Social media has radically transformed the ways in which people communicate—including people within a community association. Indeed, many HOA boards have taken to using social media sites to communicate with their residents. Should your HOA follow suit? That depends on numerous factors—on how tech-savvy your residents are, for one thing—but to be sure, there are some strong benefits that come from implementing HOA social media communications.
One of the most significant benefits is paper reduction. You can use Facebook and Twitter to send out announcements and reminders, without having to send out paper mailers. Of course, there will still be some very important announcements for which you will want to use physical mailers, but the simple truth is that HOAs that use social media dramatically reduce their use of paper.
Another perk to social media is that it will allow your HOA to convey a sense of organization, and to communicate clearly with residents; in many communities, lack of communication and organization is the #1 complaint that residents have about their HOA board, so this is really a huge boon! Do you have a summer block party or community meeting coming up? Create an event page on Facebook and LinkedIn. Use Twitter to send out reminders. There is no limit to the ways in which HOA social media can help your board to plan events and to keep residents in the loop.
Finally, social media is important because it helps residents feel as though they are active participants in the community; they can be in-the-know about coming events, and they can leave feedback, knowing that their opinions are seen and heard. The importance of this is difficult to overstate.
The bottom line is that your community can likely benefit from implementing HOA social media in some form or fashion—so start brainstorming some social media ideas today!