NEW ORLEANS – When you’re in the multifamily rentals business, you don’t just have properties — you have a story. Tell your story the right way, and you’ll be able to attract and grow an audience that wants to be a part of it.

How do you do this? It’s about content. It’s about turning one message into many. And it’s about using that approach to build one of the most important amenities you can have: a strong social media presence.

That’s what Stephanie Reid-Simons, Zillow Group’s Director of Content, told the audience at the Multifamily Forum today in New Orleans. The Zillow Group Multifamily Forum is an event that brings together top multifamily professionals and Zillow Group leadership to share ideas and insights around the latest marketing innovations and renter trends.

The social media landscape can be daunting. Sure, we’re all familiar with Facebook, but what about Snapchat? What about Vine? Are you blogging? Do you know that Periscope is not just for submarine captains anymore?

There’s a word for that worry, which is also a hashtag: #FOMO. It means “fear of missing out.” And the good news is that you’re not missing out. It’s OK if you’re not Pinning or Vining. What’s most important is that you figure out what story you want to tell, and focus on the best ways — the most efficient ways — to tell it, and to show the value of what you’re doing.

Your story needs its stars.

Let’s say you’ve got a Class A property: good walkability, transit options, close proximity to employment centers, a beautiful pool, a nearby dog park. That’s great — but it’s just your setting. It’s the people who will make this story really come to life.

Make sure your social media channels feature the smiling faces of your residents. Even people who aren’t named Kardashian like to see their names in lights, or their selfies on Facebook. Invite your renters to share social posts to a specific hashtag: #MyAwesomeAptLife.

Ask your residents about the best local coffee shops, nearby hiking trails or their favorite stall at the local farmer’s market. Then share their favorites. In doing so, you celebrate your residents and showcase your community as a place that’s connected to the broader community.

Most importantly, it makes people feel something, and that’s good business. Harvard Business Review found that emotions are how people know something is important to them. And few things are more important than finding the right place to live.

How to COPE with content

In the content-creation world, COPE isn’t just something we do at deadline time. It’s a way to make the most of your messages, and stands for Create Once, Publish Everywhere.

If you’ve made a video that people respond to, put it on your site, on Facebook, on Instagram. Send it via email. Post it again — Twitter, especially, is a place where you can post content more than once because not everyone is watching the river of tweets roll by all day, every day.

You can create your own content, but you don’t have to. Curation is another way to keep your social channels buzzing. Zillow, for example, produces content designed to attract and engage renters, and we invite you to share it.

What’s the ROI on storytelling?

Content marketing is a long game. Yes, it can fuel campaigns, but it’s more than that. Done right, it’s not disposable. It’s more like a capital expenditure, an investment. When you build out content, you are building out an amenity for your renters and potential renters — an experience that reinforces your place in their world.

A campaign-based focus is just part of the picture for content, and it can lead you the wrong direction. In the context of a campaign, something you create may do really well, or it may underperform — but it may pay dividends long-term. It may help people find you in search. It may remind someone of your property when they or their friend or their family member needs to find a place.

Does anyone ask about the ROI on a tank of gas? No, because they understand that they need that fuel to get them where they want to go. Gas moves them forward. And if you keep this advice in mind, your content will move you forward as well.