Copywriting Strategies for Commercial Real Estate Marketing

When taking a commercial property to the market for sale or for lease, the marketing campaign will be significantly impacted by the quality of the advertising copy used in the various channels of media.  Many property agents are not good at writing advertisements and therefore the marketing campaign suffers from the very start.

Before commencing the drafting of advertising for any property, it pays to thoroughly inspect the property and the surrounding area.  This simple process will give you many ideas and concepts to feed into your advertising layout and design.  You will also get some perceptions of the features of the property and that are important to the target market.

So to get the matter under way, it is important to understand exactly who or what the target market is for the chosen property.  In commercial real estate, the target markets are usually subsets of the following categories:

1. Property Investors in the local area
2. Business owners and proprietors in the local area
3. Property developers
4. Tenants needing to move into their own premises

Within each of these categories there will be subsets of criteria such as the required cash flow, timing of the property release, the availability of the property, the location of the property, and the types of improvements.

So the best strategy in working towards a drafting of advertising copy is to review the property personally with due regard to the particular broader target market that will be attracted to it.  When you then walk around the premises and the general location, you can detail the features that will be attractive to the target audience.  Take many photos of the property from various locations around the site so you can revisit the property presentation and improvements at a later time.  These photos can also be used in any discussions with identified and qualified prospects in the future.

It pays to develop a list of four or five items that are considered the features of the property itself and the campaign.  They should consistently flow through all the advertising material and be placed towards the top of all the advertising copy.

If the property has any form of identity, brand, or name in the local area, then it should also feature in the advertising copy.  Most property purchasers and tenants relate to the building brand, identity, and location.  At least 75% of properties that are sold or rented today are transacted with local property investors or business owners.

It is a known fact that the most effective advertising in commercial and retail real estate is simple and short.  Most adult readers prefer dot points and photographs to attract their interest.  Any written paragraphs should then be short and to the base of the advertising copy.  At the base of the created property advertising and any editorial, ensure that you place the necessary contact detail of the relative salesperson and real estate agency business.