A lot of commercial real estate professionals are deciding against having a website. There is a common belief that commercial real estate website design is all cost with zero payouts. If you’re nodding along in agreement, this guide is for you.
Here is a guide to make your commercial real estate website design pay you.
Design for Leads and Sales: Commercial Real Estate Website Design
Home Page
Commercial real estate pros tend to go a little nuts on the home page. You do NOT need 1000 articles, every deal you’ve ever closed, nor do you need to stuff every keyword into the home page development.
Your basic architecture will look like this…
Headline
Your header should be a simple one-liner + tagline for what you do. Put a direct call-to-action here too. (Click the screenshots to see a larger image.)
You can get fancy with your home page opening with a video that streams behind your title and tag-line or a nice photo.
If you’re going to use a video, I suggest placing it on a streaming site like YouTube or Vimeo and running the video behind the text. This way, you won’t be dinged for the 20 Megs it takes to load a video directly from your server. The more megs it has to load, the less functional it will be – especially on mobile.
PRO TIP: Make the video show on desktops, and swap the video for a photo on tablet and mobile. This will improve your website’s load speed.
Not sure where to find a video? Shutterstock and Alamy have stock videos available for purchase.
Want a custom video? Consider hiring a local drone videographer to take video of the properties you’ve sold / leased to use on your website. Do a google search for “real estate videography near me” to find a local provider.
What could possibly go wrong?
After the headline, we’re going to remind them why they’re seeking help with their problem.
What’s the worst thing that could happen in their journey? We all know big brokerages like to shove every listing through the same process, regardless of client goals. Let’s remind them of that.
Build Value
We’re going to list 3 things your potential clients will get when they hire you. Keep this part simple, lay off the thesaurus and commercial real estate jargon.
About You / Your Company
Here’s where we communicate how you or your company is uniquely qualified to help solve these problems.
The Plan / Process
We’re going to show how easy it is to work with you. Even if your process is a hefty 50-point checklist, we’re going to break-it-down into three basic categories.
Explanation
Here’s where you get get into more detail with what you provide your clients. Have a title and short paragraph. Need more room? Add a “read more” button that opens to show more text.
Freebie / Lead Magnet
Not everyone is ready to schedule a call today. In order to capture leads that are still browsing or on the fence, offer a freebie or pack of freebies that will give them more info. Check out Lead Magnet Hero to create some freebies for your site.
Footer with all the stuff
“But I need to showcase my blog, newsletter, associations, state disclosures,…” etc. etc.
Whatever it is, put it in the footer. People will look for services and extras in the menu and footer.
Services Page
Duplicate your optimized home page, and use the same basic layout and functionality for each service page. Change the copy (content) so it’s worded for the service you provide.
Do I have to do ALL this work for EVERY service page? Yes… Let me tell you why! Most people will get to your homepage, immediately go to the menu and click on their preferred service. The likelihood of someone reading both your homepage and service page is pretty low.
That’s why you need to put in an equal amount of work for your home page as your service pages. Your target audience will likely only read one of your pages, so you have to make a solid pitch on each page.
About Us Page
Commercial real estate stories are pretty much all the same. “We have X years of experience and are the local experts…blah blah…” Let’s try something else to wake up our audience and enhance the user experience.
#1. Start with the problem.
What kind of problems do your potential clients have? Are your competitors churning clients through a strict process, but you provide a fully customized solution? Is it impossible to find someone who knows the downtown medical office in-and-out like you do? Identify your personal strengths and match them with your potential client’s pain point.
#2. Create tension.
Tension is what makes your audience think that their life would be better with you in it. You can use your unique selling proposition to create tension, especially if your process or strategy does something faster than other agents in the market. If they want to move fast on their deals, they’ll feel the pressure to call you. Or if your service will require less work and time on their part, they’ll feel the pressure to call you.
#3. “Wow” with the unexpected. (Optional, but effective)
Using a totally new, unheard-of process like using a press release agency to help market your listings, or using Google Ads Display Network, or using Google Map Scraping for potential tenants (you can get this on Fiverr, btw). A new, unheard-of service might be the tipping point in getting that deal.
#4. Limit access.
It’s counterintuitive to limit access to your services, since you want deals rolling in, BUT limiting access to only a handful of specialties (example: medical office purchases) allows you to focus on one thing, become THE expert, and lower the time it takes you to research and prepare for a meeting/sales presentation. This also gives a feeling of exclusivity to your current clients.
You can use limited slots, “My next opening to work on your listing is Monday.” That way it seems like you have limited availability. Your client can sign a contract now, but you won’t be available to work on their listing until Monday.
#5. Managing control.
Whether you’re taking away someone’s control or giving them control over something they have never had before, the world of control is ripe for creating tension.
Example of giving control: At a large brokerage a prospect may not have control over signage, but you provide 3 different options.
Example of removing control: The idea of a fully customized plan may be too much for a busy investor, instead, offer a set marketing process for each listing.
#6. Showcase other successes.
Testimonials and case studies are great ways generate the “fear of missing out”. Example, “Sally lowered her lease rate by 7% by hiring us to negotiate her terms of agreement.” Can make your client think, “What am I waiting for? I want a discount too!” Getting testimonials can be time consuming, but it’s worth the work.
Contact Page
Don’t put the contact page somewhere weird, like the second item on the menu. It’s traditionally all the way on the right side (last item) on the menu. This is where people are looking for it, this is where they want to find it. Don’t get creative with it, if someone is on your website to contact you, make it easy for them to do so.
Also, don’t name it something weird. It took me ten-minutes to find the “contact” page when someone named it “Carrier Pigeon.” WHY?! Just name it “Contact”.
If you have a physical office, I suggest adding an interactive map to your contact page. This will make it easy for people to find directions. If you only have a mailing address, make it clear by NOT adding a map and labeling the address with “mailing address” to ensure no one tries to visit you at the UPS store.
Here’s the basic layout of a contact page. Interactive map at the top (if you have a physical address, if not, leave it off), contact info, and a contact form. Anything else you want to showcase should be at the bottom.
All Other Pages
You can fancy up your commercial real estate website design with a blog, case studies page, and/or a portfolio of your past deals.
When you’re getting into adding consistent content to your site, you might want to consider a content management system like WordPress or SquareSpace to make this easy on you.
Calls-to-Action
We all know we need calls-to-action. Did you know there are a ton of different calls-to-action you can use in commercial real estate?
Direct calls-to-action: (Sale Makers)
Direct calls-to-action are likely what you are currently using. These are the “call me now” types of action. They are great for people who are ready to talk about their listings now.
Get a free consultation
I suggest Calendly.com to make this process hands-free. Enter your availability directly into Calendly and people can choose a timeslot that works best for them. Your potential clients can choose between a call or Zoom.
Call Now.
You can create buttons directly on your website that will call when clicked. This is great for mobile user experience.
Submit your property for valuation.
Create a custom form in Calendly.com. Add fields like property address, condition, current tenants, etc. The form can be detailed to get enough info for a valuation. They can choose a time slot on your calendar to get their results in a call or Zoom.
Get a list of properties available now
Create a custom form in Calendly.com. Add fields like location preferences, space requirements, property type, etc. The form can be detailed to get info to run reports. They can choose a time slot on your calendar to get their results in a call or Zoom.
Indirect calls-to-action: (List Builders)
Indirect calls-to-action are great for people in the process of looking for assistance, but not ready to make a call or get a consultation.
In commercial real estate, we have long lag times between the lead to sale process, so getting a library of indirect calls-to-action can be a great way to get those leads now and make sales in the long-run.
Market Reports
If your brokerage offers market reports, these are a great way to get leads. If your brokerage allows it, add a page to the PDF of your specialty and services offered to make this a great piece to bring in sales.
eBooks
Write a short eBook (can be a few pages, nothing fancy) on a topic your target audience needs information on. eBooks are a great way to showcase your knowledge and specialty and work great to establish trust.
Checklists / Cheat sheets
Offer smaller freebies like a single page checklist, “To-do before you sell your land” with short checkboxes to follow along with. These pieces work great for prospects that are thinking about selling, buying or leasing, but they’re not quite ready for a consultation.
Webinars
Webinars are a great way to go over a complex problem and showcase your expertise. Best of all, you can automate these with a pre-recorded video so you can reach people whenever they are ready to watch.
Video Series
Breaking down a complex problem with several 3-5 minute videos is a great way to get leads and showcase your expertise. These video series can cover a wide variety of topics that would interest your target market, so feel free to addon additional video series in the future.
Audio Series
If you’re worried about appearing on camera, audio can be a great way to showcase your expertise comfortably. People love a good podcast! You can make a whole private series that people can only access after they’ve joined your email list.
Need help with your freebies?
Lead Magnet Hero has easy templates.
Setup your Sales Funnel
Do you have at least one freebie offer? Good! Let’s use it to build an automated sales funnel!
You don’t want to be chained to your desk for eternity, so let’s automate this process so you can go on cruise.
Naming your Freebie Offer
If you have multiple freebies, you can make one landing page that advertises EVERY material that’s included in the “freebie package”. It’ll be easier if you need to add or change a freebie if they’re all in one spot.
Here are some fun naming ideas:
- Portland Landlord Toolkit
- Landlord Essentials: Portland Edition
- Portland Property Success Pack
- Portland Rental Resource Bundle
- Portland Landlord Freebie Pack
- Portland Property Power Pack
Freebie Landing Page in your Website Design
You can duplicate your Contact page to make this easy on you. It’ll need minimal changes to make a freebie landing page.
1. Build your Landing Page.
Don’t get cute, be direct. Put the title of the freebie pack up at the top. A short description, and a contact form with at least full name, email and phone number.
2. Build your Download Page.
Title each of your freebies, short tag-line of what it’s about, a screenshot, and link to download the freebie /or click to watch the video.
3. Setup Contact Form.
When someone fills out the form on the Landing Page, they are automatically redirected to the Download Page. This is the easiest way to make your lead generation automated.
NOTE: If you want to prevent your downloads from getting “into the wrong hands” you’re in for an uphill battle. I don’t suggest you only send your downloads through email, as it complicates the process unnecessarily. Remember, we want to automate this.
4. Ingrate your Contact Form. (OPTIONAL)
You can get plugins for contact forms that will integrate into Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or even a Google Form. This will automate your lead collection so all your emails collected will go into a database hands-free. This is the easiest way to build leads, as it requires no additional work from you after setup.
BTW, our website design packages comes with a made for you website + sales funnel setup.
5. Drip Welcome Email. (OPTIONAL)
After your contact has entered your email list, you can send a “thank you for joining!” email along with a link to the landing page with all the downloads – so they can find it again.
Continue every 2-3 business days with a series of emails:
- Thank you for joining! (link to download page for reference)
- Email, Address a problem your target market faces and how you solve it.
- Email, “Here’s what others are saying” – Testimonials
- Email, Overcome an objection you always hear.
- Email, “You deserve better” – Sales pitch
You can make drip marketing campaigns run for a week or two, or stretch for a year.
I know someone with a 14 emails in a drip campaign that sends bi-weekly, because it’s less work than an e-newsletter. It goes automatically for six-months, and it requires little changes since none of the subjects are time-sensitive (emails are about properties, not the market itself).
6. E-Newsletter. (OPTIONAL)
Keep your email list engaged with monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly emails from you. Give helpful tips and market updates. E-newsletters are the best wat to stay top-of-mind when your potential client is finally ready to sign a contract. We have long lag times between the lead to sales process, e-newsletters are great at nurturing leads and making sales.
Drive traffic to your website
Websites and sales funnels alone aren’t magic. Even if your design, content and calls-to-action are killer, you’ll still need to drive traffic to your site and feed your sales funnel.
Content Marketing
Create articles, blog posts, case studies, eBooks, and other content that addresses the specific pain points, answers questions on investments, and addresses the needs of your target audience. When potential clients search for information online, your content can help them find your services.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
You can SEO your website until the cows come home, but unless you have unique content added regularly, optimization-only will be a moderate boost at best.
Most commercial real estate agents and brokers put SEO on the backburner, so simple adjustments to your meta tag title and description might be enough to outrank most brokerages in your area.
Social Media Marketing
I suggest choosing one platform (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to focus on. Social media marketing in commercial real estate is about building relationships and providing value, so ensuring your posts are high quality will be the only way to rank in the platform.
Share industry news, market reports, updates on new listings, and insights into the commercial real estate market. You can use a service like Canva.com to create videos and graphics easily.
Blogging
If you are in a competitive environment, try going after long keyword strings that are easy rank in search engines. For instance, “Industrial Real Estate in Houston” may be out of reach but, “How to Sell my Vacant Warehouse in Houston” might be an easier to get.
The more long-tail keyword strings you rank in, the more traffic your website gets, the more leads you’ll receive.
Video Marketing
Utilize platforms like YouTube to share educational videos, property tours, testimonials, and market analyses.
You can start very simple by taking your cell phone around a property like a live virtual tour.
Use a service like Canva.com to create and edit videos and social media reels easily.
Email Marketing
In commercial real estate, we have a long lag time between when someone becomes a lead to when they sign a contract. Keeping top-of-mind is a primary concern.
You can email your latest blog posts, listings, closed listings, market reports, and insights.
Webinars
Webinars are a great way to go over a complex problem and showcase your expertise. Best of all, you can automate these with a pre-recorded video so you can reach people whenever they are ready.
Cold Calling
Reach out directly to potential clients by phone, offering your freebies or setting up a free consultation to discuss their needs. Learn to automate cold calling with Cold Call Hero.
Cold Texting
Reach out with a mass texting platform to your list. You can offer your freebies and showcase your new listings, virtual tours, and closed listings.
Cold Emailing
Sending cold emails is easy with WoodPecker.co. Personalize your subject lines and email messages to your list. Offer your sales vehicles to get engagement.
Google My Business pages
If you don’t have a Google My Business setup for your real estate business, now’s the time. This might take a while. If it can’t verify you, it will send you a postcard with a code to type in for verification. It’s worth the wait if you want better local SEO results.
Yelp profile page
Get your business a Yelp Business page to increase your chance at gathering local leads and website traffic.
Linked In profile page
Create a LinkedIn profile page for your business.
Bing places page
Get on Microsoft’s maps with Bing Places for Business.
Looking for “Done for You” Commercial Real Estate Website Design?
If you want my help to create an amazing website built for lead capture with a sales funnel setup included, check out the website designs.
Anyone can build a website.
Anyone can put buttons on a website and call it “lead generating”.
I’m the only one that provides a the Sales Funnel Masterclasses, giving you strategies to drive traffic to your site, setup automations, and keep in touch with automated welcome sequences to turn traffic into sales.
If you don’t have a sales funnel, you won’t get long lasting results, period.
If you’re nodding along and agreeing that it’s time, let’s get started! Schedule a call or zoom.
I’m out to take the “broke” out of commercial real estate brokerage.
I want to start with you.
You coming? Schedule a call or zoom.
