Elite Agent

How to turn social media followers into real-life landlord clients

You're showing up on social media, posting regularly, maybe even getting a few likes, but are those likes turning into landlord clients? According to Ellen Bathgate, they can.

Youโ€™re showing up on social media. Posting regularly. Getting a few likes and maybe even some comments. But maybe youโ€™re not seeing those likes and follows translate into rent roll growth.

I truly believe that, in 2025, being active on social media isnโ€™t optional anymore. In 2010, it was, but today?

Nope, not an option. That said, being visible and active on social media isnโ€™t enough, on its own.

If you want social media to actually bring in new landlords, you need a clear plan to turn attention into action.

Hereโ€™s how to make it happen.

Start with what landlords are actually worried about

Most Property Managers and BDMs talk about their services online.

Routine inspections, arrears rates, and amazing communication.

But landlords arenโ€™t lying awake thinking about your process.

Theyโ€™re thinking things like:

  • โ€œI havenโ€™t heard from my property manager in weeksโ€
  • โ€œI donโ€™t know if my tenantโ€™s looking after the placeโ€
  • โ€œI think Iโ€™m paying too much for this serviceโ€

Your content needs to speak to those thoughts. For example, instead of saying โ€œWeโ€™re proactive property managers,โ€ you could create a reel or post that says, โ€œ3 signs your property manager is ghosting you (and what to do about it).โ€

Hereโ€™s how to make it easier: write down 10 landlord frustrations youโ€™ve heard lately (these are easy to get from your BDM or whoever is responsible for growth in your team). Turn each one into a post. Easy!

Build trust before you ask for anything

Landlords wonโ€™t reach out until they trust you. That trust builds over time, and it comes from being consistent and helpful, not constant promotion.

Think about sharing:

  • Stories of landlords youโ€™ve helped (get permission or make the stories anonymous)
  • Quick tips like โ€œHow to check if youโ€™re being overchargedโ€
  • Simple, honest videos of you talking to camera

You donโ€™t need a fancy setup either. In fact, my team is noticing that casual, real-life content usually performs better than polished promo videos, especially for smaller accounts.

Just remember that trust comes from showing up consistently.

Even two or three solid posts a week is enough.

Pay attention to whatโ€™s working

Posting for the sake of posting is exhausting (trust me, I know it is!) The key is to watch whatโ€™s actually landing with your audience.

But you donโ€™t have to spend all day inside your Instagram insights tab analysing all the data to find out whatโ€™s working.

There are some pretty easy things you can watch, without getting lost in dashboards and spreadsheets.

Keep an eye on:

  • Posts that get DMs, saves, or shares
  • Comments where people ask follow-up questions
  • Content that leads to profile views or clicks on your bio link

These are your clues. When something works, donโ€™t just move on. Lean into it. Do a follow-up post. Turn it into a short video. Expand on it in a story. Talk about it more, and see if itโ€™s resonating.

Look at it like this: Every post that gets a response is a tiny test result. Use those results to create more of what your audience is interested in.

Make the next step feel easy for landlords

This is where most people drop the ball. Youโ€™ve shared great content, built trust, and now… nothing.

Make it super simple for landlords to take the next step.

And no, that doesnโ€™t mean shouting โ€œDM me now!โ€ in every post. Try something more natural, like:

  • โ€œGot questions? Send me a DM (I actually reply to every single one)โ€
  • โ€œWant a free property check-up? Linkโ€™s in my bioโ€
  • โ€œThinking about switching property managers? DM me the word PROPERTY and weโ€™ll book a time to chatโ€

Your goal is to move the conversation off social media and into your world. Maybe itโ€™s your inbox, your calendar, or your CRM.

You donโ€™t need a big โ€œSend me a DMโ€ in every single post, but every third or fourth is a good rhythm to aim for.

Thereโ€™s a lot of pressure right now to ‘post more, more, more.’

But I donโ€™t believe you need to post more often than 3-5 times a week (or each day, if youโ€™re feeling excited).

You just need to post with more intention.

Speak to the right pain points, show up consistently, watch whatโ€™s working (without spending all day in your Instagram dashboard), and make it easy for people to take the next step.

Because yes, likes are lovely… but new landlord clients are better.

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Ellen Bathgate

Ellen Bathgate is the founder of ContentCollab, a content marketing agency helping property managers, BDMs and rent roll owners to start and grow their rent rolls using affordable content marketing.