Are you searching for tips on how to find the most qualified tenants to live in your rental properties? If so, you've come to the right place.
There's no denying that rental property marking can seem complicated in 2021, especially because there are a wide variety of online resources that landlords can choose from.
Thankfully, finding qualified tenants has never been easier, especially if you follow these tips.
Think Beyond Ads and Listings
Of course, posting your listings and advertising your units is important. But you’ll get more interest if you build a good reputation with renters. Using your social media channels, online reviews, and community events can help you do that.
Leverage Your Social Media
Did you know that 30 percent of millennials engage with a brand via social at least once a month?
Leverage your social media channels to build a large following and become a trusted resource in your community. Think of your social media platforms as a way to start a conversation with your audience.
To do that, post more than just your listings. Post about events in your area, or helpful information having to do with rentals. You can even include fun memes or images from time to time.
At this time, you may be sharing articles about how you’re conducting open houses while maintaining social distancing or your local government’s plans to reopen the economy, for example.
And post regularly. Businesses that post only occasionally lose their audiences.
The important thing to remember is to know your audience, get on the platforms they use, and post the kind of information they appreciate. Then, when you do post your listings, you’ll have a large, engaged audience to click and share your posts.
Collect Online Reviews
Online reviews should be a big part of your marketing plan. In fact, almost 97 percent of millennials make their purchases based on online reviews. They don’t trust advertisements alone.
If your tenants come to you with positive feedback, thank them and encourage them to write a review of your business and your units on sites like Yelp or Apartment Ratings.
Just remember, you can encourage tenants to write reviews, but you can’t make it a requirement of their tenancy or tell them what to write.
Get Involved in the Community
When people think of renting or property management, you want your name to pop in their heads. One great way to do that is to get involved in your community. Sponsor an event (online or otherwise) or local team. Donate time, materials, or money to a non-profit.
Getting involved in your community is a win-win. You get your name out there and a deserving organization gets the resources it needs.
Optimize Your Website
Optimizing your website allows prospective tenants to find you through search engines like Google. It also makes your site user-friendly, so when people do find you, they can navigate to find what they need.
Here are the steps you need to take to optimize your site:
- Create a keyword strategy: Keywords are the words and phrases users enter into search engines when looking for something. Including them on your site helps Google and other search engines match you to the right search queries.
- Optimize the back end: The back end of your site is everything that’s working behind the scenes to make it searchable. File names and alt text for images also tell Google what your site is about.
- Create User-Friendly Pages: Pages should be easy to read and easy to navigate. Forms should be easy to fill out. Listings should be easy to find.
- Make It Responsive: Most people are browsing sites from their phones or tablets. Don’t get caught with a site that’s formatted only for a computer screen. Making it responsive means your site will fit to whatever device prospective tenants are using.
If you’re looking for an easy way to create an optimized site, check out Propertyware.
Use Your Relationships
Networking is a great way to find new tenants. After all, wouldn’t you rather have a referral from a trusted source? Here are some great ways to get those referrals.
Tenant Referrals
Referrals from current tenants are a great way to bring in good tenants. If you have a good relationship with your tenants, chances are they’re going to recommend trustworthy, responsible people for your vacant units.
To incentivize tenants, you could even set up a referral program. Offer a gift card or access to exclusive amenities to tenants who refer someone who signs a lease.
Realtor Referrals
Stay in touch with realtors. They’re well connected in the housing community and can refer prospective tenants to your properties.
Contact Black Bird Realty
For more Property Management tips, or to speak with us about the services that we can offer you, contact us today by clicking here!