Fourandhalf recently conducted a webinar with Appfolio on a topic that’s very important for property managers who are growing their businesses and boosting website traffic, all while trying to get on Page One of Google search results. Today, we’re sharing some of the highlights from that webinar in case you missed it.
Google Ads is the fastest and easiest way to get to Page One, but the focus of this webinar was really on building rankings organically. We shared some ideas for how you can put together elements of your marketing so you don’t have to pay Google to show up every time someone searches for property management in your area.
Website
Very few property management websites say what they do and where they are on the home page of their site. If, for instance, you’re a Minneapolis Property Manager, you should have that information on your home page. You also want to remember your multiple constituencies. You have all sorts of people coming to your website for different reasons – Tenants, Owners, Prospective Owners, Vendors, even – so it’s important to send everyone to the right place immediately. Finally, gather key metrics so you can measure your website’s success. You want to know how many people visit, how long they stay, and how many people buy, which is your conversion rate.
Google Plus and Social Media
Google Plus is the best way to get in front your customers. Their eyes are going to follow the stars that are found on Google Plus pages, and by that we mean good reviews. Make sure you have a fully developed Google Plus page that includes your category, description, logo, address and all your reviews. Develop that page and get it verified by Google. You must be at 100 percent. It’s also important to be consistent across all social media channels. This will ensure you have the best possible online presence. Link your Google Plus page with your YouTube page so people can see your videos.
Reputation
The only way to earn a solid reputation as a property management company is by asking for reviews. People will not normally leave a review for their property management company, so to get those stars by your company’s name, you have to ask. You can be sure that 98 percent of your customers are happy. Create a template to ask happy people for reviews. Keep it simple and provide links to Google and Yelp. Then, look for opportunities to ask for that positive review. Maybe it’s after a repair was completed satisfactorily or you’ve found a good tenant or returned a tenant’s entire security deposit.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing is like teaching a seminar. It allows you to teach your trade. Collect the questions prospects are asking – you probably get lots every day. Start writing them down and create blog topics. Make sure you use your location, or the area you serve, in the blog’s title so Google can serve your content to local searches. For example, a great blog topic is: “Should you Consider Raising Rent for your San Antonio Rental Property in 2015?” Then, record yourself speaking on these topics, because video is so powerful these days. Publish your content as a blog on your site and share it on social media.
Pay-Per-Click
As we said earlier, the Google Ads is the fastest way to get to Page One of Google. The cost of advertising on Google Ads depends on where you are and how much competition you have. Usually, you can plan on spending at least $300 to $400 per month. The idea behind Google Ads is that you’ll bid on keywords and then pay for people to click on your ad anytime they search. What’s tricky about Google Ads for property managers is that you don’t want to pay for tenant searches. You want to target property owners and investors only.
We’d be happy to share the entire webinar with you, if you’re interested in reviewing it. If you have any questions about how to reach the first page of Google search results when people are looking for property management services in your area, give us a call at Fourandhalf – Internet Marketing for Property Managers.
