B2B Social Media for Multifamily Vendors and Suppliers

SOCIAL MARKETING &ENGAGEMENT IN MULTIFAMILY

Charity Hisle, Socially Engaged MarketingEric Matulka, DEI Communities

Christina Clark, Christina Clark Consulting (Moderator)

@SoEngaged - @EMatulka - @ccctraining3

Copyright © 2011 - 2012 Socially Engaged Marketing®

Audience Survey• Are there any property management

professionals in the audience?• Suppliers:

Service? Marketing & Advertising? Technology?

• Social: Personal Facebook? Professional Facebook? Twitter?

77% of buyers say they are more likely to buy from a company whose CEO uses social media.


Times have changed…

82% of employees say they trust a company more when the CEO & leadership team communicate via social media.


Clients expect to communicate on social media.

Only 16% of b2b marketers are producing mobile-specific content as part of their content marketing efforts.


Agenda

• Popular social networking sites– Relationship-building– Prospecting

• Strategy• Measurement• Time Management

Only 25% of companies offer social business trainingto their employees.


Focus: Facebook

Photos perform better on Facebook for likes, comments and shares than text, links or video.


Photo Credit: Pan Xunbin

http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-589846p1.html?cr=00&pl=edit-00

Connecting with multifamily industry vendors and suppliers on Facebook is helpful or educational.

Yes84%

No16%

52% of consumers say they have stopped following a brand on Facebook because the posts are “too repetitive & boring.”


“I have looked into products that I would not have explored.”

“Not a place I do business.”

“I would prefer helpful/useful information posts.”









FacebookTakeaways

• Brand your company Facebook page and fill-in all of the page information and milestones

• Use pictures in updates whenever possible – convert text to images

• Run contests, promotions and ads


Focus: LinkedIn

LinkedIn generates more leads for b2b companies than Facebook, Twitter or blogs.


Connecting with multifamily industry vendors and suppliers on LinkedIn is helpful or educational.

Only 47% of b2b companies are actively using LinkedInvs. 90% that are actively using Facebook.

Yes76%

No24%


“The one thing that annoys me, as a property manager, is to be participating in a LinkedIn group discussion and… a vendor tries to sell their product.”





I use the “Groups” and/or “Questions” options within LinkedIn to learn from and connect with other multifamily industry:

Employees/Candidates

Vendors/Suppliers

Property Management Professionals

40.80%

55.10%

89.80%

64% of Facebook users have liked a brand on Facebook.


“I’ve found that discussions on LinkedIn often pique my interest and I have connected with industry vendors there… actually that’s how I found this survey!”


“I love the groups! Great ideas! Great way to connect! I have posted questions and had a vendor contact me with a solution to my problem I didn’t even know they offered!”






LinkedInTakeaways

• Complete the company profile, include images for brand recognition and links to the website.

• Participate in Groups and Answers.• Connect with industry businesses and

professionals, share interesting and useful resources.


Focus: Twitter

34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter and 20% have closed deals.


Photo Credit: waynehowes


Connecting with multifamily industry vendors and suppliers on Twitter is helpful or educational.

There are now roughly 100 million active Twitter users (those who log in at least once per day).

Yes53%

No47%


“… as long as the posts are not spammy i.e. consistently self -promotional.”




TwitterTakeaways

• Use to communicate with prospects and customers about industry-related news, topics and ideas.

• Use photos and names of real people in your company – don’t be afraid of personality!

• Ask questions and reply to others.


Focus: Pinterest

Pinterest generated more referral traffic for businesses than Google+, YouTube, and LinkedIn combined.


Connecting with multifamily industry vendors and suppliers on Pinterest is helpful or educational.

Pinterest is the 3rd largest social network in the U.S., only behind Facebook and Twitter.

Yes55%

No45%


“Helpful tips and tricks are always welcomed.”

“I have seen several creative ideas… that I normally wouldn’t have seen.”





PinterestTakeaways

• Use keyword-rich descriptions of pins and links.

• Share (re-pin), like and comment on other industry pins.

• Add ‘shareable’ images to your website and the “Pin it” button.


Focus: Google+Google+ is expected to reach 400 million users by

the end of 2012.


Photo Credit: AHMAD FAIZAL YAHYA





Google+Takeaways

• Complete and customize your company page.• Add industry professionals, companies and

other vendors to your circles.• Share industry updates and news, remember

to +1 and comment on other content regularly.


Focus: YouTube

Viewers are 85% more likely to purchase a productafter watching a product video.


Photo Credit: Annette Shaff





YouTubeTakeaways

• Customize your own company channel.• Engage with the community but remove

offensive comments.• Organize content, use tags, and distribute the

videos on other networks and platforms: website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.


Focus: Foursquare Foursquare has 20 million active users &

receives 5 million check-ins daily.


Photo Credit: Annette Shaff




FoursquareTakeaways

• Reward check-ins at tradeshows & events.• Check-in with clients (visits & meetings), leave

Foursquare tips at client offices.• Reward employees for check-ins: sales team

competitions and in-house “mayors” of the week.


Focus: Instagram Since Oct. 2010, Instagram has acquired 30 million+ users &

should reach 100 million by Oct. 2012.




InstagramTakeaways

• Best used in conjunction with event & tradeshow marketing, contests for employees & clients.

• Introduce your team, share company events and news, share charitable and corporate responsibility initiatives, behind-the-scenes.

• Demonstrate product or service in action, share sales/promotions.


Strategy

90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Visuals are processed 60,000 x’s faster in the brain than text.


StrategyTakeaways

• Integrate social media into the marketing plan• Understand your audience – who they are and

what they want• Enlist customers and industry influencers that

love your brand for help


Measurement

Social networking accounted for all page views onmobile phones in 2011.


MeasurementTakeaways

• Create metrics that track the success of your desired objectives.

• Understand which metrics are most valuable(fans and followers vs. engagement and traffic)

• Track everything with unique url’s and analytics, measure to improve.


Time Management

24% of small & 30% of mid-size companies are confused about which social sites make sense for their business.


Time Management Takeaways

• Create a regular posting schedule, pre-schedule content weekends & vacations.

• Establish a list of resources for content: other industry pages, blogs, websites, magazines, newspapers, client pages, etc.

• Use the right tools to maximize productivity.


Questions?@SoEngaged @CharityHisleFacebook.com/SoEngaged

sociallyengagedmarketing.com


B2B Social Media for Multifamily Vendors and Suppliers

Real Estate

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social marketing engagement

content marketing efforts

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professional facebook

personal facebook

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