How to get more landlord leads online

Between chasing rental arrears, organising inspections and keeping landlords happy, finding time to think about marketing isn’t always easy.

But if you’re looking to grow your rent roll, bring in more landlord enquiries or fill vacant properties faster, digital advertising is worth a look.

Google, Facebook and Instagram can all help get your agency in front of potential clients.

The tricky part is knowing which platform to use, what to advertise and how to avoid spending money on clicks that go nowhere.

Here’s five ways property managers and lettings teams can make their advertising budget work a little harder.

1. Get in front of landlords already looking for help

Think about the last time you needed a plumber.

Chances are, you jumped on Google and searched for someone nearby.

Landlords do that same thing when they’re looking for property management services.

They might search for “property managers near me”, “rental appraisal Brisbane” or “how to change property managers”.

With Google Ads, your agency can appear in sponsored search results when someone searches for those terms.

The important part is choosing keywords that match the services you offer and the areas you cover.

Targeting every property-related search might bring in plenty of clicks, but that doesn’t mean those people are looking for a property manager.

Give this a go: Start with a few location-specific keywords around rental appraisals or property management services. Check which searches lead to actual enquiries before putting more money behind them.

2. Stay on a landlord’s radar with Facebook and Instagram

Not every landlord is ready to change property managers today.

Some are happy where they are.

Others might be managing their own investment property and wondering whether it’s worth the hassle.

Facebook and Instagram are useful places to reach these people before they start actively searching.

And you don’t need a fancy video production team to get started.

A quick video from your property management team about what’s happening in the local rental market could be more useful to a landlord than another generic “we’re the best property managers in town” ad.

You could also share tips about preparing a property for rent, common mistakes self-managing landlords make or what investors should know about the local market.

Give this a go: Take your latest rental market update and turn it into a short video or carousel. Focus on one thing landlords would actually want to know, like how long similar properties are taking to lease.

3. Have a peek at what your competitors are advertising

Ever wondered what the agency down the road is running on Facebook and Instagram?

Well, you can actually find out.

And it won’t cost you a cent.

Meta’s Ad Library is a free tool that lets you see the ads other businesses are currently running across Facebook and Instagram.

Simply select Australia, choose ‘All ads’ and search for a competing agency’s name.

You can see what they’re promoting, the images or videos they’re using and how they’re encouraging people to enquire.

Are they offering free rental appraisals?

Promoting their property management team?

Sharing landlord tips?

It’s a handy way to see what’s happening in your local market and get a few ideas for your own campaigns.

Just remember, you can’t see how many leads they’re generating or how much they’re spending.

And there’s no need to copy their homework.

Give this a go: Look at three competing agencies in Meta’s Ad Library. See what they’re advertising to landlords and think about how you could approach a similar topic in your own way, and then make it 1X BILLION times better than theirs.

4. Don’t make people hunt for the next step

Imagine clicking on an ad for a free rental appraisal, only to land on an agency homepage with no mention of appraisals.

You’d probably leave, right?

It’s a common mistake, and one that’s easy to fix.

If you’re running an ad promoting rental appraisals, send people to a page where they can request one.

If you’re advertising your property management services, make sure the page clearly explains what you offer and how to get in touch.

The fewer steps someone has to take, the easier it is for them to enquire.

It’s also worth checking how everything looks on a phone.

Someone scrolling Instagram during their lunch break probably isn’t going to spend five minutes trying to find your contact form.

Give this a go: Click through one of your own ads on your phone. Can you find the information you need and submit an enquiry without getting frustrated? If not, there’s your next job.

5. Look beyond clicks and likes

It’s always nice seeing an ad get plenty of attention.

But 500 clicks won’t mean much if none of them turn into a landlord appraisal or new managements.

For lettings teams, it could be landlord enquiries, leasing enquiries and new leasing instructions.

These are the things that tell you whether your advertising is helping your team achieve its goals.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on where enquiries are coming from and how quickly they’re followed yep.

There’s little point paying for a landlord enquiry if its its in an inbox for three days.

Give this a go: At the end of each month, look at which campaigns brought in useful enquiries and what happened next. You’ll have a much better idea of where to spend your budget next time.

Want to get more from your digital ads?

Whether you’re trying to attract more landlords, grow your rent roll or win more leasing business, a little planning can go a long way.

We’ve put together two free guides to help real estate teams get started with Google and Meta advertising.

Inside the Ultimate Real Estate Ads Bundle, you’ll find tips on setting up campaigns, choosing your audience and making better use of your advertising budget.

Download your free real estate ads bundle.