“You need the kind of objectivity that makes you forget everything you’ve heard, clear the table, and do a factual study like a scientist would.” – Steve Wozniak
Short and sweet question(s) post today.
Do you ever feel like using social media to marketing apartments is like trying to smash a square peg into a round hole? Do you get the sense that we are trying so hard to make it work just because we just want it to? As opposed to following the advice of Steve W. and clearing the tables for some hard-core study of the real impact it is or is not making?
Have we been clouded by the hint of success we have seen from any one of the many mediums out there? A lease or two from Facebook, a lead from Twitter or a conversation stimulated by a killer resident function and we are quick to tout the success.
Have you found the effort to be worth the result? Do you think the real successes are down the road and over time?
In the end, content is not king – people are. People move business. And, people in relationship talk about businesses they like to do business with. Believe it or not – they usually do that offline.
Is it time to clear the table?
Your brass tacks multifamily maniac,
M
0 Responses
Mike, studies repeatedly indicate that people expect businesses to be available on social networking sites – even if they aren’t clicking like, comment or share. Also, with the results of companies using RentMineOnline I can honestly say that social media referrals ARE possible. ForRent is using a tool that does something similar, and I’ve been told they are also seeing results. I’m not sure that jumping ship is the right action to take. Perhaps instead of just being on social networks, companies should be investing a little time into actually using them. Many communities are still posting their availability rather than information their residents might find helpful.
That’s just my humble opinion, for what it’s worth. 🙂
Charity
You rock – I concur 100% and wrote this post with tongue-in-cheek.
Your point of using the social platforms to employee push methods of advertising is all over the place. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t get a friend request from an apartment community of FB. And, I see floor plan links and pricing information pumped out on Twitter in a fire hose fashion to their 27 followers.
We are all in at Mills and are pushing to incorporate interest graphs into our social strategies. It’s a blast and I could not think of a better time to be alive and participating in the multifamily marketing space.
Thank you for taking the time – and, my apologies for not putting a disclaimer in my post. Hope you don’t find your time a waste on this one. Take care,
M
Agreed! A strategic, sensible social plan is a smart choice for impacting referrals and fortifying prospects buying decisions. Not to mention it is an effective way to combat negative reviews. When associates see the value of integrating a social media presence, their “buy in” drives an unwavering commitment to seeing results – education is essential to promote “buy in” and “buy in” is essential to fueling the “want” to craft engaging communication and results!
I figured you had to be kidding with this post. All of this ties together of course to customer loyalty. Communication is the backbone for that loyalty and we need to leverage as many channels as we can sustain imo. There is a time and place to push a message, but there has to be a balance that allows us to be real people without an agenda as well. Networking offline and online allows us that opportunity. Steak dinners, rounds of golf, and trade shows/conferences have all been embraced for years. Why not some tweets and Facebook banter?