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What NOT to do with Social Media in Multifamily Marketing

What NOT to do with Social Media in Multifamily Marketing

Ever heard the saying, “What goes on in this house stays in this house?” Well there’s a reason it has been and will always be a favorite quote. Personal issues are just that…. PERSONAL. Involving outsiders in things that could and should be resolved within is a recipe for disaster and as successful property managers a disaster of any kind is the last thing you desire.

 

The other day I found myself scrolling through facebook and I stumbled upon a status posted by a property employee announcing that flyers would be put out soon regarding an upcoming pool party.

 

While I get the point that they were targeting their marketing initiative from both perspectives…paper and internet, I saw an opportunity for more clear and most importantly private communication. I instantly thought to myself, they need to get their residents signed up for My Virtual Neighbor www.myvirtualneighbor.com.

 

As I continued to scroll I noticed that they also used the page to post announcements about rent being late and the water system being down. I freaked! Yes, if you know me by now you know that I get quite dramatic about things like this.

 

I immediately sent them a message letting them know what I’d observed…no I didn’t approach them like I was freaked out, I calmed down first and kept in mind that the reason most opportunities are missed is the fact that we often times don’t see things for what they are when we are in the thick of it. That’s why I love the idea of coming in with fresh eyes offering a new perspective.

 

What I love most about My Virtual Neighbor www.myvirtualneighbor.comis that it gives your residents a private space to discuss all the things that the public does not need to know. I honestly would suggest not telling anyone outside of the late payers themselves that anyone’s rent is ever late…. private discussion board or not. I could go into a whole other spill about this but I’ll address it later.

 

If the water is out or the pool is being remodeled My Virtual Neighbor is the perfect space to share the news in privacy while things are in transition.

 

Your public facebook page should be more so geared towards attracting perspective clients and should be used for displaying finished results. For example you would come on and post before and after pics of a remodeled pool or pictures of smiling residents and a beautiful spread of food from a successful resident party. There is no need for potential residents to see you in action while attempting to produce results. You should be focusing on wowing them with final results.

 

My Virtual Neighbor www.myvirtualneighbor.com is a free service and proposes to be a huge asset for property managers seeking more effective communication with and amongst their residents. Log on today to learn more about this amazing new feature or feel free to contact me directly and I’ll walk you through the process.

 

By Talisa Lavarry

Founder

Resident Keepers LLC.

 
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

I enjoyed reading this article, Talisa, and believe you have some great points. I do disagree a little with your example of the water outage, though. I think this is a great opportunity to show that you communicate with your residents and handle problems as they arise. Things break and will always need repair. While these can be a headache for residents, giving them updates shows that you truly care about the problem and are addressing the issue. I know our residents love that we inform them of what's happening and it shows potential residents of our open communication. What do you think?

  Nick
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Great points, Talisa!I will have to check out that website.

  Maria Lawson
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Hey Nick, thanks for reaching out. We will have to respectfully agree to disagree here. Yes you're right; problems are unavoidable however if at all possible they should not be brought to the attention of prospective residents. While I know that nothing is perfect as a consumer I'm going to look for what seems as close to perfect as possible when deciding how to spend my hard earned money. The fact of the matter is your making the decision to provide a space for your residents to speak to you and their neighbors in a private forum gives you an advantage that other properties don't. You get the intimate conversation that you desire on MVN and you get to pitch and promote yourself as well as your successes publically. Leave it to your satisfied residents to post positive reviews about how your maintenance requests are handled promptly on review sites such as Renter's Voice. A good suggestion might be to post a note with the link and suggestion for them to do so on the back of the maintenance notes you leave in their apartment. None the less Nick I'm grateful for your feedback an look forward to interacting more in the near future. Cheers! *Please pardon any typos, I'm typing from my phone*

  Talisa Lavarry
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

You should Maria. Great resource!

  Talisa Lavarry
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

This is why I've always used two accounts on Facebook. One is a locked and private page just for current residents. The other is a marketing page that anyone can Like and this is where I post any pics and info that would appeal to a new renter. There is no need the market to people who already live here so I made a separate page for that. Most people don't want to log into yet another site but if I do want to notify them of something important, I send a group (bcc) email since many residents are not on FB or Twitter.

  Susan

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