How to Market Your Charleston Properties for Rent

Even with the recovery of the housing market, renting is still hot—and getting hotter: 91% of the top 100 cities in the U.S. have seen an annual increase in rental rates. The only way to get a piece of the action is to market your Charleston properties for rent properly.

As a landlord, it’s not enough to ride the wave of renters searching the internet: you have to find specific ways of targeting the renters you want! As a Charleston property management company, we've been marketing rental properties in the area for years! Take advantage of some of the techniques we use to hone your marketing and help keep your rental home filled.

1. Use Social Media

Not only is social media a huge component of modern society, but it is also a powerful tool when marketing Charleston properties for rent. When used correctly, social media can expose your rental to tenants who are more motivated to rent than the average rental home hunter—and more likely to rent from you.

One advantage of social media marketing is those with whom you connect already have a social tie to you or someone in your circle. With these relationships come rapport, comfort, and expectations of trustworthy business practices. A tenant found over social media comes with “soft” benefits that money can’t buy. Here are some ways to make sure you get the most from social media marketing.

Set up Several Social Media Accounts

While you should set up as many social media accounts as you can handle to market your properties, if you don’t have time to manage them all, working with a property manager can help! Setting up too many accounts only to let them fall vacant will net you negative publicity—it will show potential tenants you don't care.

A property management company specializing in Charleston properties for rent is a great choice when extending to multiple social accounts because they will already have these connections! However, even if you decide to do it on your own, you don’t have to spend hours each day connecting with people: a few minutes per account per day can be enough to form a solid base of connections.

Use Images and Videos

As people scroll through their social media accounts, their eyes stop on catchy pictures. Renters in the market for a new home will likely be enticed by attractive photos of your Charleston properties for rent. Choose ones that stand out—not just pics of the front of the building. Use images that help your followers and friends imagine themselves living in your rental.

The right images are as crucial—if not more so—as the text you choose to represent your posts, especially on an image-driven site like Instagram, if you choose to go that route.

Reply to All Comments

Even a simple, “Thanks a lot, I appreciate that!” is far better than just leaving a potential client on "seen.” Replies are a convenient way to cultivate budding interest. If someone compliments a rental pic, you can quickly shoot them a message like, “Would you like to see more?” to start a potentially fruitful interaction.

Another advantage to landlords is the free nature of social media advertising: when you don't have access to the same rigorous advertising platforms as a Charleston property management company, you have to get creative when listing your Charleston properties for rent!

2. Connect With Your Local Community

Reaching out to the community in a public manner can help keep you on top of your target market. Meaningful connections may also help support your image as a landlord as someone who takes a genuine interest in their neighbors. When they think of Charleston properties for rent, they will be more likely to think of your rental home!

• Connect with the community by working with local businesses in your area—this can often yield attractive incentives for new tenants down the road like coupons or goodies for shopping nearby.
• Draw up promotional materials for your Charleston properties for rent that can be easily distributed on college campuses or other areas targeting your ideal renter!

Keep in mind this is only a small selection of the creative options available to you as a landlord when trying to market your rental home: fostering a sense of community connectedness in Charleston with your rental will help you succeed with the tips to come.

3. Sell the Community—Not Just the Property

Your potential renters are going to be as concerned about the quality of the location; after all, the renter is also “investing” in your real estate. 

If they are going to spend their time and money in the community, they will want to know it’s safe, fun, interesting, and a healthy place to live and work. When marketing your Charleston properties for rent, try focusing your listing on the enticing tidbits such as:

• Interesting things to do in the area
• Hot local restaurants
• “Hidden gems” for foodies
• Specific things to do based on the season or even day of the week
• Special local events like festivals or other community activities
• Local shows or live bands playing at nearby restaurants
• Positive news stories
• New infrastructure improvements or the construction of public facilities.

As you highlight these as draws for living in Charleston and their proximity to your property, you provide renters with the incentive they need to choose you over the competition. This is partly why crafting the right listing is a key component of your marketing efforts!

4. Word of Mouth Still Matters!

People will talk about your property, but their message will be even more positive—and compelling—if you give them some motivation.

• Tenants who refer others to your rental home or future properties can be given a variety of incentives, such as rental discounts or small gift cards.
• Even a thoughtfully chosen gift basket can do a lot to help encourage productive word of mouth promotion. A great time to employ these kinds of strategies is around the anniversary of their lease, near the time when your renters might renew. Not only does this make your current residents feel appreciated, but it can also be a great way to encourage renewal and spread the word about you as a landlord.
• You can also ask happy tenants to send you a review that can be posted on your social media account. Every time someone says—or writes—something positive about your rentals, their market value goes up!

People looking for Charleston properties for rent will be more likely to engage with your rentals if you proactively make use of these tips.

As a Charleston property management company, we know how powerful crafting the right listing and leveraging social media can be for your rental property! In the end, finding the right tenants for your rental home is about connecting with your target market.

How much do you know about your potential tenants? Reach them where they are and then get them talking about your property, and pretty soon, you'll be able to say goodbye to vacancy! Of course, if you need a little help with this as a landlord, you can always reach out to the experts at Charleston Property Company! We're happy to help landlords of all skill levels market their Charleston properties for rent. Get in touch with us today and see how we can put our skills to work for you!