For apartments and property managers, social media can be a daunting task. Between all of the operational needs and maintaining the day-to-day, it’s easy for social media to slip way down your to-do list. But it plays a pivotal role in increasing resident happiness, appealing to prospective renters, and showing off all that your community has to offer. Kick-start your online presence with a few of our insider property management social media tips and tricks to get you going.
Consistency is Key
Across all social media platforms, posting regularly is the most important aspect of engaging your audience. Between finicky algorithms and shifting news feeds, posting at least a few times a week will ensure that most people are seeing the content that you spend so much time on.
Try posting at different times each day to see where your engagement is the strongest. Once you get a sense for when your audience is online, start posting around that same time to increase your likes and comments and drive engagement. Instagram and Facebook provide insights that will tell you exactly what days of the week and times of day your posts are getting the most engagement.
Create High-Quality Content
Scheduling posts isn’t just one-and-done in property management social media. To create quality content that will get you noticed, you need to think about how the photo, caption, and graphics all work together to tell a story and add value for your audience.
For your imagery, be sure to pick something that grabs your attention and will stand out in the sea of sameness across social platforms. Consider outsourcing custom branded social media graphics to zipcode creative for both your organic posts and paid ads to help you really stand out.
Once you’ve chosen your image, use your caption as an opportunity to deliver valuable insights that will spark a conversation in the comments or get your content shared with the masses. Finish it with a clear call to action so your audience always knows exactly what you want them to do next.
PRO TIP: The two most popular types of posts either 1. Provide a lot of value on a topic of interest or 2. Are real and authentic, ideally showing real people (your staff or residents)
Share What Residents Care About
No matter how high-quality your content is, you won’t see the engagement numbers you’re looking for if you’re not tailoring it for your audience. Pick relevant topics for your community and your staff—like Resident Appreciation Day/Week and Maintenance Appreciation Day/Week, resident event announcements, and rent due reminders (although they may not be happy about these posts!). Remember, it’s primarily residents and staff who follow you on social — highlight timely events and important updates for the people who follow you. That way, you’re giving them the info they need while also upping your engagement. If a prospecting renter stumbles upon your page they will see everything you have going on and realize how fun it is to live at your community! For their benefit, intermix plenty of interior and exterior property amenity pictures and talk about them in the captions. If you can nail down a solid hashtag strategy you will reach more people outside of your circle.
Prospect Focused Posts
If you want to cater to prospects, tell them all about your property! Seems obvious, right? Think of it this way – if it’s in your brochure, talk about it on social!
Plan Ahead
Posting on the fly never results in the kind of quality content your accounts deserve. Instead of snapping photos last minute or repurposing old materials, be sure to think about your social media calendar at least a week ahead—even more if possible. Quality over quantity.
There are countless free tools online that let you plan your posts and set a calendar to keep you organized and on top of it. Try Hootsuite, Loomly, or Sprout Social to streamline your process from start to finish. Alternatively, you can also hire a creative agency like us to manage your platforms for you and run point on strategy and planning, content creation and scheduling, and ongoing engagement.
Ready to get started on your property management social media plan? Work with zipcode creative on developing all of the social media assets you need to “wow” prospective residents and current tenants alike! We’re always here to design custom branded graphics for you anytime you want to take your posts to the next level. Get in touch today!
Images of Platform Apartments are ©Fairfield Residential | Executed under creative direction of Fairfield Residential.