4 Ways to Utilize Social Media as a Property Manager

By Alicia Geigel on January 24, 2020

In today’s society, social media makes the world go round. Social media is so deeply integrated into our society that most of us can’t imagine life without it. Various social media platforms are populated with different kinds of users, from our very own political representatives to large and small businesses to the most popular celebrities. Years ago, people viewed social media as simply something that connects people to one another and a place to have mindless fun, but now, it is so much more than that. People have turned to social media as a way to personally brand themselves, promote their business, and even generate significant income. With over 3 billion social media users in the world and 56% of online adults having accounts across multiple social media channels, if you are any kind of business owner, social media is your best friend.

As a property manager/landlord, you are always seeking clientele and looking to engage with people. Plenty of people go the now considered “old-fashioned” route of going out and striking up conversations with others, or paying for advertisements in local newspapers/magazines, but getting your brand and business out there is so much more simple. With evolving technology and the power of social media, you can reach your appropriate target audience, i.e. prospect tenants in your area, and make your business truly stand out.

Perhaps social media is foreign to you or you’ve started marketing on different platforms, but slowed down recently, whatever your relationship with social media is, it is never too late to begin branding yourself. According to a report by Buffer, 73% of marketers believe that their efforts through social media marketing have been “somewhat effective” or “very effective” for their business. Even if you don’t think you need it, social media can’t hurt your business — here are four ways to utilize all that social media has to offer as a property manager/landlord!

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1. Create and Maintain Social Media Pages.

The first step to effectively utilizing social media is, well, getting on social media! If you don’t have accounts/pages on various social media platforms, it’s time to get on. Once you’ve set up your pages, promote your business on social media networks, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and even YouTube.

Create specific pages on these sites for your business and link your website or contact information on your various social media accounts so not only can people reach you on social media, but they can also share your posts to spread the word! Use hashtags and look at the best times to post of each social media site to optimize your reach.

Facebook: With the shift of where people are looking for and finding professional connections, Facebook has emerged as a key platform to build an online presence and brand a business. If you are looking to do this, just be sure to differentiate your personal page from your professional one, so you can separate the two. Being on Facebook as a professional can give you the chance to share and highlight the work of your business, special events, important updates, and more.

Zahava Wesfield of Guesty writes, “With over 2 billion active users across the globe and an average of 1.45 million logins per day, Facebook is definitely the place to find and reach your audience.” Before jumping right onto Facebook, start to familiarize yourself with some basic terms, like:

    • Timeline
    • Newsfeed
    • Status
    • Friends
    • Likes
    • Sharing
    • Tag
    • Event
    • Hashtag
    • Page
    • Group

Twitter: When it comes to social media, Twitter is right behind Facebook with 330 million monthly active users. With a less complicated layout, Twitter gives users the opportunity to engage with each other by making posts on a shorter basis — shorter meaning posts less than 280 characters.

As a property manager/landlord, Twitter is a great platform for engaging with tenants, potential tenants or other property managers/landlords quickly. Because the amount of text is limited, every post is to the point and makes communicating easier. With a simple hashtag, i.e. a clickable word that brings you to a page or pages with posts featuring the same word, you can expand your audience and connect with people with similar interests/jobs!

Linkedin: LinkedIn is an excellent place to establish and build an online presence, especially as a business owner. For one, it’s a popular place where business professionals, both online and offline, connect, look for jobs, and network with like-minded people! If you don’t already have a profile, create one to leap into the virtual job world and start making your brand noticeable.

Sherri Thomas of the Huffington Post notes that one great element about LinkedIn is the social media networking aspect of the app. LinkedIn is so popular and useful because it is like the Facebook of the job world! Upon opening the app, you have what is similar to a timeline, where you can see posts and shares from people you are connected to, suggested posts based on your interests and liked pages, etc. The app has several components that make it easy to navigate, like the network page which displays your connections, invitations, and people you may know. Furthermore, the messaging and notifications tab shows you any messages connections have sent while also showing who viewed your profile, liked a post, etc.

Lastly, Property Matrix suggests, “LinkedIn Groups can also be a valuable resource for connecting to real estate agents and other landlords. This professional social media platform will provide access to the latest real estate trends and strategies. Participation in forums is also an excellent resource for sharing information and receiving advice from more experienced landlords.”

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Instagram: If you’re not familiar, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms today. With over 800 million users following business profiles, Instagram is a great platform to have for business purposes, especially as a property manager/landlord. Instagram is intended for mobile use and for sharing pictures and videos of whatever users want (posts that fall under their rules and policies, of course), ranging from a favorite animal picture to a bowl of ramen for lunch.

There are currently over 25 million business profiles on Instagram, and the platform is great for getting users’ attention through visuals. As a property manager/landlord, you can post a number of pictures, from new updates to your property to tours of units, and more!

Pinterest: Another social media platform that is heavy on visuals is Pinterest. As of 2019, Pinterest has 291 million monthly active users. On the site, users create and pin user images or even infographics to put on “boards”, i.e. different folders to categorize ideas for recipes, DIY projects, fashion, etc. Though not as popular among marketers like Facebook or Linkedin, Pinterest still has 27% of marketers on the platform.

As a property manager/landlord, you can create boards that your tenants can follow, or even tag your business’s posts in different categories so they show up amongst the popular ones and gain traction!

YouTube: YouTube nowadays is less about silly teenagers posting daredevil videos or cute dogs on skateboards, and more about people creating content and starting their own brand/business from home. YouTube is currently bigger than all other social media platforms, with 2 billion logged-in monthly users and 73% of adults in the US using the video-streaming site. You may not be the most technology savvy person, but today posting a video on YouTube is as simple as clicking “upload” and recording from your phone.

Sure you can polish and embellish your video with text, bright lights, animation, etc., but that can be time-consuming (by all means if you have someone to do it, let them)! As a property manager/landlord, you can post videos introducing your management staff, give tours of your rental property and units (highlighting amenities like a lounge, gym, etc.), talk about upcoming events, share information about the property community, etc.!

2. Advertise.

Part of the benefit of being on social media and having access to the number of connections out there is the ability to advertise. For businesses big and small, advertising on social media generates traffic and leads users to their product or brand. Because so many of these sites are interconnected, you can share posts from an Instagram account to both Facebook and Twitter in a matter of seconds.

Additionally, several social media sites have paid advertisement options, so your posts and/or page can read people outside of your immediate connections. Through advertisement options, you can select specific demographics of people, targeting people based on location, age range, gender, interests, etc. Through these paid ads, you can not only gain more followers, friends, and connections but also continue to build your brand and business.

Justin Stowe of RentPost writes, “You can promote ads or posts to people based on things they’re interested in or Facebook Pages they like. If they like a real estate investing blog like Bigger Pockets or Afford Anything, that’s a good sign. Perhaps they follow their local Real Estate Investors Alliance (REIA.) Whatever the case is, you can use filters on Facebook and LinkedIn to get your ads in front of the right people.”

women, talking, communication, people,

Image via Pexels

3. Network/Build Relationships.

For most of us, networking is a necessary element to not only be successful in our individual jobs, but to also expand our personal brand. In a world that is reliant upon technology and social media, networking is easier than ever. With more niche sites like LinkedIn to broader ones like Facebook, when it comes to networking, you have the world at your fingertips.

Fauzia Burke of the Huffington Post notes, “Social media experts at SocialMediaExaminer.com, say that Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest are whole package platforms — and are considered both social media (tools) and social networking (a way to engage).” As a property manager/landlord, networking is an essential part of your job. You are in constant communication with tenants, potential tenants, management of the rental property, etc. Social media can be a great tool to use and utilize to help to better keep in touch with those important while on the job.

In a blog post by Property Matrix, they note that “Participating in social networking via any platform will provide enhanced relationship-building opportunities. Keeping in touch with your residents and employees through a Facebook or Twitter app, Pinterest pinboard, LinkedIn post or Google+ announcement will allow you to interact safely, efficiently and productively.”  You may be thinking, what exactly can I post on these platforms, aren’t the small details of my job/business boring? No! There are plenty of ways to network, for instance, you can post:

    • Personal profiles of your management team
    • Promote on-site special events
    • Update tenants on activities or upcoming work going on

All of these posts can give your tenants or potential ones a better sense of who you are and your business!

4. Engage with Tenants.

Having social media accounts is great, but they are pointless unless you engage with the people you intend to target on it. So, when you’re personalizing your profile photos and establishing a color theme on your page, don’t forget to connect and engage with your tenants, the people that truly matter in regards to your business! Highlight their loyalty and good renters etiquette, answer questions or comment on concerns, and perhaps even offer certain incentives!

Property Matrix suggests, “Consider a giveaway or small incentive for “follows” – offer a rental discount off the first month or a month of free parking. Incentives for submitting a rental application online or providing a referral will generate activity and keep conversations going.” Engaging with tenants on any level shows them you are dedicated to your business, always looking out for their satisfaction, and genuinely wanting to build meaningful relationships with them!

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Image via Pexels

Being a property manager/landlord requires a great deal of dedication and responsibility. A lot of the hardships of connecting with tenants and appealing to new prospects can be avoided now through the power of social media. From Facebook to Pinterest, there are many avenues you can take to effectively expand and promote your business. As always, good luck!

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