The Official AppFolio Blog

Did you know that AppFolio can help you to improve your vacancy ads and get more resident applications for your properties? There’s no hocus-pocus about it. We simply give you one central space to collect all of your data, then provide you with the tools you need to seamlessly turn that data into beautiful vacancy ads. With better vacancy ads, you can achieve maximum occupancy rates and increase your revenue.

AND you can do it in just three easy steps:

1. Prepare Your Vacancy Ads
AppFolio stores all the information regarding your properties and saves you from the hassle of managing it in multiple places. You can then quickly and easily take that information and with a few clicks post on popular listing sites. Simply pull up details such as a description of the vacant unit, its amenities and the terms of the lease using AppFolio’s universal search function. Once you’ve located the information, edit it as needed. You can add photos to the listing by simply dragging and dropping, and don’t forget to add a link to your YouTube video before previewing the listing. Including media in the ad itself makes the listing more attractive to potential residents.

2. Post Your Listing
Once you like what you see in the preview, you can start posting to your own website, Craigslist and other listing sites on the Internet. Craigslist is one of the most popular places on the web for applicants to view property listings, and AppFolio allows you to post directly to Craigslist, which is so much easier than posting manually over and over again!  Wherever you decide to post, your ad gives viewers the option to apply immediately online or fill out a guest card. You’ll get many more applications for your properties when you make the process so quick and easy.  The information applicants provide goes straight into AppFolio, saving you the hassle of entering data manually.

3. Track Your Success
Once you’ve started listing vacancies with AppFolio, you can easily track the performance of your ads. AppFolio keeps a record of your marketing efforts so that you can see what’s working. For instance, you can track guest cards by lead source so you know where your listings do best. You can also see what happens as you highlight amenities, change the rent or change the description of your property. You can then use that knowledge to make all of your listings more effective and really figure out which ad sources are helping you fill vacancies faster.

We’ve written before about how greening your properties can give you a competitive advantage over your competition. But did you know that greening your property management office can also boost your business? Property managers who have gone green and paperless find that it saves them both time and money. And when you combine a green office with environmentally friendly changes to the properties you manage, you can market yourself more effectively as an eco-friendly business. A green image can be a big benefit in today’s market.

Here are seven tips on greening your property management office.

1. Go paperless.
   One of the most important green changes you can make to your office is to go paperless. Reducing the amount of paperwork you handle saves you time and money, gets rent money in the bank faster, frees up office space and saves trees. These days, you can conduct almost all your business via the Internet, email and fax. And using web-based property management software makes going paperless even easier. Email owners and residents, collect rent online, enter work orders and store digital documents, all right from AppFolio.
2. Say no to junk mail.
   Junk mail accounts for a ridiculous number of dead trees, and everyone hates it anyway. So dig yourself out from under the avalanche of ads and bogus offers. Check out the FTC’s instructions on how to opt out of junk mail. A few extra minutes spent now calling or emailing the appropriate agencies can save you the time and trouble required to sort through and discard junk mail in the future.
3. Buy rechargeable batteries.
   Rechargeable batteries will cost you a little extra money at the register, but are well worth it in the long run. One rechargeable battery can replace hundreds of single-use batteries. You’ll also reduce the amount of toxic metal waste put into landfills. Rechargeable batteries contain the same harmful materials as regular batteries, but you’ll use fewer of them. And remember, whether you use rechargeable or standard batteries, recycle them properly rather than just tossing them in the trash.
4. Replace incandescent bulbs.
   Replacing incandescent bulbs in your office with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can save you money by reducing your electrical bills. And the less energy you use, the fewer of the Earth’s natural resources you’ll consume.
5. Hold meetings online.
   Consider conducting meetings over the Internet via Skype, Google+ Hangouts, GoToMeeting or another video chat service rather than having everyone drive to the office. Not only will you save people money on gas, you’ll preserve the world’s oil resources and cut down on air pollution from car exhaust.
6. Turn computers off.
   Computers use up a ton of energy, and leaving them on overnight is just wasteful. Make it a company policy for everyone to turn off their desktop computers before leaving work. And while you’re at it, make sure to turn off other major office equipment, such as printers, scanners and fax machines, when not in use.
7. Install a programmable thermostat.
   A programmable thermostat will quickly help you to cut down on your energy bills. Set it to a comfortable level during work hours and program it to reduce the temperature by a few degrees during the hours when no one’s in the building.

With the amount of time that people spend online these days, it’s very important to have a professional presence on the Internet. Potential clients and residents search for properties and property management services online, and your current owners and residents will appreciate the ability to connect with you via the web. On top of that, whether you have an online presence or not, your business likely has an online reputation. For good or bad, people are probably talking about your company online, and it’s important that you take part in that conversation.

Here are three simple ways that you can establish and improve your property management business’s online reputation.

Maintain A Professional Website
A company website with a professional look and feel is an important part of putting your best foot forward online. It is your business’s digital face, the place where people will look for your official presence. Building a property management website is a first step in establishing yourself on the Internet. Your website should provide people with all the important information they need about your business. A website gives you a place to post your contact information, list vacancies, connect with owners and residents and display positive reviews of your company. We work hard to make publishing and maintaining a property management website easy.

Provide Excellent Service
Excellent service is of course the key to offline as well as online reputation management. When you treat your owners and residents well, you reap the benefits in word-of-mouth marketing, and you attract better quality residents. Thankfully, the Internet makes it easy to provide better service to everyone. When residents, owners and vendors can do everything from sending you an email to paying rent online, you can respond quickly. And, of course property management software can make all this even easier.

Monitor And Respond To Feedback
Everyone appreciates a company that responds well to positive as well as negative feedback. In the digital age, it’s important to monitor mentions of your company online and respond accordingly. Run regular searches for your company name and find out what people are saying. An easy way to do this is to use Google Alerts – www.google.com/alerts. When you see a positive comment, be sure to thank the writer. You might even ask them if you can feature their review on your website. When you see a negative comment, apologize to the writer (even if you don’t think you were in the wrong) and fix the problem. Try to keep your replies short and simple, and use it as an opportunity to improve your business.

We’ve worked with Charity Hisle from Socially Engaged Marketing to create this great, free eBook on how to manage your online reputation.

We all know that curb appeal can help fill vacancies faster. If your property doesn’t appeal to a viewer at first glance, there’s a good chance they will pass it by without looking into it any further. Not only will a more attractive property gain you more inquiries about your vacancies, but it will also enable you to find better quality residents who will be willing to pay more in rent in order to live in a beautiful home.

But how do you improve the curb appeal of the properties you manage? Often you are so familiar with your buildings that it’s actually rather difficult to see their flaws. When this is the case, it’s important to be able to take a step back and make a real effort to view your properties from the perspective of an outsider. What would the average stranger passing by on the street see that you’ve overlooked?

Take a Step Back
To accomplish this, it can be helpful first to take a literal step back. Walk across the street and view your property from a distance so that you can see its surroundings at the same time. Are there many dead trees surrounding the structure? Is the front porch sagging, or could it use a new coat of paint? Is the fence in good repair, and does the lawn look cared for? What single problem could you fix that would make a significant difference to the eyes of a potential resident?

Now Come Closer
Next, walk back over to the property and look a little more closely at the building itself, as well as the elements immediately surrounding it. If someone passes by on the street and is struck by your property, you don’t want them coming closer only to be turned off by smaller details. Are the windows, doors and siding clean? Has the porch been swept? Are the steps broken? Is the gravel from the walkway straying all over the lawn? Are there old tools or pieces of trash scattered in the yard? Many of these minor problems can be remedied quickly and inexpensively, so it makes no sense to lose potential residents over them.

Pick a Few Easy Wins
Once you’ve identified some areas that need work, decide what you’d like to address immediately. Check out this article from PropertyManager.com with 5 Easy Ways to Improve Curb Appeal. Ask yourself, what changes will give me the most visual impact for my time and money? Also consider, what changes will make a lasting impact that renters will appreciate. And naturally, once you’ve finalized on the changes, enter them as work orders using your AppFolio property management software!

It seems like everyone is on Facebook these days. THE social network now has more than 800 million active users, and according to Facebook, more than half of those users log in on any given day. You can bet that both property owners and residents are part of that crowd, so it only makes sense that your property management business should have a presence there as well. But how can you make your company Facebook page stand out?

Optimize
First, you need to make sure that users will find your business. Thankfully, there are some simple ways you can make your page more visible in search results within Facebook. First, pick your page name and URL carefully. Choose a name that users will easily identify with your brand and that they will also remember. Next, fill out the “About” and “Overview” boxes in the info tab using important keywords to describe your business. Make sure that your location is included as part of the keyword phrases (for instance, “Chicago property management).” Finally, make sure to install Facebook’s Open Graph Protocol to improve your ranking in Facebook search results.

Create Custom Tabs
Facebook allows you to create custom tabs for your business. First, design a custom landing tab that every first-time visitor sees when they access your page. Brand that tab and give users essential information about your business. Also include a call to action: ask them to “Like” your page, so that your status updates will begin appearing in their news feeds. Next, create another custom tab to display the properties you manage, each with its own beautiful photo. Finally, use custom tabs to offer unique promotions to your Facebook fans and encourage them to share information about your business with their friends.

Serve a Need
If you don’t make regular updates to your Facebook page, the fans you do gain will simply hit “Like” and then forget about you. However, if you post spammy updates, people will unsubscribe en masse. To keep your fans attention without annoying them, make sure that your posts are serving their needs. Follow the 80/20 rule. Only 20% of your posts should directly promote your business. The other 80% should provide information that is useful to your audience. As a property manager, you could provide fans with information about local community, tips on taking care of their living spaces or photos of the city or town you serve.

Download this eBook, Facebook for Property Managers, to learn more great tips and tricks.

Did you know that, in addition to protecting the environment, implementing eco-friendly practices at the properties you manage can benefit your business? Greener units are a great selling point and can help you to attract a better kind of resident. Implementing these practices can help residents cut down on water and energy expenses, making your apartments more attractive. Also, residents who are more eco-conscious are more likely to respect both their interior and exterior environment, inflicting less wear and tear on their living spaces.

Here are seven easy ways to get started on greening your properties for the new year.  Not only does it help you to attract eco-conscious residents, you will find some money saving opportunities as well.

1. Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
   ENERGY STAR-qualified CFLs produce the same amount of light as traditional bulbs with only about ¼ of the energy.
2. Repaint your units with low- or no-VOC paints.
   The EPA has found that levels of organic pollutants are two to five times higher within homes than without. These compounds can have serious health and environmental consequences. Using paints low in these compounds will improve the quality of life for your residents.
3. Install low-flow water fixtures and toilets.
   These fixtures produce a water flow that feels the same while using less water, saving both a natural resource and money. Many utilities and city governments offer incentives for installing low-flow fixtures, so make a few calls for added savings.
4. Install programmable thermostats.
   The automatic settings help your residents to more accurately regulate temperatures and save money and energy at the same time. Make sure to educate your tenants on their use.
5. Insulate your water heaters.
   A $20-$30 investment in an insulation blanket can translate into 9% savings on water heating. Older water heaters in particular need this attention.
6. Check furnace ducts for leaks.
   Sealing these leaks can account for as much as a 20% energy savings, plus will improve the air quality in your properties.
7. Use ENERGY STAR appliances.
   Encourage your owners to install ENERGY STAR appliances. ENERGY STAR-rated refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers use significantly less water and energy.

Maintaining a strong, positive online presence for your property management business grows in importance every day. The amount of time people spend on the Internet, and the number of tasks they accomplish there, increases constantly. We go online to socialize, play, shop and learn – your potential clients and residents are online, and they are using the Internet to find businesses like yours.

In our educational presentations to property managers we always talk about the importance of your company blog. HubSpot reports that businesses that blog get 55% more traffic than those that don’t. Here are just three ways that a blog can help you in your online property management marketing efforts.

Improve Search Visibility
Potential clients and residents need to be able to find you online. There are many property managers out there competing for the same business, and it’s very easy for your property management website to get buried in search engine results. More and more, the key to ranking well in search results is to provide frequent, fresh, quality content. A blog is an easy way to post new content to your site on a regular basis.

Paint a Positive Image
Let’s face it. No matter how fantastic your business is, eventually it will draw some negative reviews. In fact, the more successful and visible you become, the more likely you are to receive criticism in online places like Yelp. A blog is a great place to talk about the great things your company does, respond to concerns and generally give your online image a boost.

Become a Hub for Information
People love websites that provide them with what they need. Your property management website should provide potential clients and tenants with the information they need about your business and the properties you manage as well as industry trends, local information and a feel for your community.. It can also provide a platform for sharing other types of useful information that will draw traffic to your business. When you know the needs of your client base and speak to those needs on your blog, you can become an important hub for information and draw more visitors to your site.

We hosted a great webinar with Grace Hill where presenters Doug Miller (Founder & President of SatisFacts) and Mike Whaling (30Lines) shared results from the national survey: Inside the Mind of the Online Renter.

Download the survey summary here: http://www.appfolio.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SatisFacts-Getting–Inside-the-Head-of-the-Online-Renter-Handout.pdf

Doug and Mike discussed what the top priorities are for today’s online renters and how property managers can best position themselves against their competition and manage their online reputation. One of our favorite slides highlighted how the ability to pay rent online if there is no convenience fee was the #1 factor that impacted what apartment applicants will rent in the future. Here’s the recorded webinar.

Many participants submitted great questions during the Webinar and we wanted to follow up with Doug and Mike’s answers below.

Is it legal to offer a gift in exchange for a positive review on apartmentratings.com?
It is legal, but the gift must be disclosed by the person leaving the review. If it’s not disclosed, you can be subject to a $25,000 fine from the FTC.

Should I ask residents to comment on apartmentratings.com or is that asking for trouble?
DM – It’s only asking for trouble if you are not consistently delivering superior service in the areas that matter most to residents…tied into the work order process, the related team effort required (driven by the office staff performance as they are the beginning and end of the work order process), communication, and what we at SatisFacts call a “culture of responsiveness.”

MW – You should absolutely ask your residents to leave reviews for you on Apartment Ratings. That said, each site has different terms, so be careful about this … for example, Yelp discourages asking for reviews, but they’re not opposed to you promoting the fact that you have a Yelp page for your business.

Is texting another way to have things in writing?
You should ask your attorney whether this is sufficient. Personally, I would prefer to have anything you need in writing confirmed through an email, not a text message.

What is the difference between Google Ratings and apartmentratings.com?
Google ratings are the star ratings and reviews that are found on your property’s Google Place page. Google sometimes pulls in the reviews that have been left on Apartment Ratings, but these are definitely two separate locations where people can leave feedback about your business.

How can I best use Facebook to rent units?
DM – By not spending time trying to rent units via Facebook. How many times have you gone to Facebook to buy merchandise, rent a hotel room or the like? It is not a primary source of traffic and there is no functionality such as found on an ILS or your property portal. Use it primarily as an online newsletter that focuses on community news (projects, new staff members, service related items) and events. Let the relatively small percent of people who go to a Facebook page to help with a buying decision see who you are and what you are about…a feel-good to validate what kind of community you are.

MW – I agree with Doug about not trying to sell, although I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to list your properties there through a custom tab. Use Facebook as an opportunity to get residents, local business partners and other interested people to talk about you, either between friends or directly with your company. Give them interesting thoughts/links/things to share, and use tools like RentMineOnline to take your resident referral program online and get people recommending you to their friends.

How much are properties investing on average for SEO?
It really depends on your current situation, internal resources and what you’re ultimately trying to achieve. If you want to rank first for a highly-competitive term like “apartments,” expect to make a huge investment. Also, most apartment marketers are trying to optimize their website, when they really should be trying to build a broad online presence that positions them positively in a number of different places where prospects might be searching. Some other reports indicate that as much as 80-90% of prospects are starting their apartment search from a search engine like Google, so the more you can invest in optimizing your presence, the better. Educate yourself first about the SEO services that you’ll need (on-page optimization, link-building on external sites, incorporating social ranking factors, in-depth keyword research and Web analytics), then find a partner that can best address your specific needs.

Recently I presented at the Apartment Association of Metro Denver Power Lunch on the very important topic of managing your online reputation. There was a great crowd, sunny weather and Erik drove us around in a fantastically lime green rental car!

My presentation covered the (often daunting, but very important) task of what property managers can be doing to help shape their online presence and reputation. We are lucky to work with Charity Hisle from Socially Engaged Marketing – she’s an expert in social media, marketing and search for the multifamily industry. She is working on another eBook for us and I was able to use some of her great suggestions in this presentation.

The presentation covered:

• Put Your Best ‘Online Foot Forward’: Putting your best ‘online’ foot forward starts with having a great property management website. Learn a few keys to making your website more effective and tips on local search best practices so more people find your website.
• Stop and Listen: Managing your online reputation starts with listening. Learn how to set up alerts so you know when others are talking about your brand online. How to claim your local business on Yelp, Google Local so you manage your brand.
• Respond and Build Positive Feedback: How to deal with positive and negative feedback on local review sites and your Facebook page.