5 Things Property Management Companies Must Consider When Purchasing a Local Listings Solution

Seventy-five percent of consumers don’t look past the top ten search engine results. Similarly, customers are 2.7 times more likely to consider a business reputable if they find a complete Business Profile on Google Search and Maps. 

Local listings and online visibility go hand in hand. Local listings are one component of Google’s ranking factors, and they also provide consumers with valuable information about your property management company (PMC). 

While your PMC likely understands the importance of local listings, it can feel challenging to find a solution that can help you manage them effectively and efficiently. This blog is here to help! We summarize the top five things you should consider when purchasing a local listing solution. 

If your PMC is already using a local listing solution, this blog will allow you to assess whether you should stick with your current solution or consider other options. Let’s get started! 

A Look Into Local Listings 

Before diving into what makes a solid local listing solution, let’s dive into what local listings are. A local listing is today’s digital version of a Yellow Pages listing. It’s when an online directory mentions your local property and gives essential business information. 

These local listings often include basic business information, such as your local property’s name, address, phone number, and a link to your website. Some directories will include customer reviews or additional information about your properties. Here’s an example of a Price Brothers’ Google Business Profile (GBP), one of the most important local listings.

As mentioned above, local listings and online visibility are correlated. For additional insight on improving your PMC’s local search efforts, check out our Top 10 Things You Should Be Doing in Local SEO NOW Guide. 

What To Consider When Purchasing A Listings Solution 

Now that you understand the importance of local listings and what they are, let’s dive into what to consider when purchasing a listing solution for your PMC. 

1. Ability to Claim and Remove Duplicate Listings

As a PMC, one of the first things you should examine when looking at listings solutions is the ability to scale. You have multiple properties, and a solution that allows you to claim and manage your listings across all your properties is a must. 

While claiming your local listings is crucial, you should also consider whether or not removing duplicate listings is possible. Finding a solution that will remove duplicate listings is an added benefit. It will save your business time and effort from doing it manually. 

Our ultimate guide to optimizing your local listings provides more insight into how to claim and optimize your PMC’s local listings. 

2. Partnerships With Directories 

Next, it’s essential to consider partnerships with directories. While listings on platforms like Google Business Profile (GBP) and Facebook are essential, your PMC should have its listings claimed on other relevant directories. 

When a potential resident is searching for properties in the area they’re considering living in, will your apartment appear in the search results? For instance, does the solution partner with Google, Apple, or Facebook? These are powerful platforms that users frequently leverage for local search. 

A listings solution developed for PMCs should be able to partner with most of the platforms you want your local properties listed on. Finding a solution that allows you to create and manage listings across various search engines, social platforms, and directories ensures you get complete coverage, increasing your visibility among your target audience. 

3. Lead Generation Tracking 

Lead generation is the process of attracting potential residents to your properties and increasing their interest in renting from you. Lead generation tracking allows you to understand how your local listings are performing. With this tracking, you can assess the online traffic to your local listings and conversions. To enable lead generation tracking, you must find a solution that enables you to add calls-to-action (CTAs) to your listings. 

Including a CTA, such as “schedule a tour” or “book an appointment,” can help convert a potential resident without having them leave the local listing. It’s also an excellent tactic to gather leads your sales team can leverage later.

Once you add a CTA, it’s essential to track the leads you receive from online users clicking on the CTA. Some listing solutions allow lead generation tracking through phone numbers and UTM codes to help your property track potential interest and revenue growth. 

If your PMC doesn’t include and track CTAs on your local listings, think of all the revenue you could be missing. 

4. A Local Focus 

Optimizing your listings for your local audience is just as important as scalability. As mentioned, each of your local properties needs to have its own listings. Finding a solution that allows you to add in more local details than just your property’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) is key. 

Some listings solutions allow you to add photos of your local properties, manage online reviews, and add more details about the property within the solution. The more details a potential resident can get about your property without leaving the listing, the better. Again, the need to have a smooth user experience emphasizes the need for a solution to have a local focus.

5. Consolidation Opportunities 

You shouldn’t overlook consolidation when considering local listing solutions. While cost is a substantial decision-making factor, a solution that allows you to manage your local listings and other marketing efforts within a single platform can save you more time and money. 

On top of the potential cost benefits, many local teams don’t have the time to log into various marketing platforms, learn how they work, and think about the strategy behind the marketing efforts. A consolidated platform that allows you to manage all aspects of your localized marketing strategy within a single login is a great way to get buy-in from local teams.  

Is there a solution to help you manage your online reputation and listings on the same platform? What about your local social strategy? These are questions to consider when assessing your options. 

Get Started Dominating Your Local Search Efforts 

Now, you have the insight needed to make the best decision when purchasing a local listing solution. If you’re thinking about purchasing a listing solution for your PMC, consider SOCi. 

SOCi Listings empowers you to manage your properties’ listings at scale across various directories. You can also optimize your online presence and local search rankings effectively. From syncing, updating, and managing your local listings to the flexibility for local managers to make their own updates with corporate oversight, SOCi Listings covers every step of the way.

When your purchase SOCi Listings, you also have the ability to add on SOCi GeoRank. SOCi GeoRank works with SOCi Listings to analyze how your properties rank locally for relevant keywords — even down to the street corner. With this tool, you can also monitor and compare local search results and local keyword performance over time, helping your local properties stand out from competitors.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re looking to consolidate your marketing efforts into a single platform, SOCi has you covered. SOCi has the tools and products needed to create a winning localized marketing strategy, from social to reputation management to ads, listings, and beyond. 

Request a demo today for more insight into how SOCi can help you crush your localized marketing goals!