A great idea to engage residents on your property's Facebook page is to have a monthly "Pet of the Month" contest where residents post pictures of their pet w/ name, age, breed. All submissions in by the 15th of every month and the drawing held no later than the 20th of the month. The winner then receives a pet gift bag filled with dog (or cat) treats, toys, a gift certificate for one grooming of the pet at a local pet shop (not a chain store! keep it local! business owner could probably donate this) and 1 waived pet fee (if applicable) If by chance you don't have a Facebook page, this can also work to just have residents email pictures or bring them into the office.

There are lots of Social Media games out there so I thought, why not have your residents compete with each other online? I think this would be really easy to get going...but you may need someone familiar with both computers and smart phones to help teach your residents how to take and send screen shots. So, invite everyone who plays something like "Words with Friends" to send you their user names if they would like to participate in a tournament... they don't have to share the rest of their identity with the community if they don't want to but you will need to know if you are to distribute any prizes. Put all the usernames into brackets and post it somewhere. Make it clear who is to start the game so that they're not both inviting each other at the same time. Something like "cutiejill...

Knock Knock. Who's there? NATIONAL TELL A JOKE DAY THAT'S WHO! Hope you're doing your research to find the perfect joke to share on National Tell a Joke Day! Turn this wonderful holiday into a contest for your residents. You have several options for how to share jokes but my favorite would be a Facebook Joke Contest! On National Tell a Joke Day, have your residents post and vote (with the "like" button) on their favorite joke. This is a great way to drive some traffic to your fan page and have a good laugh while you're at it. Set up some rules (only appropriate jokes, no naughty ones...etc...) and spread the word to pump up excitement. Offer some sort of prize, maybe a giftcard, free dinner, jester's hat...something for the best joke of the day! You can enjoy this event in other...

Hand out bingo cards to your residents or have them available in the office for pick up for those who would like to participate. Then, everyday, post a number on Facebook or mass email the bingo numbers, or post them somewhere where residents would see them (maybe close to the mailboxes). When someone gets a BINGO, give out small door prizes or any other awards that you feel are appropriate. This is a great way to get people involved in your community. By having them utilize your Facebook Page for a game, they will also have access to it for other events and notifications you plan to post. If you would like a daily game, you could also use this for Trivia and have smaller prizes for those who participate! The inspiration for this event came from Verla Shafer, Property...

I just learned that yes, April 30th is actually Hairstyle Appreciation Day! I know, how goofy is that? But frankly, goofy ideas often make the best events! So in honor of Hairstyle Appreciation Day, I propose a fun social media program for your apartment community. The plan here is to do a real-life event mixed with a Facebook contest! Before you do anything, think about how you are going to promote your event. Making a couple of Facebook posts will help, and maybe a sign in your office, if you get really industrious! Once you think of a plan to get the word out, try out these steps: First, have all your team members dress up their hair to any style of any generation. This could mean a beehive, a mohawk, or a mullett! Wigs are fine,...