Social Media and the Private Rented Sector

A guest blog from Carla Bradman, who recently joined Young Group as our Marketing Communications Assistant

View Carla Bradman’s profile

It’s not a question of whether social media is an important tool for your company or the private rented sector in general. If social media is important to your customers or consumers, then it should be important to you.

So is social media important to your customers? Around one third of the British population is on facebook, with 5.3 million users living in London. Therefore if London habitants form part of your demographic, consider social media a set of tools that you must not blindly bypass.

It’s easier than ever to reach a large audience, but harder than ever to really connect with it.

Did You Know 4.0

Social media should be used in two ways – as a means of getting information into the public sphere, and as a way to build relationships that feel personal within the realm of the online world. Self-promotion is the reason behind the majority of forays into social media within a business context, but marketing yourself online involves a large degree of sensitivity. Starbucks do not interact with everyone who follows them on twitter or facebook as they can give away a cup of free coffee as an incentive for someone to ‘like’ them, actively using their product to promote their brand. However a social media strategy like theirs, one without a commitment to ongoing interaction with individual consumers, is a rare example of success and should not be seen as the norm. The reality for the private rented sector is that if you can’t offer a month’s unconditional free rent to everybody that ‘likes’ your facebook page and can only provide a branded pen as an incentive instead, ongoing communication and interaction is your best chance of securing fans online and in reality.

Simon Gordon, Head of External Relations at National Landlords Association, has also commented recently on the future of social media in the property industry.

We do use the social media at the NLA. Like many other organisations we have felt the need to embrace it and while we may not have got it all right we believe this is a powerful tool that cannot be ignored. We live in an age of almost instant communication and if the sector is to keep up with developments there is a role for social media. This is especially true of a sector like ours where there are reputational issues to be addressed and, at times, inaccurate perceptions to be corrected.

He raises an important point by suggesting that people use social media as a way to voice their complaints. Social media can provide a disgruntled customer with a very powerful tool, a loud voice that can travel across cities raising awareness to their cause. If you spend time monitoring feedback across social media platforms not only will you be provided with valuable customer feedback, you will also be in a position to cut negativity when it starts by contacting the disgruntled person immediately and providing them with the excellent service they desire.

Essentially, even a great social media strategy is likely to be worth little if the service or product you offer does not live up to expectations. Yet if your customer is important to you, communication is always key.

Suggested viewing

If you are still unconvinced about the power of social media this short video provides facts and figures illuminating just how many people use it and the numerous ways you can get involved.

Teaser: it took 38 years for radio, 13 years for television and 4 years for the internet to reach an audience of 50 million - it took facebook 2 years.

(Watch on YouTube).

Advertisement