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Strategies & Tools

Level up 
your property management marketing

Learn how to differentiate your business, maximize your marketing
spend, and attract more leads by building a strong online brand presence.

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Successfully marketing vacancies is key to attracting renters

The ultimate goal of your marketing efforts is to drive the best possible leads for your property management company. To maintain a healthy business pipeline, you have to effectively market your vacancies and reach your ideal customer. However, digital transformation and changing renter expectations have made it harder for property management businesses to do this effectively.

Success

83% of renters visited property or management company websites when searching for their most recent home.*

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68% of renters say that a property management business’s reputation on review sites is important.**

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30% of renters are actively searching for a new rental.**

*Source: 2022 NMHC/Grace Hill Renter Preferences Survey Report **Source: 2023 AppFolio Renter Preferences Report

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How effective marketing can lead to greater business growth

By dialing in your marketing efforts and creating a robust digital presence, you can not only attract more renters but also grow your business by attracting owners and investors.
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“Your company needs to be able to understand your marketing funnel, identify the bottlenecks, and determine which properties are thriving and which are falling behind.”

Laura Rhodes
Staff Product Manager, AppFolio
Learn More

Benefits of a digital-first
marketing strategy

Ready to unlock new possibilities for your business?

Download this free guide for expert strategies to optimize and scale your digital marketing.

By submitting this form, I acknowledge I have reviewed AppFolio's Privacy Notice.

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Strategies to dial in your marketing efforts

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Invest in your website

Leave a great and immediate virtual impression by auditing your property management website to ensure it offers self-service capabilities and is easy to use, detailed, mobile-friendly, ADA-compliant, and optimized for search engines.

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 up-to-date information, professional photography, detailed descriptions, interactive property maps, and 3D virtual tours. Consider leveraging AI technology to auto-generate detailed descriptions on your behalf.

Have a strong social media presence

Make sure your social channels are current, your contact information is correct, and that you post and engage with content regularly. Highlight your team, company culture, community amenities, property events, and residents.

Respond to ratings and reviews

Respond to every rating and review, every time — even the negative ones. By responding, you’re letting satisfied reviewers know you appreciate them while assuring dissatisfied reviewers that you acknowledge and will address their concerns.

Ways to leverage technology throughout the marketing workflow

There are many opportunities to pair your digital marketing efforts with modern property management tools to save time, reduce friction, and uncover new insights.

Posting vacancies

Vacancy posting tools integrated into your property management software allow you to maintain consistency across third-party listing sites and your own website and reach more prospects.

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Managing leads

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools can strengthen relationship building with prospects by securely managing personal details — such as where they found a property and when — so you can deliver more relevant marketing campaigns in the future.

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Maximizing marketing ROI

Attribution tools can help you understand where you’re getting the most traffic and best leads so you can control advertising costs and know where your marketing dollars are having the most impact.    

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Leave a lasting impression

See how you can better market your business and provide the kind of modern experiences renters and owners expect with AppFolio Property Manager.

Get Started

“AppFolio helps us make a great first impression so that we have time to focus more on personalized marketing.” 

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Cora Langel-Person
Office Manager, Centana Property Management, 500+ units
Read the Full Story
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Frequently asked questions

What is real estate marketing?

Real estate marketing is the process of using strategies to promote the sale or rental of real estate properties. These strategies range from traditional methods such as newspaper ads to more modern methods such as digital marketing strategies, including search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and social media marketing. The goal of real estate marketing is to increase awareness of a property or business and attract more leads and owners.

What is a real estate marketing plan?

A real estate marketing plan is a comprehensive strategy that outlines how you will market your real estate business, attract new leads and owners, and grow your business. It should include tactics for advertising, social media, content marketing, lead generation, and sales. Additionally, it should include timelines, budgeting, and goals that you want to reach.

How can you create a real estate marketing plan?

Creating a real estate marketing plan is a great way to attract more leads and owners. There are several steps you should take to create one. First, you should identify your target market. This could include potential owners, residents, or both. Then, you should create a budget for your marketing efforts. This should include the costs for advertising, any materials you need to create, and any services you may use. After that, you should determine the most effective channels to reach your target audience. This could include social media, direct mail, ad campaigns, or even more traditional methods like print or radio advertising. Finally, you should track and measure the results of your marketing efforts so you can make adjustments as needed.

How do you market for real estate?

The key to successful marketing for real estate is to identify your target market and tailor your message to them. You should also focus on building relationships with potential clients, leveraging digital marketing efforts such as SEO to generate leads, and utilizing social media platforms to create a buzz about your services. Additionally, creating content such as case studies and blogs can help position your business as an industry expert and increase your visibility in the real estate market.

How do you improve real estate marketing?

There are several ways to improve real estate marketing. You can create an online presence by developing a professional, modern website, engaging on social media, and optimizing your website for SEO. You can also create content on your website and social media channels that will help to attract potential leads and owners. Additionally, you can use pay-per-click advertising and email marketing to target and reach potential leads. Finally, you can use traditional marketing methods, such as direct mail, radio, and print advertising, to reach a wider audience.

What is the best marketing strategy for real estate?

The best marketing strategy for real estate depends on the type of real estate in question and the goals of the property management business. For example, if the property management business is targeting potential renters, then a focus on online marketing strategies, such as paid search and social media advertising, could be a good option. If the goal is to attract more owners, then direct mail campaigns and word-of-mouth referrals could be the best route to take. Additionally, it’s important to consider local market trends when creating a marketing plan for real estate.

What is lead generation marketing?

Lead generation marketing is the process of attracting potential customers or leads to your business through targeted online campaigns. It involves using strategies such as SEO, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising to generate leads. These leads can then be nurtured and converted into paying customers.

What is reputation management?

Reputation management is the process of monitoring, influencing, and controlling an organization’s reputation by managing its online presence. This includes responding to negative reviews and building a positive online presence through content marketing, social media, and SEO. By engaging in reputation management, a property management business can build trust with potential clients and attract more renters and owners.

Why is reputation management important?

Reputation management is important for property management businesses because it helps them to create a positive image of their company and brand. It also helps them to attract more leads and owners by showcasing the quality of their services and products. A good reputation can help a business to stand out from its competitors and build trust with potential customers. Additionally, it can help to promote customer loyalty and build a strong customer base.

How do you do online reputation management?

Online reputation management is the process of monitoring, identifying, and influencing the public perception of an organization online. The goal of reputation management is to improve or maintain a positive reputation and prevent or mitigate the impact of negative publicity. This can be done by proactively engaging in online conversations and responding to both negative and positive customer reviews, monitoring social media conversations, and optimizing search engine results. Reputation management also involves building a positive online presence through content marketing, SEO, and other digital marketing tactics.

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