Knowing how to use social media in your property management company becomes more important every day. Everyone including your clients, vendors and tenants are there.
In an age where relationships matter more than ever before, you can use social media to help your property management business crush it. Here’s how.
Social Media for Property Management Tip #1: Get Started
The first step is to set up accounts on Facebook and LinkedIn. This takes less than five minutes and will build momentum for everything else.
Each site offers different types of content, thus attracting different audiences. For example, LinkedIn tends to be the most professional of the group. Facebook offers a little bit of everything, and is the biggest. Twitter is often used for the news.
Build pages for your business, and start to learn the ins and outs of the platforms. They don’t need to be fancy at first- just get started. Begin connecting with your current clients, as well as prospective clients. This leads us to our next tip.
Social Media Tip #2: Build Client Relationships
We are inundated with information and noise. Everyone wants the attention of your clients. From behemoths like Coca-Cola to your competition. A lot of companies are vying for attention.
That’s why you have to build and maintain strong relationships. Get to know your clients.
- What do they do when they aren’t working?
- Do they have a family?
- What kind of books or websites do they read?
This comes from both watching their activity on social media and engaging with them. For example, Like a Facebook or LinkedIn post they put up. Comment on a video they have of themselves playing with their kids.
If someone posts on social media, they are trying to engage with others. They are trying to connect. By doing just that, you will stand out and they’ll continue to work with you. You’re also building trust, which could lead to them referring others to your business.
Social Media for Property Managers #3: Reaching Prospects through Ads
LandlordSource.com points out that because social media is inexpensive, it’s great to help you reach an audience with a limited budget.
Social media is currently one of the best ways to reach prospective clients. It’s not necessarily easy, because most investors don’t necessarily have a giant banner on their site claiming they invest in real estate. But there are other ways to find them.
For example, you can promote ads or posts to people based on things they’re interested in or Facebook Pages they like. If they like a real estate investing blog like Bigger Pockets or Afford Anything, that’s a good sign. Perhaps they follow their local Real Estate Investors Alliance (REIA.)
These are the layups. If someone likes these topics, they are clearly either an investor or interested in it.
But there are other ways to connect with prospects. Ideally you already have an idea of the demographics of your best customers. Maybe they are small business owners who invest on the side. Perhaps you’ve found a lot of your customers are corporate lawyers.
Whatever the case is, you can use filters on Facebook and LinkedIn to get your ads in front of the right people. You aren’t just limited to ads, though.
Tip #4: Use Groups on Social Media
Perhaps the best, free way to connect with people is in Facebook or LinkedIn groups. Once you’re in the group, you can message other members for free!
On LinkedIn, there are several real estate groups with hundreds of thousands of members. Again, these are people who are
- Interested in the topic
- On social media
- Making it public they are interested in the topic
In other words, they want to engage with others in the space. As a property manager, that includes you!
The key is not to message them and go straight for the sale. That’s not how you succeed. Instead, you’re trying to build a relationship with them.
Shoot them a message with a quick introduction, including how you found them.
It can be as simple as:
“Hey John, my name is Justin Stowe. I recently joined the ABC Real Estate Investors Group to connect with others in the space.
What has been your favorite thing about the group so far?”
This works for two reasons:
- It starts a friendly conversation.
- You use an open-ended question.
Just make sure you follow up. Don’t message them once and then never talk to them again. Nurture and build the relationship. Even if they don’t end up working with you, they may be a great contact for referrals.
Social Media for Property Managers #5: Connecting with Tenants
Your tenants may or may not be interested in connecting on Facebook. They may not feel comfortable with their property manager seeing what they’re up to on Instagram.
…but then again, they might. You never know until you ask!
Reach out and see if they’ll connect. Just like with clients, try to build and nurture the relationships. Comment on their posts. Ask questions, and like their responses on your page.
This is great for two main reasons:
- You get a better feel for their personality. Not a bad thing, considering they’re paying the rent on your client’s property.
- You gain trust. If something happens to the property and they have a bad experience, this trust will help you get through the situation without them blasting you on social media.
You don’t necessarily need to become best friends with your tenants. In fact, that’d be a bad idea. But regularly seeing what they’re up to and interacting on social media isn’t a bad thing.
This also ties into the advice from SOCi. Being connected to tenants makes it easier to respond to complaints or issues they post on social media.
Conclusion
There you have it, a few of our best tips on how to use social media in your property management company. Of course, all of these work best when combined with a great piece of property management software that makes managing tenants and maintenance a cinch. If you want to make your life a lot easier, give our free trial a shot.