4 Ways Property Managers Can Use Facebook

And 6 Best Practices

for Doing it Effectively

IREMMarch 22, 2011

Kendall Shifflerwww.loweroaklawn.comwww.pegasusablon.com

LowerOakLawn.com

Why Facebook?

Facebook User Growth

• In Feb 2011 Facebook had 650 million users

Chart Source: http://bit.ly/fbgrowthchart

Map Source: http://bit.ly/worldmapofsocial

Facebook: Then & Now

Then - 2008• 150m Facebook users• A “new” Facebook Mobile• Facebook as another

destination• Early adopters had pages• SMB dominated• Simple “best practices”• Not a serious marketing

channel

Now - 2011

• 650+ m Facebook users• 200+ million mobile users• Facebook as “social

infrastructure”• EVERYONE has a Page• Massive intrusion by

enterprises, brands• Best practices less impact• Higher expectations than ever

from CMOs, marketing professionals

Slide Credit: Chris Treadway (@ctreada)

Social Media Marketing Activity

with the Highest ROI

Not using Facebookis no longer an option.

4 Way Property Managers Can Use Facebook

1. Be Found

• Big corporate websites don’t always have micro-sites for individual properties.– Expensive to set up.– Difficult to maintain.

• Facebook is free an most everyone knows how to use it!

• Facebook pages rank well in searchQuick Tip: Be sure to secure your vanity URL. e.g. www.Facebook.com/LowerOakLawn

2. Communicate Effectively

• “But I already have a newsletter. Isn’t that enough?”– Facebook offers two way conversation– Metrics (“Facebook Insights”) allow you to

track the effectiveness of your content

• Your tenants are on Facebook– Allows you to get out of their inbox and into

their social sphere

3. Build Relationships

• Encourages informal conversation• Resident retention

– ROI through relationships

4. Brand Building

• Just as your company has a brand, so does your property.

• Gives a back story to prospective tenants

Best Practices

1. Merely having a presence is no longer a best practice. You actually have to build on it.

2. Make it easy to connect: Leave additional contact info.

3. Be human: Add pictures of people

4. Shine light on others to build your brand: Tag early and often

5. Update often & on message: Schedule posts and topics on an editorial calendar. Set aside time each week to focus on Facebook

6. Offer incentive: Give your tenants a reason to connect through Facebook with original content

Questions?

Connect with Me:

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www.pegasusablon.com

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twitter.com/loweroaklawn

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Quick Tip: Check out our newest venture into social media marketing by reading our Insight blog at PegasusAblon.com