Property development is big business on the West Coast of Canada, especially in the Greater Vancouver area where you can hardly turn a corner without seeing an “Under Construction” sign. But therein lies the crux – there’s a lot of competition out there. Referrals once drove your business, but under the current economy you’re looking to use your website to get new clients. This is where online marketing comes in. Below is a blueprint for content marketing success on today’s proven digital platforms.
Content Marketing Tips for Property Developers Who Want to Get More Clients Online
1. Create (and Promote) Separate Website Sections for Your Sectors
If you manage commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential property development (or some combination of) then you will want to highlight these facts on your website by creating dedicated website landing pages for each. There is a very strong case for this, as for every district that you service there is a significant amount of online search for your business. Take Vancouver BC for example. Within the city, there are 100 searches per month (which is high-volume for your industry) for the following terms:
Source: Google Keyword Planner
The above keyword terms are just a snippet of the opportunity, as there are semantically associated keywords (i.e. “commercial real estate developers”, etc.) that you can also target with your sector-dedicated landing pages. This keyword targeting opportunity grows even further if you service other cities across the province and/or country (more on this below).
To capture the individual search expressions (and variations) above you will need to create landing pages that host optimized content that is specific to each sector. Your content breakdown should include a static writeup about property development for the sector along with original photos/graphics and a “newsfeed” that pulls category specific (i.e. Commercial) posts from your website’s blog onto the page itself. This content will drive your SEO, PPC, social media, and email marketing campaigns.
2. Feature Industry Specializations Too
If you specialize in certain industries, you should also create devoted sections to account for this, as well.
Let’s look to institutional development as an example, which often refers to property development associated with medical and educational institutions. If you have more than one school-build in your portfolio then you can certainly justify calling yourself a specialist in school property development. This doesn’t need to be a primary message/feature on your website per se, but it definitely calls for its own dedicated landing page. Remember, the more dedicated the content, the more qualified the clients / prospects that visits your site will be.
3. Create (and Promote) a Section for Green Building on Your Website
We provided this tip to architectural firms and it applies even more so to you— – the one who will bring their vision to life.
Green building is a requisite for nearly all new property developments in Canada. Your clients need to accommodate updated building codes and occupant demand alike, and if you can help them get LEED certified that’s an added bonus.
Casual mention of green building on your website will not be enough. You will want to devote an entire section to the concept, with features (via articles, images, and video) on the eco-friendly methods and materials you are capable of integrating into a given project. This may include the application of insulated concrete forms (ICFs), solar paneling, smart LED lighting installations, and other initiatives that can move a building towards NetZero status.
Once this green building section is in place on your website you will use it as ammunition for SEO, PPC, social, and email campaigns. It will also be useful for public relations outreach as the media loves a good story about how a local developer is helping make the world a greener place.
EXTRA TIDBIT: Location, Location, Location
Building location is everything to your clients, and so it is to you when it comes to targeting prospects online.
Every content category that we listed above must be appended to at least one geographic location. If you operate in Vancouver, then you want to rank for “commercial developers Vancouver”, right? Certainly. While your on-site content and on-page search engine optimization will reflect this, you need to make sure you get your company on every relevant city/town business directory. Some online directories will be FREE while others come with costs incurred via membership fees such as found with any local Chamber of Commerce. Ensure that your company name, address, and phone number is consistent across all directories.
However, the most important resource, is Google My Business (GMB). If you haven’t already, set up your GMB profile, and set your service area to include all relevant cities and towns. This will increase your odds of showing up on their respective Google Maps. Google favors favours Google Map results that get clicked more than others, so this is the key to getting more eyes on the required content (above) that will drive for your digital marketing strategy.
Contact Strategis Consulting Group to begin discussion on a more effective online marketing plan.