5 Keys to Strategic M&A Communications | Tripp Donnelly
During the first quarter of 2019, the market for mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. tallied $414 billion — just shy of the record high posted during the same quarter a year prior.
Forbes
Real Estate Marketing: It’s No Longer A Place. It’s A State Of Mind.
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At its core, the real estate industry is much more than brick and mortar. The moment a building goes up, and in many cases long before, its brand legacy begins. In developing buildings for residential, mixed or commercial use, the structures can stand for generations and go on to be much more than their frameworks.
With this longevity, today’s successful real estate projects must become destinations in and of themselves, and they can do this by unifying their brand strategies across their digital and brick-and-mortar addresses.
A New Blueprint For Real Estate Marketing
When I founded REQ at the dawn of the online reputation industry, we didn’t necessarily envision ourselves becoming prominent in the real estate marketing industry. However, it quickly became a natural fit as we expanded our focus to digital marketing and advertising for lifestyle brands, fast casual restaurants, hospitality, hotels and more.
We know based on our expertise in reputation that with the dominance of search engines, decisions are made in heartbeats. A single real estate search result or property review can shape where someone decides to live or shop. In the same vein, real estate reputation is intrinsically tied to branding.
Here’s what we’ve learned as we help real estate brands stay ahead.
The Evolution From Utility To Lifestyle
Historically, real estate marketing typically took a cookie-cutter approach. A real estate firm would hire an outside partner to attract lessees by providing pricing, square footage and location — standard information without any flair. But the practices in real estate marketing that worked as recently as five years ago won’t do much for you now. The game has changed.
This uniform and formulaic utilitarian approach has given way to the lifestyle-forward marketing of today. The philosophy behind real estate marketing has undergone a massive shift alongside the reimagination of cities and neighborhoods to lure lessees, shoppers and explorers. With the rise of New Urbanism, mixed-use projects are going beyond quantitative specs to tout lifestyle amenities like walkability and livability. A successful, attractive neighborhood is no longer measured by square footage alone, but by how many people want to live and spend time there.
Passion Is A Driving Force Of Today’s Real Estate Landscape
In our own work, we’ve led numerous real estate clients through thoughtful brand development and ownership processes. Our clients include real estate developers creating towns within towns and reinventing city centers along the grain of their own personal passions.
For example, entrepreneur and real estate developer Craig Robins has drawn on his love of fine art to transform a former Miami warehouse zone into the Miami Design District, a vibrant art, fashion and gallery destination.
Branding Puts Properties On The Map for Audiences
To connect with the right audience at the right time on the right channels, the online experience of a property must align with the experience it delivers in person.
The “shop, dine, play” mantra that we’ve partnered to perfect with the island waterfront town Camana Bay on Grand Cayman, epitomizes the in-person experience of this New Urbanist, mixed-use community. And in our own backyard of Washington, D.C., we’ve worked with prominent retail and residential real estate brands to help them connect with their audiences and refine their branding to drive results.
Thinking Through Your Real Estate Brand
Real estate is an ever-evolving industry, and in order to succeed in the business, you must understand the changes to the game. It’s not enough to build an elegant property and expect it to lease out based on location and price alone. You must understand your property’s audiences and their motivations, and apply those to your brand strategy.
Residents and shoppers are as interested in a property’s brand story as they are in how many stories it is tall. When it comes to amenities that can make or break a real estate deal, a property’s brand and reputation should be considered equally as important as its facade and floor plan. Physical touch points matter, but so too does the brand’s online presence. From the results and reviews audiences see in search engines to the experience they have on your website, a perception of your property exists long before they walk through the front doors.
With an approach that considers the online presence alongside the physical real estate, brands can leverage their marketing strategies to shape and create sophisticated and vibrant communities where people want to live, shop and play. Whether it’s a new build or property enhancements, it’s never too late for a real estate brand renovation.
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