From Facebook to Pinterest, today’s digital landscape offers dozens of platforms for multifamily marketers to choose from. How do the most popular options compare, and what opportunities does each channel provide for advertising your apartments? Let’s take a closer look.
Why use social media for multifamily marketing?
Social media can be an important branch of your marketing strategy. When done effectively, social media marketing can expand your online presence, boost your brand awareness and reputation to potential renters, and enhance your resident communications.
This guide will walk you through today’s top players in the social media landscape.
Facebook: the information network
What it is: One of the oldest social media networks still dominant today, Facebook is the third most visited website behind Google and YouTube. Owned by parent company Meta, it’s a sister site to the photo-based app Instagram and new platform Threads.
What it’s for: Facebook serves as an information hub, ideal for establishing a business profile and sharing news and articles.
Who’s on it: With 264 million active users in the U.S. per month, Facebook is among the most popular platforms today, although its growth is declining among younger audiences.
How it relates to multifamily: With a broad audience, Facebook offers an easy and effective way to establish a business profile, which can boost your online visibility and search rankings. It’s also an effective way to drive traffic to your website.
Instagram: the curated network
What it is: Under the Meta umbrella, this photo- and video-sharing platform is built on images and video-based reels. Users communicate through captions and comments and navigate via tags.
What it’s for: Instagram lets users connect with culture, trends, brands, and influencers.
Who’s on it: With 160 million active users per month, Instagram is especially popular among Gen Z.
How it relates to multifamily: Instagram offers easy and low-cost ways to reach local prospects and residents. Through features like geotagging, you can discover local content as well as ensure your posts reach a local audience.
TikTok: the entertainment network
What it is: This short-form video hosting site is one of the most popular websites across the globe, ranking among the most downloaded apps. Owned by Chinese-based parent company ByteDance, TikTok features user-posted videos that are typically between three and 10 seconds long.
What it’s for: The social destination for influencers and creative, viral, and authentic short-form video content, TikTok has begun to outrank traditional search engines like Google as the go-to search engine for younger audiences.
Who’s on it: With 164 million active users per month, TikTok skews heavily to Gen Z. This generation often watches social media videos in the way that older generations watched TV.
How it relates to multifamily: With Gen Z increasingly using TikTok in place of a search engine, the platform lets renters find authentic reviews and stories, offering users an inside look at life in your community.
X (formerly Twitter): the conversation network
What it is: Now rebranding as X under new leadership, the social platform Twitter is built around short text-based posts, known as tweets, which can form conversations, or threads, among multiple users.
What it’s for: This social media site is the destination for learning, interacting, and connecting in real time as events unfold.
Who’s on it: Twitter has 77 million active users per month.
How it relates to multifamily: While Twitter doesn’t drive a high volume of outbound clicks, it’s the one of the most popular platforms for breaking news and can be an effective way to share information about local events.
LinkedIn: the business network
What it is: Founded 20 years ago, this network connects employers, employees, and job hunters and continues to be one of the top destinations for job searches. The site is now owned by Microsoft and relies on a Facebook-like feed where users can post articles, photos, and comments.
What it’s for: The destination for business, career development, and employment, LinkedIn is the top platform for B2B marketers.
Who’s on it: LinkedIn boasts an impressive 424 million active users a month, including adults of all ages.
How it relates to multifamily: Ideal for establishing your presence as an employer and attracting new employees, LinkedIn is an important tool for building your brand but should be avoided for communications with current or potential residents.
Pinterest: the inspiration network
What it is: Based on the concept of a bulletin board, Pinterest is an image-sharing social media network that lets users find and share ideas such as lifestyle tips, design inspiration, and arts and crafts. Searches within the site are 97 percent content driven.
What it’s for: A leader in trend forecasts, Pinterest is the go-to site for sourcing ideas and saving them for later. It lets users build collections of content around specific themes.
Who’s on it: With 85 million users a month, Pinterest skews overwhelmingly female.
How it relates to multifamily: Pinterest lets you create boards for lifestyle topics or events that your renters and residents may be interested in.
Snapchat: the interactive network
What it is: Snapchat is a visual social media platform that lets users share instant messages, photos, and short-form video content that is visible for a short period of time and then disappears. Its features include stories (photos and videos visible for 24 hours), memories (saved photos for sharing later), and stickers (customizable add-ons to photos and videos).
What it’s for: Designed for capturing memories with friends and family, Snapchat offers users a way to share content of a fleeting nature.
Who’s on it: Numbering 150 million per month, Snapchat’s active users are among the most engaged of social media users, returning to the app multiple times a day.
How it relates to multifamily: Because of its emphasis on temporary and in-the-moment content, Snapchat can be used to post about recent and upcoming events, resident appreciation, and similarly timely topics.
Threads: the emerging network
What it is: The newest social media network to attract attention, Threads was launched in 2023 by Meta. Built to rival Twitter, the text-based platform lets users post, reply to, repost, and like content.
What it’s for: Threads is for sharing text updates and joining public conversations. Unlike Twitter, Threads is not intended to promote news or political content, and it allows longer text posts and videos than its competitor.
Who’s on it: After amassing a record-breaking number of users within five days of launching, Threads currently has 8 million active users. Closely linked to Instagram, users who sign up must use their Instagram account to do so.
How it relates to multifamily: While the future of Threads is still unclear, the site can be used for updates on community life and brand engagement.
Interested in personalized support with your social media strategy? Check out Apartments.com’s Social Media & Reputation Suite.
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