Marketing empty properties? Save time and money with this strategy.

BIG IDEA

How can architectural visualisation minimise the financial risks associated with empty buildings?

PROBLEM

Buildings are - of course - designed to be occupied, but changing circumstances can leave them empty or overlooked for long periods. This not only creates a financial drain but also potentially tarnishes your brand image. Basic marketing efforts, such as photographs or drone videos of the vacant building, struggle to address these challenges effectively.

In the perfect world, market demand ensures your developments are occupied as soon as they are complete. Extensive market research and slick digital marketing campaigns - that might include CGIs or animation - have a significant impact on the ease and speed with which occupiers can be secured.

But markets, business types and business priorities change, and - unless you have the skills of Nostradamus - you can only pre-empt and plan for this change to a certain extent. The pandemic, for example, highlighted how unforeseen events can disrupt even the most well-planned strategies.

Large-scale, national or global events aside, in multi-unit developments, the focus is often on securing anchor tenants for flagship units, as their presence ensures the success of the wider project. But there is often going to be a ‘runt-of-the-litter’ building that simply isn’t quite as attractive to an end user. 

The natural ebb and flow of business and business leases, and the resultant changeover of tenancy results in periods when buildings are in limbo in terms of securing the next tenant. It can be a challenge for people to see beyond what is there in front of them: a prospective tenant will struggle to look beyond the use case of the incumbent business, and therefore fail to see how their own business will function in the same building. Even when a building is stripped back to its bare structure, potential tenants often struggle to visualise how it could suit their specific needs.

These scenarios are just a small fraction of reasons that inevitably mean that there are times when you have vacant buildings in your portfolio.

So what can be done to mitigate this?

SOLUTION

Architectural visualisation offers a distinct advantage: it can begin long before construction starts, ensuring your marketing is ready as early as possible. So you should absolutely start thinking about marketing your development sooner rather than later, perhaps even before planning permission is secured in some cases. This will help audience buy-in much earlier in a project’s lifecycle, reducing the likelihood of delays finding an occupier when the buildings are completed.

In the case of empty existing buildings, a major challenge you face is helping your customers see beyond what is actually there in front of them - seeing the full potential of the building, and how it would serve them well. They need help in making this leap. You should therefore consider the specific types of audiences you want to attract, and - importantly - discuss these with your marketing and visualisation team. A skilled digital property marketing company should be able to propose techniques, such as combining photography or video of the existing building with computer generated imagery, in a way that effectively communicates the building’s flexibility and use to these specific target audiences. This will make it very easy for your prospect to make the match themselves.

Securing tenants for overlooked units often requires fresh, inventive thinking. Drawing inspiration from other industries’ marketing strategies can inject new life into your approach and help differentiate your properties. Take inspiration from bold ‘Fake AR’ campaigns like Maybelline’s giant eyelash brushes on the London Underground or North Face’s Big Ben in a puffer jacket. These campaigns garnered significant attention and engagement - similar creativity could make your vacant properties stand out in a crowded market. It just takes some lateral thinking.

Architectural visualisation goes far beyond creating realistic images of buildings. It’s about crafting strategies that resonate with your target audience, helping you secure tenants and reinforce your brand.

Our advice is to think about the occupiers you want to attract and discuss this with your digital marketing company. Use their creativity to create strategies that are targeted towards the audiences you want to reach, keeping your marketing as fresh as possible.  Re-thinking the ‘normal’ approach will help build and reinforce your brand whilst at the same time minimising the chance of units remaining empty for long periods of time by making them stand out from everything else.  

If you’re looking to breathe life into overlooked properties or want to ensure your developments never stay empty for long, we’d love to help. With over 25 years of experience crafting bespoke marketing visuals, we specialise in creating standout visual assets that capture your audience’s imagination and help secure tenants faster.

Get in touch today to discuss your goals and start turning ideas into results.

Email us: [email protected]

Call us: 020 3951 8457