4 Social Takeaways

Multifamily Social Media Summit

By Geneva Ives on Feb 9, 2015 in Marketing

At the recent Multifamily Social Media Summit held in Napa, leaders from both the multifamily and social media sectors joined forces to talk about navigating today’s digital marketing frontier. Although embracing changing social media platforms as part of your marketing plan may feel at times like you’re advertising in the loud and chaotic Wild West, adhering to established best practices will help you find success.

To that end, we pulled four actionable social media tips from four of the top speakers at the conference that you can put into effect at your multifamily communities immediately. No advanced budgeting or special software required!

Think Like A Consumer
Joie Healy, Senior Manager Social Media Communications at Cisco

“When producing social content, ask yourself: why do I care?” advises Healy. Stressing that all social communication is a conversation with your potential customers, she cautions against acting as bullhorn that broadcasts complicated messages about your business. Instead, use clear concise language to identify with prospects.

One easy social media marketing strategy that Healy suggests is to take advantage of national events and holidays – things your customers will already be talking about – and then put your brand’s spin on them. Check out this great example from Cisco’s Twitter account.

Use Resident Photos
Ian Greenleigh, Author of The Social Media Side Door

Using resident photos of your community on social is one way to get around common budget and time barriers. Greenleigh points out that 63% of people trust customer photos more than company photos.

If you find positive images of your community that residents are posting on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you can ask for permission to use them in your own marketing using Greenleigh’s magic phrase:

“Hi <name>, great photo! Mind if we use it in our marketing materials? We’ll always attribute it to you.”

More often than not, you will get a positive response (just be sure to give the resident photo credit). In fact, there’s a good chance they will share brand posts that use their photos with their social media circles, instantly expanding your reach!

Address Negative Reviews
Morgan Remmers, Manager of Local Business Outreach on Yelp

Morgan Remmers works at Yelp, so she knows a little something about how to address negative reviews… and how not to. Instead of ignoring negative reviews and hoping they’ll go away (they won’t), she advises businesses to do the following when a negative review inevitably pops up online: stop, drop, and roll.

Stop: Do not respond with your gut reaction. Take a minute or even a night to reflect.

Drop: When you do start crafting a response, drop your attitude and defensive tone. Have someone who is less close to the situation review your message.

Roll: After you respond, let the negativity roll off your back. You have made an effort. What happens next is up to the reviewer.

Ask For Client Feedback
Jen Picotti, Senior VP of Education and Consulting at SatisFacts

Another way to manage your online reputation is to be proactive about getting positive reviews. In the 2015 Online Renter Study by SatisFacts Research, it was discovered that 61% of residents are willing to post a positive rating or review if asked. However, less than 16% have ever been asked. That’s a lot of missed opportunities!

Reputation management is critical on social media. Take control by actively requesting reviews.  In 2015, your social media channels should not be about promoting your business. They should be about helping your customers. It’s time to think like a consumer, use more photos, tackle negative reviews and ask for positive ones.

How do you use social media to promote the resident experience at your communities?