Quick tips: Social media for property management brands

Social media provides a great platform to build your property management brand. Whether posting gorgeous images on Instagram or funny videos on TikTok, it all plays a part in establishing your property’s digital personality.

As potential renters evaluate a property, they ask themselves a whole series of questions about the quality of the place that will be their new home. Social can help answer those questions!

Social media is often part of your prospects’ leasing journey. They’re looking to see if the community caters to their needs, likes and wants. They want to see who else likes the page and what they might have in common.

They also want to see if the community is responding to comments and posts. Are they engaged, and do they care about their residents?

Being an active participant in the social conversation online is your brand’s key to success.

Here are three social media tips for property marketers that will help establish your brand and set it apart from local competitors.

Consistency is key

Whether you’re establishing new social profiles or revamping existing ones, the most important thing is consistency. Regular, reliable posting should be your goal.

Yes, cool graphics and funny copy might catch someone’s eye once, but it’s a steady, authentic presence that will keep them coming back.

Also, it will keep your brand appearing in feeds and searches. If you don’t post regularly, the algorithms will not be in your favor.

How often should you post a week? It depends on the platform, but you really should make sure you’re posting at least once a week everywhere you choose to maintain a profile.

A few quick tips to consider:

• It can be hard to post natively in real time. After all, websites go down, leasing specials happen, and people call out sick. The best approach is to use a scheduling tool that allows you to plan posts in advance, that way you know content will go up, even if there’s a curveball. 
• Most social platforms allow you to see when followers are online and which days and times are most popular. Once you’re posting consistently, you will probably start seeing successes at different times of day or different days of the week.
• Varying your post times allows you to identify times of high user activity. You can use this to your advantage to post frequently at busy times, increasing your engagement and reach.

Hyperlocal: not just for SEO

When it comes to social media, it’s really important that your profile and posts get seen by a local crowd. After all, you’re much more likely to make an impact and attract renters in your local area than you are in cities hundreds of miles away.

To make sure you’re standing out in your area, be sure to post hyperlocal content about the neighborhood surrounding your community. Position your brand as a trusted community expert and good neighbor.

One way to increase the impact of your hyperlocal content is to team up with other influential businesses in the area to share news about promotions and events.

Think of it like this:

• Hyperlocal social media posts position your brand in the correct community or geographical area.
• A hyperlocal posting strategy also means you are selling the benefits of your community to your online following. As prospects evaluate your community, they will also evaluate your neighborhood. Where is the best spot to grab a latte? Where is the hottest new restaurant? Or the best local hiking trail?
• Partner with and promote other local brands to build a digital community. This uses all parties’ social reach to each other’s benefit.
• When you amplify your social presence by connecting with partners’ audiences, you reach a larger digital audience and have the opportunity to find new fans.

Keep it real: use authentic content

It’s like you’ve always been told, the best way to make friends — and gain followers on social media — is to just be yourself. Today’s socially savvy renters will immediately notice if your brand is faking it or trying too hard to fit in with trends that don’t match the community. So don’t bother.

Make sure your posts, comments and responses are authentic to your brand and reflect your brand’s values.

Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

• Brand authenticity on social media builds credibility and connection with your desired audience.
• Be honest and be real. It is ok to post without using fancy words and photo filters. Being open and honest will build trust.
• An apartment brand can tell its story through social media posts and content. Staying true to a brand voice or values should be communicated through your interactions as well as posts.
• Responding to messages, DMs, comments, replies, etc., will foster engagement and show renters you care. Best practice, we recommend responding within 24-72 hours, same goes with your reviews. This will support your brand loyalty efforts.

One last social media tip

Remember that, while your social media audience is unique to you, it’s probably more varied than you think. All generations and demographics are present on all platforms, so make sure your language and images are inclusive. You can tell your story without making anyone feel left out.

Read more about generational search trends.

Want help?

Of course, we all think social media can be a fun and easy place to explore creative ideas, but the reality is that many teams are stretched too thin to be consistent. If you’re struggling to find the time or tools you need, it might be worth looking into to outsourcing.

Here at REACH, we offer social media services that compliment our SEO and reputation management areas of focus. We support your goals by creating, posting, monitoring and reporting on regularly scheduled, hyperlocal and authentic content on your social media channels.

Interested to learn more? Schedule a free 15-minute consultation.