Before, it might have been simple for a busy community manager to overlook or neglect online media or push it to the lower part of a long to-do list for the day. In any case, online media has now turned into an essential part of a more extensive advertising technique. Something other than your community’s mouthpiece, social media is necessary for search engine visibility and connecting with both residents and prospects.

1.  Connect correctly.

The list of social media channels you could engage with is long, which can make the entire idea sound harder than it needs to be. But according to business and marketing expert Justin Sachs, writing for the Huffington Post, there’s no need to go overboard. Instead, focus on the channels that have the strongest impact when it comes to attracting renters, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. Make sure your username and descriptions relate directly to your property and that your photos and logos are up to date on each page.

2. Create a plan.

Though many might think of social media as spontaneous, you need to have a plan in place to ensure you’re hitting the mark regularly and communicating to everyone who may be looking through your posts. While social media can be a great way to showcase your community to potential renters, it is also a useful resident retention tool. Take a look at your community calendar and start mapping out events to highlight each month to help keep content fresh. News items and announcements can continue to be posted spontaneously, as they arise.

3. Make it easy

It might sound daunting to have to post regularly on multiple sites, there are many free tools available that can shave hours off your social media management. Look for an easy-to-use solution that will help you with automatic posting. In addition, you may want to take advantage of a service to handle social monitoring and “listening” across your networks so you’ll always be in the know about how your audience is responding to your posts.

 4. Get creative.

While it’s important to establish a cadence of regular posts in general, you need to engage both current residents and potential renters while staying on topic and shying away from anything controversial. Consider taking a walk around the property with your camera to showcase what’s going on, from coverage of scheduled events to images of day-to-day living. You can easily create great media that will draw in your target markets.

5. Listen and respond.

One of the most challenging (and time-consuming) tasks for property managers handling social media are responding to comments and questions. However, there is a way to turn negative reviews or complaints into positive opportunities. Take the time to respond to all reviews, positive or negative, or work with a third-party solution to manage your replies. When you are proactive and professional in your responses, you create trust with prospects who may be researching your community on social media.

Conclusion:

Social media is a great way to share information about your community, engage residents, and start a conversation with prospects. With these five tips, you can create a plan that allows your social media strategy to work best for you.