The pandemic caused the commercial real estate industry to evolve and rely more on a multi-channel advertising approach that includes online and offline marketing strategies to stay ahead of the competition and get leads.
So, if you’re a commercial realtor, you need more than LoopNet listings to get a continuous flux of leads every month. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 11 Commercial Real Estate Marketing Ideas To Drive Sales In 2024.
Here’s what the article will cover:
1. Invest in video marketing
2. Create 3-D video walkthroughs of your properties
3. Create SEO optimized websites to drive conversions
4. Use email marketing
5. Create a Google Business Page
6. Showcase testimonials to build credibility
7. Run targeted ad campaigns with Google
8. Run remarketing campaigns on social media
9. Contribute guest articles to blogs and magazines
10. Advertise in traditional media outlets
11. Focus on building your network
Let’s get started!
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #1: Invest in video marketing
As mobile video consumption steadily increases, businesses are beginning to use video as a marketing tool. However, only 50% of CRE businesses have added video into their marketing strategy, which means they’re losing out on new leads.
Using video as a part of your marketing strategy creates curiosity, builds appeal, adds a great impression, and helps improve brand recall. Here’s an example of a commercial property marketing video from Arena Towers in Austin.
The video starts with great music, explains how enjoyable the workday would be with great visuals, and gives the prospect a great reason to inquire more about their services.
To create a winning video for your property like Arena Towers, write a script (with the target audience in mind) highlighting your building’s location, the amenities, and the outdoor spaces.
In the above example, Arena Towers shows hardworking and fun professionals in their mid-thirties to target businesses with employees in a similar age bracket and mindset.
They also use relatable sports visuals to showcase their gyms and boardrooms, so the prospect knows that they’ll feel like a champion in their workspace. You can also use a 3-D graphics video to give prospects a tease of what they can expect if your property is under development.
But if your priority is saving time and coming up with stunning videos, then use readymade commercial real estate templates from InVideo. Once you’ve selected a template, all you’ve got to do is edit it and replace the media and text to create an awesome property marketing video in 10 minutes.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #2: Create 3-D video walkthroughs of your properties
Since 3-D video walkthroughs give the prospect a realistic look at the property by creating a realistic and immersive experience, they’re more likely to get converted into a genuine lead.
Video walkthroughs are also the safest way to showcase properties during the pandemic, so your prospects can narrow down their choices and visit only the ones that interest them the most. The biggest advantage of using a video walkthrough is that you can show your commercial property round the clock to any number of interested prospects.
Here’s a 3-D video walkthrough of Mantra showrooms highlighting the location, spacious interiors, and important amenities like car parking.
To create a 3-D Video walkthrough of your commercial property, you can use software like Matterport or enlist the services of agencies like Archello and Map Systems.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #3 : Create SEO optimized websites to drive conversions
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the process of modifying your CRE website and its content to improve its visibility on search engines, build trust with prospects, and bring you highly-qualified leads.
Since users turn to search engines to find commercial properties and realtors, optimizing your website will help you build credibility and find the right prospects by becoming a part of their online research process.
For example, when you search for “cbre” (Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis- American Commercial Real Estate company) online, Google displays their website with an organic sitelink with a search box. There’s also a Knowledge Panel on the right and a PAA (People Also Ask) feature.
Moreover, keyword results from Moz show that the website ranks for keywords their prospects might search for, like “commercial real estate services” and “global corporate real estate service.”
It also ranks #1 for many search terms as it has established authority and trust over time with high-quality content that engages its prospects.
So, SEO is a long-term game, and you must keep at it to see an improvement in organic traffic and visibility. Making your website mobile-friendly and adding page titles, headings, and meta descriptions to the existing pages is a great place to start your SEO efforts.
Once you’ve nailed these basics, start creating high-quality content regularly around generic (Las Vegas commercial realtor), specific (Class A office space for rent in Houston), and branded search terms your prospect might use.
And if you want a Knowledge Panel like CBRE, simply check out the video below to learn more.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #4: Use email marketing
InVideo’s research has shown that commercial realtors, like their residential counterparts, also prefer email marketing, as it helps build a connection with their prospects through targeted messages for different audience groups.
While social media allows you to reach a large target audience in a few clicks, it doesn’t allow you to segment messages and achieve a higher level of personalization as email does. That’s why email marketing is more effective at acquiring customers and retaining them compared to other social media channels.
But unfortunately, a lot of commercial real estate email marketing campaigns don’t show the best results because they spam prospects with listings without trying to stand out and form a connection with them. The best way to avoid such a mishap is to create a real estate email marketing strategy to share high-value content with your prospects.
Here’s also a great example from Sharp Launch of what a commercial real estate email should contain. It opens with a short subject line, highlights the amenities of the commercial property, and ends with a clear CTA.
You can also get great results from emails by segmenting your list and sending crisp and relevant emails with short subject lines.
Since most prospects will not open your email the first time as emails tend to get lost in the inbox, setting up an automated sequence to (politely) follow up with them improves your chances of conversion.
Apart from sharing useful listings with your prospects, you can also send company newsletters with your take on commercial real estate news and trends to build a connection with your prospects and improve response rates.
Pro-Tip: Adding videos to your emails is found to increase clickthrough rates by at least 2-3 times, as it creates a personal connection and drives deals faster. You can create effective videos for your emails in minutes, even if you’ve never edited a video before using InVideo’s Real Estate Video Maker.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #5: Create a Google Business Page
Since Google is the first place your customers will potentially look for you, having a Google My Business (GMB) listing is important. Why? GMB displays testimonials, contact info, and other important details that boost your credibility.
Moreover, your business will also start showing up in location-based search queries such as “commercial realtors near me.” This improves your page visibility and boosts your overall page ranking as it tells Google that your page is relevant to what users are searching for.
For instance, searching for “commercial real estate in Houston” shows many GMB listings and reviews, although the paid ads dominate the search results.
So, if you want to boost your credibility and visibility by creating your GMB page, follow the steps below.
1. Go to the Google Business page and click Manage Now.
2. Then, search for your property in the address bar or select Create a Business with this name to add your property to Google.
3. Next, add your company name; and fill out your address and service areas.
4. Then, add your contact details, company description, professional photos, and postal address. If you have offices in multiple locations, download a spreadsheet template and upload the finished spreadsheet.
5. If you’ve already verified your property on the Google Search console, GMB will instantly verify your property. Otherwise, you’ll have to choose the postal verification method.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #6: Showcase testimonials to build credibility
Testimonials are the best way to build trust with potential clients while pitching your services without active selling because testimonials showcase how you helped solve your customer’s pain points.
So, make a dedicated testimonial page on your website, display your testimonials across multiple platforms (on websites, videos, emails, social media, etc.) or create detailed case studies on why customers should hire you over your competitors.
The Nesbitt Commercial Group has a testimonial page and displays their testimonials on their homepage. And they showcase the company’s willingness to listen to their client’s goals, budgets, etc. and help them move into a suitable space accordingly.
The JLL Group has created cases that show their approach to solving their clients’ challenges and delivering specific results.
In this case study, they outline how they helped reduce the footprint of an organization and align the workspace with their employees’ work styles.
To create a testimonial that positions you as your prospect’s obvious solution, ask your client to include the exact problem, how you helped them solve it, and highlight a few things they liked about working with you.
Also, make sure to include the name and the photograph of the reviewer (if you can) to add more credibility to your testimonials.
If you don’t have any testimonials yet, reach out to past clients, remind them of the value you’ve provided, and give them an incentive for taking the time to write a great testimonial for you.
Pro-Tip: You can easily create video testimonials for your website, email or social media using templates from InVideo. Get started with this InVideo template for a professional look. And if you simply want to showcase your expertise through text testimonials in a video format, go ahead and use this InVideo template.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #7: Run targeted ad campaigns with Google
Running targeted ad campaigns on Google is the best way to access audiences interested in finding commercial properties for sale and test different marketing messages to find the one that brings you the best ROI.
It’s also the best way to improve your organic ranking by getting more clicks if you’re competing against big players in the commercial real estate space as ads appear before organic search results.
For example, searching for “commercial properties in Austin” shows ad results from Reonomy, Satterwhite Business Park, etc., appearing above prominent websites in the CRE space like LoopNet, PropertyShark, and Aquila.
And to create killer Google Ads that give you the best ROI, make sure to include the abbreviations of states in your keywords, add negative keywords, and put quotes around your keywords, so you don’t waste money on clicks from people looking for residential real estate properties.
Also, add keywords to your headline and make sure you outline the features and benefits of working with you in Line 1 and Line 2 boxes Google provides. For a more detailed explanation on how to create Google ads, check out this tutorial below.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #8: Run remarketing campaigns on social media
Only 2 percent of website visitors convert during their first visit. So, you need to run remarketing ads targeting website visitors and those who interacted with your videos to convert more prospects into leads.
The best part about using remarketing ads is that you acquire customers at reduced ad spends because you’re only targeting those customers who have shown an interest in your product. Here’s a graphic explaining how remarketing ads work:
InVideo’s research showed that Facebook was the preferred platform for running remarketing ads for commercial realtors because of its wide reach and great ROI.
Here’s a video from Mike Sherrard explaining how you can set up a Facebook retargeting ad. Although the video is for residential real estate, you can also use the tips for commercial properties. Just ensure that your ads are crisp, relevant to your target audience, and have a clear CTA.
Pro-Tip: Since your prospects spend a lot of time watching videos on social media, you can create a Facebook retargeting video ad to improve your conversion chances. The quickest and easiest way to make these ads is to use InVideo’s real estate ad templates. Again, you can modify these templates quickly to create a commercial real estate retargeting ad that reels in leads.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #9: Contribute guest articles to blogs and magazines
Sharing your expertise on magazines and websites dedicated to the real estate business helps improve your search rankings by getting backlinks from sites Google already trusts.
It also helps you build authority and reel in high-quality leads by exposing your services to a readership who is already interested in the type of content you put out.
When you submit content to online publications in the CRE space like The Broker List and Urban Land, you get a backlink to your website with a few lines that tell prospects about the work you’ve done so far.
Take a look at how the Broker List has highlighted Allen’s CRE expertise by showcasing his achievements and memberships in exchange for contributing a piece to their online publication.
To start contributing your knowledge to this space, compile a list of the most popular commercial real estate publications. Then, enter the publication’s name along with the phrases “write with us” or “blog with us” to check if they accept guest posts.
Once you’ve discovered websites that accept guest posts, all you’ve got to do is follow their editorial instructions and submit your piece. And voila! You’re all set to increase your backlinks and improve your search engine rankings. Here’s a detailed video that talks about backlinks and how you can build them.
To work with magazines in the real estate space, you need to follow a similar process to get in touch with them. Once you’ve made the inroads, you can speak with journalists or the magazine editor to either have a piece done on you or write a guest post for the publication to get more traction for your business.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #10: Advertise in traditional media outlets
Although digital marketing is taking over the commercial real estate space, offline advertising is still effective when used in tandem with the former.
So, advertising in print media like journals, flyers, signages, etc., is great for building brand awareness and making sure local prospects remember your commercial real estate business.
For instance, JLL puts out regular press releases to various news agencies to build their brand awareness and showcase their expertise in the CRE space.
And although it might not be possible to send out press releases frequently, you can still build a strong media presence by getting in touch with editors from popular news agencies and contributing a piece to establish yourself as an expert in the area.
If you’re turning to paid advertisements in local newspapers, add a QR code that takes users to your website or add a number that prospects can give a missed call to, so someone from your company can get in touch with them. This way, you can also measure the results of your offline campaigns and tweak them to get the best results.
You can also reach out to local radio stations and pitch your ideas or invest in a radio commercial to get more inquiries.
For example, local channels like Real Estate Radio LA have a weekly show and exclusive memberships that give you access to events and help you grow your network. The Real Estate Radio Guys is another great radio channel that airs shows regularly and conducts summits and events you can be a part of.
Commercial Real Estate Marketing Idea #11: Focus on building your network
To grow and sustain in the real estate space, you need to build and nurture a strong network consisting of clients, realtors and brokerage firms and to be able to do that, you will also need to build a solid database of contacts that you can leverage over the years. All of the above marketing activities help you do that to an extent, but you also need to build and maintain a network actively.
A great way to do this is by socializing with other people in the space through networking events, social gatherings, and parties hosted by bigger brokerage firms, well-to-do clients and even local politicians and celebrities. These events are a great way to get recognized in the industry and build up a rapport with potential clients.
Pro tip: Make sure you always follow up with new people you interact with at any such event. A quick hello over text or email with the addition of a well- meaning message can go a long way in helping them remember you in the long run.
Summing Up
The commercial real estate space is evolving, and commercial realtors are taking to digital and offline advertising to promote their services. But many commercial realtors don’t know how to get started with marketing and the activities they should invest in to see returns.
Our real estate marketing plan guide will help you create a strategic marketing plan for your business and the ideas above will help you kickstart your marketing efforts and see returns.
If you’re serious about real estate marketing - start with video ads. You can sign up for a free account on InVideo where you can create stunning video ads in less than 10 minutes by leveraging 5000+ ready-to-use templates.
And if you prefer learning via videos, you definitely should check out our YouTube channel, where we share daily video creation tips and tricks, the latest video trends and ideas and help you make more money as a video creator.
This post was written by Mrignayni and edited by Adete from Team InVideo
