How Property Managers Can Grow Sales Through Digital Marketing and Social Media
Digital marketing presents many opportunities for businesses to connect with potential customers. It's a must for property managers because the Internet is generally the first place a person is likely to turn to in 2020. It's up to you to appear in the places they're looking and provide them with reasons to pursue a lease.
Search
When someone wants to find a new property, they are more than likely going to turn to Google first. That means you'll need to do your best to rank for common phrases that are likely to be used, such as "houses to rent," "homes to rent near me," etc. You'll also need to put some money into paid search via Google AdWords as this is obviously a very competitive industry.
One critical aspect of your search strategy should be managing your Google Business page. First, you'll need to claim and verify your business.
Then, as Jillian Rodriguez at Buildium writes1, "Once you’ve claimed your listing, optimize your page using local search engine optimization to attract the attention of those searching for your business. Update your description to align with the keyword strategy on your website; add photos; and monitor and engage with customer reviews. You can even upload 360° virtual tours of your business on your listing. If you’re feeling creative, you could promote your most eye-catching property right from your Google page."
Reviews
Reviews must also be another major part of your online marketing. That means monitoring the ones people are leaving on review sites and encouraging positive reviews from tenants who have enjoyed renting property from you. Positive reviews can make people want to turn to your property over that of your competitors, so this needs to be something you spend some considerable time on.
Reputation.com2 says volume is a good thing when it comes to reviews for property managers and that's why you should encourage reviews. When left to their own devices, people mostly leave reviews when they're dissatisfied. Therefore, the more people you can get to leave positive reviews, the more your reputation stands to benefit.
Email marketing is tried and true because it enables a business to reach a significant number of interested people with messages when they've opted to receive them. Polaris Property Management recommends including a simple form on your website to sign up for email updates, which can help you form an effective list.
You can use this list to update interested parties about new properties or vacancies you have available, which can prompt prospective tenants to take action sooner, rather than waiting for them to search for a property and hopefully find yours.
Social Media
For property managers, social media can be great for visibility with business pages, and enable prospective tenants to ask questions through messaging features. It can also function similar to email with interested parties receiving updates about new properties and vacancies.
Better yet, social media comes with some of the best advertising opportunities because you can get very targeted with your ads as a result of the extensive data the social media companies have about their users.
While some people will still turn to print media when looking for a place to live, you're far more likely these days to increase leases by focusing the majority of your marketing efforts online.
1. https://www.buildium.com/blog/seo-tips-for-property-managers/
2. https://www.reputation.com/resources/blog/property-managers-build-online-review-volume-to-attract-more-tenants/
