Twitter for Apartment Marketing: Start the Conversation that Leads to Leases
I know that there are some of you out there that still aren’t buying the long-term benefits of Twitter for apartment marketing. You know what? A few years ago, I wouldn’t have bought it either. But as marketers and brands alike have jumped on Twitter to “sell, sell, sell”, the team at GTMA understand that it takes a different approach to reach the potential residents that you seek. We touched on this on a basic level in an earlier blog post, but this time around we wanted to show you how it’s really done.
Using Twitter’s Search Tool
The Twitter search tool is located at the upper right-hand corner of the “Home Page”. You probably already knew it was there, but didn’t know what to search for. You can search for a number of different things, such as users, hashtags, and even phrases. For this purpose, we’re going to search for Twitter users tweeting the phrase “moving to Houston.” While you may not think that people are tweeting that much about their personal lives, the truth is that they are. All.The.Time.
In this small sample, I already see three opportunities to introduce your apartment community to potential residents. If you’re expecting to close the deal right now, you’re wrong. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: do not hard sell on social.
Create and Nurture the Relationship
Okay, so you found some people to tweet to. Now what? Well, It’s a good thing that Twitter is like a cocktail party because you just overheard a conversation happening that you can lend value to. I know what you’re thinking, that’s creepy. Rest assured most people are sending their tweets out there because they want people to read them. And when someone actually responds, they get excited (or at least I do).
@throwyadiamonds Heck yeah! What part of Houston you lookin’ at?
— Alta Heights Apts (@AltaHeightsApts) June 5, 2014
What Alta Heights Apartments did here was show enthusiasm about living in Houston and immediately asked a question about what neighborhood they were looking at. This extends the interaction and Alta Heights gets to know more about what this potential resident’s needs are. If they can, great. If not, then they can at least be a trusting source of great information about Houston, and who knows, maybe down the line they’ll get that lease.
There a lot of ways to start the conversation, but sometimes you get handed the golden egg.
@sevencard2003 We’re pretty awesome: http://t.co/YX1EhKRnQy
— Turnberry Towers (@TurnberryLV) October 29, 2014
The Next Steps
Maybe they clicked through to your website, or let’s say they replied back detailing more information about the apartment home they are looking for. It’s important to keep customer service in the forefront of your mind at this stage of the interaction. Depending on their comfort level, getting them to schedule a tour is as easy as giving out the number to the leasing office or a link to the “contact us” form on your community’s website. Or better yet, invite them to share their contact info via Twitter’s direct message. That’s the quickest way to ensure that you’ll be in touch with this future resident. If you’re utilizing apartment video tours (which you should be), remember to send those over as well so that they can get to the community a little better. This is a surefire way to get them excited about booking a tour.
What Did We Learn
Well, I hope we learned how to use Twitter to lease apartments. However, it’s more than that. It’s about creating touchpoints with people that could either be your resident or your neighbor. Use the search tool, find the people, and just talk to them. Or have us do it for you.
Is your apartment community currently using Twitter for apartment marketing? What strategies are you employing to connect with people? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter at @GoToMyApartment.