Property Managers: How You Can Boost Your Marketing Efforts Before the New Year

For many property managers, 'tis the season for more than just bright lights and addictive melodies; it's a relatively slow time of year. This brief reprieve presents a significant opportunity: get ready for the next busy season by automating your marketing.

Scrambling to meet the demand of a new leasing season is not only stressful, but it can result in costly oversights. When business is a little slower, take the time to put your marketing on autopilot. With the right property management systems, the transition into 2020 will be a lot easier. Here are some things to take care of now while you have the time!

Make It Easy for Tenants to Find You on the Internet

For your property management inbound marketing to be as effective as possible, you need to be visible online. The vast majority of tenants will be searching on the internet for their next residence, and you want to be front and center as they look around.

You should check to make sure your site is search engine optimized. If a tenant performs a search for rentals in your specific area, how high do you appear on the search engine results? Here are some things to try to make your internet presence more fruitful:

• Use keywords to make your content seem relevant in search engines: Google looks for keywords in context when someone searches to give them the best possible answer to their query.
• Use images, videos, and other visual content: This content helps attract visitors and make them both come back and forward your content to others.
• Post articles that answer specific questions thoroughly: Not only will informative content help your page rank higher, but it will also make other sites more likely to link to yours. Backlinks improve your page position in search engine results.

Beef up Your Social Media Presence

Having a more powerful social media impact doesn't have to take a lot of time. Spend a little time each day for a couple of weeks, making connections to sites and accounts that will boost your marketing. For example, you may want to connect with local municipalities on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. There may be property management companies you could connect with, as well. Your objective is to bolster your social network; when you post, each post has the best chance of reaching your target market.

Prepare Your Inbound Marketing Content

Whether you hire a marketing support team or DIY, you should take the time to load up on inbound content. Once the content is ready, launching it will be as easy as clicking a few icons. Your inbound content could include any of the following:

• Informative articles and blogs
• Helpful infographics
• eBooks
• Videos
• Attractive property listings

If you stock up on inbound content now, launching it when the time comes will be easy. You can also seek support from partners like Geekly Media to launch the content for you at the most opportune moment.

Update and Improve Your Images

People are hardwired to respond to visual content! Are the images you're currently using accurate—or not? Check for the following snags:

• Has the landscaping been redone since your listing's pictures were taken?
• Has there been any painting on the outside?
• Have the color schemes changed in bedrooms, living rooms, or kitchens?
• Have there been any additions to properties?
• Have neighboring buildings—ones that could show up in your images—been built or significantly renovated since the pictures were taken?

You will want to make sure everything in any listing is factually presented. In addition, you should consider whether the images are as attractive as they could be. You should:

• Play with perspective, and focus on making the pics more appealing to the eye.
• Properly stage each picture: a well-staged interior is more attractive than a bare one.
• Take advantage of natural features, such as bodies of water, trees, and sunsets.
• Take pictures at ideal times of the day: use natural light to your advantage! It often shines at a perfect angle for a few minutes each day, illuminating the interior or exterior, making it more attractive. In photography, this is often referred to as "The Golden Hour."

If you prepare the images for your listings now, they will draw new tenants on their own. At Geekly Media, we call that working smarter—not harder.

Use These Marketing Strategies Year Round

As a property manager, you have a product that lends itself well to an "autopilot" strategy. Most tenants are motivated renters, so if you give them what they want to see and read, they will be more likely to choose your property over that of the competition. Even if you use the above tips, it can seem stressful just trying to get—or stay—caught up with all that marketing entails for a property management company. When you partner with Geekly Media to automate your workflows and streamline your marketing, you can both look forward to the busy season and do something you haven't done for several months: relax.