Boom! Light beams scatter through fog machines and music ripples through the auditorium. The constant plot twists keep you on the edge of your seat. If you think about it, social media's goal isn't too different from a concert. An all-right performance will grab people's attention, but a spectacular performance will keep the audience engaged the whole way through. In the same way, a decent social media presence draws prospects in, but a great social media presence keeps residents engaged. And there's no better practice of social media apartment marketing than word of mouth from an entirely engaged community.
Social Media Apartment Marketing Ideas and Best Practices
If it takes a village to raise a child then it takes a portfolio of residents to market an apartment. Operators, marketers and property staff promote their apartment communities by leveraging resident engagement. If you put a bit of hard work into your apartment social media strategy upfront, your residents will do the rest of the marketing for you via engagement. The truth is, people genuinely want to brag about where they live; you just need to provide an outlet for them to do so. Sounds simple? It can be. Apartment social media ideas don't need to be complex, but they do need to be constructive and strategic. Below, we've identified seven strategic social media marketing ideas for apartment communities. Let's jump in, shall we?
Know your audience on social media platforms
Before posting anything, you must know your prospective and resident audience. Look at your target prospects and determine which social media platform best engages them. If your community is best suited for student housing, consider TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. However, if your target audience consists primarily of Millennials and Gen X, showcase your marketing efforts with Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube. Get to know your existing residents too. Interacting in-person creates the perfect opportunity for you to invite them to follow and engage with your apartment online. As you garner more of a following on social media channels, continue to learn more about your residential audience digitally. Create compelling social media captions for your apartment communityAdditionally, you'll want to Pay attention to which residents are following which social pages. Note any patterns to the following and engagement and pivot your social media accordingly.
Create compelling social media captions for your apartment community
When it comes to social media, captivating captions can be the key to unlocking a world of possibilities for apartment communities. From Facebook to Instagram, Twitter to LinkedIn, each platform offers a unique opportunity to connect with potential residents.
But how can you create effective captions that resonate with your audience? First, think about what value your post is providing to your audience, whether it's highlighting a new amenity or showcasing a resident event. Then, craft an attention-grabbing caption that complements your post's visuals. For example, a post showcasing a renovated pool area could have a caption like "Dive into luxury with our newly renovated pool area. Perfect for lounging in the sun or taking a refreshing dip." By creating compelling captions, apartment communities can effectively engage and attract visitors on various social media platforms, ultimately driving more foot traffic to the community.
Create engaging digital content on social media
What does engaging social media content look like? There are a couple of ways to spark engagement. First, you can ask residents directly to leave their thoughts and answers in the comments. For example, post a photo from a community event your apartment hosted on your social media accounts. In the post’s caption, ask residents to share their favorite part of the event in the post’s comments. Don’t forget to respond to their comments! Then, if you have permission, feature a photo or video of one of your residents in your feed or in your stories. You can cultivate a positive culture by shouting out the residents who make your property feel like a community. Besides, prospects want to see the human side of your community, not just the floor plans. A bit of authentic personality online encourages prospects that your apartment could be home for them, too.
Highlight positive resident reviews from you Google My Business profile
Resident reviews and customer testimonials are just as crucial to prospects as community pricing and availability. Focusing your time and energy on your Google My Business profile is a great place to start engaging with resident feedback. In fact, the Binary Fountain surveyed 41,000 apartment reviews and found that 50% were located on Google. While social media is a great platform to promote your community, it's also a great place to garner trust. Responding to Google reviews on Google My Business or capturing and highlighting the positive resident reviews on other platforms shows prospects that you care and listen to the feedback your community receives.
Share city guides and local tips based on your location
Location, location, location. We've heard it before, but have you bragged about your location on social media, or is every post about the physical amenities? Don’t overlook your location! Ask your residents about their favorite places around town and highlight the winning local businesses on social media. Don't feel like you have to have the answer for everything. Ask your residents where the best restaurants and running trails are- or ask them for their local tips and tricks for your city.
Create DIY apartment decor videos for YouTube or TikTok
Have fun promoting lifestyle content residents that can implement. Topics can range from homemade decor on a budget to creative storage tips. For example, during the holidays, you can ask residents to submit photos of their holiday decor for a prize and post the winner's creative home decor ideas on all of your social platforms.
Share videos of virtual tours on Instagram reels or TikTok
Explore new mediums to share virtual tours. Today, virtual tours shouldn’t be limited to property websites. Instead, capitalize on Instagram reels and Facebook posts. If you have student housing, utilize TikTok to display mini virtual tours of the community.
Creating social media content that increases resident retention takes more creativity than just posting photos and floor plans. However, social media marketing for apartments doesn't have to be complicated. If you apply these tangible six steps, your apartment community's social media posts will jump to the next level.
