basis.
Not sure what to make your Reel about? Check out what other people are doing on the platform. Search for content to help inspire you and save your ideas into a folder. Then recreate those ideas using trending audio and relevant hashtags, and give the Reel your own unique twist.
3. Listen to your followers and be open to change.
Give your followers and residents the option to send you questions and offer feedback or suggestions. By soliciting their feedback, you can build a sense of trust with your followers and also gather valuable information about their likes and dislikes (whether that’s in reference to your property, website, or social media. You can gather this information through online surveys like SurveyMonkey or directly on social media through the comments or Instagram Story polls.
Keep an eye on comments or suggestions from your followers, and respond promptly. Keeping tabs on commentary from your followers can be just as important as monitoring your online reviews, as many Gen Z renters take to social media to share negative feedback about products or services.
Make posting for your property incredibly easy.
4. Connect with the community.
Retaining current residents is often the best approach to fillings units. Your leasing team will thank you after adding extra ammo for retention, and social media for apartments is a great way to do it. When residents feel connected to an apartment community, they have more motivation to renew.
Think of social media as an opportunity to delight these residents by sharing great happy hour specials, the top dog parks nearby, or community events like 5Ks, wine walks, or trivia nights. Fostering resident relationships ultimately translates into retention, so put their needs in the spotlight, and you might be rewarded with their loyalty.
5. Consider the economic climate and be smart about what you publish.
While the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has certainly altered the way community and resident events are held, there are still other updates and activities you can share with your residents. If in-person events are not your style right now, get creative and post about things your residents can do while at home or safely socially distanced.
For example, you can share apartment DIYs, at-home workouts, unique crafts, easy recipes, and more. If you can devise tips that are directly connected with apartments and rentals and aim to help your residents in one way or another — even if it’s minimal — we recommend that you share it.
Want more ideas on what to post while in a pandemic or crisis? Check out our blog here for additional tips.
6. Be proactive and engage the community.
What’s going on in your neighborhood? Are there any upcoming events that you can pass along to your residents — festivals, charity events, new restaurants opening? Reach out to the surrounding community to start building relationships with local businesses. It can be a symbiotic relationship for future events, promotions, or partnerships.
Partner with local farmers’ markets, restaurants, movie theaters, or fitness studios in order to arrange special discounts for your residents; this also provides great content for sharing on Facebook and Twitter.
7. Monitor online reviews to listen, learn, and adjust.
Renters are looking, and residents are talking about you online. Online reviews can be a scary thing for property managers; an open source of commentary about your property. However, observation is a great source of marketing insight. Encourage Yelp reviews regularly, rather than waiting for an angry resident to speak up.
Filter through the delighted and disgruntled residents with an eye for improvement. If residents love the appreciation weeks, valet trash service, or prompt maintenance staff, then make these priorities to keep fresh and consistent each quarter. But what about the dreaded complaints? For instance, prove your security is tighter than a review from six years ago indicates. Over-promote things like your secure and gated community, police patrols, or neighborhood watch meetings to ensure the negatives are perceived as positives.
8. Offer quick, consistent customer service.
Another way to leverage social media and improve resident happiness is quick, consistent customer service. What are people saying about your property online? Banter with the good. Address the bad. Think of any negative comment as an opportunity for a good impression, and make sure to address it promptly.
Residents will notice the presence of property managers on Facebook pages or resident portals as a sign that they actually care about the issues. Trust us, no response is worse than leaving a negative comment unanswered. But of course, they’re not all bad; if someone comments on having a blast at the last community event, reply to those too!
9. Use your social media as a lead generator.
Surprisingly to some, social media for apartments can actually act as a lead generator. As mentioned above, renters are typically looking for an apartment with an active community, great customer service, and positive reviews. Social media for apartments can turn someone from the consideration to the decision stage by simply providing answers to their questions.
Promote your blog content on social media and drive users to your website. From here, an inbound marketing function can start to take place, driving leads into the sales funnel. Social media is a perfect avenue to get in front of potential residents. Don’t miss the opportunity!
10. Target your audience with social advertising.
Once you’ve amplified your social strategy, boost your blog content, social promotions, or apartment ads to the right audience. Facebook advertising offers detailed targeting capabilities to get in front of a specific group. Boosting content through social media advertising increases your reach, impressions, and engagement.
Be Consistent, Creative, and Present Online
It’s important to have a clear vision of your multifamily marketing goals for social media as well as actual goals for your business. These will help determine how you can best use social media to help achieve them. For example, if one of your goals is to attract more Gen Z renters to your property, you could shift your strategy to focus more on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat versus Facebook and LinkedIn.
Ultimately the key to social media for apartments is to be consistent, creative, and present. And if you need a little extra help coming up with what to post on your social channels, simply download our free PDF with 101 social media post ideas for your property!
