Pinterest is a new but RAPIDLY growing social network which can be a powerful tool for the promotion of a property management business and/or apartment building. The website was imagined as a place where users would communicate by creating picture boards and adding pictures (called “pins”) to the boards for the entire world to see. Pinterest has gained a very large following (104 million+ and growing) during its relative short life span and is now, according to Mashable and Yahoo!, the third most-popular social network. Even though the social media platform communicates primarily through pictures, businesses have quickly adapted their marketing strategy to incorporate its popularity.
I know what you are thinking: “How can a property management company possibly engage the audience on Pinterest? We don’t have pictures of food, crafts or cats anywhere in our business or rental marketing material!” Fear not, fair Reader, for we shall explore the wild world of Pinterest and how you (like me) can use it to your advantage in the property management arena.
Step 1: Become a Pinterest User
First things first: create a Pinterest account by requesting an invite from Pinterest.com. Decide whether to use your name; the name of your property management company; or the name of your apartment community. The name choice will depend entirely on your target market depending on the target market. Are you promoting a specific apartment building or your property management corporation as a whole?
Whichever name direction is decided, remember to include as much detail in the profile description as possible, including the business URL and a specific marketing message.
Now all you have to do is connect your Facebook and Twitter profiles to the Pinterest account accordingly. When Facebook is connected to the account, Pinterest will list your friends that currently have accounts on the platform – I suggest following all of them (this will help your account to gain exposure).
Step 2: Begin to Pin
All set up? Great! Now the fun starts: begin to pin! Good practice is to pin constantly but not to “over-pin” (yes that is a word). Pin images on a regular basis, but don’t crowd more than (3) pins in at any one time. Spacing out the posts over time (which holds true on all other social media channels, as well) allow visitors to see your content and remain interested.
Use your knowledge and influence from other social networks to make relevant, ENGAGING, comments on the pins from other users. Also be sure to re-pin images that you find appealing (other pinners love this – trust me).
Step 3: Find or Create Pins of Interest
Use your property management expertise to create pins that are of interest to others in the pinning community. Here a few ideas to get you started:
-“Before and after” photos of major apartment turn-over renovations
-Photos of community events in and around the neighborhood(s) of your apartment buildings
-Pins of interesting things-to-do and places-to-go in the city where your property management company conducts business. Bonus points if the pin relates to something only locals might know about (example: Movie Night in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery)
-Quality images of apartment rentals that have just become available for lease (suggestion: add the link to your listing details in the description of the pin).
-Create Memes using a free online tool (I use quickmeme.com) and post them to a custom Pin Board. Here is an example of a meme that I have created to promote the Los Angeles lifestyle:
The full set of memes can be found here: “10 Reasons to Live in Los Angeles!”
Be sure to share the newly created pins on all other social media channels to maximize visibility (Twitter, Facebook, G+).
What strategies or techniques do you use on Pinterest to help promote your property management company? I would love to hear your ideas/feedback!
Have a great weekend, #multifamily. _Trevor