Dear Gabby, 

I keep hearing all of these young people talk about Snapchat. It’s hard enough for me to remember to monitor my community Facebook page, Twitter account, Instagram account, and Pinterest. Phew. 

Am I expected to understand Snapchat too? If so, how do I use it at my multifamily community?

Please help! 

#SnapchatNovice

Dear #SnapchatNovice, 

I could barely pry my son away from his phone before, but now that Snapchat is so popular, he rarely puts it down at all! That’s great news for you though -- Snapchat is huge! There are currently millions of users who use it daily. Most Snapchat users are 34 and younger, which if you recall, is currently the most popular renter age group. I’m betting that a lot of your renters fall into this age bracket. Snapchat isn’t just for sending photos of your food, it’s also a great place to focus your marketing efforts.

One of the most valuable features of Snapchat is that users are able to create 24-hour stories that house photos and short videos. This means your residents will be able to engage with content that you’re posting in real time. 

So, you’ve downloaded the app, now what? It’s time to start posting content that millennials will engage with. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you have to take selfies like all your millennial renters. There are plenty fun ways to naturally incorporate Snapchat into your marketing tactics, all while cultivating a more engaged community:

Apartment Tours

Let prospective residents take a virtual tour of new units in your community via Snapchat. It’ll give them a nice sneak peak at the community, and is more in depth than static pictures on your website. 

Sneak Previews

Is your community under construction? Snapchat is the perfect platform for building the excitement and anticipation during major renovations. Give residents a behind-the-scenes look at the progress ahead of the big reveal. And since the photos and videos only exist for 24 hours, residents that follow you on Snapchat will feel like they’re getting exclusive content. 

Contests

Snapchat gives you a great deal of creative freedom for creating fun and engaging contests for your residents. One idea is to post photos from different locations around your community to your story. The first people that send a photo back from those locations win a prize. 

Are any of your residents secret artists? Consider asking residents to submit creative Snapchat drawings. Set a theme and then pick the best ones to win a prize. The possibilities are endless. 

Promotions

Are you thinking about offering a new promotion to prospective renters? Consider offering it through Snapchat by posting a photo to your story informing them they can receive a waived application fee or reduced deposit. The only way they are able to receive the incentive is by taking a screenshot of the photo. 

Snapchat may seem scary if you’ve never used it before, but you don’t have to be a Snapchat star like Kylie Jenner to reap the benefits of this app. Snapchat has the potential to reach millennials in a way that other social media platforms do not, allowing you to unlock a whole new level of engagement for your renters. 

Have any ideas for creating fun Snapchat content for your communities? Let me know in the comments!

Until next week, au revoir! 

Gabby