When it comes to commercial real estate marketing, it is crucial to implement effective strategies that enhance visibility and differentiate your brand from the competition. To capitalize on the full potential of your investment, it is essential to adopt a comprehensive plan. That means you need a multi-channel marketing and advertising approach that generates interest in your properties, instills trust in your brand, and maximizes revenue opportunities.
To ensure you stay ahead of the competition in the ever-evolving and expanding CRE market, we have compiled a comprehensive list of 17 commercial real estate marketing and advertising ideas, both online and offline, to help you stand out in 2023 and beyond.
1. Blog Actively
An active blog is an invaluable marketing tool with great potential. You can make a significant impact on search engine rankings, social media visibility, and fostering meaningful conversations with your potential clients. Moreover, it serves as an ideal platform to educate your audience:
- sharing useful tips and advice
- showcasing successful lease transactions
- providing important company updates
- discussing relevant industry trends and local market news
By leveraging your expertise, your blog allows you to establish yourself as a trusted authority in your field, while also encouraging reader engagement through comments and suggestions.
2. Investment, Firm, or Company Updates
If maintaining a blog seems too demanding in terms of resources, another option is to create a news section on your website. This section can showcase crucial company updates, notable transactions, and recent press coverage.
By incorporating this feature, you provide your clients (and search engines) with a positive indication that your company is dynamic and expanding, which is a significant trust-building factor. Additionally, a news section generally requires less commitment on your part and is easier to manage and update regularly.
3. Develop an SEO Strategy
Ensure that your commercial real estate marketing plan includes effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO). A well-executed SEO strategy has the potential to drive significant organic traffic from search engines like Google, allowing you to gain visibility for targeted keywords relevant to your business. As an increasing number of potential tenants and investors rely on online searches to explore properties, it is vital not to overlook this crucial aspect.
Your SEO strategy should encompass a comprehensive plan with foundational elements such as content strategy, link building, user experience, and technical SEO. It is a good idea to consider hiring an SEO expert or agency to ensure your website is fully optimized for maximum visibility. Alternatively, opting for a marketing package tailored for commercial real estate can provide an omnichannel solution to cater to your needs.
4. Automate Your Processes for Peak Efficiency
Maximize the efficiency of your property marketing activities by utilizing cloud-based platforms like SharpLaunch or Buildout. These platforms offer streamlined solutions to help you save time and enhance productivity. By leveraging these tools, you can establish a process-oriented approach that significantly reduces production time, allowing you to stay organized and work more swiftly.
5. Engage People on LinkedIn & Stay Active
In the past few years, LinkedIn has emerged as the leading platform for professionals to connect and network. With over 500 million users, it encompasses a vast range of professionals in fields such as commercial real estate, finance, investing, and law.
LinkedIn provides a robust engagement platform, offering features like content posts, group discussion boards, and advanced search functions. Additionally, its capability for highly targeted advertising makes it a vital focal point for businesses in 2023.
6. Segment Your Audience
The commercial real estate marketing approach for your company and properties heavily relies on understanding and connecting with your target audience. It is crucial to invest time in defining their demographics, preferences, and motivations. Then, shape your messaging as you create an effective marketing plan.
Examining your competitors can also provide valuable insights and ideas regarding their marketing strategies for both themselves and their properties, serving as a starting point for your own efforts.
Furthermore, consider segmenting your audience based on shared characteristics such as geography, buyer type, buying criteria, and more. This segmentation allows for more personalized and targeted marketing approaches, enhancing the effectiveness of your campaigns.
7. Be Available & Easy to Reach
Ensuring ease of contact for clients and prospects is paramount. Take proactive measures to make your contact information readily accessible across various platforms. This includes prominently displaying your phone number, email address, and physical address on your website.
Additionally, be sure to incorporate them into your print collateral, business cards, and email signature. Then, consider implementing an impressive and user-friendly contact form on your website to cater to your users’ needs and captivate their attention.
8. Use Analytics to Track Your Results
It is essential to implement Google Analytics on your website to track and analyze your marketing performance effectively. Regularly reviewing the results, ideally on a monthly basis, is crucial. This practice enables you to make informed marketing decisions and assess the impact of your website.
If your website is not generating prospects for your company or property, it is important to reassess and take necessary actions to improve its effectiveness. Revisit your commercial real estate marketing plan and rework it.
9. Run Targeted PPC Ads With Google
Google Ads (formerly Google AdWords) provides an efficient and scalable approach to reaching potential tenants and investors online. Through programmatic advertising, you can strategically display your services or offerings to specific locations in search results.
Additionally, you can leverage display and retargeted ads for individuals visiting your website or the websites of your competitors. In essence, this method enables you to connect swiftly with your most promising prospects, making it an expedient way to increase your visibility.
10. Develop a Newsletter
Even in 2023, email continues to be a highly effective form of commercial real estate marketing, boasting a response rate that surpasses most other online formats. Regularly sending out a company newsletter keeps you connected with your most valuable prospects and customers.
Moreover, it also allows you to showcase your company’s activities, provide valuable free information, and foster a meaningful relationship that goes beyond the anonymity of your website. It is a powerful tool for maintaining engagement and building trust with your audience.
11. Create Video Walkthroughs
Video walkthroughs provide a more immersive and realistic way to showcase a property. In today’s health-conscious climate, offering the convenience of viewing a property from the safety and comfort of one’s home and mobile device is highly valued.
To ensure the videos you create meet professional standards, you can utilize tools like Matterport, which easily elevates the quality of your property videos. By incorporating video walkthroughs, you enhance the overall viewing experience for potential clients and demonstrate your commitment to providing cutting-edge marketing solutions.
12. Elevate Your Print Materials
The quality of your print collateral speaks volumes about your company. If it has been a while since you last updated or if you haven’t yet invested in professional graphic design for your marketing materials, it’s worth considering upgrading your collateral in 2023.
Take the opportunity to refresh the design and ensure that all contact information, social media links, website links, and imagery align with your online presence. This cohesive approach will enhance your brand image and convey professionalism to your clients.
13. Get Involved in Your Community
Collaborating with a local organization or charity that resonates with your values can be incredibly rewarding. It provides an opportunity to give back to the community. Moreover, it allows you to engage with people on a deeper level beyond the confines of business interactions.
When selecting an organization to work with, ensure that it aligns with your brand and business goals. Choose one that you genuinely feel strongly about, as this passion will shine through in your partnership and further enhance your impact within the community.
14. Traditional Media Advertisements
Despite the ongoing shift of advertising budgets to online platforms, there are still numerous affordable and impactful offline options available through trade journals, newspapers, and local print media. If your objective is to expand your reach, strengthen your brand, and ensure local recognition for both yourself and your property, offline advertising remains one of the most effective approaches.
However, it’s crucial to test your efforts to determine what generates the most interest. Creating custom website URLs to direct people from these ads can help measure their effectiveness and identify the most successful campaigns. By carefully analyzing the data, you can optimize your offline advertising strategies and maximize their impact.
15. Use Drone Photography for Impressive Shots
In recent years, the accessibility and affordability of drone photography and videography have greatly improved. This provides commercial real estate marketers with the opportunity to capture stunning imagery of their properties.
By incorporating high-definition drone photos into your marketing collateral, you can elevate the visual impact and create a more immersive experience for potential buyers. These captivating aerial shots add a significant “wow” factor to your marketing materials, helping to showcase your real estate assets in a visually impressive and memorable way.
16. Build Relationships
In the fast-paced world of commercial real estate, it’s essential to prioritize nurturing existing client relationships amidst the pursuit of new deals. It’s easy to overlook this aspect, but taking consistent time (whether weekly, monthly, or quarterly) to reach out and maintain contact with your clients is crucial.
By staying engaged, you can share your industry knowledge, provide access to your network, and leverage social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn to foster ongoing connections. These proactive efforts demonstrate your commitment to building lasting relationships and ensuring that your clients feel valued and supported.
17. Use Effective Signage
The sign industry continues to thrive in the present day, and it’s not without reason: signs are highly effective in capturing attention. Advertising your property through various sign options, such as property signs, road signs, and billboards, can significantly enhance its visibility. These attention-grabbing signage solutions offer a powerful means to promote your property and attract potential buyers or tenants.
How to Leverage Signage and Maximize Exposure
Here are some great ways to work signs into your commercial real estate marketing plan.
Road Signs
Road signs offer a cost-effective approach to marketing a commercial property through advertising. To maximize their effectiveness, it’s crucial to strategically place these signs and ensure they feature large, easily readable print with minimal wording.
Ideally, road signs should be positioned in the immediate vicinity of your commercial building. For instance, if your property is situated in a business district, consider placing signs within that specific area. Additionally, target areas where local investors frequent, such as office complexes or industrial zones, depending on the property type.
For apartment buildings and office spaces, consider placing signs near commercial complexes and in proximity to corporate headquarters located in your vicinity.
Road signs primarily cater to drivers, so it’s important to make them easily readable even when passing by without stopping. To achieve this, include only essential information on the sign, such as:
- [Insert your commercial property type] for sale
- Phone number
- Address
By including only vital details, drivers can quickly absorb the information, ensuring they don’t miss key contact or location information.
Property Signs
The property sign is significant because it serves as a vital tool for attracting investors, brokers, and other professionals within the commercial real estate industry who actively seek local properties for sale.
The property sign acts as a powerful means to communicate that a property is available for purchase, even for individuals who may not have come across your online or print advertisements.
Moreover, the property sign plays a crucial role in commercial real estate marketing. It assists potential buyers who have seen your ads. It helps them confirm that they have indeed found the correct property if they decide to visit it in person or drive by.
By prominently displaying a property sign, you ensure that your offering receives visibility and attention, both from those actively seeking properties and those who have shown interest through your marketing efforts.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, effective commercial real estate marketing is crucial in the competitive world of commercial real estate. To maximize visibility, employ a multi-channel approach with online and offline strategies.
- Utilize tools like a company blog, SEO optimization, and cloud-based property marketing platforms to engage your target audience.
- Leverage social media platforms like LinkedIn to build strong relationships. Incorporate innovative techniques such as video walkthroughs and drone photography for a lasting impact.
- Well-designed print collateral and regular communication via email newsletters or personal outreach help maintain client relationships.
- Offline marketing avenues like road signs and property signage capture attention and direct interested parties to your offerings.
By implementing a comprehensive marketing plan, you can position your properties, build your brand, and achieve success in this evolving industry.