Alex was recently on the radio being interviewed as part of The Rental Housing Network Show. The topic of the discussion was growing property management businesses and how the Internet can be used to get more exposure for your company.
Content Marketing
Content marketing is the most powerful tool available to property managers, because the Internet is designed to be a knowledge base. To be successful, you must commit to education and be willing to teach your consumer, instead of constantly selling to them. Content marketing, through blogs, videos, and articles, allows you to give people answers to their questions. That makes you relevant and it leads people to your website and your company, where they could turn into customers. The content you share ensures that prospects already have an idea of who you are and what you do. Contribute to what’s on the Internet, and you’ll get a good return on your investment every time.
Social Media and Google+
The best use for social media is to share the content you’ve already created. That’s how you’ll engage people and provide useful advice; they will consume your content and reach out to you when they’re ready. Announce your blogs and videos on Facebook, Twitter and Google + and your content will branch out. Remember that all this content stays on the Internet. It’s like wine or cheese – it ages well. Social media helps you get exposure and naturally become an authentic thought leader.
Reputation Management
Most property management businesses will have one or two unhappy people for every 100 satisfied customers they work with. However, tenants who are upset about late rent policies or rejected applications will always go online and leave a negative review, while happy tenants and owners tend not to leave reviews. Property managers need to take the initiative in asking for positive reviews from people who are happy. After you successfully place a tenant or schedule a repair, ask your owner or your tenant for a review. You need to encourage those happy clients in order to provide real consumer sentiment online. Reputation management means giving potential clients a realistic view of your business.
Pay Per Click
Google Ads is the best platform for pay per click advertising. You pay Google for searchable keywords, for example, “san jose property management.” If you don’t have the content and reputation management in place already, your pay-per-click campaign will suffer and you won’t get the conversion rates you want. It’s also important to lead people to a specific landing page. When a lead calls in to your office, you don’t have them speak to a maintenance guy, do you? You send them right to a sales rep. So, when they click on your ad, instead of leading them to your website, where there are lots of different pages for lots of different audiences, create a specific landing page. That has to be a stellar page that sells your company and speaks to the pain points of your ideal customers. That’s where you’ll have your videos, reviews and contact form.
Sales Process
Finally, you need to close those sales leads. There are two actionable things you can do to improve your sales process. First, when you get someone on the phone, take the time to do a little discovery. Instead of launching right into your sales pitch, ask your caller what they’re looking for, how long they’ve had rental property, what they’re struggling with. When you understand your customers and their concerns on a deeper level, you’re better prepared to close the sale. Take 15 minutes to talk before you start discussing your rates and your services. Second, try to define a “next step” before you end the call. You could tell the prospect you’d like to send a copy of your management agreement, and then set up a time to discuss the details. Getting that second contact on your calendar will lead you towards a closed sale.
If you have any questions about this radio interview we did, or you’d like to talk more about our ideas for growing your property management business with Internet marketing, please contact us at Fourandhalf – Internet Marketing for Property Management Companies.
