Online Marketing Plans for Commercial Real Estate Brokers
The online part of ‘promotion’ in commercial real estate brokerage is unique. You have two directions to take here; firstly, that of your listings, and secondly your personal profile; you should have both active always. (NB – you can learn about commercial real estate brokerage strategies here)
Create a marketing plan for each aspect of your business, and then shape and grow that promotional plan over time. Expand your presence online with your listings and establish your personal profile for ‘specialization.’
Establishing a Profile Online
Before going too far here, there a couple of rules to be aware of in establishing and working an ‘online’ profile as an agent or broker. Get the system right from the very start, so you are consolidating your profile in a positive and direct way.
Most other agents will not promote themselves well; that is either directly or online; so, you can take the opportunity and build an extensive online profile for yourself. Remember to create your online profile for the location and within certain property types; drill down correctly, so you can be the local ‘specialist.’
Here are some facts to understand and work towards as part of that:
- Professionalism above all else – if you have something to say, then say it well and keep the professional approach always. Once something is up on the social media channels or the websites and portals, it will not quickly disappear. Don’t give your competitors something controversial to throw back at you.
- Use supporting media – when you talk about something of a property nature locally, use statistics, graphs, and photographs to support your story. Merge a few of the ‘senses’ into the article or editorial to make it interesting and ‘special.’
- Choose your channels wisely – there are many different ‘channels’ of communication that you can use including email, podcasts, articles, listings, websites, direct mail, telephone calls, and brochures. Some of those promotional channels are more ‘traditional’ while others are fully ‘online.’ Every promotional method can be optimised and used by brokers and agents individually as part of a personal marketing plan. Select your channels and get started.
- Choose your speciality of property and location – be the specialist in all respects when it comes to online marketing. It is too hard to cover every place and ownership type, so choose the property elements and areas that you can understand and then see a future opportunity evolving. Will enough commissions and listings be developing from that ‘specialization’?
- It takes time – online marketing is a constant process that should happen every day, so regularity is critical, and you are part of making that happen. Don’t delegate the process; get involved in it as part of listing and profile promotion. Build your brand, and be accountable for that.
- Keyword focus and target market into groups and zones – it is easy to pick a few special property topics and precincts that you can talk about and write about on a regular basis. That ‘selective’ process also makes it easy for you to find then valuable topics and issues to merge into your online marketing efforts.
So, these rules will help you build a broad and comprehensive ‘online’ profile as a local real estate agent. Merge the ideas into your social media and listing marketing efforts. Create and ‘live’ the brand that you want to be in commercial real estate today. Help the local property market and the people within it to see and connect with you accordingly.