Its a Tech World in Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Today
Today as commercial real estate brokers there are plenty of opportunities for us to grow market share and deal opportunities through the use of technology. There are many tools to help us with the process of marketing, negotiation, and communication.
So the message here is quite clear; your marketing process as an agent or a broker should include and embrace the fullest use of technology when it comes to personal and property promotion. To achieve that, some learning and commitment is required at a personal level.
Given the speed at which technology is changing, it is a matter of using the tools personally and improving their application where possible within your database and local property market. Spread the news about your listings and your skills through online and ‘real time’ technology.
Here are some ideas to help you with the use of technology in your commercial real estate career:
- Mobile technology – You really don’t need to have an office today to work from. Almost all of your business can be transacted and communicated through the use of mobile telephones, tablet or laptop computers, and motor vehicles. It is far better to be out of the office meeting people at every opportunity, and technology lets you do just that.
- Internet – From any mobile location we can connect into the Internet and access property listings, market performance reports, comparable sales, market updates, and property information. There is absolutely no reason for an agent to be without this flexibility in technology.
- Digital photography – It is just so easy to capture a property visually and load information to the web. In photographing your properties, make sure you have selected the best images and even professional photography to back you up. The visual part of our business is quite important.
- Social media – There are many tools to use when it comes to social media. The fact of the matter is that you should only use a few social media tools but do so in a relevant way; the process has to be regular if you want results. Use those tools that help you connect with your customer base and prospect list. The social media profile that you promote through all of the media channels should be business related and personalized. What you say and what you do will be reflected in your posts, so make sure the message is positive and professional.
- Websites and Blogs – We can all post properties to the internet portals; that is the standard approach of many agents. Why not create a personal blog where you can talk about the property market in a professional way? Then you can talk about factors such as property selection, investment, and changes locally. If you are going to start a blog, be prepared to post at least 3 times per week; you must do that to help Google and other search engines find you.
Are you ready to take up the challenge of technology in commercial real estate brokerage today? I hope so.