Social media advertising is a relatively new tool for apartment lead generation. Many facets of apartment social media advertising are largely unknown to community managers and management companies. There are constant changes that create new ways to find qualified prospects. Facebook advertising is typically the focus of conversation, and what many don’t realize is Instagram advertising goes hand-in-hand with Facebook. Ad dollars are spent on both platforms when running a social media campaign. So it’s important to ensure you are doing all you can to get the best results on both Facebook and Instagram with your apartment advertising dollars.
Connecting your Apartment Instagram and Apartment Facebook Pages
When running an apartment Facebook advertising campaign you will automatically run ads on Instagram. Without connecting your community’s Instagram account to your community’s Facebook page, these apartment Instagram ads will run from a pre-made Instagram page that users cannot click on. This will not allow them to visit your community’s Instagram page after seeing your Instagram ad. This means the community loses any chance at further social media interaction through your Instagram ad. To fix this problem you can connect your apartment Instagram account to your apartment Facebook page by following the steps below:
- Open your community’s Facebook page in Business Manager
- Click on Settings
- Select Instagram from the menu on the left
- Click Connect and log in to your apartment Instagram account to finish the connection
Once your Facebook and Instagram pages are connected, anyone seeing apartment ads on either platform will be able to go to your apartment website for more information or directly to your apartment social media pages.
Considering Instagram when Creating Apartment Ads
Though very similar, there are some minor differences in creatives that perform well on Instagram vs. Facebook. It is important to make sure images and videos are high quality when doing any form of social advertising, particularly on Instagram. Instagram ads are primarily image/video based so performance is heavily dependent on this piece of the ad. It is also important to consider the size differences between Instagram and Facebook placements. On Instagram, squares often perform better, so 1080×1080 is the best size creative to use. Creating apartment ads on Instagram and Facebook is relatively straightforward. Ensuring your creatives look the way you want them to on both platforms just requires some further attention to detail.
Does Instagram make sense?
You have the ability to turn off Instagram placements and only focus on Facebook when running social advertising campaigns. You should consider the audiences on both platforms and whether or not your potential renters spend a lot of time on them. Specific areas of Multifamily such as student housing and communities in big cities often have great success with apartment ads on Instagram, while a 55+ community may not enjoy the same results. Oftentimes the best course of action is to run your apartment ads on both platforms and keep a close eye on the results from each, letting the data tell you where to focus your attention.
Conclusion
Instagram advertising is something that is largely overlooked in the apartment social media advertising space. As the platform continues to grow and proves to be a consistent source of qualified apartment leads, communities focusing on it will see continued success.
Respage specializes in apartment Instagram and Facebook advertising. We bring 18+ years of Multifamily expertise and an agency approach without the agency prices. Reach out to us today for more information on how an apartment social media advertising campaign can bring you more qualified leads!
