Social media is a necessity when it comes to community marketing, but what you get out of it will depend on how savvy your engagement is. When it comes to low or no-cost marketing, learning how to use social media to your advantage is worth the time investment.

When marketing your community on social media, there should be a distinct focus on engagement. Afterall, that's the biggest perk social media has to offer. With it, you can communicate with your brand personality, and have current or prospective residents communicate back, building real relationships and organic connections in a way that no other marketing strategy allows. How should you approach your social media posts for maximum engagement? We at OccupancySolutions.com have a few ideas:

  • Before and after posts -- Have you updated a residence lately? What about a community area? Cleaned up a garden? Before and after posts show the kind of work you're putting into your community, and they create a great pathway for engagement.
  • Community walkthroughs -- Video content is a huge deal in social media today. With TikTok, Reels, and YouTube, short-form videos are something that many seek out first when they sign onto their favorite social media platforms. If you're using any of these video-based platforms, community walkthroughs show a real glimpse into your neighborhood culture. These walkthroughs can include a general walk through your community, saying hello to your residents. They can include residence tours. They may even include meet and greet tours of your offices and staff.
  • Build community connections -- Social media provides a unique networking benefit not just between individuals, but between organizations or businesses as well. With social media, you can connect with other local businesses and share one another's posts for extra engagement and exposure.
  • Host contests -- Contests are a really fun and engaging way to get your community members to market your community for you. A photo contest, for instance, where you encourage your residents to take a photo of their favorite space within your community drums up share-worthy excitement.
  • Share local facts and history -- Chances are, there's plenty of interesting things about your area that many people may not know yet. Sharing local facts and bits of history gives you very shareable content that can help to garner genuine interest in your community and your brand.

When used strategically, social media is a tool that will work hard for any community management team. For more information on community marketing strategy, contact OccupancySolutions.com today.