In the last two decades, the way real estate is bought, sold, and managed has changed drastically. In place of the old methods which mostly depended on print media, outdoor advertising, and one-on-one interactions, almost everything happens in cyberspace today. Face-to-face communications and offline marketing have largely been replaced by internet-based strategies.
This new marketing landscape presents both opportunities and challenges for property management businesses. On one hand, the geographical limitations imposed by the old methods have been demolished. But on the other hand, competition is fiercer than it has ever been, and mastering this new technology takes time and a lot of work.
Although a lot of property managers have been quick to adopt digital marketing, most are failing to get the results they want. That’s because success with online marketing requires companies to do more than have a website and advertise on social media. They must devise holistic strategies that synchronize all their efforts with their organizational goals.
In this post, we outline some of the key marketing strategies that property management companies can use to grow their businesses.
1.Create valuable content
Managing an investment property is hard work and landlords often know they need some help with their properties. Yet at the same time, they are wary of property managers who try to sell them. Owners are more likely to listen if you provide valuable information that helps them solve real problems.
By creating content that people would gladly pay for but offering it free of charge, you will be building credibility for your brand and increasing its visibility. This indirect approach pays more in the long run than trying to convince landlords to hire your company.
2. Develop a content marketing plan
Beyond creating great content, it is even more important to find ways to get that content in front of those who need it. Your content is only as good as the marketing plan that accompanies it. This usually means putting the content in places where your target audience is most likely to find it, apart from your own website. Online sites frequented by landlords are prime locations for placing your content. Examples include real estate blogging communities, websites/blogs dedicated to issues that landlords grapple with, and social media groups.
3.Make your business easier to find through SEO
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a set of techniques that make your website, blog, or content easier to find. SEO works by helping your business rank high in Google searches. A website that is properly optimized is more likely to appear at the top of Google search results when an internet user enters a search phrase that matches the company’s primary business or its location.
SEO helps to ensure that your content will only be shown to people to want to see it. It places your content ahead of similar content on search results.
4.Email marketing and remarketing
One of the best ways to use your content is as a tool for growing your mailing list. You can collect prospective customer’s email addresses through your content. And by sending regular emails with news, tips, updates, and offers to the people who sign up to be on your list, you will be achieving two things.
You keep them constantly reminded of your business and how it can help them. You also cement your reputation as a credible company and an authority in your area of specialization. Remarketing is a way of reconnecting with people who previously interacted with your content or ads but didn’t make a commitment.
5.Use social media and influencer marketing
Develop a strategy for staying visible on social media. This means creating conversations that allow your target audience to engage and interact with your brand. The more engagement and interaction you generate, the higher your social media visibility, and the greater the rewards to your company.
This social media strategy should work in tandem with influencer marketing. Internet influencers are people who have built a social media following based on their expertise in a specific niche. When an influencer endorses your brand, their followers are more likely to trust your company.
6.Use referral marketing
Despite the size and ubiquity of the internet, people still trust those they know over strangers. Therefore, when a friend, relative, neighbor, or colleague recommends a service or product to a person, that person is more likely to trust the information than if they saw an ad from the same company.
By directly asking satisfied clients for referrals, you give your business the chance to piggyback on their relationships and gain access to people you would not have had access to. Adding incentives when asking for referrals gives customers the motivation to make the effort.
Finally, there are two more important strategies you must not ignore. First, do not fail to make your website mobile-ready. The majority of people who visit will do so on a mobile device. And improve the load speed of your web pages; a website that loads slowly will cost you heavily in lost traffic.
