Marketing an HOA management company: What to focus on plus 8 strategies to keep and win clients

If working with HOA boards feels like a struggle for your business, you’re not alone. Many associations are facing formidable challenges, such as rising costs, navigating conflicts with members, and finding enough volunteers to keep their board active. This pressure is carrying over to boards’ relationships with HOA managers. 27% of board members surveyed in our latest Community Association Management Industry Report pointed to finding and working with HOA management companies as a major source of stress for their communities.

This is where you can set yourself apart. In today’s competitive market, marketing an HOA company means showing how you minimize conflicts, streamline processes, and take work off your board members’ plates. That’s why we’ve created this guide—to help you communicate your value, tackle board pain points, and use technology to deliver results that matter.

The Importance of Communicating Your Value to HOA Boards

Inflation has driven up costs across nearly every industry, and property management hasn’t been spared. As management fees rise to keep pace, HOA boards are asking a critical question: “What are we really getting for our money?”

This is where you come in. Communicating your value isn’t just about listing your services—it’s about showing how you solve the board’s most pressing challenges. By addressing their pain points with clear, measurable results, you can build trust and secure your role as an indispensable partner for the long haul.

Let’s take a closer look at which services matter most and how to highlight the value they add for a community.

Marketing an HOA Company: Services that Matter Most to Boards

Buildium’s community association survey identified eight key areas that HOA board members valued most. We’ve unpacked each of these areas below with specific tools and recommendations that can help you up your service game and present your results in the best possible light.

1. Collecting Dues and Fees

First and foremost, HOA board members want community managers to streamline the collection of dues and fees for them. As the main, reliable source of income to finance its operating and capital expenditures—areas that have been under a lot of pressure recently—boards see securing this funding as priority number one for effective management.

Community managers should look toward utilizing software that allows for online rent collection, conveying the ease and reliability these kinds of tools can offer to HOA boards. Using an online payment platform can help you cut down payment processing times by as much as 70%, manage recurring payments, and help you deposit funds directly into the association’s bank account.

2. HOA Accounting

Managing HOA finances is no small feat. Between overseeing day-to-day bookkeeping tasks, maintaining accounting best practices, and completing year-end tax preparation, most board members don’t have the time or the energy to stay on top of it all. You’ll want a way to have your books easy to manage and presentable to boards quickly.

If your community’s board entrusts you to handle the financials, invest in a software platform that offers a robust suite of HOA accounting tools. In particular, look for a platform that makes it easy to manage accounts payable and automatically reconciles your accounts, while also letting you create and share reports whenever the need arises.

3. Finding Vendors

Traditionally, finding the right pool of vendors to service an association can take an incredible amount of time. From interviewing every candidate to managing invoices and overseeing insurance compliance, it’s no wonder why many board members want to put this task on a community manager’s to-do list.

Reliable vendor relationships lead to reliable maintenance and repair work and happier boards. To help facilitate these kinds of relationships, look to work order management tools to track every invoice and vendor history in one place, make requesting and sharing updates on work order easy with an app or communication portal, and consider a third-party maintenance contact center to stay responsive without overburdening your team.

4. Enforcing Rules

According to our report, 38% of board members say that ensuring owners comply with community rules is a major source of stress for their association, and 47% say it’s a primary reason why they decided to hire an association management company in the first place.

Enforcing rules can help maintain consistency in the community while also showcasing your value to the board. Strike the right balance between respecting residents and adhering to associations’ rules.

5. Financial Reporting and Budgeting

Most board members rely on the community manager to provide them with comprehensive financial reporting that they use to guide their decisions for the association on a regular basis. However, on its own, pulling all the data and putting the reports together can take hours of the community manager’s time. This pain point only gets magnified when it’s time to put the budget together at the end of the year.

Luckily, these days many property management software platforms can do a lot of the legwork for you. Buildium’s financial reporting capability allows you to view and report on key metrics with just a few clicks.

6. Maintenance and Repairs

The report also found that effectively overseeing preventive maintenance and repairs was also on many board members’ wishlists. 42% of those surveyed say it’s one of the top reasons behind their decision to hire a management company. The concerns were particularly highlighted among those whose communities are dealing with aging infrastructure.

Again, the right technology can make fulfilling this ask easier. For instance, Buildium’s suite of property maintenance services lets you add property maintenance reminders, track maintenance tasks, add vendor information, and pay invoices all in one place.

7. Insurance Services

Over the past few years, insurance has become a very costly line item for HOA boards. In light of this increasing expense, it only makes sense that board members would turn to their community managers to offer them an affordable solution.

To illustrate how you can help, have a shortlist of insurance providers and plans at the ready when looking for new business or take some time to assess if the insurance your HOAs currently have is the best fit, coming back to boards with recommendations if needed. Demonstrate how you follow industry best practices to keep residents, boards, and the entire community protected.

8. Document Preparation and Resale Disclosures

Record processing, delivery, and retention of resale disclosures can be very time consuming. These documents are often lengthy and can take a while to be copied—or even faxed—to each incoming resident or inquiring mortgage company.

You can impress boards by speeding up these time-consuming processes. Software such as HomeWiseDocs is built specifically for this task and can help you process resale documents in as little as one minute, while still giving you control over the timing and release of every order.

Marketing an HOA Company: Showcasing Your Value

Often, the best way to demonstrate your value to board members is through deliberate and consistent action. According to the board members surveyed in Buildium’s industry report, here are some proven strategies to convince them that your company is the best fit for them:

Communicate: Be proactive when it comes to communication so board members feel like they’re always in the loop. Actively listen when they raise concerns and provide timely updates on association matters.

Be willing to learn: Take the time to internalize your community’s CC&Rs and stay up to date on changes in property management regulations. Share relevant updates with the board to position yourself as a knowledgeable partner.

Build relationships: Cultivate a network of reliable vendors and service providers who you can recommend to the board when needed. Your connections can save the board time and inspire confidence in your leadership.

Utilize technology: Show the board how technology can streamline property management tasks, save money, and improve efficiency. Highlight specific tools or features that directly address their pain points.

Marketing an HOA Company: Strategies to Land New HOA Clients

Incorporating these strategies into your operations doesn’t just help with your current clients—it’s also a powerful way to attract new HOA clients. Here’s how to use them effectively:

Showcase your communication skills: Demonstrate how quickly and effectively you respond to inquiries by answering every lead as soon as possible. A prompt response sets the tone for professionalism and reliability.

Get curious: During the discovery phase, focus on understanding the board’s unique needs. Instead of diving into a sales pitch, ask questions to uncover their pain points and highlight how your services can provide relief.

Nurture and follow-up: Create a strong follow-up process and track every interaction to ensure leads don’t fall through the cracks. A well-timed email or call can make all the difference.

Use sales tools: Equip yourself with value proposition  collateral such as one-sheeters, testimonials, and slide decks that showcase your key strengths and value. Visual aids can help make a lasting impression during sales meetings. You might even consider including a breakdown of your services, offering them as packages or as à la carte options.

How to Up Your HOA Management and Marketing Game

HOA boards expect a lot from community managers and their companies—and meeting those expectations goes hand in hand with standing out in a competitive market. While there are plenty of ways to demonstrate your value, the right communication strategy and technology can help you play to your strengths and avoid blind spots along the way.

With all-in-one property and community management software such as Buildium and its fully integrated HOA-focused partner solutions, you can handle half of that equation with ease. The platform doesn’t just save you time and money—it consistently helps you deliver the exceptional service boards are looking for.

Ready to elevate your HOA management game? You can test Buildium risk-free with a 14-day free trial.