I recently received an email from my friend Tamela Coval, asking for my thoughts on four questions regarding social media:
Just because a
multifamily company is using the latest social media application, how do we
know that it translates into a respectable ROI? Just using social media doesn’t
guarantee a respectable ROI. Before you launch any program, you need to develop
a plan: what are your goals? From there, you can begin to develop and identify what
“success” means.
Is there any
evidence that shows prospects using Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. for
apartment search actually converts to a lease? Yes. While we didn’t necessarily
intend for our social sites to serve as lead gen channels, we have had
prospects contact us through social media that have later leased.
Content generation
is invaluable for brand reach and to create brand advocates. Do properties have
the time and knowledge to create fresh and topical content or should they
outsource it? We have more than 50 properties using Facebook, and there are a small
handful (six, to be exact) that use a content tool. However, these properties do
also post their own content, and the bulk of our properties do not outsource
any of their social efforts at all. When done right, social provides a great
opportunity to connect with residents, prospects, and people in the greater
community – but in order for it to work, it needs to look and sound authentic.
Speaking from my own experience, it’s difficult to achieve that if you’re
outsourcing efforts.
If content
generation is outsourced, can the person(s) creating the content be trusted to
create and post the correct content that reinforces the brand? Yes, I think so,
but only if the on-site team is involved. Again, it goes back to that point of
authenticity: someone sitting in Seattle probably doesn’t know much about
Baltimore.
How would you respond to these questions? I'd love to hear your take.
