Social media strategy for housing authorities: Share, engage, connect

When tasked with creating or updating a social media strategy for housing authorities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Finding shareable content is time-consuming, and the lack of engagement is frustrating.

We know residents and prospective clients are active on social media with Pew Research reporting that:

63% of adults earning less than $30,000 per year use at least one social media site

If a goal of your housing authority is to highlight agency initiatives and increase accessibility, then a comprehensive and integrated digital strategy is crucial.

However, many small organizations don’t have the workforce or budget for a full-time social media communications specialist. It helps to hire an agency to get you up and running, but small housing authorities can start by locating and sharing engaging social media content.

Find relevant, shareable content.

Coming up with hundreds of social media posts each month is a daunting task. Housing authorities save time by developing source lists for content.

• Provide the staff member(s) in charge of social media content with a spreadsheet listing the various sources.
• Locate information that meets your social strategy criteria using the source list.
• Then schedule content into your social media calendar for optimal engagement.

Engage your audience with a mix of social posts.

Share content that appeals to your housing residents. Do this by including social posts that cover all facets of low-income living, parenting, and housing. Use credible sources and follow your housing authority’s social media policy for the best results.

1. Free or low-cost family events. Post content about seatbelt and car seat checks at the local fire station, church dinners, blood drives, farmer’s markets, parades, and local library events.

2. College and job resources. Data from Pew Research shows that:

60% of adults with only a high school education use social media.

Posting community college bulletins, such as childcare, help with financial assistance, and job fairs benefit residents and those in the lower income community.

3. Important information. Get critical information to those who need it. Share housing and community news regarding cooling centers, emergency centers / services, plus product and food recalls.

4. Housing Authority bulletins. Keep residents up-to-date on what’s going on with your housing authority. Include press releases, the employee of the month, the resident of the month, housing newsletters, job openings, housing authority sponsored events, notice of inspections, and office closures.

5. Educational tips. Timely information helps residents handle various issues. Ideas like how to prevent frozen pipes or avoid a lockout fee boost awareness. For better results, pair the data with a visual. According to Fast Company:

65% of people are visual learners

Whether your housing authority uses short videos or well-developed infographics—images keep residents engaged.

6. Housing industry content. Curate a list of trusted sites and social media feeds from which to share content. Local HUD offices and government organizations provide a significant amount of valuable information. Use these sites to bulk up your social media calendar.

Include residents in your social media strategy for housing authorities.

7. Locate active public housing residents on social media and ask to connect. A successful social media strategy empowers residents and engages residents. Reaching out to community members makes your housing authority more accessible.

• Glean valuable insight by encouraging housing residents to send in compelling content.
• Consider tagging community members who have shared information. Doing so provides social proof and gives your housing authority access to friends and family of the housing resident.

Developing social posts and a social following takes work, time, and consistency. Moreover, it requires housing authorities to analyze their results. Increase your housing authority’s accessibility with a strong social media strategy that includes a wide array of relevant information.