There was a time when I worked for a particular commercial real estate developer. I worked in the marketing department, but it wasn’t really a marketing department. We didn’t do any typical marketing tasks. Instead, my and another woman’s whole job was to take screenshots from Google Earth and label them with logo icons and street names. It was a mind-numbing task and one that could have easily been accomplished with a software program. One day, the company owner and executives wanted their sales team to secure development contracts with new retail corporations that were interested in establishing or expanding their presence in the territories where we had offices. I suggested to my direct superior that the marketing department step up and assist with a series of online marketing efforts. I was quickly asked, Do I need a blog? Then just as quickly, told, “NO.”
We aren’t THAT kind of business.
-Former Commercial Real Estate Employer
Do I Need a Blog?
Technically, no, you don’t have to have a blog. However, you should be creating informative and valuable content. Google and other search engines look for new content on your website to determine how relevant your website is. If you don’t produce any new content, then your website becomes stale and irrelevant. Content creation also gives you a vehicle for your SEO efforts. These are your organic search rankings. If your competitors are targeting keywords, then they are going to rank above you.
Instead of using blog content as a part of your online marketing strategy, you could focus on other efforts. Perhaps you decide to focus the majority of your efforts on sponsorships or paid advertising. However, this can get very expensive over time. You could follow in the footsteps of my former employer and rely on in-person networking events. However, COVID proved this to be an unreliable marketing solution. In addition, the same people attend these events time after time, so eventually, you’ve met everyone and you experience diminishing returns.
Industry Authority
The commercial real estate industry is worldwide, and there are countless players. However, you probably have a good idea of who your direct competitors are. Developing insight and informative content helps you develop a voice of authority in your industry circles. This helps your development business stand out among your competitors. Developing original content also gives you an opportunity to build backlinks. These are links from external websites to yours. Other industry professionals and reporters will link to your content as an authoritative reference. This develops your company as a voice of authority and influence, which encourages others to turn to you first.
Lead Generation
Developing a content calendar and regularly producing blog posts and articles helps with your website’s SEO. Each piece of content targets a keyword related to your commercial real estate business in some way. When Google and other search engine crawlers visit your site, they identify these keywords and your content. Your website then begins to rank for these relevant keywords when someone searches for them. This helps your business become more visible on the internet. For example, someone searching for a “commercial real estate developer” is more likely to find your business. They will then visit your website, read your insightful and informative content, and decide to contact you. Now your website is doing the work for you of attracting new leads.
Failing to have an SEO plan puts you behind your competitors who are focused on SEO. Their website content will perform better and better as time goes on. Simultaneously, your website will rank lower and lower, eventually getting pushed so far down as to not be visible on the first page. Keep in mind that 67.6% of search result clicks are on the top five results. Search results on the second page receive less than 6% of clicks.
Brand Development
What do people think of when they think of your business? The company I worked for had a strong industry reputation for being a specific pharmacy developer. While there’s nothing wrong with being known for something. It becomes a problem when that’s the only thing you are known for. The commercial real estate developer I worked for missed out on great opportunities because people wouldn’t consider them for anything beyond its perceived proficiency scope.
Creating content is a perfect way of influencing the industry’s perception of your development firm. If the company I worked for started producing content when I suggested, they could have showcased their work outside of what they were known for. This would have changed the industry’s perception and developed the brand beyond “that one pharmacy developer.” Each completed project was a perfect opportunity to highlight challenges faced, solutions provided, and the success of another completed project.
It’s Time to Start Your Blog
Just because you work in commercial real estate doesn’t mean you don’t need to think about marketing. A blog is a perfect way to develop an SEO marketing plan. With consistent and dedicated content production, you can build your industry authority, generate more leads, and develop your brand reputation. Don’t let your commercial real estate firm follow in the footsteps of my old employer. It’s never too late to establish a content marketing plan and get started producing insightful, informative, and influential content.
Contact me today, and let’s discuss how you can get your blog started.
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