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> What First Impression Does Your Property Make? |
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In the world of property advertising,
bad first impressions don't just last; they will ensure
that second impressions are never made. If you’re
advertising your own property, make sure you can compete
with the professionals.
When a tenant performs a search
on a lettings site, the results appear in a list with
only a small caption and a lead image displayed for
each property. If you are able to grab the tenant's
attention, they may click on your listing to see a
more detailed view. The percentage of summary views
that are followed by detailed views is referred to
as your listing's 'click-through-rate.' Ideally, you
want to increase your click-through-rate to the greatest
extent possible.
How important is your lead
image? Well, if it's bad, it may be the only photo
anyone sees. The worst thing you can do would be to
not provide any photos; eight out of the ten properties
with the weakest click-through-rates on our site have
no photos at all. Just one photo would increase their
traffic fourfold; a second photo would raise interest
in their ad by 60%.
But
what should you choose as your flagship image? Let's
look again at the statistics. The ten best performing
properties on the Upad site tell us a great deal about
what works. Nine of them have interior shots as their
lead photos (including bedrooms, living rooms &
kitchens). Only one has an exterior shot, and it is
of a particularly charming character property.
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The top two best performing properties have a
photo of the kitchen as their lead image. This
is something we find is consistently the case;
a good photo of the kitchen can draw more attention
than any other photograph. One reason for this
may be that the condition of the kitchen serves
as a good yardstick for the rest of the property,
allowing a tenant to see at a glance what sort
of order the house is in. Another reason might
be that the kitchen will become a crucial part
of their comfort zone: more public than the bedroom;
more intimate than the living room. We recommend
that you focus extra attention on getting the
best possible photo of your kitchen.
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Now, imagine you have guests arriving at your house
in two minutes. What’s the first place you’re
going to run to, to tidy up or clean? Probably the bathroom.
Why? The main reason is probably that you’re worried
your guests will judge your level of hygiene, perhaps
your whole lifestyle, based on the condition of your
restroom. And why not? A tidy person can put up with
a few items out of place in a living room, or even some
slightly overripe fruit in the kitchen; but a neglected
lavatory hints at something more off-putting. Likewise,
a good photo of a pristine bathroom can hint at the
overall character of your property. As a lead image,
a picture of the bathroom is not quite as good as a
picture of the kitchen, but it will give prospective
tenants a good idea of the property, since it contains
some of the more significant expenses in fitting out
a dwelling.
Although
the image is what will draw the initial interest, the
small caption in the summary view is your opportunity
to invite the tenant into a detailed view of the advertisement.
This lead caption is drawn from the first 300 characters
of your description. This usually works out to around
three lines of text. What you say about your property
in this excerpt should be enough to sell your property,
or at least sell the page beyond. Think of a newspaper
article; you want to read all the main points in the
first paragraph, right? The only reason to keep reading
is if you want to know more details. This first paragraph
should highlight as many of the property's features
and unique benefits as possible. These might include
a garden, balcony or swimming pool, etc.
You
should try to avoid superlatives and other expressions
that only serve to emphasize rather than inform. The
words "fantastic first floor apartment" conjure
up only the image of a first floor apartment, the word
fantastic doesn't add anything to the picture. Furthermore,
you might wonder, if it's so fantastic, why isn't it
more expensive? On the other hand, if it's more expensive,
why is 'fantastic' the best thing you can think of to
say about it? Make sure you comment on the property's
actual components.
The
final element of your listing, as it appears in the
summary view, is the price. Whether you have set the
price high or low, you are asking a prospective tenant
to consider your ad based on that amount. Does your
caption highlight those aspects of the property which
make it worth the cost? Does your lead image display
the best features of a property worth its price tag?
You're asking a tenant to consider paying you a weekly
sum, probably more than what they were hoping to spend,
take the time to write a meaningful description and
take comprehensive photographs of your property.
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If
you just need to find a tenant, Upad doesn’t
make you sign up for months of expensive management
contract: we just find you a tenant. We’ll list
your property on more than 500 UK lettings sites,
including Rightmove, Zoopla, FindaProperty as well
as Gumtree and Google’s new property listings.
For
a one-off fee of £69, it stays advertised until
you’ve found a tenant. There are no hidden extras,
no fees for tenants, just your property advertised
everywhere your next tenant might be looking.
Visit www.upad.co.uk to get started.
To
find your next tenant CLICK
HERE |
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My
Property Power Team recommends Upad, the UK's largest
online lettings agent.
Upad's
Rental Property Marketing helps you find a tenant
for your rental property quickly and easily, by
distributing your ad to over 500 top UK property
websites. To find your next tenant CLICK
HERE
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Some
Key Stats
*
Upad.co.uk generates on average 14 enquires
per listing.
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Upad.co.uk has built the largest rental property
marketing distribution network in the UK
*
Upad.co.uk has the largest database of private landlord
customers of any online lettings business
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