Fourandhalf is an Internet marketing company for property managers, and what kind of Internet marketing company would we be if we didn’t give you a market update for 2014? We want to help you invest your money the right way and grow your property management business. Today, I am going to cover six trends that you need to pay attention to. Use this as a roadmap for how you should invest your marketing dollars in 2014.
– August 4th, 2016 Update –
If you’d like to see the latest marketing update be sure to visit our newest blog: Property Management Marketing 101
Content Marketing
Content marketing is educating your client. First, you need to understand who your clients are and what their pain points are. Then, you need to address those pain points with video blogs and articles just like this one. Let them find you and assure themselves that you are an expert who understands everything about property management. They’ll be a lot more willing to work with you and a lot less interested in doing the work themselves.
Google +
Google + allows businesses to establish a Google page where they get reviews, website information and all the details your customers need to find you. Google + now includes Google Local and links to YouTube channels and other points of interest related to your property management business. The next big thing is Google Authorship. If you are a verified author of your content, you’ll get higher Google placement.
Update: As of August 2014, Google has removed the Google Authorship feature
Old School SEO is OUT
Specifically, search engines are beginning to devalue or not consider any inbound links. Commercial sites are already finding their links are not counting for anything on some search engines. You won’t find any value in this kind of SEO as you move along in 2014. This type of SEO might disappear completely in the next year.
Conversion
You have done your content marketing and you have your Google + page set up but you need to convert your visitors to customers. The best way to do this is with a page on your website called the sales landing page. This landing page will have a form that people can fill out, provide information and reasons why you are the best solution for their property management needs in the area, and a video about who you are and what kind of services you provide so they can meet you and feel like they know why you are different. Your landing page will also have your contact information and it will be a silent salesperson for you and turn your site visitors into clients.
Reputation
Reputation is still going to be front and center in 2014. Google is putting reviews even on Google Maps. If you look up property management in San Francisco, you’ll see a map with the pins that point out local property management businesses. There will also be stars associated with those pins, which tells people that there are reviews available of those property management companies. In 2014, you’ll need to continue making sure your best customers are talking about you.
Social Media
You need more than a Facebook page; you need a meaningful presence on social media. Attract the attention that comes with the right kind of likes on your Facebook page and educate your social media community. People like brands on Facebook for one reason or another. You like Nike if you run marathons and you like Fortune Magazine if you’re interested in business articles. Your property management company should be the local resource when it comes to educating people about rental properties.
Here you have the six biggest trends to watch for in 2014. If you have any questions or you’d like more information about how to plan for them, please contact us at Fourandhalf.
