How to Build a Marketing Campaign in Commercial Real Estate Today
When you get an ‘exclusive listing’ in Commercial Real Estate, the marketing campaign is quite special. It is special as opposed to that which is comprised for a generically listed ‘open listing’. That fact should be reason enough for clients to choose the high input marketing campaign. Given all of that, it is still interesting to see just how many clients think that an ‘open listing’ will give them more market coverage.
You can let the depth of marketing sell your ‘exclusive listing services’. Show the client the radical differences that apply across the marketing process. They will soon see the advantages behind the ‘exclusive’ listing and marketing process.
It should be said that every quality listing should be taken to the market correctly and that is ‘exclusively’. A client that doesn’t accept that fact is not a client to have. Focus your sales pitch and listing presentation on the great advantages of the correct listing process and method of sale or lease as the case may be.
This is what I would call a ‘good marketing campaign’ for commercial or retail property today:
- Inspect the property with the client to get the full story of the property and agree on the selling or marketing points.
- Give yourself a full 7 days to get the marketing material together and approved by the client. Don’t rush into a campaign; that is where errors are made.
- Agree with the client as to how you will be qualifying people to inspect the property and just how those inspections are to occur.
- Tell the client how you will be keeping them up to date with the results of marketing and property inspections.
- Get professional photographs taken of the property so you can use them in all display marketing. You can always see the difference between high quality professional photographs and those taken by the agents.
- Mix the marketing up into the channels of media that work for the property type. When you have done that you can draft the advertising and get the client to approve it.
- Vendor paid marketing is the rule and not the exception when it comes to structuring a campaign of promotion today.
- Allow some of your time each week for the direct marketing of your listings. This means talking to lots of new people and door knocking the local area. Use every listing as a reason to talk to more people.
- Integrate your campaign across newspapers, direct mail, internet, email marketing, database, direct calls, and direct door to door contact.
- Tell the people in your database about the great listing that you have just secured. You may very well get some early inspections under way.
- Put a quality signboard on the property. Keep the signboard fresh with a photograph of the property and feature points of the sale or lease.
- When you take a person through the property, use the feedback from the prospective tenant or buyer to condition the client to the market. Third party information is a good way to help the client understand just what is going on in the market today.
Top agents are good marketers. They understand just how to make the property stand out and attract the inquiry.
