Property management is an inherently local business. If you want to make an impression on property owners looking for property management help in your area, give yourself a leg up by demonstrating your deep local connections.
By focusing on the local, you not only build trust in your brand and raise your profile in search results, you also provide something that VC-backed behemoths can’t: local expertise.
This article discusses 3 ways to boost your local cred and drive more potential clients to your website through content marketing. Content marketing is the art and science of growing brand awareness and visibility by producing a steady flow of helpful and relevant content.
By way of introduction, we’re Gator SEM, a search engine marketing agency based in Gainesville, Florida. Since we began managing the web presence of a property management company here in Gainesville, they’ve quickly climbed to the first page of Google search results.
1. Make the Most Out of Your Google My Business Panel
Not sure if you have a Google My Business (GMB) page? Stop reading right now and go claim your GMB page. For a quick guide to getting set up, check out our guide to optimizing your Google My Business listing.
In addition to displaying your stellar Google Reviews and listing your hours, address and phone number, GMB allows you to publish mini-posts that show up in your panel when people search for your business or find you through related terms.
About 50 words of your posts show up in that panel, so make it short and sweet. Adding an image is a great way to make your posts stand out. The image could be as simple as the title of the post on a snazzy background.
A property manager looking to show they’re active in the community might post about local initiatives, such as community food drives, neighborhood clean-ups and recycling events.
The great thing about GMB posts is that you can include a “Learn More” button to drive traffic to your site, or even a “Call Now” button if you prefer to get things started with a phone call.
2. Publish In-Depth Stories On Your Blog
A blog is another way to showcase your local expertise. You could, for example, share tips on dealing with pests or extreme weather events that are a source of ongoing headaches for owners in the areas you serve.
A seasoned Florida property manager will know that leaking faucets and A/C units, loose mortar around windows and rotted roof shingles all invite termites to take root — and will take preventive measures against it. The more of your expertise you share with potential property owners, the more they’re likely to turn to you when the need arises.
Creating content that is going to connect with your audience and rise to the top of search rankings is equal parts storytelling and knowing what keywords to target.
For the second part of that equation, use a keyword research tool like Ahrefs to see what phrases property owners are actually searching for when they’re looking for businesses like yours. Include your keywords in the URL, title (h1), and body of the article. Just don’t overdo it: Google is hip to keyword-stuffing and will penalize you for it. There’s much more to keyword research, but we’ll keep it simple for now.
Give your article an intriguing title and meta description that will encourage people to click on it in search results. A good piece of web copy should be written in a conversational tone and solve a problem someone is having. It should also hit these four elements:
- Introduction – Introduce yourself and state what your business is. Assume the person reading your blog landed there from a Google search or link on Facebook, rather than entering through the homepage like we used to in the early days of the internet.
- Images – Break up with text with images every few paragraphs. A thick block of text is daunting for many online readers.
- Internal Links – Link to other key content on your site that leads to conversions, such as your services page.
- Call to Action – Close with a call to action at the bottom of the article that includes ways for people to get in touch with you.
3. Optimize for Search Engines
A good property management site should include information about your services, property listings, rental application forms, and, as we just covered, articles that address problems property owners encounter and demonstrate your local expertise. But all of that good stuff isn’t going to impact your bottom line if people can’t find you in search results.
SEO in 2021 is as much about content as it is User Experience (UX). In terms of UX, Google’s algorithm factors in how fast a page loads and how well it is optimized for mobile readers, who now make up the majority of site visits internet-wide.
One problem is Buildium. The software suite is deservedly popular with property management companies. Buildium makes it easy to collect rent, list properties, screen tenants, field maintenance requests and more. But from an SEO perspective, the standard public website Buildium provides just doesn’t cut it. To optimize for search, we need control over the design and meta elements.
For our Gainesville client, we created a WordPress website and integrated it with their Buildium apps. This allowed us to gain more control over the design and fully leverage WordPress’s built-in SEO advantages, such as search-optimized URLs, automatic metadata creation, image optimization and more.
This is important because better design and SEO = more people finding your company online. And not immediately jumping ship because your website is a hot mess.
To learn more check out our in-depth guide to integrating your Buildium tools with a WordPress site.
Bottom Line: Showing how you participate in the life of the communities you serve is going to cement your local reputation and set you apart from your competitors. That’s how you’re going to compete with VC-backed companies that work in your market but aren’t really in the communities they serve. And it’s a solid content marketing strategy for small businesses in general.
Need help marketing your property management services? Give us a call at 888-487-7361 or fill out a quick form to let us know how we can help you grow your business.