Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few decades, you know that in order to keep up with the competition in any business, you have to create and maintain an online presence. Property management is no exception to this rule – in fact, more and more people are turning to the web to find properties to buy, rent and lease. So, what are these people seeing when they search online and come across your business? First impressions are critical, and the internet is your virtual front door so you want to make sure that you’re not just easy to find online, but that your reputation as a property manager is stellar. Here’s how to do so.
Stay On Top of Things
In order to keep your online reputation sound, you have to be aware of exactly what’s being said about your business. Set up a Google alert so that you’ll receive an email every time your organization is mentioned anywhere on the web. That way you can address any problems in a timely manner.
Get your free copy of The Property Manager’s Guide to Proactive Management — and make the time necessary to plan for an extraordinary future.
Be Active
The more active of a role you take in the online presence of your business, the less likely it will be that a negative comment or review will pop up high in the search results. If you’re continuously producing a lot of quality content, that’s what will show up when someone does a search for your company. If you don’t, you leave this to chance and risk something less than flattering showing up instead.
Don’t Ignore Problems
If you come across a complaint, it may be tempting to just ignore it and hope it will go away. But it’s important to remember that future clients and prospective tenants may very well come across that complaint as well. If they don’t see a response from you, they’ll have no choice but to take the negative comment at face value. Always respond and do your best to diffuse the situation so that when those clients and prospects come across the complaint, they’ll see that you were right there to address the problem.
Related Post: The Modern Property Manager: 5 Ways to Market Your Properties
Be Proactive
You can reduce future complaints by addressing negative situations in a timely and effective manner. For instance, if you find that you’re getting a lot of complaints about noise at one of your properties, take action right away to correct the problem. That way you’ll reduce the chances of having to deal with more complaints down the road.
It’s important to remember to always stay calm and professional in all of your online interactions. As tempting as it may be to lash out or become defensive when you come across a negative comment or complaint, remember that your response will be on the web for everyone to see. Acknowledge any comments or concerns and do your best to rectify any legitimate problems. This will show your audience that you care and that you’re listening and will go a long way to helping solidify your positive presence online, which will, in turn, improve the quality of your real-life interactions in the future.
{{cta(‘c12133db-01ae-4feb-bca3-ff6540142ac7′,’justifyright’)}}
Get your free copy of The Property Manager’s Guide to Proactive Management — and make the time necessary to plan for an extraordinary future.