‘On the Ground’ with Eric Brown: How Are You Treating Your Best Residents and Prospects?

For the early-adaptor apartment marketing clan that has created a digital following of friends and fans, I raised the question last week, “What will you do with your followers and fans?” Your best residents and prospects are the ones talking about your brand, “liking” your Facebook pages, reading your blog posts, watching your videos and hanging around your digital Web sites. Are you doing anything special for them, and how are you keeping them engaged?

The issue is that, as you nurture and grow your digital footprint, the dynamics change. What you did to attract the fans and followers may not be the best things to do to keep them engaged. Further, the metrics that you are using to measure your effectiveness change as well.

Social Media Modus gives us a few tips in their post, “How to keep your social media fans and followers coming back for more.”

Consistency matters. Sporadic posts and updates do not encourage other members to contribute. Make time to engage with your fans and followers on a regular basis. Answer all inquiries. The “face” of your social presence must be accessible and approachable for maximum engagement.

Put the primary focus on your members. Inevitably, the conversation must always come back to the residents’ and prospects’ experience. People don’t care about your apartments and services; ultimately, they care about themselves and their problems and concerns. Keep this in mind before you trumpet the virtues of your newest apartment feature.

Polling your fans and followers can yield greater engagement if it is relevant to your brand, or if it just plain strikes a chord. One of the best off-topic strings I ever saw was a post that asked, “Did your parent’s make you take piano lessons, and did they make you happier?” Be a conversation starter!

Witty comments on the news of the day will always get a little attention, as long as the viewpoint it express is likely to appeal to your members. Topical is fine, as long as it does not offend or alienate anyone. Along the same line as topical, expressing some good vibrations is a wonder to behold, and will have members “liking” your comment almost instantly. So, say something positive! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the children are singing. Try and inject a little positivity into everything you do and say. Your warmth will attract and encourage others.

Comment on the status of others. Show your support and commitment to engaging with them. It can be as simple as, “Hey! Thanks for posting! That was really cool!” Connect with other human beings and show your eagerness to be a part of the conversation.

Sincere expressions of support for a worthy charitable cause will always be viewed as a positive. Support a worthy cause, not because it makes you look good, but because it’s the right thing to do. Good things come back to you. The most influential content you have in your arsenal are the reviews and ratings from residents. It is perfectly acceptable for you to post excerpts and links to resident reviews, as the vast majority of customers want to hear about the experiences of others.

Turn your employees into rock stars! Your employees are the greatest asset you have. Talk about why and how they’re great at their jobs. Talk about what it is that they do. Post pictures of employees, your office building, your equipment, the view from the roof of your building. Put a face and place in your posts!