Using innovative social media strategies to market real estate vacancies is an effective, smart way to leverage your efforts. Andrew Carnegie said, “The way to become rich is to put all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket.”
So, get to know your egg market really well. Which eggs will be interested in moving into your basket, um, apartment building, and how can you reach them through social media?
Use social media to target your ideal renter
Study your rental market to predict what population demographic is going to be interested in your apartment building. Don’t waste your time on fire hose marketing. Nothing can pinpoint advertisement like social media.
Do your research; one size does not fit all. For example, the majority of users on Pinterest are women. YouTube tips the scales with mostly male users. 18-29 year olds use Instagram. Of course, numbers fluctuate. Dig into the most recent social media stats and discover where you can maximize your efforts.
Here are 7 brilliant social media strategies to get you started:
1. Attract residents via your Facebook Business Page
Currently, Facebook is the largest social media site. Your apartment community should have it’s own Facebook Business Page as a spring board. Once set up, you’ll buy advertising on Facebook that controls who sees your ads. Experiment with different kinds of graphic design and see which one pulls the most traffic. Once you have a formula down you can use it over and over again.
2. Create high traffic open houses with Facebook Events
Use Facebook Events to promote an Open House for your vacancy. Post photographs, send out invites, create a party atmosphere and generate a buzz around your apartment building.
Facebook Live for business lets you provide a behind-the-scenes look at your available unit with 360-degree photos and videos. Also, take advantage of Facebook Groups to promote any updates to your business page.
3. Motivate residents using online reviews
Personal resident reviews are one of the most effective form of marketing. You cannot beat the power of online reviews, positive or negative. Google, Yelp, Zillow, apartments.com and B.B.B. (Better Business Bureau) are only a few sites that have reviews to learn from.
Start a Tenant Referral Program if you haven’t already. Incentivize the program in a way that will motivate tenants to promote your apartment community with online reviews or with engagement on social media.
4. Video marketing
Pair your Resident Referral Program with video marketing. Here is a statistic that you can use: YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the U.S. That is a huge, growing slice of the population. Utilize this platform to highlight your property.
Record positive resident testimonials about your property in a video and upload them to your apartment website and link it to a YouTube channel as well.
That is only the tip of the video iceberg. You can upload videos about staged apartments, event promotion and lease-signing incentives. The possibilities are limited only to your imagination.
5. Everyone loves a story
Use Snapchat to promote apartment turnovers. When residents vacate a unit, create a Snapchat story showcasing the unit’s transformation. Illustrate the cleaning, painting and prep for the new residents.
Then use photos to highlight tenants moving in to their new home. Show new residents receiving their welcome package. Get a final photograph of the apartment community coming out to welcome the new residents.
6. A picture is worth a thousand words
Post polished apartment photographs to Pinterest and Instagram. Remember to link your appealing photos to your apartment website and Facebook page.
You can start a Halloween apartment decoration contest on Instagram or Pinterest. You get the idea. Ask residents for creative competition ideas on your account and increase your community involvement.
7. Include Twitter in your social media strategies
An excellent way to engage on Twitter is to have tenants post pictures of their apartments using a branded hashtag, then allow everyone to vote on their favorite. Ask residents to vote for the ugliest holiday sweater or their favorite dish in the chili cook-off. Resident involvement is the key.
Use Twitter to highlight local events in the community surrounding your apartment complex. This will increase your social following and builds the local community. A win-win.
Let your imagination out of it’s box
No matter where you post your apartment listings, make them entertaining. Generic listings are a dime a dozen, so get creative and make your listing stand out. Think out of the box and infuse your description with fun details.
The most creative apartment listing I’ve come across was written in song form by Jonathan Mann. He posted a music video on YouTube when he was looking for a roommate, titled Come Live With Me In Brooklyn. If you have a personal favorite, then offer it up in the comments below.
Social media sites are powerful tools limited only by your imagination. Be different; make people curious, smile and engage with your content. Do your homework on where your targeted demographic is hanging out the most and maximize your social media strategies with videos, photographs and playful content.
Learn more:
Use Social Media To Promote Your Apartment Complex
5 Extraordinary Ways to Market and Lease Apartments
Using Social Media to Retain Residents
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