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10 Crucial Things Your Community Management Company SHOULD Be Doing
A growing question within the community association industry is whether or not community associations should have a presence within social media. Today I will discuss the pros and cons.
Pros:
1. Easy access to building and community updates by board members and homeowners
2. Easy systems to learn, no expensive or lengthy training needed for users and/or administrators.
3.Potential buyers and real estate agents marketing the property would have access to latest news
4. Communities can share their best practices more easily with other communities so that there is more synergy between the 40,000+ communities within Illinois
5. Property Managers can also share their achievements online and help other property managers to work more efficiently and more effectively. It could serve as a way for management companies to further share their victories and gain new clients.
6. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter seem to be the three most popular tools. Google+ is a growing tool as well.
7. Facebook more of a social angle with more and more adults getting on the system while fewer teens are now using it.
8. LinkedIn is used mostly to connect with other people for business purposes.
9.Twitter could be used for simply news updates or emergency messages.
10. It would cost the associations and management companies $0 for access to these online social media tools as they are all free
Cons:
1. There needs to be a consistent approach and if left ungoverned could lead to inconsistent messaging
2. Opens up the association and property manager to potentially negative and damaging commentary and vice versa
3. More work for the property manager and/or board of directors
4. Most management companies already have their own communication portal so it might be easier for the messaging and communication system to remain as is.
5. Too hard to manage 3 or more social media avenues ie. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc.
6. Who would monitor all the conversations?
7. Ultimately, what would be the true purpose or benefit to the homeowners who are paying the assessments?
8. The risks of a damaging lawsuit could out weight the benefits
9. The change in the board and change in managers would make it an additional challenge to all people involved in the effort
10. It might discourage people from making the effort to attend the board meetings, social gatherings, and committee meetings. In the end, isn’t it better to actually have face to face contact with your community association neighbors?
