There are likely many property management companies in your area. This means that you’ll need to find a way to stand out to landlords and rental property investors.
One way to stand out is to show prospective clients exactly what your property management company can achieve.
Most property owners who are looking to work with a management company will want to see proof that the company can offer effective services that deliver results – this is why having case studies on your property management website is beneficial.
Case studies help to build credibility and help drive more conversions.
In this post, we are going to cover everything you need to know about case studies, including what they are, why they’re important and how to use them for your property management business.
What is a Case Study?
A case study is a detailed story that discusses what your client – the rental property owner – was initially struggling with. Then, it showcases how your property management company’s services were able to solve that issue.
A case study is an extremely effective way of converting late-stage leads, according to the Content Marketing Institute.
Many buyers also believe that it’s crucial to find case studies on a company’s website.
A case study is more than a simple testimonial. A well-done case study will be detailed and filled with research and data in order to make it credible and compelling.
A case study is comprehensive and long-form. It goes into the specific details of a certain issue.
Among other things, it includes challenges, solutions and positive results.
Case studies are used as social proof. This means that they offer proof that your services are of good quality. This is beneficial because prospective clients will see the results you provided other real estate investors, and they’ll be able to determine whether working with you is a good decision.
Think of it this way: Imagine a prospective client is having trouble marketing their vacant rental unit. They find your property management company online and start looking at your case studies. They see that you have helped a rental owner fill his vacancy in 2 weeks using a mix of both modern and traditional marketing methods. They also find a video of the rental owner expressing how happy he is with your services.
The outcome: The prospective client – who is also struggling to fill his vacancies – will likely wish to hire your services and work with you.
So, as a property management company, using case studies can be a very effective way to get more clients.
How to Structure a Case Study
When adding case studies on your website, be sure to do it right. There’s a specific way to structure your case study for the most effective results.
There are 5 sections to an effective case study that show competence and research: background information, problems, solution, results, and additional points.
Let’s look at each of these 5 sections in more detail:
Section 1: Background Information
Background information serves as the backbone for your entire case study. It helps readers understand the context of the case study that’s going to be discussed.
Begin by describing who your client is. Briefly describe how they found your company and your property management services. You may also briefly explain why they decided to delve into real estate investing.
Providing this background information can help prospective clients relate to the rental owner in the case study, and in turn, it may encourage them to work with you for their property management needs.
Section 2: Problems
In this section, explain in detail all the problems your client was facing when you first started working with them and took over management.
These problems could be related to marketing, tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance, repairs, financial reporting, etc.
You want to state the issue very clearly.
For example: When X Property Management began working with Mrs. Smith, her rental property had been vacant for 4 months.
If there were many problems, feel free to use bullet points. This helps readers understand the key features of the problem more quickly, and is great as an overview.
Section 3: Solutions
In section 3, you want to explain in detail the various steps that your property management company took to solve the issues that your client was facing.
First, highlight the solutions you presented to your client.
Then, go into detail about how each solution catered to each of the problems you identified earlier.
For example: Our property management company used effective marketing methods to advertise the vacant rental unit. We marketed the rental property on major listing sites and posted for-rent signs.
Section 4: Results
The results may just be the most important section.
Results are everything. They are the main component of a case study that clients are looking forward to reading.
In this section, include specific details about how each of your solutions helped them see improvements.
The more quantifiable these improvements are, the better. It helps prospective clients believe in your services more.
Continuing on with our previous example, here is an idea of what your results could look like…
For example: After using a mix of online and offline marketing methods, we were able to place a tenant in Mrs. Smith’s property in only 2 weeks.
The results have to serve as the happy ending.
Positive results help prospective clients visualize themselves in the case study. In turn, they will start to trust you and will want to work with you.
Great results will make them believe that your company can help them with all their property management needs, too.
Section 5: Additional Points
In this last section, feel free to include some additional points.
Some additional things you should always try to include in case studies are:
1. A client testimonial
Always try your best to include a photo of the client to go along with their testimonial. A face attached to a testimonial always helps make it more believable.
2. A video review
Videos are a powerful way to communicate your case studies with your potential clients. So, if your client can offer a review for your business in the form of a video, that would be the best form of social proof.
People appreciate video content and prospective clients will be more likely to watch a video than to read a long case study.
3. Images of the property
Humans are visual! If you can include photos of the property, then do so!
4 Ways to Use Case Studies for Your Property Management Business
Now, let’s look at 4 ways you can use case studies for your property management business:
1. Use Case Studies On Your Website
There are many ways to include case studies on your property management website.
One great place to display your case study is on the homepage. The homepage of your property management website is the first page a website visitor will see. Therefore, showcasing a case study on your homepage isn’t a bad idea!
You don’t have to display the entire case study on the homepage. Instead, you may include a small summary of what the case study is about with a link to its main page. This can help create interest and encourage more clicks to the specific case study page.
Some things to add on the homepage include:
- Client testimonials
- Call-to-action buttons to see specific case studies
- Slide-in call-to-action buttons that link to case studies
- Call-to-action that leads to your main case studies page
In addition to having some case studies on your homepage, you should also have a section on your website dedicated to showcasing all your case studies.
You can include a section in the menu labeled “case studies” so that it’s easy for your website visitors (a.k.a. potential clients) to find. This is a good way to showcase all the case studies in one place.
It’s also a good idea to add a link on your homepage that brings you to this case studies page. This will increase the number of people who view the case studies.
It’s also effective to have an individual page for each specific case study.
2. Use Email Marketing to Share your Case Studies
Email marketing is a great way to drive returns.
If you have an email list from your present and past clients, send them an email showcasing your case studies.
Set up a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly email newsletter to showcase different case studies.
People on your email list may be intrigued to know more about how your property management services are helping rental owners.
Pro Tip: You can also consider adding a link to a recent case study in your email signature. That way, any email you send to anyone will have a link to your case studies.
3. Use Social Media to Advertise your Case Studies
As a property management company, you want to consider having social media accounts, like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Property management companies who are active on social media in an authentic way tend to build trust and credibility.
Case studies are one way you can post more content. You can use your social media channels to share snippets from your case studies.
To design your case studies and make them visually appealing for social media, you can use tools like Canva.
When writing the caption or status for your new case study, you want to communicate the challenge that has been overcome.
You don’t want to write something simple, like: “click here for a new case study.”
Instead, you want to write about how your company helped your client overcome their struggle.
For example, you can write: “Find out how this property owner rented out his property in only 2 weeks!”
And, of course, when posting about a new case study on social media, always include a link to the case study on your website. This will help increase traffic to your website.
4. Use Case Studies in your Sales Pitch
The final way you can use case studies is by working them into your sales pitch. Case studies are valuable for your property management company’s sales team.
By using a case study, your sales team can focus more on how and why your property management company adds value to the lives of property owners.
During the sales process, you can use a case study to do the following:
- Convey authenticity during first sales calls
- Resolve, and in some cases, avoid customer concerns by proving the effectiveness of your services with a real-life example
- Show the unique value that your services offer
How to Reach Out to Owners to Request Case Studies
You should now have a good understanding about case studies, their benefits and how to use them. But do you know how to request a case study from your clients?
Sometimes, it may be challenging to find property owners who want to share their stories.
If that’s the case, here are some tips:
- Be smart with timing: Ideally, you should make the request right after they profess their satisfaction with your services.
- Address their concerns: Address any concerns they have about being featured on your website. They have the right to ask questions and you have a responsibility to answer them.
- Make it easy for them to take part: If you’re organized and prepared, your clients won’t see it as too much trouble to work with you, and you won’t take too much of their time.
Bottom Line
As a property management company, you have to find ways to stand out from your competition.
There are many ways to do so, but showcasing case studies on your website may just be the most effective way!
Case studies are detailed stories that explain exactly what your client was struggling with, and highlight how your company helped them overcome it.
We hope this article was helpful and informative.
If you need assistance creating case studies for your property management business, or adding case studies to your website, don’t hesitate to contact Upkeep Media today!
