Facebook, Twitter accounts for your complex?

I've noticed a lot of apartment complexes have their own Twitter and Facebook accounts, so that got me thinking and I wanted to ask you a few questions:

1. Do you have a Twitter/Facebook account for your property?
2. Do you find that it has helped you or not really made a difference when it comes to Resident Retention/Renting apartments?
3. Were these accounts set up for your resident's so they can keep up with what is going on with the property? Or were they set up to market your property?
4. What type of information do you put on these sites? Do you keep ALL your tweets/posts related to your complex?
5. How do you choose who to friend when it is a business account?

I see so many apartment complex accounts that I'm debating on recommending this to properties I work with and would like as much information on why you set up a twitter/facebook account for your properties.

Thanks!

Christine,

Most apartments that I have worked with that have facebook accounts use them to connect and interact with current residents.

Here is a recent article I wrote that talks a little about what you are asking: blog.rentsoda.com/2009/11/the-roi-of-fac...-creating-community/

As for twitter, I think the uses for twitter for apartments is mixed. Some apartments use it for marketing to new prospects, some use it to market in general, and others use it as another way to connect with their current residents. Here is a recent article I wrote about twitter: blog.rentsoda.com/2009/12/tweet-tweet-tw...apartment-marketers/

The bottom line is to determine what you want to do, what your market is, and how to connect with residents or prospects before choosing how you will set-up and utilize facebook & twitter accounts.

I hope that helps!

-Daisy

Great topic and a hot one based on many recent blogs and discussions. While sending a "Be my Fan" request can diminish value if a popularity contest is the sole reason behind the "Fan-ning". As a mode of resident communication, Social Media Networking is a must-do for multifamily professionals.

From my peanut gallery view, effective communication to residents through facebook and twitter has revolved around resident notification of community and neighborhood events - everything from great restaurants to try in the local area, entertainment happenings, coupons to local businesses and most pertinent to the operation of the properties - rent and routine maintenance updates, (Tweets to residents advising them of service tech updates about specific apartment homes; "your guest bath toilet is repaired, etc.).

Reminders about community benefits are popping up in social media - everything from bloodmobile arrival, mobile mammography vehicle, voting registration info, location of professional tax advice to local school info.

The added benefit to this type of communication is residents are responding using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, their Facebook friends and Twitter Followers are reading it and thinking, "Hmmmmm...sounds like a nice place to live - they take care of you."

Net result? More satisfied residents and informed prospective residents coming from resident referrals. You know...that whole viral marketing thing...one friend tells a friend who tells two friends and so on and so on.

To relate to current events where landline phones and knocking on doors are impossible, Twitter, Youtube and Facebook have been lifesavers and sole methods of communication in the past 18 hours during the Haitian earthquake catastrophe. While this is certainly an extreme and incomprehensible situation occurring, it is once again proof that the wireless and mobile modes of communication are vital and aiding Those providing on-the-ground disaster relief.

I bring that topic into the discussion as an add-on to the conversation about property managers utilizing Twitter and Facebook to communicate to their residents in emergency situations. Most recently during the East Coast freeze in the days prior to Christmas, several management companies that I follow on Twitter were sending out informative Tweets and Facebook messages about power and water outages, emergency services and vehicle availability, safe transportation arteries as well as sending out messages of assurance to distant resident friends and family that their loved ones were okay. As a personal note, I have a son who lives in Asheville, NC who was without power, water and viable transportation for a few days. His cell phone battery died and he could charge it only by walking to the bottom of the mountain where residents' cars were stranded and plug into his Jeep's charger. I followed the management company on Twitter to stay informed on conditions.
Heck, I'm his momma, and was worried about my baby. :side:

I believe these tools are a powerful necessity for management companies and apartment communities for communicating to their residents and for bringing in new and informed prospective residents. For management companies who use these tools for marketing and resident retention, check out Bell Partners, MidAmerica, Milestone, & MarkTaylor Residential just to mention a few.

Sorry...got my soapbox out there, didn't I? Thanks for the topic.
Tamela

Christine,

Thanks for posting the topic, I agree with the great points made by Tamela and Daisy.

I thought I'd respond directly to your questions regarding how many of our clients are using Facebook and Twitter

1. Do you have a Twitter/Facebook account for your property?
- Twitter and Facebook are great tools to connect with your current residents, especially to let them know what is going on in your community and area. Since some residents prefer one to the other, we suggest that our clients post their posts/content to both facebook and twitter that way residents can follow on the tool of their choice. Since twitter is limited on characters you can link back to facebook, your website or blog with the info you are posting.
2. Do you find that it has helped you or not really made a difference when it comes to Resident Retention/Renting apartments?
- This is hard to measure and I'm sure our measurement tools will improve in this area over time. There is no doubt that you are adding to the communication avenues you have in place for residents which can in turn lead to retention and attract new residents.
3. Were these accounts set up for your resident's so they can keep up with what is going on with the property? Or were they set up to market your property?
- Our clients focus on info for residents.
4. What type of information do you put on these sites? Do you keep ALL your tweets/posts related to your complex?
-Information about your rental community as well as area information like restaurants, happening etc.
5. How do you choose who to friend when it is a business account?
Since these are business accounts the focus really isn't following others.

I don't believe there is a cookie cutter approach to using these networks. If a community or company is going to dive into using these tools I highly recommend having a strategic plan, understanding the rules of the sites, and realizing that these pages are extensions of your main website.

I would recommend seeking an online media agency to help out with your web presence in general, and help give direction in using social media tools.

One other point I would like to make is that these websites are "social" sites and not "marketing" sites. I do not recommend using them to push an apartment community. Provide links to your website from them, but these sites are not push marketing tools in my opinion.