Targeted Marketing to Attract Your Ideal Renter

By Brea Harper

When it comes to marketing your rental properties, you may want to develop campaigns to identify and target your ideal renter. Here in California where we have a housing shortage, many property owners may not concern themselves with the renter being someone they want to invite into their precious properties. They may see the demand as the driver of filling vacancies versus the reality that not all renters behave with the same responsible, dependable attitudes they want to attract. It only takes one bad renter to destroy your property, and it can sometimes cost thousands of dollars to make the repairs that arise in the aftermath of an irresponsible renter. So, how do you safeguard your investment by attracting reliable renters? 

The answer: targeted marketing campaigns aimed at attracting responsible renters. 

"When I think about the ideal renter, I look for individuals who appreciate the lifestyle," said Mark Sanchez, founder of Tropic Residential. "These are people who want easy access to outdoor activities, good schools, and a relaxed, yet vibrant community. Renters typically value location and amenities, so my ideal renter is someone who seeks not only a home but also a lifestyle that complements their needs. I also tend to look for renters who are long-term, reliable, and ready to take good care of the property."

"My ideal renter is someone who is reliable and who plans to stick around for a long time," said Adam Hamilton, CEO, REI Hub. "The first part of that is pretty obvious as to why that would be important – a reliable renter makes all their payments on time, respects the lease terms, communicates well, treats the property well, etc. The second part of that is something that I also find invaluable because as a property owner, you want to minimize renter turnover as much as possible. You want to avoid gaps between renters, because you have to foot the bill during that time. It’s also helpful to avoid having to market the property when you know your current renter isn’t going to renew their lease since that costs money."

In a nutshell, Marissa Almeida, head of marketing for Roomies.com, put it this way, "An ideal renter on Roomies.com is a responsible, respectful individual seeking a safe, affordable, and community-oriented shared living experience."

DEVELOPING MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Property owners must then go about developing a marketing campaign and strategies and tactics aimed at appealing to these ideal renters. A key strategy should be designed using specific tactics to do outreach into these communities of interest. "I’ve seen firsthand how targeted marketing can help find the perfect renters," said Tracie Crites, chief marketing officer of HEAVY Equipment Appraisal. "My best kind of renter tends to be a young professional or a small family, typically in the range of 25-40 years old, and are value-conscious and convenient. They are generally tech-savvy, considerate, responsible, and seeking homes that have a great balance that marries amenities and prices, particularly in the urban or suburban areas. They find such things useful, such as access to public transport, availability of local eating points, and the existence of green areas.

"To achieve these renters, I intend to use digital media that allows accuracy," continued Crites. "Facebook and Instagram are a very good choice for advertising on social media for this group. I also use Google Ads with the keywords which indicate their interests and lifestyle. In addition, we employ local SEO and email marketing so that we can definitely touch base with the renters that are actually looking for the respective properties in the targeted neighborhoods. One solution that I have discovered is to create specified ads which are not only supposed to interest the student in the apartment but also in the neighborhood facilities, the local attractions, as well as convenient transports."

"In order to attract renters, I rely on demographic-specific marketing to emphasize the benefits of the neighborhood," said Sanchez. "I try to get renters within a family with school-aged children, retirees seeking a slower pace, or a newly hired professional who will be relocating for their new job, or perhaps vacant government-supported apartments. By promoting the specific advantages for those renter families trying to determine the school district for parks, for example, and so forth. The product I am selling has the trade’s advantages and not the great product on its own.”

Many property owners now focus on data-driven decision-making techniques. "I sell through a primarily online platform, such as Zillow or social media advertisements based on interest and age, along with Zillow user locations," explained Sanchez. "Google Ads utilizes targeted keywords that potential renters would be searching for within multiple channels (some organized, and some unorganized), which supplements both the demographic targeting and online interface use. It's been a miracle on rent, especially when I have been able to add the neighborhood bonus to consider the positives of the property."

Crites drills down deep into the data to analyze and figure out how to attract the right renters. She said, "In terms of instruments, one of the systems of CRM (HubSpot), real estate listings (Zillow and Apartments.com) are used for monitoring the leads, and the processing of the marketing material (designing and scheduling) is supported by such platforms as Canva and Hootsuite. We have, through our change of marketing to be more targeted and locally focused, been able to add 22% more high-quality inquiries and 16% more conversion rates, when we have incorporated our content to the needs and taste of the target renters. It is all about things that are about them and what they want/need in their rental experience on making ads and content that reflects that."

"So when we’re looking for renters, we don’t just throw up a listing and hope for the best," said Sergio Aguinaga, owner and founder of Michigan Houses For Cash. "We try to go where they are. We use Facebook and Instagram to target people by zip code, lifestyle, and even what kind of pages they follow. For example, we’ll run ads for properties near hospitals aimed at traveling nurses or post in groups for local young families who might be looking to move. One campaign we ran targeting new grads moving to Detroit actually boosted our inquiries by over 30% in just a few weeks."

Many other marketing tools now integrate technologies to have more impact. "We use premium listings, paid listings with drone shots and floor plans, and Instagram ads to local renters looking for 'family living,'" said Austin Rulfs, director of Vanda Wealth. "Google Ads target searches such as ‘rental homes Adelaide,’ and the letterbox drops in the suburb increase the local interest. High-end properties have seen thousands of viewers through short TikTok clips of the layout of the house."

OUTCOMES

Targeted marketing shows successful results. "In 2023, we sold Sefton Park duplex for $600/week while $520 was the median," said Rulfs. "Eighteen applications were received from Facebook ads targeting 25- to 35-year-olds and staged virtual tours on domain mainly from professionals. A couple leased a place for $620/week for two years, providing a 6.1% return on investment for our client."

"One major success I’ve had using these tactics was filling a vacancy in just 12 days after running a targeted Facebook campaign" said Daniel Roberts, CEO, Lavaroofing.com. "The property went from sitting empty for weeks to being fully rented with qualified renters. By tailoring the messaging and focusing on the features that resonate with my demographic, I saw a 24% improvement in lead conversion."

"I’ve seen a significant reduction in vacancy time by using this targeted approach" added Sanchez. "By aligning the property’s messaging with the renter's lifestyle, I’ve filled vacancies quicker and with renters who tend to stay longer."

Brea Harper is a Bay Area Writer.

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How to Avoid Fair Housing Law Issues

By Todd Christensen, author of Everyday Money for Everyday People, AFCPE-Accredited Financial Counselor ^®, and HUD-certified housing counselor

As a HUD-certified housing counselor, here are my ideas to avoid fair housing law issues when trying to attract the ideal renter:

• The protected classes in federal Fair Housing laws include race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status. State and local laws often add sexual orientation, gender identity, age, military, or veteran status, and even immigration status.

• If you ask about immigration status, apply it equally to all applicants, but check local laws first, since some states or cities prohibit discrimination based on immigration or citizenship.

• Avoid advertising that directly or indirectly suggests a preference, limitation or discrimination based on the protected classes.

• Don’t even hint at favorites that touch on the protected classes. Instead of focusing on the personal, social behaviors, personal habits, or marital status of the ideal renter, focus on the rental history, income stability, and credit checks.

• Skip the personal questions that don’t belong. Asking about religion, family plans or disabilities is like poking a sleeping bear.

• Don’t set different rules for different renters. Have clear policies in place and apply them to all applicants equally.

• Words matter, so keep your ads and screening fair and square. Clear violations include: “No children allowed,” “Christians preferred,” “Ideal for single professionals only,” and “English-speakers only.”

• Make it easy for applicants to show you they have the potential to be responsible and easy renters. Set up your application process to accept completed applications only, with references, and proof of income upfront. It saves time and weeds out the tire-kickers. Just be ready to offer reasonable accommodation in case of a disability.