Marketing Plan in 30 Days: Day 21

Back to Day 1

 

Unlike our residential friends who have a lovely, centralized MLS, commercial real estate listings data is a mess!  While LoopNet takes the “king” title for CRE listings, (in my personal opinion) they’re also a bit pricy for the average commercial real estate single or small team brokerage.  Let’s discuss a few options.

 

Plugins

1. CRE Listings Plugin – Full transparency alert!  This is what I developed, so I’m a bit biased as to how amazing it is.  Showcase listings directly on your website with a database system that integrates with WordPress.  This is completely proprietary, so only listings you’ve plugged into the system will show – no other brokerages will be listed on your website.  Each listing is posted as its own page for optimal SEO.  See it in action!

2. Portfolio or Residential Plugins.  You’ll notice other people using a Portfolio or a Residential plugin to show listings.  While it can work, it’s not ideal for many listings that need to be sorted by multiple statuses and categories.  But using this solution is an option.

 

IDX Systems

What is an IDX?  An IDX (Internet Data Exchange) is how commercial real estate agents broadcast their listings from a database onto their website.  For instance, with LoopNet’s IDX – when you update or add listings, the information will automatically update on your website.  Completely hands-free.

1. LoopLink.  LoopLink is one of the easiest IDX systems.  In my opinion, it’s a bit pricey, but check with a sales rep.  They price based on number of listings you have.  For people that regularly use LoopNet, this is your best bet.

2. CREXi.  Gaining popularity since it added “leases” to its database (it used to be “sales” only) CREXi is taking quite a bit of market share with its lower pricing!  It’s also nice looking, which is an issue with many IDX systems.

3. Buildout. Buildout’s Property Engine is gaining some serious attention since this (currently) is the only option that allows for your website visitors to search for “all” listings.  If you want the ability to showcase “available” listings outside of your own firm, this is your only option.

4. Catylist.  Not as widely known as the first three, Catylist is a great option if price is a big factor in your decision.  This is the least expensive option for CRE IDX.

 

On to Day 22: Commercial Real Estate Websites – How to Make Your Website Convert