« Back to Facilities Management News Home
« Commercial Office Facilities
Gone are the days of sticking a broker sign on a building and waiting for somebody to call you. Or, at least they should be. We are seeing building owners take a proactive approach to creating a brand and utilizing tactical outreach methods for users to find them wherever they can. After all, every impression counts so taking a broader strategic approach allows more opportunity for success.
#1 Branding in America has become a major driving force. Think about the successful buildings in your region and most likely they have a strong brand behind the structure. BRANDING is the expression of the essential truth or value of something. It is communication of characteristics, values, and attributes that clarify what this particular brand is and is not. With all the money that goes into these commercial real estate deals, properly communicating their brands is an important factor to the success of the property.
Central Development owns Tower 1660, a 111,103SF Class B property located in Denver and built back in 1972. After investing in new branding, signage, and some facility upgrades, the property took off. “Before we bought the building it was just a street address, but branding brought Tower 1660 into the 21st century”, said Central Development principal Jeremy Records, “This was so valuable in doubling our occupancy and improving the overall flavor of the location.”
Marketing costs less than building overhauls and is seen by more people than the inside of the property itself. So wouldn’t it make sense to have this updated, upgraded and looking good? Think about the brand, The website, and the signage for an impactful facelift.
#2 Technology allows us to increase distribution channels. Why bury your listing on your brokers website and have it compete with other listings when it can have its own stage? Build a website for your building that allows you to direct traffic to it, and be found through Google and other online searches via a well optimized site. “We want to reach potential users everywhere we can.” said Tucker Manion of Centre Point Properties. “With younger owners using the web more this seems like a good place to be, so we added custom websites to multiple commercial properties in our portfolio”.
#3 Break through the template and tell your story. 789 Sherman Street is a 6 story, 100,744 office property that has been the recognizable gold building in Capital Hill District of Denver since the '70s. “Through good marketing we were able to take this familiar gold building and rebrand The Sherman Center as something desirable for tenants. With professional design and messaging that claimed “THE GOLD STANDARD” we created this sense of exclusiveness. Our occupancy has gone from 60% to 92% since we purchased the building and implemented the new campaign.” said Manion”
We often hear owners speak with such pride towards what makes their project special. They will point to amenities, services, neighborhood, building design, the tenants, and so many other aspects. This is wonderful to hear, but why go to such great lengths if the marketing doesn’t reflect how special your real estate is? Good marketing shares the vision and feeling of each space.
So instead of just putting up the broker sign and waiting for the phone to ring, I recommend taking a good look at your marketing program. This is what helps you create awareness, stand out, and get a leg up on the competition.
