I have to hand it to you, marketing a vacancy to rental applicants is no easy feat. Alongside frequently posting listings and scheduling property tours, you have to write attractive listing ads. You essentially have to know what your applicants want— and how your property fulfills those needs and wants. In order to obtain peak season success, nail out your marketing strategy so you can cater your rental listing ads to the perfect applicants.
Know your Applicants
If you want to obtain success during the peak rental season, you need to go into it knowing what type of rental applicants you want. Obviously, you want tenants who pay their rent on time, don’t cause any damages, and stay on your property for years, but do the applicants your currently marketing to fit the mold? To get the perfect tenants you need to think strategically about your property. Think of its assets: number of bedrooms/bathrooms, location, size, extra factors (like a spacious backyard, energy efficient appliances, smart-home features, etc.). Then, brainstorm the type of applicants that would be attracted to your property’s features. For example, if your rental is a small single-story house, marketing to seniors might be a good fit for you. Or, if your property is spacious with a large backyard and within a close proximity to a park, you might want to try to attract families or dog-owning applicants.
Write a Great Listing
Now that you know what type of applicants you want to market to, it’s time to write your rental’s listing ad. Your listings should include:
- Rent, deposit, fees, and utility responsibilities
First and foremost, you want to attract applicants who can afford your property.
- Number of bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage
This is another important distinguisher that can avoid unnecessary questions and wasted time.
- Photos
How your rental property looks can make or break an applicant’s interest. Make sure you include quality rental photos by using our rental listing photo guide.
- Details catered to who you’re marketing to
Think from your applicant’s perspective. What type of things (that are on your property) would your applicants want to know? For example, do your applicants want to know what type of appliances (eco-friendly or laundry hook-ups) are offered? Are your applicants interested in how much natural light or storage space is in your rental? What about parking (like 2-car garages or street-parking only)? Is there a backyard? Include these details, and other details your applicants would find important (like distances to schools) in a short description.
- Pet policy
Regardless of whether you’re attracting millennial, senior, or family renters, all three of these groups could have pets, so make sure your pet policy is distinguishable.
- Contact information and ‘Apply Now’ link
Make sure you add your contact information to set up viewing appointments and a link to your online rental application at the bottom.
Where to Post
With your listing in hand, it’s now time to post it. Take a look at our Top Free Rental Property Listing Sites and start there. Each website is different, so make notes on where you’ve posted your vacancy, what information you included/left out (due to their different interfaces), and how often you’ll need to check back or update. For example, with Zillow you’ll only need to post once while Craigslist will require frequent posting.
Reminder: Don’t forget to add your contact information and ‘Apply Now’ hotlink! Log into your ApplyConnect® account and go to your property links tab. Now, just copy and paste your rental application URL into your listings and you’ll be good to go! If you need assistance, ApplyConnect’s® award winning support team will be happy to assist.
If you’re still unsure about what type of renters you want to market to, consider writing 2 or 3 varied listings with different applicants in mind. Then, keep track of the listing that gains you the most applicants. This will not only help you zone in on which rental applicants fit your property, but give you more applications to consider. Good luck!
Is there something you ALWAYS post on your listings? How does it help attract the type of applicants you want? Let us know your experience in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe!
