Think that interaction with social media as a property manager is not important or a waste of time? You might want to re-think social media as part of your marketing strategy. The connections that you are able to make through social media are personal and real estate is personal. As a property manager you should have a social media presence and regularly post to social media services to better engage your community, potential tenants and investment property owners. The task of building an online presence shouldn’t feel daunting to you – just follow these five simple social media tips to generate buzz and interaction:
1) Develop an Effective Strategy
Don’t just develop a shotgun approach to your social media marketing. Begin by defining a strategy for your social media presence. Whether you already have a following or are just building one, having a plan in place is essential to the end result. Social media isn’t something that you have to spend all of your time on, but do try to keep updates current. Updates should be made at least once per week at a minimum even if it’s just on one social networking platform of your choice.
2) Which Social Media Platform to Use
Every person has their own favorite social media platform even if they use all of them. The main options are: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest and Blogging. In addition you can use YouTube and other online video services for posting virtual tours of rental properties. Each social media platform has its own unique features and benefits.
3) Build Up Social Media Clout
Implementing your strategy won’t work unless you have followers, likes, circles and connections. Begin with connecting with who you know then start connecting with influencers in your area that you may not even know. Start following, liking and connecting with local real estate agents, lenders, large employers in your area that may have people relocating, service providers and the list goes on and on.
Basically you want to find people that have an interest in the community that you rent properties in. Once you have found people to follow then start liking, commenting and sharing their posts. Interact with events taking place in your local community. Share information from the Chamber of Commerce’s post about this weekend’s chili festival, and other happenings in the area. By piggybacking off of popular influencer’s posts in your area you will begin building clout and also become a trusted local resource in your community.
4) Reaching Your Target Audience
Don’t think that just because you are a property manager in XYZ town that you have a limited reach. While you may know a limited amount of people, the power of social media allows you to reach people that you would not otherwise know. Social media is also known for its ability to take things viral. So although one of the friends you have on Facebook isn’t currently looking for a rental property perhaps one of their friends is and they can share your post with that person.
5) Advertising Your Properties
You will need to decide the best way to advertise vacant properties (and for potential properties to manage). While this can vary from one property to the next, it is best to have a consistent way that you market rentals. For instance you can create a virtual tour, link to your website listing of the property, or simply post a description with details of the property.
Still not convinced about the power of social media?
Let’s look at social media by the numbers:
Facebook = 1.26 billion users and 1.23 billion monthly active users
Twitter = 550 million registered users and 215 million monthly active users
Google Plus = 1 billion registered accounts and 359 million monthly active users
LinkedIn = 277 million users, 87 million of which are in the United States
Pinterest = 20 million active monthly users
If you are a marketing-minded property manager then there is unlimited opportunity at marketing rentals and finding prospective tenants/property owners all at little to no cost to you, courtesy of social media. Take these 5 social media tips for property managers and put them into action today to uncover new opportunities and expand your reach.