Regardless of the situation, make sure you cover all the aspects of a space and upload high-resolution images. You’ll need several wide presentation shots of the outside of the building and its location, as well as diversely angled pictures of most of the indoor spaces.
When it comes to the photos themselves, consider these universal rules to pinpoint the proper context and elements to include in your listing:
- Pick the best light and time of day: Take the time to visit the building and space at different times during the day to see when the light highlights its best features. You might discover that a particular time of day is best for outdoor shots and another is well-suited for indoor photos.
- Stage both outdoor and indoor spaces: Staging is just as necessary in commercial real estate as in residential, so cleaning and decluttering are vital. For example, rearranging furniture or bringing in a few pieces can make a world of difference for office photography. At the same time, outdoor photos shouldn’t include cars, out-of-place items (such as food stands or maintenance equipment) or crowds in front of the building.
Won’t be using a professional service? These easy tips and tricks will elevate your photography instantly:
- Be mindful of green spaces and seasonality: Outdoor photos will look better on a bright day and if they include some vegetation. Furthermore, if you have to take photos during the winter months, replace them as soon as possible with ones taken during warmer seasons.
- Let vertical lines guide you: Framing can be challenging when a property’s size and location make it difficult to find the perfect angle. A good rule of thumb is identifying the central vertical lines in the composition and ensuring they’re straight and parallel.
- Use the rule of thirds: This age-old rule is a boon for amateur photographers, especially when it comes to indoor shots. First, divide the frame into nine equal zones using horizontal and vertical lines that will form your grid — most smartphones and all digital cameras provide this setting. Then, place your subject in the left or right third of an image, ideally opposite the light source.
Invest in video and new technology
While classical photography is the bread and butter of listing visuals, new tools and technology will give your company a competitive edge in a rapidly digitalizing industry.
Video walkthroughs bring in results for a reason. The medium is engaging, enabling you to showcase a space more realistically, dynamically and in the order you want. You can guide the prospects through the most impressive features of the property from a distance and craft a narrative you want prospects to remember. Remember to keep videos short and to the point.
The same is true for 3D virtual tours, which allow prospects to see the space for themselves. Of course, you won’t have as much control over how they view it, but this powerful tool will enable people to explore spaces at their leisure and control what they focus on. Prospects will be more likely to book a tour if they’ve already seen a property’s best features through an immersive experience.
Furthermore, drone technology will elevate your outdoor photography and videography alike. The benefits are clear: dynamic content, more details, a broader location context and a wealth of opportunities for flattering angles.
Include floor plans and maps
Last but not least, just as you include space specifications, ensure you also cover the essentials in terms of information:
- Floor plans help prospects visualize the space differently from videos or photos. While this step may seem outdated, floor plans allow prospects to see how the space flows, how they can repurpose it to their own needs and how it can grow.
- Interactive maps offer the same benefits on a neighborhood level. Most listing platforms have built-in, listing-level interactive maps that pinpoint surrounding businesses, amenities and neighborhood landmarks. If you don’t already have this feature on your website as well, consider implementing it to showcase the location.
Write an Attention-Grabbing Description
A high-performing listing needs a compelling description. If they’ve gotten to this stage, buyers and tenants have already determined that the property or space meets their core criteria, so this is the perfect opportunity to turn their interest into leads.
Find a unique value proposition
Listing benefits is vital, but a memorable listing also needs a main selling point that ties everything together. The first step in writing a great description is finding an angle that generates interest and tells the story of the space. This unique value proposition should act as a building block for the rest of the description, so consider any outstanding features, including:
- Does the building have a captivating history or unique architecture?
- Are there any well-known tenants in the building?
- Are there premium or uncommon amenities available?
- Is there something special about the location or layout?
Essentially, it’s about making a property listing stand out by drawing attention to its best features.
Of course, for a unique selling proposition to work, it needs to be tailored to an audience. Identify an ideal client segment and research their traits and preferences. Consider the types of properties they choose and their needs and nice-to-haves.
At the same time, learn from your competition. Find similar spaces listed by firms and brokers you know are successful and see how they position listings for the same audience.
Skip the basics
All listing sites include one or several info boxes where you can reveal detailed property and space information, so use the description area to sell rather than provide facts and figures. The square footage, availability and contact information are all critical, but unless there’s something special about a particular bit of information, keep it out of the description. Instead, focus on differentiating factors.
Leverage SEO and Diverse Distribution Channels
Once you have gathered all the elements of an exceptional listing, it’s time to tie it all together and spread the message. Besides the paid advertisements managed by marketers, you can have a direct impact on lead generation through two simple strategies.
Optimize listings for search engines
Search engine optimization (SEO) makes it easier for leads to find your spaces. Perform keyword research to identify important terms for the headline. For example, if you were looking for creative office space in Phoenix, you would include the name of the city and the type of space. Then use a tool such as SEMRush or Ahrefs to search for related keywords.
If you want to leave search engine marketing to the experts, you can contract a third-party service specialized in commercial real estate, such as CommercialCafe Marketing. We offer a full-service marketing stack that includes bespoke property websites that are both SEO- and conversion-optimized.
Centralize listings and syndication
Finally, you need to list commercial real estate spaces on the top marketplaces! Of course, it can be daunting to manage listings across scattered platforms, so consider opting for a specialized CRE solution that your company can use to advertise across the web.
With CommercialCafe, you can leverage an expansive distribution network and centralize listings in one place. Our free-to-use marketing platform empowers you to:
- List spaces individually and in bulk with just a few clicks.
- Publish spaces automatically to the entire Yardi Listing Network
- List to CommercialCafe, CommercialSearch and PropertyShark with the push of a button.
- These top marketplaces rank on the first page of Google and bring in more than 300K yearly verified leads.
- Syndicate to the largest commercial marketplaces and your own website with ease. There is no need to duplicate listings if you want to extend your presence to third-party listing sites — you can manage all your listings from a single platform.
Conclusions
To sum it up, remarkable commercial real estate listings rely on quality information, professional photography and enhanced copywriting. To convert more quality prospects:
- Provide detailed specifications regarding the property, services and amenities so prospects can qualify the space easily.
- Present spaces with comprehensive, high-quality photography and leverage new touring technology.
- Write purposeful descriptions by identifying unique value propositions and creating cohesive narratives.
- Leverage SEO and listing networks to enhance exposure and boost lead generation.
