Apartment Trends Magazine September 2019

ENHANCE ND ’’ We don’t know what the next decade will bring, but we know one thing… social media is here to stay. ’’ platform preference. With Facebook and Instagram reigning supreme within the multi-family industry it is critical to understand which demographics are engaging on which platform. Facebook users tend to include Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation, or those 40+ year of age. Instagram users tend to include Generation Y, Millennials, and Generation Z, or those 40 years of age or younger. Constantly creating new and engaging content for your residents can seem like a daunting task but with a few simple processes, it can be fun and dare I say… easy? When creating a new post, always focus on content that your community stands behind, has a positive message, is informative, and promotes engagement. By focusing on community and neighborhood speciﬁ c content, you will provide valuable and engaging content for your residents. Are you simply out of ideas? Try following local businesses in your area that relate to your residents’ interests. You can then easily cross-promote by simply sharing the business’s post directly through the social platform. Also try setting up Google Alerts to notify you when great events are happening in the area so you can share the content with your residents. You may be asking yourself, if all content should be focused on resident engagement, how do we focus on lead generation? Currently, the most eﬀ ective way to generate leads through social media is to pay-to-play; however, for low-budget communities, continuing the focus on brand awareness and resident engagement will result in lead generation. By simply having an accurate and updated social platform and having high resident engagement within the platform, the social site will already be a great representation of the lifestyle your community oﬀ ers to your residents and ultimately attract a higher quality of prospect than other advertising platforms can oﬀ er. If your community does have the budget for sponsored ads through social sites – spend it! Not only does social media oﬀ er the unique ability to target speciﬁ c audiences which leads to high quality leads for a reasonably low cost, but the information gained from social ads can be used across all marketing platforms. For example, by running some simple A/B testing, you can analyze which images, amenities, or even verbiage performs best and then use that www.aamdhq.org information to adjust your other marketing platforms accordingly. This information takes a relatively short period of time to obtain and is relatively simple to gain in comparison to other platforms. Your online reputation also supports lead generation. On social media sites, your online reputation is much more than just recommendations or reviews. It is how you engage with your residents and prospects. Are you responding to resident comments on your posts? Are you ‘liking’ your residents’ posts? Are you keeping a pulse on what others are posting about you? If not, you may not be truly managing your reputation. Taking an interest, engaging, and knowing what others are saying about your community is critical to managing your online reputation. Engaging with others on social media is just as important as others engaging with you. When managing your reputation, with reviews or comments, it is important to take ownership, be respectful, and respond in a timely manager – no matter the content. Although your social site should be an authentic representation of the environment of your community, it is still important to use a customer-centric voice and tone when engaging. Your social site reﬂ ects a multi- million-dollar investment and once you have posted your content or media to a social platform, you have posted it to the world. SEPTEMBER 2019 TRENDS | 21

Apartment Trends Magazine September 2019 | Page 23