How to Create Better Listings: Creating Content that Converts

How to Create

Better Listings:

Creating Content

that Converts

! In our first publishing guide, you learned how to increase the number of views that your rental ads got. Things like when to publish listings and what types of subject lines to avoid. It’s easily our most downloaded resource. Now, by popular demand, we’ve developed a second guide that focuses on how to create better content within those actual ads.

! Clicks don’t matter when it comes to ads. Not as much as leads do. Effective online advertising principles spark the interest of renters and entice them to apply. Poor ads are skipped, compromise your credibility, or fail to interest your prospective renters. Create a winning ad with compelling and practical content to increase rental leads with these five ad publishing tips.

Renters know what features they want in their ideal apartment; it’s just about finding one that fits the bill.

Show your price tag. Unless money isn’t an issue

(and let’s not kid each other, it usually is), most people look at asking rents first. According to a Zillow Rentals study, 45 percent of renters judge a property by its asking rent. Renters want to apply for apartments they can afford, and skip ads that don’t disclose this information up front.

Post the real cost of rent. Don’t post a deceptive

lower rent price or a price range. Although renters may view the listing based the seemingly low cost of rent,

they’ll be reluctant to apply for an apartment that seems to waffle on or otherwise obfuscate the final cost of renting.

Include the laundry list of features. Renters want to

know everything you know about the unit. Give them the laundry list. Every amenity you have, and every one you don’t. You’ll do them and yourself a favor. When the property features are posted up front, you’ll know that applicants are well-informed and are the most qualified.

RENTAL

MARKETING

BEST PRACTICES IN

ISSUE 02.02

FIVE (MORE) WAYS TO INCREASE

LEADS FROM ONLINE RENTAL ADS

Tip 1: Give all the information you can.

2.5%

6.7%

10%

31%

45%

“I first judge a rental

property by its...”

There’s nothing worse than having a showing fall flat based on information that should have been offered up front.

Highlight the right amenities. Renters want washers

and dryers in the unit. According to a Rent.com study, “washer and dryer in unit” was the most searched for amenity, comprising 39 percent of all searches. In contrast, “washer and dryer” was searched for 1 percent of the time. Highlight amenities most frequently searched for, including amenities demanded by your local market. For example, in colder regions, many renters use key phrases like “central heat” or “insulated windows.”

Don’t forget high-level information. A Zillow Rentals

study uncovered that renters first scrutinize the amount of living space (42.5%) available to them and the layout/ floorplan (35.8%) of an apartment. Including this information will improve your lead quality. Unqualified, uninterested renters will weed themselves out naturally, leaving the most qualified leads.

All properties for rent are “the best on the market” or “a great deal.” Prospective renters are numb to this type of language and look for the details that narrow down listings.

Avoid “filler” words. According to a Zillow Rentals

study of Craigslist apartment listings in Manhattan, words like “gorgeous,” “beautiful,” “best,” and “fantastic” appeared in over 1,000 listings. Anybody looking for a good-looking apartment will have a lot of listings to sift through. That’s why renters don’t use these words when apartment hunting.

Write about concrete features. Try to imagine a

“black granite countertop.” Then, try to imagine a

“beautiful countertop.” It’s a lot easier to paint a picture of a black granite countertop than a beautiful one. Avoid adjectives that don’t help the imagination. Instead, write about features renters can see, such as “stainless steel appliances,” “roof deck access,” or “dual vanity.”

Give them the location. Every neighborhood has its

own characteristics and qualities. Well-researched renters will investigate the property’s neighborhood. Include a

Washer and Dryer in Unit Air Conditioning Fitness Center Pool Parking Available Laundry Room

5%

6%

9%

10%

30%

39%

Top Ranked Apartment

Amenity Searches

6.7%

2.5%

10%

35.9%

0.8%

1.7%

42.5%

Living Space Kitchen

Bathroom Layout/Floorplan Natural Light in Unit Closet Space Other

“When I attend a showing, I

am most interested in...”

Based on research conducted by Zillow Rentals.

Data from research conducted by Zillow Rentals, 2011.

map in your listing or include the cross streets in your ad so that renters know the exact property location. Rental marketing software with map integration abilities allow ads to incorporate interactive maps, so renters can better learn the property’s location.

Specific details reduce renters’ choices. According

to an analysis of online listing search keywords, specific features that appeared significantly less were “grocery store,” “recessed lighting,” and “security guard.” Renters looking for specific features dramatically reduce

the listing results when they use keyword-rich search terms.

Feature renter benefits. Don’t

describe your property as “cozy” or “fantastic,” write about how a renter would benefit from living in your property. For example, instead of saying “stores nearby,” write that the apartment is “a 10 minute walk from the grocery store.” Writing

about the benefits of features spells out the property advantages to prospective renters.

Avoid sounding like an advertisement. Again, words

that don’t highlight a specific feature or benefit shouldn’t be used in an apartment ad. Don’t sound like you’re selling something. Make your ad informative. Avoid “selling

words” such as “wow!” “special,” and “deal,” because many prospective renters are turned off by advertising words.

Rental professionals want to sound as personable as possible when talking to renters, so they use casual language. When speaking, there may be a few grammatical

errors, because nobody speaks perfectly. However, when writing property ads, renters aren’t

forgiving to poorly written ones.

Use proper grammar when writing ads.

Otherwise, renters will be reluctant to apply for your property. According to Robert Lane Greene, author of “You Are What You Speak,” ads with proper grammar improve credibility, because it makes the ad writer sound educated. With the increase of rental scams across America, people are wary of who they trust. Judging a landlord or broker by the ad’s level of professionalism can be a quick indicator of whether an ad is “real,” causing ads with poor English to be disregarded.

Use a word processor to catch errors. Carefully

craft ads so they’re error-free. Write the content in a word

Tip 3: Write in proper English

Number of Occurrences in Search Results by Keyword

Data from research conducted by Zillow Rentals, 2012.

Open floorplan Gorgeous Bay Window Starbucks Security Guard Beautiful Fantastic Best Recessed Lighting Grocery Store Walk Score 0 250 500 750 1000 19 164 408 1000 1000 1000 39 270 154 1000 39

C

a

te

g

o

ry

T

it

le

Ads with proper

grammar improves

credibility, because it

make the ad writer

sound educated.

processing software such as Microsoft Word to catch misspellings and grammatical errors. Then, copy and paste your content into your ad to publish.

Property images are critical to the success of your property listing. Studies found that people are seven times more likely to visit a property that uses pictures in its advertising. The National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) found that listings with missing photographs generate significantly fewer leads, producing fewer signed leases.

Pictures get more views. With pictures, renters can

see a property without getting out of their seats. That’s why when you post pictures of your property, you need to make sure they’re the highest quality possible. The Rent.com study found that 29 percent of renters first opened listings with photos. Additionally, a Zillow Rentals study found that ads with photos are opened 19.16 percent more than those that do not.

Use photography principles for optimal photos. Taking unplanned photographs of

your property won’t do. Amateurish photos makes properties look dull and unappealing. Use professional

photography principles to take the best pictures of your unit.

Buy a quality camera. The best

quality and resolution of a picture is derived from the type of camera used. Low-end

cameras or camera phones don’t have the capacity to take high-quality photos. Purchasing a DSLr camera or a point-and-shoot digital camera (at least 12.0-megapixels) will ensure that you get a high-quality image of your property every time.

Take pictures away from the light source. To prevent

your room from looking dark and cave-like, don’t point the camera towards the light source. Avoid taking pictures of a window that has the sun shining through. Take

photographs when the sun is on the opposite side of the window you’re shooting. If you’re using lighting equipment, position yourself so that the light source is behind you. Both

techniques will help produce photographs of rooms with balanced lighting.

Take wide-angle shots. According to professional

photographer Kaoru Kohashigawa, using the standard lens that most cameras come with can still make a room look small. A normal lens only gives you a limited scope of a

room. When looking at a room, our peripheral vision allows us to see more than just that. For a more

accurate and spacious-looking room, buy a wide-angle lens. If you can’t afford a wide-wide-angle lens, many point-and-shoot cameras have picture stitching features that allow you to combine a series of pictures into one, making a panorama photo.

Give your room dimension. When taking pictures of a

room’s focal point, such as a window or fireplace, don’t take a picture of it straight-on. Pictures of items that create a horizontal line across your photo can make your space look small. Instead, have these objects cut across the photo diagonally. Not only will it make the space look visually interesting, but it will help make your room seem larger.

With so many rental websites and online listing sites on the internet, renters are looking on several websites online for the best deal.

Tip 4: Post quality pictures

Ads with photos

are opened 19.16

percent more than

those that do not.

Photo: ResPres (Flickr)

Renters aren’t just searching Craigslist.

According to a Zillow Rentals study of renter preferences, 87.5 percent of renters start their apartment search on Craigslist, followed by

Apartments.com at 36.7 percent, and Rent.com at 28.3 percent. However, just because renters start their search on Craigslist, it doesn’t mean that it’s ending

there. The NMHC found that the average apartment hunter uses two to three internet listing sources over several months.

Assertively advertise. When posting a property to

one or two listing sites, you’re limiting your exposure to a few prospective renters. Renters aren’t limiting themselves to a couple rental websites, and you shouldn’t either. Post on as many online listing sites possible, increasing your reach to more potential renters.

Make it easy to apply. Interested renters want to

apply right away, so eliminate all roadblocks that may prevent them from doing so. Don’t make them pick up a phone or send an e-mail. Integrate a form into your ad so they can apply straight from the ad. Use rental marketing software or third party applications to integrate lead forms into your ad.

Use marketing software to post. To avoid

manually posting and reposting each property listing to different listing sites, use a rental marketing software or application to help post listings to multiple sites simultaneously. It will be less work for you in the end.

225 Bush Street 1100 San Francisco, CA 94104 (877) 215-8423

“To kick off my apartment

search, I use...”

26.7%

0.8%

0.8%

1.7%

1.7%

2.5%

2.5%

4.2%

5.8%

5.8%

7.5%

10%

22.5%

28.3%

36.7%

87.5%

Data from research conducted by Zillow Rentals, 2011.

Get your rental marketing

up to speed.

• Learn what’s most important to renters. • Gain more leads from your online listings.

Click here to get our free guides!

rentalpro.zillow.com/library

About Zillow Rentals

Zillow Rentals is a branch of Zillow, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z), the leading real estate marketplace, and operates as part of Zillow's growing rentals marketplace.

Zillow Rentals connects rental marketers to availabilities being shared by property managers in realtime.

Thousands of leasing agents use Zillow Rentals daily to track and market their vacancies to prospective tenants.