The Key Skills Leasing Staff Need to Succeed on Social Media

In today’s digital-first world, social media is more than just a platform for brands to promote their properties. It’s a powerful tool that allows leasing staff to build authentic connections, engage with prospects, and ultimately increase lease conversions. But here's the thing: social media doesn’t have to be perfect or professionally produced to work. In fact, today's renters crave authenticity and are more likely to connect with genuine, behind-the-scenes content that showcases the true essence of a community.

As leasing professionals, there are a few key skills and strategies to master in order to harness the power of social media without feeling overwhelmed. Let’s break down the top skills I teach in my training sessions that help leasing staff elevate their social media game.

1. Understanding Your Analytics

One of the first steps in becoming a social media pro is learning how to read and analyze your social media analytics. Analytics give you valuable insights into what type of content resonates with your audience. Are your residents engaging more with posts that show behind-the-scenes moments? Or do they respond better to community events or resident testimonials? By looking at past posts and their performance, you can make more informed decisions moving forward.

For instance, if a post showing your maintenance team's hard work received high engagement, you might want to create more content highlighting that team, such as "a day in the life" or showing them fixing something around the property. Analytics allow you to continually refine and optimize your strategy, helping to ensure your social media efforts are moving the needle.

2. Developing a Social Media Mindset

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to creating content, especially when you’re balancing multiple responsibilities. But the key is to shift your mindset and ask yourself a few critical questions before posting: How is this valuable to the viewer? Is this something that will make them want to take action, whether that’s engaging with the post or scheduling a tour? Would I personally take action on this content if I were in their shoes?

By always keeping the viewer’s perspective in mind, you can create more targeted, valuable content that resonates with your audience. Whether it’s sharing an important community update or a fun behind-the-scenes look at life on the property, always ask yourself how it will benefit your residents or prospects.

3. Being Process-Oriented: Create a Content Calendar

One of the biggest challenges leasing staff face with social media is time management. With everything else on their plates, posting regularly can quickly become a stressful and overwhelming task. That’s where being process-based comes in. I always encourage leasing teams to create a content calendar to organize and plan their posts in advance.

Having a calendar allows you to map out what you want to post and when, ensuring you stay consistent and organized. Plus, it frees up time for creativity—when you don’t have to rush to create content at the last minute, you can put more thought into making it engaging and valuable.

4. Batching Your Content

Batching content is another key strategy to help leasing staff stay on top of social media without feeling overwhelmed. By setting aside a day to create multiple posts in one sitting, you can schedule them for the upcoming weeks. This allows you to focus on other tasks without worrying about getting a post out every single day.

Batching content also helps maintain consistency in messaging. When you plan posts ahead of time, you can ensure that your content aligns with your overall strategy and branding.

5. Telling an Authentic Story

At the heart of social media success is authenticity. Prospects aren’t looking for glossy, perfect advertisements—they want to see the human side of your community. Sharing behind-the-scenes moments, like setting up for an event or showing off how your team handles maintenance issues, makes your property feel more real and relatable.

Social media is a great place to build that connection, and you don’t need to be a professional videographer, content creator, or designer to succeed. Instead of focusing on perfection, focus on telling the story of your community in an honest and engaging way.

Social media doesn’t have to be a daunting task for leasing professionals. By focusing on analytics, developing the right mindset, staying organized with content calendars, batching posts, and creating authentic content, leasing staff can effectively leverage social media to boost engagement, attract new prospects, and ultimately increase leases. Remember, social media is about connection—not perfection. When you master these strategies, your community’s social presence will become a powerful asset in your leasing efforts.