Teach AI to
Write Your Next Listing
(and Other Tactics Landlords Need)

Transcript:

Seamus Nally:

Thank you, Jeffrey. My name is Seamus Nally. I’m the CEO at TurboTenant. Today, we are going to try to provide some very actionable tips, some of which relate to the software that we create, some of which don’t, and are hopefully just things that you can start utilizing to scale the business. So I’m joined by this lovely individual, Krista. She runs a lot of our educational webinars and courses, and so because she’s much better at staying on track and on time than I am, she’s going to start walking us through this presentation, and we’re going to have a little bit of audience participation as well. So Krista, take it away.

Krista Reuther:

Well, thank you for that introduction, Seamus. Really happy to be here with you guys today. We’re going to start out with some of that interactivity that Seamus was mentioning. So tell us, how many years of property management experience do you have? A lot of you are in different spots of your landlording journey, but we have tools and tricks to help all of you. So whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the game for a while, we are hoping to teach you something new today. So three key takeaways: we are going to help you improve your property listings to get better quality leads, scale your business with easy-to-use technology, and scale yourself through education. And you might be looking at me and saying, “Krista, I don’t need your help in scaling my business. I have 101 doors. I don’t want to hear you talk.” In which case, a little bit rude, a little bit aggressive, but I won’t take it personally. Instead, what I’m going to tell you is that I bet I have a tool in here that you’re not using that could improve your process. So stick around. We’re going to start off with digital marketing, and before we dive in, Seamus, you added this note about high-quality listings. Tell me how the quality of the listing translates to the quality of the tenant that you see?

Seamus Nally:

Yeah, absolutely. So one of the things our platform does is facilitate the marketing process for a lot of landlords. And when I say a lot, we’ve had over 500,000 landlords utilizing our platform. And so we get to see a lot of listings, and there’s one thing that is true across the board: a high-quality listing gets you high-quality renters. And it just makes sense, right? Is anyone in here going to apply to live at a property that looks terrible or has sparse information? The answer is no. Now, the only people that do apply for those listings are people that are desperate, right? They’re not your highest quality tenants. And so the one thing that we really encourage our landlords to do is make every effort possible to create a really high-quality listing, and we’ve got some tips that Krista is going to walk us through so that they get the cream of the crop tenants for wherever that’s located. And that doesn’t matter if you’re in class A or class D. You still want to attract the best possible tenants for the location of your rentals.

Krista Reuther:

Absolutely. So let’s jump in. We are at least, right? So we are in the…hopefully, you are too. If you’re not, don’t worry. I’m going to make it easy for you. Unfortunately, in this digital ecosphere, there is a lot of competition, and people’s attention spans are shrinking by the day. So right now, the average attention span is about eight seconds, which means you really need to make a good first impression in order to get quality tenants. Fellow landlords in this room, but also with big companies like BlackRock. If you’re unfamiliar with BlackRock, congratulations. I don’t know how you avoided that piece of information. I’m jealous. But they are the world’s largest investment manager. In 2021 alone, they managed 10 trillion, that’s with a “t”, trillion dollars. So it makes sense that they have just under 100 million dollars to spend on marketing. Please stand up if you have just under 100 million dollars to spend on your marketing for rentals. No? Okay, me neither. That’s why I work here.

Seamus Nally:

Okay. Let’s dive into those tools that we mentioned. First off, we have listing descriptions. Right. So one really simple application that we wanted to show off is just around that listing description. As we showed in listing A, very sparse, even had some illegal or fair housing violation aspects of it, and B was a lot more detailed. And so what I have a video of here is using Bard, which is Google’s product. It’s free for everyone to use. You don’t need to sign up. You don’t need to do anything. And what I did is I added a prompt. So I added a prompt for listing A, 140 North Bryan, and I just took and copied and pasted the “two bedrooms, one bath, furnished,” and I said, “Create a listing description along with local amenities.” And so you can see some of the details that it pulls out. It pulls out transportation amenities. Now, you have to double-check these, right? Make sure that you read these. But then the next piece of what I did is I actually asked them to rewrite it and make sure it complied with fair housing laws. And so as you see there, it actually wrote it. And then at the very bottom of this, it tells me what it removed. So it removed the “no kids,” and it actually removed the “no smokers,” and it tells me why. So this is a really good way for you to create that first listing description if you’re not feeling overly creative. The other thing that’s awesome is some listing sites have a character limit. A character limit of, excuse me, 10,000 characters is very common across listing tracked. So you can actually put in the prompt limit to 10,000 characters, and it will…

A very easy way for you to do it. For those of you with many listings, it’s a quick way to create a whole bunch of these. I will say, though, you still got to read through it, make sure that you re-read through it, make sure that it’s all true and that it makes sense.

Krista Reuther:

Absolutely. So always good to leverage the technology available to you. But as Seamus mentioned, we still want some human eyes on the actual words. That said, there are other tools that you can use to further increase the likelihood that a tenant is going to read your description and fall in love with your property. I’ve listed them here. I won’t go through each one individually, but I will say Grammarly is a huge free tool. One, it’s one that I use every day as a professional writer and researcher. So that’s a pretty good endorsement. But the reason I use it is because it keeps my grammar looking good and making sense. So even if I miss a comma, they won’t. And that means that I look better to my bosses. Can’t argue with that. And you, in turn, will look better to prospective tenants because they are looking for something that they can understand, right?

Seamus Nally:

We’ve also listed out some services here that you can use, whether it’s an AI-based service that writes your listing for you with a couple of revisions available or you can hire a professional who can spin up a listing description based on your photos. So different price points because, like I said, I know everybody’s in a different space of their landlord journey, and it’s important to cater to you all.

And I think this is the first impression, right? Just like when you’re marketing your business, when you’re marketing a listing, that first impression really matters. If you have grammatical spelling errors, if it’s in all caps, which used to be really, really popular on Craigslist, right? That sends a certain vibe. It says, “It sends as a landlord, you don’t have high attention to detail.” And the renter is going to draw conclusions from that. Now, will that scare off desperate renters? No. Will it maybe make really high-quality renters think about whether or not they want to apply or see your place? Yes. And I think we’re all in the business of getting the highest quality renter possible based on the location and the market our property is in. And so that’s why we constantly tell our landlords when we get an opportunity to talk to them about their listing, read this description, look at these photos. Would you want to live there based the on what it’s saying, right? Would you apply to this place? And these tools help a lot to make sure that you’re not making simple mistakes.

Krista Reuther:

Beautiful. Like we said, you’re still going to want to make sure that you review everything before you put it up because let’s face it, at the end of the day, if your listing violates fair housing laws, the tenant is not going to come after Grammarly, they’re not going to go after Listing AI. They’re going to go after you. And if you were unaware, you can actually be charged up to $16,000 for your first fair housing violation, regardless if it was intentional or not. And in fact, it usually isn’t. Most people aren’t out there to purposely harm folks by being discriminatory. But it’s really easy to do accidentally. So with that in mind, you’re going to want to make sure that your final listing does not reference any of the seven protected classes in a way that would be discriminatory.

Seamus Nally:

Right, and let’s circle back to the smokers thing. Most people do not allow smoking in their properties. Show of hands if you allow smoking in any of your properties. Okay, we got one, two, three people. All right. So it is okay to ban smoking. You may not ban smokers. So it’s that little tiny tweak of your language to make sure that you are compliant. Now, why is that? Because smoking is seen as an addiction through the eyes of HUD. You absolutely cannot discriminate based on that. So it’s easy enough to do, but you have to be mindful. If you need some help being mindful, we have a course that we created specifically for this purpose. Our fair housing course for landlords goes through some commonly missed things that could get you in huge trouble. If you are starting out with this technology thing, you’ve just gotten your Listing AI reading, and you’re like, “Okay, this seems good. But am I compliant? Is this going to get me in trouble? Am I going to have to pay $16,000 to Uncle Sam because I said smokers instead of smoking?” I will say too around fair housing, it’s just a topic. And this is the reason that we did create a course. It’s two hours of content on…and it’s worth the refresher. And if you have new team members that are helping you out, it’s worth them going through that and learning it. Right? Because anyone can make that mistake. You can be an absolute expert on it, and if someone on your team makes that mistake, right, it’s putting you at risk. I find this is also especially important from the standpoint of listings because the purpose of any listing that you are putting out, right, your goal is to get as many people to see it as possible, right? And so that just opens up the pool of individuals that can look at it, identify that there’s an issue with it, and actually come after you. And from time to time, we get actually attorneys sending us letters about landlords’ listings, thinking that we create them ourselves. We do not. The landlord wrote them, right? But they’re trying to actually go after landlords that are doing fair housing violations, even ones that are very small, like saying “no smokers” as opposed to “no smoking.” Like, that actually happens. Right now, and I’m sure many of you can agree with me, that it sucks and it’s brutal and it’s certainly not looking at the best intention of the individuals, but it’s just not worth it.

Krista Reuther:

With that in mind, one last thing about fair housing, did you know you cannot say a property is family-friendly? That’s one that usually shocks people. Don’t do that. That is discriminating based on familial status, and you absolutely can’t. So, lots of things to learn, check us out for that; otherwise, we’ll keep scooting along. We’ve talked to you about your listing, the description part. The other core component of your listing is, of course, the photography, right? So we’re going to go through some basics here, just to make sure that, you know, we’ve mentioned that you should make sure that your lines are lining up properly, so horizontal and vertical, that way your pictures look professional. The more professional your pictures look, the better quality tenants that you’re going to be able to net, because they are looking at that and judging you as a landlord and your capability to take care of their needs. You’re also going to want to make sure that your spaces are well-lit when you’re taking pictures and tidy. Additionally, don’t be in the pictures, watch your reflection. You’re not going to get uploaded to a listing site if you are in the pictures; in fact, at TurboTenant, we will ask that because it just, it is not good form. Additionally, turn off your ceiling fans. It looks like a scary blur; people don’t want to be scared in your rental, so turn that off. Make sure that you show off the amenities and, of course, if you’re taking pictures outside, don’t do it at high noon. Shadows are nobody’s friends. Anything to add?

Seamus Nally:

I just think it’s a really important point that you bring up in terms of being in the images. There are certain things that you if you put them in your listing, they’re not going to get posted on the most popular listing sites, right? So whether it’s apartments.com or realtor.com or Redfin or Zillow, they’re not going to post a picture with a person in it. It gets flagged as fraudulent, so they take it down right away. They also are not going to post any photos that have text over them, okay? So from time to time, we have landlords that are saying, you know, “Discount 10% right,” or “No security deposit down,” or putting other things that resemble deals on top of their photos. Those will get flagged as fraudulent in a lot of cases and taken down, so save that for the description; don’t add it to the photos. It’s going to slow your turnaround, and the way a lot of these sites actually work is they won’t even tell you why they take it down; it just will never go up, right? So save yourself the headache.

Krista Reuther:

Absolutely. So you’ve gotten your pictures, but what if you want to go that extra step? Let’s say you have a luxury rental somewhere nestled in the mountains of Aspen, and you really want to show it off. Drone photography is a great way to do it, so that is going to give you a bird’s eye view of the property and the grounds. Of course, it’s not perfect for every property; if you have a multi-family unit in the heart of downtown Denver, just surrounded by other buildings, probably don’t need a bird’s eye view of that. So use it sparingly, but where it makes sense, it has a great payoff. It looks professional, it looks incredible, and it gives people a sense of everything that you have to offer in one fell swoops. Similarly, if you are really excited about taking pictures, I’m going to recommend that you aim to do it at twilight. However, it is tricky because that is a hard time for lighting. When it works, though, it’s gorgeous; you get pictures like this, which are dreamy. It’s kind of a romantic vibe, and so this is another one for high-end properties, if you have them out there. There are tools to help you mimic this kind of lighting; Canva is a really good one if you need to quickly edit or make changes to a picture, as is PicMonkey. Those are two great free services, but make sure that you give them a good base to work on; have a good picture to meet the foundation that you need to have that solid image that people can use to picture themselves in your rental. Also, aim to have at least 10 pictures and you’re going to want to have them in the order that the person would encounter the spaces in your home. Really be mindful as you’re building that listing of the order of your photographs. You don’t want to go from the bedroom to the backyard to the bathroom to the front door. That’s just a very confusing experience. You’re looking to make it smooth for your prospective tenants. And if you’re listing an amenity in the description, grab a photo of it, right? You want those things to line up one to one, once again, so the individual has a really good idea as to what your listing looks like.

Seamus Nally:

Alright, enough of me talking for a hot minute, except I’m going to read this question: “Have you created a virtual tour for a listing before?” There is no shame, no one can see that you haven’t done it, so be honest. Looks like the majority–I know so far, it’s now–Seamus, have you gotten around to making a virtual tour?

Krista Reuther:

I have not actually done a virtual tour. So good news, I have some technology that can help you. A few… So virtual tours, if you are uninitiated, it is basically a walkthrough of your property available online, which means that people out of state can see your property and imagine themselves there just as easily as someone who knocks on the door. When you use a virtual tour, not only can you get more people to actually put eyes on your property, but that actually translates into increased application conversion, it shortens your vacancy cycle which saves you money, and gets you someone who you want in your property for as long as possible. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Seamus Nally:

If you haven’t used a virtual tour before, you might be like, “Okay, Krista, great, I have a video of my property. What the heck do I do with it?” Well, first of all, when you make that video, make sure that you’re including information and footage about the communal spaces as well as any outdoor areas. Your goal is to give them a complete picture of your property. Think of it as a little filmmaking journey, right? Put on your director hat and take a walk, starting at the beginning of your property, go all the way through as you would with any other tour, wrap around to the backyard, outdoor areas, whatever you can. Then take that video, put it in your listing, put it on your website, put it on your social media, put it everywhere because that is the kind of thing that really pays off. And if you don’t have a website or social media, I’ve also found it really helpful as just something to respond to interested leads with. We’ve… we’re going to talk here about a pre-screener and the value of that, but it’s also nice, you know, if you are going to do a showing or someone is asking you questions, for you to be able to include that tidbit of information back to them even with an automatic reply.

Krista Reuther:

Absolutely. So there are quite a few tools that you can choose to make your own virtual tour. We’ve got everything from a smartphone and a gimbal, which is essentially a stabilizing tool, to Matterport. Now, Matterport’s a big name in the game, so if you’ve heard of them, raise your hand. Got some hands, got some hands, yeah, okay, people know Matterport. Why? Because they are fantastic at what they do. You might be looking at that price tag and wondering, well, is it really worth it? I would argue yes, and they don’t even pay me to say that. But the reason that I think it’s worth it is because you can actually reuse this virtual tour as often as you need to, as long as your property doesn’t change majorly, right?

So let’s take a look at a Matterport tour. We are going to jump into it here. So this is a Matterport tour. Essentially, you can hop into the property and use your mouse or your finger to move around the property as though you are actually walking through it. You can use your keyboard; you can use the mouse. As you move around, you can go to different areas of the property. So you can see here, this is a big kind of communal living space that’s right when you walk in the door, so you can go through the front door and walk right into that living room area, or if you want to go right into the kitchen, you have the ability to skip around or focus in on the areas that you want to use. There’s also kind of a dollhouse view, which is kind of fun too because then you get to see where all the other spaces are in relation to each other. So you have a really good sense of what’s going on, and it also just gives you that feel for what’s happening, and you don’t even need to go to the property to get a sense of the layout of the rooms and the flow of the property, which I think is fantastic. And all of this is embedded right into the listing, so if you’ve seen it on Zillow or if you’ve seen it on Redfin, wherever else, this is available on those platforms. It’s also available if you put the video on YouTube, and I’ve seen people get pretty creative and post it in the listing as well.

Seamus Nally:

So now that we’ve talked about getting people to the property, and we’ve got a great idea on how to do that with the photography, let’s go ahead and chat about how to streamline those leads and keep yourself from going crazy in the process. I do think… I will add with this virtual tour, just from experience, that people will contact you, and they will feel like they know your property already. So instead of just saying, “Hey, can I schedule a showing,” they might say, “Hey, I want to take a look at your property. I’m available on Monday at 3 p.m.,” which is fantastic because you can say, “Great, I can meet you there and do the tour personally if they’re asking you for that.” But if they’re not looking for that, you can also direct them back to your site to take a look at the virtual tour again.

Krista Reuther:

Absolutely. And it also just helps you filter out those people who are not actually interested in the property. If they’ve gone through the virtual tour and they’re like, “Hey, this isn’t what I’m looking for,” then you know not to spend your time on them, and you can focus on the people who are actually interested in that property.

Seamus Nally:

Exactly. So to streamline leads, here’s a few things that we’re going to talk about that we mentioned earlier. We’ve got syndication, then we’ve got using software to manage your leads, and then finally, we’ve got some social media marketing pieces.

One of the first things that you can do to streamline your leads is to utilize a syndication network. And I can tell you, from personal experience, there are so many sites out there where you can post your property and spend so much time doing it, right? So there’s a lot of places you could post your property, in addition to your own website, right? We’re talking Zillow, realtor.com, Redfin, apartments.com, there’s just so many out there, that it takes time to post it, but then it also takes time to go and update the listings later, right? And how do you update your listing later? Well, if you have five or ten listings out there, maybe it’s manageable, but if you have 20 or 30 listings out there, suddenly you are spending half of your time updating listings as opposed to managing your rental property. So there are services out there, like TurboTenant, which I’m going to show you here, that allow you to post to one platform, and then that platform will distribute your listing to the other platforms out there. So you’re not posting your property a million times, and you’re also not updating your property a million times, which is kind of nice. The other part of this that I really like is that they have relationships with the platforms that they’re distributing to. So they’re more likely to have a direct line to somebody there if something goes haywire with your listing, as opposed to me trying to call Zillow and navigate through their automated system to talk to a human being, which I can tell you is time-consuming and frustrating. So if you can just delegate that, I think it’s a huge value and not a ton of money.

I also do think I want to add here that when you’re choosing a syndication network, it’s important to choose one that is kind of no additional fee to post. So that would be like Zillow and HotPads, right? Those are free ones. Or, if you’re choosing one that has a really good relationship with a specific platform that you want to post to. So if you’re looking at apartments.com, for example, which tends to bring in really good leads, that is one that we always recommend landlords put their property on as well, if they’re going to post it anywhere. So pick the one that has a relationship with your most ideal platform, or go for a free one.

Krista Reuther:

I completely agree. I think that’s a great point. So it’s not just about getting your listing out there; it’s about getting it out there in a way that’s going to get you the most bang for your buck, for sure. And like she said, Zillow is a big name, it’s free, it’s easy, and it gets a lot of traffic. So if you’re going to choose one to start with, that’s a great one.

Next, you’re going to want to look at how you’re going to manage those leads, right? You want to make sure that you’re responding to people quickly, and if you’ve been a landlord, you know that people usually contact you at the most inconvenient times, right? So it’s going to be midnight on a Friday, and you’re going to get a text that says, “Hey, I want to see your property tomorrow,” and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I was about to go to sleep!” But you know you want to respond quickly because you want to make sure that you’re giving those prospective tenants a good experience because if you don’t, someone else is going to, and they’re going to go with that someone else.

Seamus Nally:

Exactly. So if you’re sleeping and the text comes in, what are you going to do? You have a couple of options: you could jump up and run to the phone, which is my natural tendency because I’m terrified I’m going to miss out, or you could set up an automatic reply. Now, if you want to set up an automatic reply and you’re going to do that for the entire time that your listing is up, I recommend something like the template that we have here. You can adjust this as necessary: “Hey, I’m so excited that you’re interested in my property. Thanks for your inquiry. You’re definitely in the running. I do showings between these hours.” This is important to put on because you don’t want to be responding at midnight, right? And make sure that you’re letting them know that that is the only time that you’re doing showings, but you also want to create a sense of urgency. So if you’re saying, “I’m only showing between 10 and 2, and I’ve got four other people coming in,” you might want to move quick if this is the place that you want to live.

Krista Reuther:

Exactly. That helps create a little bit of competition, which is always good for you as the landlord. Now, this could be done if you are available and you just want to give it a little bit of time because you don’t want to seem like you’re too eager to rent the property, which by the way, is another thing that a lot of people tell us about responding too quickly, right? If you respond within like five minutes, they think there’s something wrong with the property or that it’s been listed for too long, and that’s why you’re so eager to get somebody in there. But then there’s the other side, where if you don’t respond at all, they’re like, “Well, is this still available? Is it not available? What’s going on?” So you definitely want to respond within a good time frame. So if you’re going to bed at midnight, you don’t want to respond then, but you can set up an automatic reply that says something along the lines of, “Hey, I’m so glad that you’re interested. I’m going to be available to show the property tomorrow between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and I’ll make sure that I give you a call then.” That gives you the ability to get up the next morning at a reasonable time, give them a call, and set up the showing. So that way you’re not responding at midnight, but you’re also not leaving them hanging, and you’re also not giving the appearance that you are just waiting for their email to come in, and you’re going to jump up and respond right away because you’re available.

Krista Reuther:

Exactly. Now, the other option is if you’re sleeping or you’re not available to respond, you can set up an automatic text message that goes out. It says, “Hey, I’m so glad you’re interested. I’m currently unavailable to respond, but I will get back to you tomorrow between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.” That way, they know you got their text message, and you’re going to get back to them; you’re just not going to get back to them right away, and that gives you that time to get back to them within a reasonable timeframe without giving the impression that you’re too eager to get them in the property or that you’re not interested in responding at all.

Now, on that note, when you do respond, you want to make sure that you’re asking a few key questions. One of the first questions that you want to ask is, “Hey, tell me a little bit about yourself.” You want to know what their situation is, why they’re looking to move, why they’re interested in your property, and also how many people are going to be living there because that’s going to help you make sure that you’re bringing in the right people, right? You don’t want to have a single person living in a four-bedroom property with four bathrooms because you know that’s not a good fit and it’s not goingiah to be a good long-term tenant. So you want to make sure that you’re getting those details and you’re making sure that they are a good fit for your property.

Seamus Nally:

Absolutely. Then, you also want to be able to send them a link to a pre-screener. So once you know that they’re a good fit for your property, you can go ahead and send them a link to the pre-screener, so that way they can start that process. It’s quick; it’s easy, and it’s going to help you out on your side as well because it’s going to give you a better idea of who you’re working with.

Now we have a pre-screener that we offer to all of our landlords on our free plan. And you can check it out and see what it looks like here. This is a pre-screener that you can customize to your needs, and it’s going to ask them a few key questions. So you can see here it’s asking them their name, their email, their phone number, how long they’re looking to stay, their rental history, their employment history, and then it’s going to ask them for any additional information that you want to know. Now, the great thing about this is, it’s going to give you a good sense of who they are, but it’s also going to give you a chance to filter out those people who are not a good fit for your property. So if they’re not willing to fill out the pre-screener, you know that they’re not serious about renting the property, and you don’t need to waste your time with them.

Krista Reuther:

Exactly. Now another thing that’s really great is, it’s going to give you a sense of what kind of tenant they are. So if they’ve been evicted in the past, if they’ve got a criminal history, it’s going to give you a sense of that, and you can decide whether or not that’s a good fit for your property and your other tenants.

Seamus Nally:

Exactly. And that’s important because you want to make sure that you’re keeping a safe environment for your other tenants. And if you’re bringing somebody in who has a history of criminal activity, or they’ve been evicted multiple times, you’re probably not going to want them in your property because it’s going to increase the risk for the other tenants, and you’re going to have a whole slew of other problems to deal with down the road.

For sure. So you want to make sure that you’re screening them upfront and that you’re not just accepting anyone who’s interested in your property.

Krista Reuther:

Exactly. So if you’re not using a service like TurboTenant to do that pre-screener for you, what are the questions that you might want to ask? I would say the questions that are asked on a pre-screener are probably the most important, and these are the ones that you want to make sure that you’re asking upfront, and then you can ask any other questions that you want to ask after that. And I would also say, I would stick to these questions and not really venture outside of them. So if they’re giving you a sob story about why their credit is terrible or why their landlord from two years ago gave them a bad reference, I would be cautious of those answers and maybe not as inclined to rent to them because they’re already kind of giving you a warning signal that they might not be the best tenant for your property.

Right, exactly. So you want to make sure that you’re paying attention to those warning signals and that you’re not just accepting anyone who comes in and is interested in the property.

Seamus Nally:

Exactly. Now another piece that’s important with managing leads is using software to help keep everything organized. Using software allows you to streamline the entire process, from lead capture to tenant screening to lease signing. It can automate many tasks like sending follow-up emails, reminders for showings, and updating the availability status of your properties, which can significantly reduce the time and effort involved in managing multiple properties.

Additionally, some software offers analytics, which can be invaluable. You can see where your leads are coming being from, what kind of conversion rates you’re getting, and from which platforms. This information can help you adjust your marketing strategies to be more effective. It’s all about working smarter, not harder.

Krista Reuther:

Absolutely, and speaking of marketing strategies, let’s talk a bit about social media marketing. This is a powerful tool that every landlord should consider. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even TikTok can be used to showcase your properties. Social media isn’t just for big brands; as landlords, you can craft posts that highlight the unique aspects of your properties, share testimonials from happy tenants, and even conduct live tours.

For example, you could run a Facebook ad targeting individuals within a certain age range and income level in your area, or use Instagram stories to showcase real-time property updates or renovations. The key is consistency and engagement. Regular posts keep your audience engaged and interested in your offerings.

Seamus Nally:

Exactly, engaging with your audience on social media isn’t just about posting pictures or ads—it’s also about responding to comments, creating community-focused content, and even engaging in local community groups. These actions help build trust and reputation, which are critical in the rental market.

Now on to a related topic: how to manage the responses you receive from your listings and ads. It’s crucial to have a system in place for quickly sorting and responding to inquiries. This could be as simple as setting up email filters or having a dedicated phone number for rental inquiries, which helps keep everything organized.

Krista Reuther:

And don’t forget about the back-end of your social media efforts. Utilizing tools like Google Analytics on your property website can help you track where your traffic is coming from and which messages resonate best with your target demographic. This data is powerful and can help you tweak your messaging for better results.

Another great tool is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system specifically designed for real estate. CRMs can help you manage leads, track communications, schedule showings, and ensure that no interaction slips through the cracks. It’s all about creating a seamless experience from the first point of contact to the signing of the lease.

Seamus Nally:

Definitely, and as you’re integrating these various systems and strategies, it’s essential to consistently evaluate and refine your processes. What works today might not work tomorrow, especially as technology and market behavior continue to evolve. Always be testing, learning, and adapting your strategies to grow your business effectively.

By leveraging the right tools and strategies, you can not only maximize the efficiency of your operations but also provide better service to your tenants, which sets you apart in competitive markets. Remember, the goal isn’t just to fill vacancies; it’s to attract and retain quality tenants who will respect and care for your properties as if they were their own.

Krista Reuther:

Well-said, Seamus. Implementing these advanced strategies shows that you’re not just running a rental business; you’re leading a service that values quality and community. Having a strong online and offline strategy that reflects that can significantly enhance your visibility and reputation as a trusted landlord in this digital age.

Seamus Nally:

Absolutely. Thanks for adding that, Krista. We hope these tips and tools give you the insights needed to upscale your property management efforts efficiently. Remember, in the real estate world, being proactive, informed, and adaptable are key to maintaining a successful portfolio.

That wraps up our discussion for today. We look forward to seeing how each of you implements these strategies in your own rental practices. Good luck out there!