7 Social Media Tips Property Managers Need to Know

By Joanna Tran
October 31, 2017

As a property manager, social media might be the last thing on your mind. After all, isn’t “social media” just liking photos of cute dogs and finding the best donuts located nearby? That might be true, but there is a lot more to social media than just that.

If and when done correctly, property managers can use these digital networks to build their online presence and community, which in turn will help attract and retain residents.

With the right content and strategy, residents will see your friendly community atmosphere through your posts, and immediately want to call your apartment, “home.”

Below are seven tips that will help you boost engagement, manage your reputation, and increase your social media visibility.

1. Always Respond to Reviews or Complaints
When looking for a new apartment, people will do three things. They will visit the community website, view photos and most of all, read reviews. Reviews will often be the first thing that people learn about your community, so if you’re not maintaining your online image by replying to questions or negative comments, it could scare potential tenants away.

With thoughtful and genuine responses, both current and potential residents will be able to see that you care about their well-being and result in a higher credibility for your community. Maintain your community’s brand by managing your reviews.

2. Boost Your Social Media Search Rank with Consistency
You might have heard that social media channels are becoming the latest search engines. Due to this, it’s important to have items such as your profile and cover photo, contact information, hours and email address updated at all times.

Pro-tip: Keep consistent information in the same format across all of your social media channels so that it does not confuse both search engine and users.

3. Use Images and Videos to Boost Views
When scrolling through a feed, users tend to pause to admire a photo or watch a video. In fact, videos and photos posted on Facebook receive the highest organic engagement.

Not sure what to post? Here are some ideas to get the creative juices flowing:

• A video of a new apartment that is available for rent.
• A photo of a new resident welcoming them to your community with a few fun facts.
• A selfie with the office team.
• An album with photos from a community event.

Residents will feel more connected with your community as you interact with them more on social media, which will likely result in higher engagement.

4. Encourage Local Events and Businesses
Is there a hot new restaurant opening near your apartment, or a cool event you know your tenants would be interested in? Share it on your networks. Both current and new residents will be able to appreciate the update, and they’ll likely want to keep up with your page so they know about hip and happening things to do.

This will not only boost a sense of community, but will likely earn you some engagement.

5. Understand Your Social Media Analytics
Ever wonder who looks at your page the most, or how they got there? Your analytics is the only toolbox you need to figuring out your social media success. You can also use your analytics to find out when users are online the most and start posting at optimal times. By narrowing down your audience and knowing what they like or want to see, it will be easier to connect with them.

6. Have a Social Media Schedule
When you see a page that hasn’t had an update for a while, you’ll likely think no one posts to it anymore and it’s an irrelevant result. This is why it’s crucial to have a steady posting schedule in order to maintain your followers and keep your credibility.

There are several factors you’ll want to think about when you create your social media calendar, such as who you’re posting for and the best time to reach your target audience. These insights will be critical to reaching your social media goals. Be sure to test a few different times to post as well as various types of content to see what your audience engages with the most.

7. Host a Social Media Contest
A social media contest will easily boost your user engagement, and all it really requires is an easy prize and an amusing idea that will get residents submitting entries.

A great way of encouraging likes, shares and comments is to have users to tag their friends or like the post to be entered in a drawing or raffle.

However, you don’t need to offer a large prize for a successful social media contest. You can keep it as simple as a pet photo or costume contest with a gift card, and you’ll still have happy, participating residents.

Developing your apartment community’s online presence is a great way to gain brand exposure, connect to current residents and appeal to new ones.

What other tips do you have for property management marketing? Share them with us.