8D — May 13 - 26, 2016 — NJAA CONFERENCE & EXPO — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
2016 NJAA C onference & E xpo
ocial media is a pow- erful tool for property managers in finding new By Aimee Miller, AppFolio Property Manager’s Guide: 7 Steps to Social Media Renting Success S •How much time can you in- vest each week to responding and posting new content?
keep followers and fans com- ing back. Set realistic goals for yourself. Can you afford to hire an outside vendor to update your social networking sites or invest in a full-time in-house social media coordinator? Hir- ing a social media consultant for hosted events may be a more economical choice for you in the beginning. Step 2: Start Small After you establish your goals and have a detailed plan in place, pick a starting point. Venturing into the social me- dia scene can be intimidating; start with just a few, such as Facebook and Twitter. Like educational resources on Face- book, follow other property managers on Twitter, and see what your current residents are talking about on Yelp. You can gradually expand your digital scope of influence and get a bit fancier—use #hashtags to start conversa- tions with other profession- als and engage with current residents in comment sections. Step 3: Add a Blog Social media gurus know that hyper-local blogging drives a tremendous amount of traffic to your site. Create a blog populated with things to do in your area and hu- man interest stories about local celebrities, newsworthy events, and entertainment venues. Geo-targeted blog con- tent should appeal to current residents, local web-surfers, and active apartment seekers; keep it informative and useful. Your goal is to start a con- versation, and when it comes time to rent, you’ll already be a familiar name. So as not to overwhelm yourself, start with one post per week, schedul- ing a specific time and day. It gives your readers a consistent reason to come back. Multi-channel marketing is utilized by top performing companies. Knowing where your audience hangs out on- line is critical to reaching apartment seekers on their own turf. According to social media marketing experts, lo- cal amplification—targeting neighborhood prospects—is a wise investment of time and dollars. DID YOU KNOW . . . • 71% of consumers are more likely to make a pur- chase based on social media referrals. continued on page 12D Step 4: Expand Your Presence
• Is your website stable and easy to use if you drive more traffic to it? • How many social sites can you effectively manage? • Do you have specific goals for each social platform? • Howwill you measure success? As you’re finalizing your strategy, remember there are only 24 hours in a day and sleep is a necessity. While expanding your circles is nec- essary to staying ahead of the competition, you must be able to post regularly in order to
residents and communicat- ing with cur- r e n t o n e s . Actively par- ticipating in a diverse mix of social sites shows you’re r unn i ng a
Aimee Miller
competitive. If you’re new to social media, the following steps will help you get started on the road to attracting more prospects to your property.
modern business, something today’s residents always keep in mind. The key word is “ac- tively.” It’s not enough to just be on all of the social channels; you need to stay engaged and
Step 1: Strategize Defining your social network- ing goals is the first important step before setting up accounts. Ask yourself a few questions before you hit Sign Up:
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