Social Media Overload

I once considered myself a semi tech savvy person, until the onset of social media.  I remember attending my first social media seminar and within minutes glazing over due to complete information overload.  I think in the beginning everyone was merging advertising venues like Craig's List into social media venues like Facebook.  No matter what, I was definitely overwhelmed and more importantly I was frustrated.  Everyone was presenting as though social media was the new cure for all apartment industry marketing and retention issues.  I continued to go to more social media trainings and in turn continued to grow more frustrated.

Just when you thought you couldn't become more overwhelmed, all of the print and online providers started hard selling you on their social media management tools.  Then new vendors came out of the woodwork offering total social media management services.  At this point, had someone come to me and offered up a mental management tool - I would have jumped on it!  Unfortunately I did not find this mental management tool booth at the NAA trade show.  Instead, I found yet another social media seminar with a pro and con panel that argued back and forth if it was worth the investment.  Yet again, I glazed over and walked out dazed and confused.

Ultimately I dove in, one site at a time and defined what they could do to benefit individual assets.  During this definition process I assigned sites into three categories;  1) Social Media, 2) Marketing, 3) Combo.  My operating thesis was that Social Media sites were designed to communicate and inform existing residents and build a sense of community.  Marketing sites were specifically designed to attract and lead new residents to my asset.  And Combo were sites that did a little bit of both.  Categorized examples can be seen below.

Social Media Sites

• Facebook - if used well, can help to promote resident events, neighborhood events, city events and deliver upbeat and informative communications to residents. 
• Twitter - again if used well and managed well can be a fun and great rolling communication within your resident base
• Blog Spot - well as you hopefully are experiencing, can be an entertaining and engaging way to inform and educate others while allowing them to comment on your blogs

Marketing Sites

• Craig's List - a great way to affordably advertise vacant apartment homes for rent
• Backpage - another great way to affordably advertise vacant apartment homes for rent
• Google Search - a great way to get your property pictures right on the Google search engine homepage and a link to your website.  Often times industry guides or industry .com sites put this info on for you, but it then links to their site, therefore showing them all of your competition.  You want to fully claim your search site and have it link to your asset and company website.

Combo

• Foursquare - This is a great application that allows you to engage your residents while also promoting your community.  Basically it is a game of check-in.  As you check-in to locations repeatedly, you earn badges and ultimately can become the mayor of that location.  You are able to offer specials such as stop in today and have your application fee waived or the first 20 residents to arrive at the pool get a free personal size pizza coupon from a local vendor.

Yes, there are a million more, but unlike all of the seminars I went to, I am choosing to only give you what I feel to be the most important ones.  Once you have conquered these, then you can move on to explore others.

Probably the biggest question asked is:  "How do you handle negative comments and postings?"  On many of the sites you do have the ability to approve, deny or remove postings.  This is something you select during your account set-up process.  On the ones that don't have this option, most companies have found that replying with an apologetic public response on the site and a new invitation to call and discuss the challenge is highly respected by the other readers.  The way I look at it is, at least you have the opportunity to respond, unlike ApartmentRatings.com .

The other challenge that should be duly noted is in regards to the posting teams.  Most of these sites require a great deal of writing skill, spelling skill, editing skill and above all written diplomacy.  I have found it harder to locate the perfect on-site employees for this job, than I have found managing the actual sites.

So, don't be afraid, just dive in one site at a time.  But beware, they do become addictive.

Gotta go, have another blog to write!