You may remember the electronic survey in last month’s newsletter focusing on social media usage within the multifamily industry. Our readers were asked to respond on behalf of their company’s social media use and strategies, rather than personal use of social media. The survey was designed to gauge the use of social media within the multifamily industry and asked participants to share their social media success stories and ideas. The results are in:

Those who took our survey ranked the top reasons for participating in social media as first: marketing to prospects, and second: communicating with residents. Although marketing took the top spot, several responses made a compelling case for using social media first and foremost as a retention tool. One participant wrote,

“I have found that social media is more successful at retention and communication than recruitment of new business. Too often I hear employees desiring to place their current specials and discounts on their social media outlets. In most cases, your ‘fans’ are current residents, and are most likely paying more than the advertised special. Use of social media is much more successful at attracting business if you are giving something back to your current residents in exchange for their help in recruiting it.”

It came as no surprise that among our survey participants, Facebook is the leading social media website. We were surprised, however, at the low percentage of respondents who use blogs for social media. As a result, we see this area as one for potential growth. Many marketing professionals agree that blogging is not only a great way to engage with your audience, but also serves to effectively generate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your marketing websites. Jay Ehret, a marketing consultant for small businesses from @TheMarketingSpot, recently tweeted, “Your blog is the Sun of your online solar system.” Implementing a community blog can effectively center your social media efforts.

We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in our social media survey and will be offering more opportunities for feedback in future newsletters. If you’re interested in viewing our complete survey results, click here to download the report. If you’d like to learn more about community blogs and how you can implement your own, contact your Account Manager at Property Solutions.