Searching for leads used to only involve going from house to house, printing and giving out brochures, and posting ads in newspapers. However, marketing a business has changed since the start of the digital age.

Technology has provided businesses new opportunities to introduce and promote their products and services to their target market through more effective ways with the use of the internet.

Since most people now source the information they need from the web, businesses are now focused on building a strong online presence.

In the real estate rental industry, landlords increase their online presence by posting listings to websites like Padleads because it becomes easier for them to catch the attention of tenants who are looking for rental properties.

However, before you post your listings, they must be well-prepared. A listing must leave a good first impression on potential clients since it’s the first thing they’ll see about the property you are leasing. The way you present your listing also reflects what kind of landlord you are.

Here are a few things you need to ensure so that your listings would effectively convert to actual leads:

Your listing should be detailed and organized. It must include all the features and emphasize the strong selling points of your unit. You should mention the exact location, the neighborhood, available surveillance and security, and the nearby establishments. Tenants would also most likely appreciate it if you will write down all the available public transport within the area.

If you are open for requests for additional amenities, make sure you note that as well. It is normal for some clients to have requests after reading the information in your listing. They can request you to add a washing machine or another bed. You can establish limitations, of course. One example is if you are not capable to go as far as adding walls or rooms.

There are also rental policies and terms that are considered usual deal-breakers for different tenants, so it’s good to be clear on them in your listing. Will you allow tenants to bring in pets to your unit? Do you have policies regarding visitors, parties, curfew hours, or prohibited items?

One advantage of having all the information laid out is that only tenants who are genuinely interested will contact you for a site visit. If they go as far as requesting a schedule to see your unit, there’s a high chance that the features of your unit match their preference.

Your listing should also be visually informative. You can do this by adding photos of your unit’s exterior, interior, rooms, amenities, appliances, and furniture. Avoid blurry photos. It’s best to hire a photographer who could really capture how your actual unit looks like.

One pro-tip: Prepare your unit so that it’s picture-perfect and ready for interested occupants to visit. Before you have a professional photographer take photos, add some small personal touches like flowers, paintings, and books to give more life to the photos and will make your unit appear more homey. You can even ask a friend to model as a happy tenant, so that potential clients can imagine themselves in their shoes while looking at the photos.

Once you finish preparing your listing for marketing use, you should make sure that you publish it on listing management platforms that can give it high online exposure. Padleads is one platform that makes it easy for landlords to post detailed listings of their available units, specify unit features, upload photos, and promote the listings to popular rental websites where it can be easily seen by anyone who’s trying to find units for rent.