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Feb 24
2009
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An email was sent to me this afternoon with a link and this one sentence:
"The danger of social media sites."
I read the article (which is actually about planning a property party) and my immediate email response was sent.
"No, this is the danger of ignoring social media sites. If reputation management and social media strategies were being implemented into the overall marketing plan, this article could’ve been avoided and the residents would be happier."
Then I said, "Thank you for sharing, this will go perfect in my social media guide!"
The article is based on an older (2007) review on apartmentreviews.net. However, there is no response from anyone from the property. In fact, no responses are online at all! Why not respond? Especially now, with the publicity alive and well. This is the perfect opportunity to set things right, make necessary changes or state they've been made.
So many properties and property management groups are hiding from social media. This poor property and it's management group is an example of such an avoider. This is their wake up call!
Who do you blame? Social media? The property manager? Or the property management company? Maybe the marketing firm is to blame? What are your thoughts? What should this property do now?
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Comments (10)
I couldn't agree more - properties need to take a proactive role with social media and look for blogs/posts that consumers are using to write about their communities so they can respond to the posts. This could also lend itself to additional training needed onsite to give them the tools to know how to respond to resident postings plus how social media even works...I know I'll be getting with our director of training next month to address this important issue!
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Eric! Thanks for commenting! I think we have to continue to encourage the industry to move forward. I've got this "on a mission" attitude towards educating properties and management companies; I'm DETERMINED to get it going!
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I agree with Eric and Tammy. I work for Delucchi Plus, a strategic real estate marketing communications firm, and 75% of our clients are actively marketing in the social media outlets currently. We maintain every site on their behalf to ensure that when there are situations such as this, we take precautions and extra steps to monitor and maintain the brand online.
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I agree as well. One of my problems in getting comfortable with social media has been that I've wanted to avoid any potential issues like the post on apartmentratings.com, however, we just can't sit back any longer and avoid it. My concern has always been what would happen if we responded, but the fact is that if we don't then people will assume that everything that is said is truthful.
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I agree with a majority of what is posted, however, I do look at how well the social site is optimized before I spend a lot of payroll managing the site. If there is a poor organic presence I may not invest the time of my staff to work that site. The highly visable social sites, absolutely.
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One word. "Engage." And better yet, one word plus a contraction. "Let's engage." It's long overdue for our industry to climb out of our box and participate in the living conversation that is taking place with or without us. After all, it's not what we say...it's what they say. "Danger?" That's dramatic...more like "opportunity" for an incredibly effective tool to lower our cost per lead and lease with highly qualified traffic. No matter where you live it's not all rainbows and butterflies. Residents don't necessarily want perfection, but they definitely want something “real” and for someone to actively care. So, whether your community chooses to use venues like ApartmentRatings.com or other forms of social media, the point is...engage.
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Allison, "Engage" is a perfect way to say it. Also, what about "embrace"? We as an industry need to embrace the changes in how our residents and prospects communicate. If we don't, it's our loss.
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Social Media is a double-edge sword. It can be a wonderful forum to promote a cause, expound the virtues of a product or motivate others to action. Unfortunately, for most companies (and their employees) there is not a deep understanding of this relatively new marketing platform. We want the good messages, yet we have no plan in place to address those which are less than good. Every company should have a social media plan which would include daily monitoring of the top social media sites, as well as an ability to respond when necessary.
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Thank you all for commenting! There's some great stuff in here.
@Carlisle 75% is above the norm, so I would say you're clients are in good hands. I want to mention, however, that social media tools can be used for much more than marketing. Resident retention is a plus.
@H. Jackson You are absolutely correct! Your previous concerns with responding is shared by many in this industry. This fear is a barrier between the industry and residents as a whole. We need to dispel the fears and move forward! I thought your comment "embrace the changes in how our residents and prospects communicate" is spot on! Let's take advantage of it, make the most of the situation.
@Tracy I agree. The first step is listening. Determine where the significant conversations are happening and then focus on those sites. Social media isn't free, the cost is labor.
@Allison I love it! Yes, "Let's engage." And the cost per qualified lead is definitely lower. Once the residents start participating, they can become active advocates for your property when complaints are voiced online.
@Pratt I don't see social media as a double-edge sword, I see it as a win-win opportunity. Marketing isn't the only advantage. Resident retention, resident communication, staff training, and staff communication are all valuable results.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that all property managers "jump right in" to the social media pool. Training is essential. The problem is that multifamily management isn't quite ready to accept that they no longer have control over the message.
@Carlisle 75% is above the norm, so I would say you're clients are in good hands. I want to mention, however, that social media tools can be used for much more than marketing. Resident retention is a plus.
@H. Jackson You are absolutely correct! Your previous concerns with responding is shared by many in this industry. This fear is a barrier between the industry and residents as a whole. We need to dispel the fears and move forward! I thought your comment "embrace the changes in how our residents and prospects communicate" is spot on! Let's take advantage of it, make the most of the situation.
@Tracy I agree. The first step is listening. Determine where the significant conversations are happening and then focus on those sites. Social media isn't free, the cost is labor.
@Allison I love it! Yes, "Let's engage." And the cost per qualified lead is definitely lower. Once the residents start participating, they can become active advocates for your property when complaints are voiced online.
@Pratt I don't see social media as a double-edge sword, I see it as a win-win opportunity. Marketing isn't the only advantage. Resident retention, resident communication, staff training, and staff communication are all valuable results.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that all property managers "jump right in" to the social media pool. Training is essential. The problem is that multifamily management isn't quite ready to accept that they no longer have control over the message.
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What Do You Think?
Nice post. The fact that the property owner doesn't even know folks are talking about them is no surprise. As you so well put it, the danger isn't Social Media, the danger is in Not Listening and then Not Participating in the Conversation.