Property Management Marketing 101: Tips to Attract More Leads This Leasing Season

Effective brand marketing has never been more critical for property management companies than it is today. Because nearly every industry has embraced digital transformation over the last several years, prospective residents now expect the same experiences from property management companies.

To stand out from the competition, you need to prioritize your digital marketing efforts by building a strong digital presence through your website, social media, listing sites, and ratings and review sites. This approach can help your property get seen by naturally showing up where prospective renters are searching for their next home online while boosting your brand’s reputation, credibility, and trustworthiness.

Read on to learn which digital marketing efforts your business should focus on first to attract more leads this leasing season and beyond.

1.) Use your website to make a great first digital impression

According to the 2022 NMHC/Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey Report, 84% of renters surveyed said they visited property or management company websites when searching for their most recent home. This makes your website undeniably one of the most important pieces of your entire property management marketing mix.

In order to make the best first digital impression with prospects, your website must have a few key best practices in place:

While the above best practices are a great start and foundational elements for success, use this helpful checklist to optimize all aspects of your website to its fullest.

2.) Create listings that stand out

The details of your available listings can be a make-or-break for prospective residents, so ensure each one includes high-quality, up-to-date, and helpful information, including:

3.) Increase visibility by posting vacancies to third-party listing sites

Your website may be the ultimate source of information for your business and one of the most valuable resources in your digital marketing mix, but prospective residents aren’t just visiting property management websites to research their next home.

To increase the likelihood of being found by prospective residents, regularly post your available units and listings on top listing sites such as Zillow, Apartments.com, and Trulia. By showing up where your audiences are already searching, your property can reach their consideration set faster and give prospects the ability to quickly compare your listings with others they’re looking at, too.

Just like the available listings that go on your website, every vacancy posting should have the same high-quality, helpful, and up-to-date content — especially if you want to stand out from the rest of the competition.

4.) Leverage social media and ratings and reviews

Besides your website, renters look closely at social media sites during their home search. According to the 2022 NMHC/GraceHill Renter Preferences Survey Report, 40% of renters visited the property management company’s social media accounts when searching for their most recent rental home.

Keep your social media presence active on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn by regularly posting updates, blog articles, and photos and responding to followers’ comments. Don’t just post about sales specials or vacancy alerts — instead, help prospects envision what it’s like to live at your properties by reposting content from current residents, giving a glimpse into community life, and spotlighting on-site associates and teams.

Finally, because word of mouth is an incredibly powerful marketing tool, create and maintain a presence on review sites like Yelp or Google Business Profile. Make the time to respond to every review — even the negative ones — so people see you’re trustworthy and care about your residents.

Next steps: Scale your digital marketing efforts to create a bigger impact

When it comes to building credibility and helping your property management business stand out, a strong online brand presence is paramount. Start building yours by following the best practices listed above.

To learn more about how you can attract more leads this leasing season, download this guide.