Social media has become the easiest way to get a message across a large audience very quickly. Like most businesses, HOAs can use social media to broadcast relevant information, get to know their audience and host discussions on relevant topics. It doesn’t take a tech-savvy board member to know platforms like Facebook can be uniquely beneficial to spreading important communications to homeowners. But, before your HOA starts creating accounts, remember social media is only effective when used strategically.

The following list will help you build a social media strategy tailored to your community and its needs.

Outline your policy.

Before anything more than a profile is made public, the board should take the time to define the social media policy of the HOA’s official account. Taking time to define your social media policy and following it can protect you from the unique pitfalls of these platforms, and it increases your effectiveness. A proper policy should include audience, objectives, and moderation policy and community standards.

Define objectives.

Once you have a policy, sit down with your board and property management company to talk about what your HOA would like to accomplish with social media. Having a defined objective keeps your page focused and posting succinct. Defining when and how your association creates content will help you understand what posts are reaching homeowners and driving community engagement.

Choose your platform.

Not every social media platform is going to make a good home for your association. Having an association-specific Facebook page will help the HOA’s social media manager keep all relevant news in one central location, with highlighted posts and folder for all shared images. The linear timeline of X (formerly Twitter) will not provide the same utility. Chances are your HOA will have a hard time connecting to your community through TikTok’s video format, and Yik Yak’s policy of complete anonymity makes it less than ideal. So before committing your precious volunteer hours to building and maintaining so many social feeds, make sure to take a long look at what your community needs.

Engage your audience.

Gathering an attentive audience is the only way you’ll know if your previously outlined strategy is working. The weeks and months following the creation of a new community social media page will be spent trying to get residents onto the page and reading posts. While sharing news and meeting highlights is the must utilitarian use of the page, most homeowners might not consistently engage with those kinds of updates. Make sure your social media profile highlights community events and regularly prompts interactions with homeowners. Share photos from community events or ask homeowners for comments about matters related to your community.

Remember Confidentiality.

Because social media makes sharing information so easy, always take the time to ask yourself if it is necessary or even appropriate to share sensitive information. If a piece of news revolves around a specific member of your community, make sure to discuss with them before sharing. Always use your best judgement to understand if sharing sensitive information is even relevant to your social media presence or community. If you wouldn’t share it at an annual meeting or in a newsletter, skip social media too.

Track Engagement Metrics.

Beyond just looking at likes and reposts, many social media sites allow users to track audience engagement and reach. Meta (Facebook, Instagram) has a suite of tracking tools for business pages. These tools will allow your HOA to track when unique users interact with your content, how long they visit your page, and when new users follow your page.

Know the Law.

Everything you do and say on social media is permanent…even if you delete it. You always need to consider things like copyright, plagiarism, emotional distress, or violating privacy rights of residents. Again, always think twice before hitting “share”, and if you’re hesitant, get the opinion of other board members.