Facebook’s Impact on Multifamily-The Now Part I

Early in February, Facebook released numerous changes to how Facebook pages now operate. The moment I reviewed these changes one of my first thoughts were towards the increased opportunities for building partnership marketing opportunities. The ability to post as your Facebook page as opposed to your personal profile will have a significant impact on your brand awareness and will have an impact on your apartment community.

Up until this point when you wanted to comment on a page that you “liked” it came from your personal profile. Now you can easily switch between your personal profile and your business page. It took me a little bit to figure out what needed to be done to accomplish this. Just as on your personal profile you have the opportunity to “like” various pages, with your business page you will need to “like” pages that you partner with in order to see them in your status feed and make any comments you wish. Think of the impact now this will have. Picture this scenario. Kim Cory from University Village partners with Formaggio’s Pizza. Kim now has the opportunity to post and update as University Village. Now all the people who are fans of Formaggio’s Pizza will see University Village commenting as opposed to Kim Cory. How do you think this will impact University Village’s brand awareness? There would obviously be a significant difference. Take a look at this screen capture. The bottom image is an option that has been available from the get go. Tagging a fan page in an update was and still is a way to create brand awareness. The top image is part of what is new and available. You can now post on the wall of Facebook page as your page and you can comment in like manner.

Here is where I am going to through a process into the pot. What kind of time are you willing to spend to help create that brand awareness in your community? How often should you be posting and what should you be saying? What kind of impact could you expect from a solid comprehensive approach to partnership marketing using Facebook? Its real simple folks. People who are fans of University Village see them interacting with Formaggio’s and that brings business to them. People who love Formaggio’s but are not residents of University Village see the two brands interacting on Formaggio’s page and that brings potential new residents to UV.

Statistics continue to mount regarding the amount of dollars shifting towards inbound marketing as opposed to outbound as a result of their cost effectiveness and much higher overall conversion. So the question is what will we be doing to leverage this for our communities? How quickly are you willing to make adjustments in your strategy and partnership marketing program to avail yourself of these tools? Please share any thoughts or expressions in the comment section below.

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Written by Jonathan Saar

pf button Facebook’s Impact on Multifamily The Now Part I

http://www.firstlightpropertymanagement.com/ Trevor Henson

Very well put, Jonathan. This same discussion was going around our property management office a few days ago and we did not walk away a solid conclusion (that and the phone rang, a prospect walked in and client all at the same time). Your example above is clear example of the possibilities available. Props also to Kim Cory for the fine demonstration! Let the cross-brand promotions begin!
http://www.thetrainingfactor.com/ Jonathan Saar

Those crazy distractions! As property management companies continue to nurture ways to cut costs and/or have a better return on their marketing dollars, what Facebook has done cannot be ignored. The dedication needs to be there though to improve those relationships through regular interaction and conversation. Thanks Trevor for sharing the post on Twitter and for taking the time to share your thoughts here today!
Kim Cory

Thanks Jonathan for sharing my example and bringing up this topic. You are so right in the past I could not comment on my partners fan page as University Village, but as myself. It just did not hold the same value to the audience as I am sure they were asking who the heck is Kim Cory? LOL Anyway in the past we had to rely on co-branding each other through tagging in our actual status post. This new feature on a Facebook fan page is AMAZING for us and now allows us to talk directly with our partners fan pages directly on their wall and comments. It has taken some time to invest and work with each of these partners so we are both benefiting from the co-branding, but has brought increased awareness of our brand image. It truly allows us to showcase who we are and show our loyalty and good will. Our fans love it and hopefully their fans love it too! If your already working with a local businesses in your area for the benefit of your residents, then it’s time to take it a step further and strengthen those relationships through Facebook! I know I have and it’s amazing how many you can connect with so quickly rather than having to pick up the phone or make an in person visit…not only to mention the increased visibility of what you are actually doing together!
http://www.thetrainingfactor.com/ Jonathan Saar

I appreciate you Kim always being ready and willing to embrace whatever new tools you perceive as value to your overall approach. Your page has one of the best interactions overall so this new addition by Facebook will only help facilitate continued results for you and the UV team. Thanks for your help on todays post.