ARTICLE
According to data on Statista, 78 percent of the US population has a social media profile – which gives way to the potential that the vast majority of renters are reachable online, through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so many other sites. But potential and actual reach aren’t equivalent, which is why we’re taking a look at the rationale behind a social media presence – and how to do it successfully. Social Media is a Mandatory Service Channel Let’s get this out of the way right now: Almost all multifamily communities need some sort of social media presence, even if it’s only to protect your brand and help prospective renters locate your address. A team member should regularly monitor the community’s channels for customer service issues. This doesn’t mean that you need a social media war room in your office, constantly refreshing the page and tracking every Like, Tweet, Tag and Share. Setting aside even 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon will help you resolve any problems before they become serious emergencies. Monitoring your social presence pays off; it’s all about reputation management after all. But what can you do about implementing a more involved use of social media channels? Let’s find out. Pay to Play Social networks are making it increasingly difficult and expensive to reach users because of decreasing “organic reach,” or the number of users a company’s post will be seen without any paid advertising. Ogilvy, a global marketing and PR firm, benchmarked organic reach at 2 percent of a page’s followers. The result of declining organic reach is that most social media tactics are largely dependent on paid support, in order to sustain posts’ reach and achieve metric goals, like lead conversions, on a community’s website or listing advertisement. Developing Content If you’re not developing valuable content, Google is pushing your website down into the gutter. Great content - particularly photos and video – is essential for creating and sustaining your brand on search engines as well as social media platforms. Plus, these types of content encourage engagement and boosts organic reach. It does takes time to build out an effective strategy - but it’s worth it when you have followers retweeting, sharing, liking and commenting on various pieces. At Apartments.com, we suggest creating marketing materials and resources that are suitable across many mediums, including social. Lean on Your ILS (ahem, us) If you want your community or management company to succeed on social media, be prepared to spend significantly on content production and ads. It’s the only way to achieve meaningful results the vast majority of the time. However, that may not be entirely necessary to do, unless it’s a large part of your marketing strategy. If you’re a client of Apartments.com, guess what? You have a social media campaign running 24/7 for your community, which uses retargeting and other forms of paid social advertising. By working with our expert photographers, you’ll be able to produce content that is easily adaptable to a variety of advertising mediums you possess. Finally, your communities are receiving the benefit of our SEO and SEM capabilities, which are key components to a successful online strategy. Via Apartments.com