Download - Informetrics Marketing Focus
MARKETING FOCUSLeasing and Marketing Commercial Real Estate 1
THE FUTURE OFLEASING & MARKETINGFOUR OAKS PLACE CREATES A CUTTING EDGE MARKETING CENTER
SOUTHWEST CORPORATE CENTER - MARKETING THE CONVERSION OF A REGIONAL MALL TO HIGH DENSITY OFFICE SPACE
USE E-MAIL TO LEASE YOUR EMPTY SPACE
MARKETING THE CONVERSION OF A REGIONAL MALL TO HIGH DENSITY OFFICE SPACE
LEASING & MARKETINGMARKETING THE CONVERSION OF A REGIONAL MALL TO HIGH DENSITY OFFICE SPACE
An Informetrics Publication
Welcome to this issue of Marketing Focus, a publication
dedicated to sharing examples of how your peers are using
structured marketing programs to minimize the time
commercial lease space is on the market, reduce vacancies,
and optimize the capital value of their real estate assets.
Without marketing, the leasing program depends upon
market momentum, luck, and timing, none of which can
be controlled. While engaging in a marketing program to
facilitate the leasing process is not a guarantee of success,
it will most certainly raise the visibility of your property,
position your building properly in the market, and make the
brokerage community aware of your current space available.
At Informetrics, we are dedicated to Marketing portion of
the Leasing and Marketing process. I’ve spent 26 years in the
business of leasing and marketing space on behalf of owners
and tenants and I’m convinced that the weakest part of the
selling process is the marketing effort put forth by most own-
ers. In tight times and soft markets, it’s the first part of the
budget cut, when in fact, funds spent in this area have the best
chance of creating activity for the leasing team to pursue.
Welcome | Jay Holland
At Informetrics, we’ve created the most innovative marketing
tools and communication vehicles available today. Whether
it’s a web site for your building (which every building should
have as a staple item), E-mail campaigns, or cutting edge
marketing centers, the leasing teams we work with are finding
their activity levels are up, their job it easier, and the owners
are secure in knowing that this important part of the overall
asset management process is being addressed in a structured,
proactive manner.
Our team knows leasing and excels at the marketing
process. Please take the time to look over what Transwestern
Commercial Services and TIAA-CREF have done with their
Marketing Center at Four Oaks Place; how Angelo, Gordon,
& Company with Moody Rambin Interests and Trammell
Crow Company have turned a former shopping mall into a
viable contender for high density tenants, and how you can
effectively use E-Mail to help lease your available space.
If you have questions or are interested in ideas about how
marketing can assist your leasing program, call me at
281-531-1800 or visit our website at www.informetrics.com.
2
President of Informetrics
2 Welcome
4 Four Oaks Place Creates a Cutting Edge Marketing Center A landmark Office Project abandons traditional presentation boards
in favor of interactive electronic marketing center tools.
12 Southwest Corporate Center - Marketing the Conversion of a Regional Mall to High Density Office Space Using an integrated marketing communications program to expose
a challenging project on multiple levels.
18 Use E-mail to Help Lease Your Empty Space No other marketing vehicle currently offers the immediacy of
placement and response, combined with cost effectiveness,
like E-mail.
MARKETING FOCUSLEASING AND MARKETING COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE | 1
INFORMETRICS
Informetrics is a marketing services
provider to the commercial real estate
industry combining cutting edge
technology and design with practical
industry experience.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Four Oaks Place
Rick Gardner Photography
Southwest Corporate Center
Hall Puckett Photography
Other Photographs
Hall Puckett Photography
Marketing Focus is published by:
Informetrics
12121 Wickchester, Suite 100
Houston, Texas 77079
Telephone: 281-531-1800
www.informetrics.com
Marketing Focus
© 2005 Informetrics
All Rights Reserved
To comment or subscribe contact us at
4
FOUR OAKS PLACECREATING A CUTTING EDGE MARKETING CENTER
Four Oaks Place is a premier office complex
anchoring the north end of Post Oak Boulevard
in Houston’s Uptown Galleria district. With over
1,800,000 rentable square feet of space located in
four office towers, Four Oaks Place is considered
one of the city’s franchise real estate investments.
The project was recently purchased by TIAA-
CREF, one of the nation’s largest institutional real
estate investors with over $36.5 billion in real
estate investments. Upon its acquisition, TIAA-
CREF engaged Transwestern Commercial Services
to lease and manage the complex with an objective
5
of increasing the visibility with a proactive marketing effort in
order to maximize occupancy and maintain top of the market
rental rates.
Transwestern’s David Baker, Eric Anderson, and John Morton
comprise a leasing team rich in experience and enthusiasm. Fred
Whitty, the longtime senior manager at Four Oaks Place and a
leader in the Houston property management community, joined
Transwestern, bringing a seasoned management team consisting of
23 professionals, some of whom had been with Four Oaks since it
opened in 1984.
THE LEASING AND MARKETING OBJECTIVE
First priority in the transition was reestablishing the position of
Four Oaks Place as the submarket’s premier office complex. While
the complex had always enjoyed a high occupancy and command-
ed rental rates that were at the top of the market, the leasing team
felt they could raise the visibility and increase market share by
engaging in an effort to showcase the features of the project to the
brokerage and tenant community in a more aggressive manner.
One of their ideas was to create a Marketing Center, a place where
the team could focus their selling efforts to best display the project
Four Oaks Place combines world class architecture with a functional site, extensive amenities, and a superb location.
6
Four Oaks Place combines world class architecture with a functional site, extensive amenities, and a superb location.
to prospective as well as existing tenants. The center would
have a Concierge, both as an added tenant service and to provide
marketing support for guests of the center. A lounge area for
the brokerage community would be built, providing a work and
relaxation haven, complete with wireless internet access, private
workrooms, refreshments, and television to catch up on the latest
news and sports. The goal was to offer an ongoing invitation for
brokers to frequent the project, becoming advocates of Four Oaks
Place in the process. A presentation room would be included, al-
lowing the leasing team to immerse their prospects in all that Four
Oaks Place had to offer.
Concierge - Central desk as an added tenant service and
to provide marketing support for guests of the center.
Presentation Room - 50” Plasma screen for presentations,
video, and tv. Complete with a large conference table.
Lounge Area - Provides a work and relaxation haven,
complete with wireless internet access and television.
Equipment Room - Storage for computer, audio, and
video equipment.
Kitchenette - A kitchen and serving area for refreshments.
Private Workrooms - Telephone and Internet access for
working away from the office.
1
2
3
4
5
61
2
3
54 6
Additionally, the marketing plan would include advertising and
promotional efforts in electronic and print form. The leasing
team engaged Informetrics to assist in exploring the different
approaches to meeting their objectives. Informetrics was familiar
with Four Oaks Place, having previously developed the project
website and currently maintaining project inventory and trans-
action information in their MarketsCenter marketing and leasing
platform. Additionally, Jay Holland, president of Informetrics,
had negotiated several significant leases in the complex dur-
ing his real estate career, intimately understanding the project
from the customer’s perspective.
7
THE MARKETING IDEA
In order to engage the prospective tenant more effectively,
Informetrics suggested that they consider abandoning the idea of
using traditional presentation boards and use electronic market-
ing center tools they were developing as a publishing venue for
MarketsCenter information. These included multimedia presenta-
tions that could be displayed on a high resolution plasma panel
with a touch screen interface. Presentations could be interactive,
permitting the agent to tailor their presentation to the audience
based upon addressing specifi c subjects, or completely automatic,
with a narrated presentation that would provide a focused pitch in
a minimum amount of time. The marketing center would be por-
table, allowing the agents to make their presentation in the Four
Oaks Place Marketing Center, the offi ces of a brokerage company,
or the boardroom of a prospective tenant. Addi-
tionally, electronic media could easily be repurposed
for delivery over the internet as part of the project
website, or distribution by CD as a follow up and
reinforcement vehicle. Space Available information
would be available through web services directly
from MarketsCenter, updated
once and published instantly
to the Four Oaks Place
website, Space Available
E-mails, and the Marketing
Center at the same time.
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Informetrics’ goal was to produce presentations and supporting
materials that would enable the agents to handle a wide variety
of situations with the greatest flexibility. At the same time,
production values needed to be of a caliber that was in line with
the quality of the project and refl ect the marketing position in
a manner that would facilitate the agent’s selling efforts. The
challenge was to take an abundance of materials and determine
what elements should be combined to communicate the best
selling message.
The Interactive presentation utilizes an interface that allows the
presenter (or a viewer) to
easily navigate through
the different subject
matter by simply touch-
ing the screen or using a
typical pointing device.
Major topics such as the
Narrative presentation - Opening scene. Narrative presentation - History of the Project. Narrative presentation - Project Amenities.
The marketing center would be completely portable,allowing the agents to make their presentation in the FourOaks Place Marketing Center, in the offi ces of a brokeragecompany, or in the boardroom of a prospective tenant.
8
Project, Amenities, Space Available, Location, and Access are
addressed with details available through submenus for specifi c
subjects such as Project History or Ownership.
Informetrics employed its knowledge of the real estate business
combined with technical skills and resources to take the subject
detail to a new level. For example, the Four Oaks Place building
site was designed to take advantage of the surrounding arteries
to alleviate the congestion and access issues of the area. In order
to illustrate the ease of circulating
within the project, Informetrics
animated a site map showing cars
moving into and out of Four Oaks Place and the garage.
The architects and planners originally designed the size and
orientation of the buildings on the site to provide for incredible
views in every direction. Informetrics combined photos, shot
from the top of the central tower, into a panoramic presentation
showing views from any one of the four directions, keying them
to a legend of the building, and allowing the presenter to stop the
panning motion at anytime by touching the screen in order to
pan manually.
Elevator access is depicted using a line drawing of the buildings.
By clicking on a building, the user is shown a color coded fi rst
fl oor plan and list with the elevator bank confi guration. Click on
the list and the building drawing describes the affected fl oors.
Area Amenities are presented using a motion map that moves
from the perspective of Four Oaks Place south to plot and tag all
Hotels, Restaurants, and Retail venues in the surrounding market.
At any time, the user can stop the map with a touch, panning the
market manually with all the venues tagged for easy description.
Leasing Agents or others can now tailor a presentation to a pros-
pect’s needs on the fly, addressing
those elements that best support the
selling situation. The rich animation
and the manner in which the wide
variety of information is presented
focuses attention on the message,
allowing the parties in interact in
a meaningful manner.
Interactive presentation - Building views with panning interface.
Interactive presentation - Space Availabledisplaying live data from MarketsCenter.
Interactive presentation - Management team.
A line drawing was transformed into an interactive illustration to display the elevator banks in each of the four buildings.”
9
The narrated presentation gives the agents a completely different
tool to use for primary presentation or sales support. Informetrics
has extensive background in developing and delivering sales
presentations for major real estate projects, deeply rooted in direct
experience. Knowing leasing agents typically have a limited
period of time in which to deliver the message, and anticipating
viewers would have a short attention span, they sought to produce
a product that would address the primary selling points in a fast
moving, attention grabbing presentation.
The narrated presentation is approximately four and one-half
minutes in total run time, finishing with a screen showing
the current space available. It is focused on the message
and maximizes the use of the time to put forth more selling
information than could possibly be communicated in a typical
face to face discussion. This optimizes the time of the tenant,
their broker, and the agent, as well as ensuring that the message is
consistently delivered every time. Moreover, the tenant can leave
with a copy of the presentation to enable associates involved in
the decision to see the same information or to review it themselves
at a later time.
To provide additional flexibility, two versions of the narrated
presentation were delivered, one that plays through from
beginning to end without interruption, and the other employ-
ing navigation tools to permit the viewer or presenter to pause,
advance, rewind, or move to a specific “chapter/scene” by number
or by title.
These tools combine to give the Leasing Agents complete
flexibility in their selling efforts, telling a consistent story focused
on a distinct selling message. Because of its focus, it makes the
agents more effective at selling the project and its intrinsic value.
PULLING IT TOGETHER
Informetrics provided and installed high resolution industrial
projection panels in the conference room and the gathering/lounge
area and supporting equipment, including a computer and
audio visual equipment, in the equipment room. Wall mounted
universal touch screen controls were installed and programmed
so visitors could view any of a number of different inputs, includ-
ing leasing presentations, television programming, DVD, Video,
or Radio.
The leasing team has the flexibility of hosting a large group of
people, spilling attendance over from the conference room to the
gathering area/lounge while showing the presentations on both
panels simultaneously or using the plasma panels independent-
ly for different content.
INFORMETRICS TECHNOLOGY
To facilitate use of the content, Informetrics developed a pre-
sentation dashboard which provides one-click access to any of the
presentations. The dashboard doubles as a welcome screen with a
default greeting welcoming visitors to Four Oaks Place. Leasing
Agents can personalize the screen locally, from MarketsCenter,
and even from their cell phone to welcome a specific company or
person to the project.
10
in its breadth and depth of content, as well as the ease and
simplicity with which it is presented, this set of tools will assist
the leasing team in maximizing their selling efforts on behalf of
the ownership, enhancing their value added relationship and
yielding mutually beneficial results.
All presentations incorporate current Space Available listings
using the MarketsCenter platform and web services to update
them instantly. Tenants given a CD presentation will always
have access to the latest Space Available automatically, without
the need of visiting a website. MarketsCenter functions are
available direct from the Marketing Center dashboard, giving
leasing and management an opportunity to view all inventory
and transaction information about their buildings in greater
detail, including calling up a copy of a lease on the big screen for
viewing or searching for specific text. Interactive Stacking Charts
can be accessed directly on the touch screen monitor for internal
reporting and strategy sessions.
ON THE CUTTING EDGE
As of this writing, Four Oaks Place and Transwestern Com-
mercial Services enjoy the use of the most advanced marketing
center developed for commercial real estate. Sophisticated both
Four Oaks Place Marketing CenterInteractive Presentation, Narrative Presentation , Project Website, E-Mail Cam-paigns, Banner Ad, Equipment Specification and Installation, MarketsCenter Leasing and Marketing Platform.
Four Oaks PlaceHouston, Texas
Owner: TIAA-CREFLeasing Agent: Transwestern Commercial ServicesProperty Manager: Transwestern Commercial Services
11
Southwest Corporate Center, in the southwest submarket of Hous-
ton, Texas, is one of the most unique, and challenging, real estate
projects in the Southwest. Formerly Westwood Mall, Southwest
Corporate Center was redeveloped by a joint venture of Angelo,
Gordon & Company and Provident Realty Advisors in 2000 as a
value added project intending to capitalize on the demand for
space that could serve high density users and companies requir-
ing high capacity telecommunications and electrical infrastruc-
ture. As a shopping mall, the 535,000 square foot building could
provide ample common area for food services on site, space for
outdoor break areas, an abundance of parking, heavy fl oor loading,
high ceilings, and redundant electrical grids. Additionally, shop-
ping malls generally come standard with superb locations situated
in the middle of business and residential areas with proximity to
major arteries and public transportation and tend to be a magnet
drawing other amenities to the vicinity.
With the dot com craze and technology spending in high swing,
the owners felt they could capitalize on these base attributes and
sculpt the project into an attractive alternative for call center
DELLORTNOCETAGSSECCA
)TUO/NI(
DELLORTNOCETAGSSECCA
)TUO/NI(
DELLORTNOETAGSSEC
)YLNOTU
DELLORTNOCETAGSSECCA
)TUO/NI(
SEARS
���������������
AVAILABLE17,412 RSF
AVAILABLE6,469 RSF
AVAILABLE25,058 RSF AVAILABLE
6,810 RSF
AVAILABLE30,887 RSF AV
AIL
AB
LE3,
967
RSF
AVAILABLE871 RSF
AVAILABLE900 RSF
AVAILABLE864 RSF
AVAILABLE935 RSF
AVAILABLE86,894 RSF
OCCUPIEDSUITE 1800O
CC
UPI
EDSU
ITE
1740
OCCUPIEDSUITE 1700
OCCUPIEDSUITE 1500
OCCUPIEDSUITE 1400
OC
CU
PIED
SUIT
E 50
0
OCCUPIEDSUITE 200
SOUTHWESTCORPORATECENTERMarketing the Conversion
of a Regional Mall to High
Density Offi ce Space
13
operations, data centers, schools, and other
uses that don’t always fit into a typical
office building. While familiar outside
appearances may betray its original use,
the renovation architects, Ziegler Cooper
Architects, did a masterful job in trans-
forming the interior common area into a
spacious, inviting area. First time visitors
who are aware of its history routinely com-
ment on their surprise and appreciation for
the changes. Westwood Mall had become
Westwood Technology Center.
The leasing program, led by Steve Bryant
of Moody Rambin Interests yielded results,
landing a diverse base of tenants includ-
ing Alegis Group, L.P., United Healthcare,
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and others. At
the same time, the dot com boom was over
and many technology companies were
suffering from the lack of capital spending
and cutting back on space requirements.
Further, a profusion of call center and
similar high density space had come onto
the market in the Dallas area with the fall
of the telecommunications industry. Many
of the prospects for Westwood Technology
Center would be looking at Dallas as well
as Houston for alternatives for this type
of space. Additionally, the area the build-
ing was situated in suffered from certain
perceptions related to security and location
that needed to be addressed.
With leasing activity slow for an extended
period of time, ownership concluded that
the project was missing out on tenants
The developers retained the open feeling of the former mall creating spacious common areas.
A narrative multimedia presentation sells the benefits of the project in just over four minutes.
14
due to its “technology” positioning. A
review showed that many of their prospects
had not been pure technology companies,
but were non-traditional users, typically
with high density needs for parking and
infrastructure. With that in mind, they de-
cided to reposition the building as a general
purpose office facility focused on satisfying
the needs of high density users of space
and tenants with mission critical technol-
ogy requirements. The change in strategy
called for a different project name. With
that, Westwood Technology Center became
Southwest Corporate Center.
THE MARKETING PROGRAM
First priority in the effort was get the
project back on the radar screen of brokers
as well as targeted users who might need
this type of space. The owners engaged
Informetrics to develop a program that
exposed the project on multiple levels,
using an integrated marketing approach
that focused on specific building selling
points, accentuating the positive while
neutralizing any perceived negative issues.
Informetrics suggested an aggressive ap-
proach that combined proactive campaign
efforts using E-mail for direct contact,
backed up by a website that acted as a 24/7
resource for general information. A mul-
timedia presentation focused on telling the
story in a minimum amount of time. This
presentation was deployed on the website
in whole, as well as being “cut” into
chapters that reinforced specific selling
points. The presentation was published
to a CD as a sales reinforcement tool to
be used as follow up to building tours
and presentations. A brochure with
inserts as well as presentation boards,
rounded out the collateral materials
supporting the leasing effort.
The ownership felt it was of
the utmost importance to expose
the project to the brokerage
community. The leasing team
planned a broker focused party
that creatively took advantage of the
owner’s interest in the Hotel Derrick in
Houston’s Uptown Galleria District. Each
attendee
A project brochure and inserts complemented all marketing materials.
E-mails were developed focusing on specific project selling points.
The multimedia presentation was published to a CD and the web.
15
was awarded a free night’s stay at the
Derrick upon presenting their invitation
to the party, which was to begin with
cocktails at the Derrick. Attendees
were then transported by limousine to
Southwest Corporate Center for a project
presentation, as well as several very
attractive prizes, provided they were
in attendance.
The leasing team
issued invitations
to a limited list of
brokers, attempting
to focus on those
that worked specifi-
cally in the office
leasing area or with
the type of tenants
targeted for ten-
ancy. Informetrics
developed an E-
mail based “teaser”
campaign sent to
this selected group
before and after
formal invitations
were sent, expos-
ing the group to the
event and the pre-
miums offered. The
campaign revealed
more information
with each mailer to
establish a sense of
interest and curiosity.
The event was a success, with an atten-
dance of approximately 125, or nearly 50%
of those invited. In comparison, the initial
launch party of Westwood Technology Cen-
ter several years earlier had attracted a total
audience of 15 people, with similar prizes
and entertainment offered. The difference
was the leasing team’s creativity in shaping
a non-traditional event and the promotional
efforts that preceded the event pressing for
attendance.
MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION
The multimedia presentation, developed by
Informetrics, has been an especially useful
marketing vehicle. The presentation covers
all of the defined selling points in a form
that is rich in graphic content and focused
in its narration. Running 4 minutes and
thirty seconds, the presentation tells the
story faster, more effectively, and with
better consistency than any leasing agent
could hope to in such a short timeframe.
For example, the leasing team makes pre-
sentations to the various brokerage firms
as part of their selling effort. They ask the
firms to give them “15 minutes of your
time.” The meeting is opened with the pre-
sentation effectively communicating their
selling message in five minutes. Upon their
exit, they are able to leave as many cop-
ies of the CD behind as needed for broker
education or for delivery direct to a tenant/
prospect. In addition, the leasing team has
used it extensively as a follow up tool after
touring prospective tenants, particularly
where not all of the decision makers are in
attendance.
An award winning break area is included as a project amenity.
16
E-MAIL CAMPAIGNS
Effectively repositioning the project re-
quired that a consistent message be sent
direct to the target audience. A series of
campaign E-mails were developed by
Informetrics and distributed through the
MarketsCenter Campaigns feature. Graphic
elements were used that created a com-
mon look and feel among the mails with
each mail focusing on one primary selling
point. In addition to congruent graph-
ics, mails were aligned using a subject
introductory theme of “About Our…”
throughout the campaign. For example;
“About Our Project” introduced the theme
and was followed by E-mails using “About
Our Security” to address Security, “About
Our Amenities” focusing on Amenities,
and others. Simple and direct, the effort
was intended to build an awareness of the
“brand” and position of Southwest Corpo-
rate Center using a “drip” campaign over
an extended period of time.
A Space Available E-mail was developed
that effectively put the Southwest Cor-
porate Center website on the desktop of
the recipient. Dynamically updated by
MarketsCenter upon any change in inven-
tory, the E-mail illustrates the most current
inventory of available space, complete with
floor plans. Links to every other page in the
website as well as the multimedia presenta-
tion are available within one click directly
from the E-mail.
The drip campaign succeeded in building
the awareness of the project with results
clearly illustrated in the response the leas-
ing team received from the initial distribu-
tion of the Space Available E-mail, yielding
nine prospect phone calls resulting in two
project tours.
AGGRESSIVE DIRECT SELLING
Armed with these tools, the leasing team
has employed an aggressive program of
direct selling to contact prospective ten-
ants and brokers in individual and group
settings. Southwest Corporate Center seeks
tenants with specific needs that they can
satisfy, based upon their unique blend of
features, better than the competition. Their
proactive efforts to communicate their sell-
ing points in a multi-dimensional approach
has significantly increased activity levels
and leasing opportunities.
The developers used extensive architectural detailing to convert the project into a unique office atmosphere.
Southwest Corporate Center Integrated Marketing Campaign
Narrative Presentation, Project Website, E-Mail Campaigns, Brochure and Inserts, Presentation Boards, MarketsCenter Leasing and Marketing Platform.
Southwest Corporate Center, Houston, TexasOwner: Angelo, Gordon & CompanyLeasing Agent: Moody Rambin InterestsProperty Manager: Trammell Crow Company
The project website includes links to the multimedia presentation in whole and in part. Space Available is updated dynamically using Informetrics MarketsCenter.
17
USE E-MAIL TO HELP LEASE YOUR
SPACE
E-MAIL SHOULD BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF ANY MARKETING PROGRAME-mail is evolving from text messages with Adobe Acrobat PDF at-
tachments of brochures and floor plans to dynamic, rich HTML
interactive content.
The key is to insure that the information you are sending to
prospects is timely, has value, and imparts information that is
welcomed as a resource. Brokers particularly value this as an
easy way of staying on top of the market and becoming aware of
Using E-mail to send information about space available is not a novel idea. The
electronic conduit between landlords, brokers, and tenants is nearly complete with
minor deficiencies in insuring that E-mail addresses are gathered, stay current, and
anti-spam barriers can be legitimately pierced.
18
opportunities without any effort. Space available flyers that are
dynamically updated insuring that the data is current, represents
one example.
To make your E-mails dynamic:
• Use a database to track your space available; simplifying the maintenance of information you need to stay abreast of anyway.
• Attach the database to an E-mail template to publish the current status.
• Define your audience(s) from your E-mail list.
• Schedule it to go out to specific audiences on specific dates.
• Send it out.
• Measure the response to understand who is opening it.
• Track it to coordinate your marketing efforts and their effectiveness.
TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF E-MAILMuch of this can be done using the Microsoft Office suite of tools
and other commercially available tools, or by using a service such
as MarketsCenter’s Campaigns feature that coordinates the entire
E-mail campaign; setting it up in minutes, sending it out unat-
tended to segmented audiences, and tracking it for follow up and
effectiveness.
Unlike conventional direct mail, where there is no verification
that someone opened the mail you sent them, you can literally
watch as E-mails are opened. Further, if your E-mail directs the
recipient to a website for more information, you can track the
unique user to the site and understand the parts of the site they
visit. This is incredibly valuable for follow up. For example; an
E-mail goes out to Brokers highlighting a specific space with a
building website linked for expanded information. A Broker opens
the E-mail and then visits the website. Tracking the visit is the per-
fect opportunity to follow up with the Broker electively, suggest-
ing additional information or assistance as necessary. Remember,
this can all take place in a matter of hours. No other marketing
vehicle currently offers the immediacy of placement and response,
combined with cost effectiveness, like E-mail.
E-MAIL PROBLEMSWith the growing and persistent problem of SPAM, there are
issues voiced by naysayers that call for attention. E-mail can get
“lost” in a sea of garbage mail and deleted as part of a group of
mails that contain nothing of interest to the recipient. Or, they
may never get to the recipient, having been rejected by the E-mail
server’s anti-SPAM protection. Even simpler, the user may simply
delete without ever looking at it.
We would offer that traditional Direct Mail suffers from the same
barriers. The mails are choked with unsolicited offers where any
“No other marketing vehicle currently offers the immediacy of placement and response, combined with cost effectiveness, like E-mail.”
RESULTS OF SOUTHWEST CORPORATE CENTER E-MAIL CAMPAIGN FIRST MAILING
An Average 45% of recipients opened campaign E-mails –
Multiple openings and forwarding increased the total to 69%
19
400 NORTH BELT ACHIEVES A CAMPAIGNS SUCCESS
for broker and prospect communications. Additionally,
if a broker requests a floor plan from the site, it is sent
instantly with the leasing team notified by E-mail at the
same time of the request, who requested it, and exactly
what was sent. All of this is tracked in MarketsCenter’s
ActivityTrack for later follow up or reporting.
400 North Belt, a Houston suburban office building owned
by Parkway Properties, Inc., a REIT focused on Office
Buildings, was scheduled to have a large block of space
returned to inventory upon the exit of a tenant who was
leaving due to a corporate consolidation. Parkway has an
exemplary record of retaining tenants and recognized early
their need to backfill the space as soon as possible in order
to minimize the impact of lost rents on earnings. This then
became the objective of the leasing and marketing plan.
Parkway’s Jayson Lipsey teamed with veteran office leasing
broker Mark Preston of Moody Rambin Interests, Inc. to
develop a plan of action to develop unique market offers,
expose Parkway’s strengths, highlight space available, and
develop a “buzz” about the space months before it would
be vacant. The leasing team brought in Informetrics to de-
ploy MarketsCenter as a distribution vehicle and to develop
web-based content to communicate the objectives of
the plan.
By consolidating inventory and transaction information
in MarketsCenter, the team was able to deploy a building
“Billboard” website within a day and begin the E-mail
Campaigns within the week, highlighting a market-unique
offer of paying “100% of the Commission within 48 Hours.”
This call to brokers was an attention grabber that high-
lighted the offering as well as telling brokers that ownership
was serious, and that an emphasis on paying commis-
sions in full on a timely basis was an example of aggressive
deal-making. In addition, the team interspersed a second
E-mail campaign to broadcast the “Broker Bill of Rights,”
Parkway’s commitment to encourage and cooperate with
brokers in every respect to achieve a common purpose of
completing transactions that would result in tenant rela-
tionships that commenced on a positive note.
The Billboard website was established at a domain address
that mirrored the building name and used a simple template
that was completely populated by MarketsCenter information.
Anytime data changes within MarketsCenter, it is reflected
instantly in on the website, making it a reliable resource
20
thing that looks like an advertisement is thrown away in groups,
or filtered thru the executive’s personal censor. From direct expe-
rience, we can testify to the fact that much direct mail never sees
the light of day once it enters the typical white envelope used
to send it. Brokers often toss it without taking the time to open
the seal. With the costs of traditional direct mail, the problem is
actually magnified.
The facts are simple:
• A broker, or prospective tenant, is not interested in your space if they are not in the market (or your particular submarket). Timing is everything, you must be in front of them when they are in the market.
• The only way to be timely, is to market with a reasonable amount of frequency.
• The cost of E-Mail is significantly less than traditional Direct Mail so you can afford to send more frequently.
• Regardless of your medium (E-mail or Direct Mail), it is a game of numbers, only a certain number of prospects will see and act on your offer.
• Virtually anything that can be sent by Direct Mail can be sent via E-mail.
• E-mail tends to be timelier because of the database interface that makes the content (Space Available, Floor Plans, etc.) up to date as of the minute that it was sent.
DEVELOP A “CAMPAIGNS” MENTALITYMailing something once requires more effort than it’s worth. The
only way to effectively promote anything is to use frequency,
reach, audience segmentation, and feedback to insure the message
being sent reaches the target. An oft quoted rule of thumb is that
it takes at least five (5) exposures before something is recognized.
While this may not hold true in a business that operates in a rela-
tively tight circle like commercial real estate, it is still important
to think in a “Campaigns” mentality.
Campaigns are a pre-planned schedule of activities promoting
a certain idea, theme, or item in a consistent manner over a
specific period of time to a defined audience. A Campaign gener-
ally uses multiple media that strategically compliment each other,
distributed in a manner that reinforces each exposure to the target
audience, with a specific objective in mind. Having a Campaigns
mentality means you use E-mail in conjunction with Direct Mail
and other promotional devices to achieve a “one-two punch” in an
effort to increase the effectiveness of the individual media.
START SMALL AND BUILD ON SUCCESSE-mail distribution is well suited to communications with Brokers,
Tenants, and others with whom you do business. Most of you
reading this would be hard pressed to give it up and are using it
to communicate with business associates now. Expand that com-
munication. Use this medium for Space Available Flyers, News-
letters, Announcements, to highlight a specific offering, promote
your services and policies, or to simply increase the awareness
of who you are. Even if you have no space to lease at this time,
you are well served to have some “mindshare” of brokerage
community or tenant base. Take the opportunity to build and
cultivate your building or company image. It is inexpensive, ef-
fective, and unparalleled in its immediacy. Take advantage.
Informetrics MarketsCenter automates the distribution, tracking, and list management of dynamic Space Available and Display E-Mails. E-Mail campaigns can be scheduled once and sent automatically and are an exceptionally cost effective method of promotion.
E-MAIL IS:CHEAPER than traditional mail by more than 80% in many cases. Create the content once and send it many times at a very low cost.
FASTER TO MARKET An E-mail campaign spotlighting a particular space can be assembled and readied for distribution within hours.
FASTER to the prospect with virtually instant delivery and exposure. A high percentage of our mails are opened within hours of delivery.
MEASURABLE You can see who opens your mails as they are opened and better understand which offers have value to your customers.
ACTIONABLE Live links to the mails drive recipients to more content such as building websites, floor plans, leasing brochures, multimedia presentations and other marketing support materials.
DYNAMIC updating space status via a tool such as MarketsCenter™ insures that prospects always have current data they can rely on.
VISUAL HTML content can illustrate photos, floor plans, and motion presentations. Links can expand the experiencealmost indefinitely.
FLEXIBLE Audiences can be segmented with content and frequency focused on specific needs of individuals and groups.
AUTOMATED E-mail campaigns can be set up and scheduled to be delivered multiple times without any intervention saving significant personnel costs.
21
Marketing Centers
Informetrics creates the content, provides equipment, and deploys
Marketing Centers with interactive, multimedia, and print support-
ing materials from simple to elaborate. Marketing Centers are
fully portable, allowing leasing and sales staff to present from vir-
tually anywhere at anytime.
Multimedia Presentations
Informetrics produces multimedia presentations from concept thru
publishing in multidimensional media. Our creative team handles
every aspect of the project including; Concept development, Script
Writing, Graphic Design, Content aggregation, Coding, Narration,
and Publishing to web, disc, or both. Our rich domain experience,
and understanding of the commercial real estate marketing process,
enables us to develop the entire presentation without requiring ex-
cessive time from our clients.
Print Collateral
Informetrics conceives, produces, and distributes a variety of print
based collateral materials to support the project’s marketing plan.
These can include Brochures, Leasing Activity Announcements,
special promotions, Space Available fl yers, and other materials that
are typically part of an overall campaign theme.
MARKETSCENTER™ is the centerpiece of an integrated leasing and marketing communications platform designed to reduce
time on market and increase property yields by employing a systematic approach to the marketing, leasing, and sales efforts for
commercial property. MarketsCenter is a simple to use, internet based, internal tool that tracks your inventory, transactions, and
the people you deal with in one location available from anyplace at anytime.
MarketsCenter™ Campaign E-mails
MarketsCenter dynamic Space Available E-mails provide re-
cipients an up-to-date view of all space available in the building,
current as of the last change in MarketsCenter, including one-
click access to presentation quality floor plans. MarketsCenter
Campaign E-mails are display direct mail advertisements with
static content focusing on one or multiple ideas. Generally sent as
a “Campaign” comprised of multiple pieces, these E-mails are de-
livered to communicate an overall theme or message and reinforce
the company or building “brand.”
����������
����
������
����
����
���
����
�
����
���
����
��
����
����
���
����
�
����������
��������
�����������
�����������
�����
�������������
������������
����������
�������
���
�����
����
�������
��
�����������
����
����
����
����
MarketsCenter™ Websites
Publish MarketsCenter information to multiple public websites,
from single building “Billboard” sites to portfolio-wide sites,
advertising real-time space available information. Integrate Quick-
Stack Stacking Charts of Available Space for a graphic summary
of building status which instantly updates on every change in
MarketsCenter.
Informational Graphics
Informetrics creates primary and support graphics such as maps,
site plans, stacking plans, and other support graphics that are
used in both print and digital media. In addition, Multimedia pre-
sentations can be created for everything from interface graphics, to
rotating photo presentations, to full motion presentations.
A project website with detailed information on the three buildings attached
to the Galleria Shopping Complex provides a 24/7 resource for space and
building detail. A scheduled Space Available E-mail is sent and tracked on
a monthly basis.
Sam Houston Plaza upgraded an existing website for their four building
project in a campus setting. Real time Space Available is now delivered for
the website and E-Mail program.
1201 Louisiana launched a web site and E-mails as staple information
resources available at all times to the brokerage and tenant community.
Recipients of the E-mails have one-click access to any part of the building
website for additional information. Website graphics were used in presentation
posters to maintain brand and image consistency.
CRT Properties, Inc. wanted a project website that would become a resource
of information and a conduit for communications for both the tenant and
brokerage community. Combining standard MarketCenter marketing features
with electronic tenant service requests forms, as well as providing information
on a variety of project amenities, has resulted in a resource that is a focal point
for information. Campaign E-mails have been used successfully to promote
broker incentive and recognition programs.
Sage Plaza required supplemental marketing and a 24/7 presence to assist in
the marketing of a large block of space. Informetrics designed and deployed
a building website and E-mail campaign to more effectively communicate
information about the 270,000 square feet of available space.
CRT Properties, Inc. and Wilcox Real Estate launched the Signature Place
website shortly after acquiring the property to assist in the rollout of a new
marketing program. The existing site was replaced with comprehensive
building information, amenities, and real time Space Available information.
INFORMETRICS™ has created a variety of building “billboard” websites to provide dynamic Space Available information. Team with
a Space Available E-Mail program as a cornerstone in your marketing program. Websites are a 24/7 resource with information that is
always up to date when using the MarketsCenter leasing and marketing platform. For information on Building a Project website, call
us at 281-531-1800 or E-Mail us at [email protected].
Marketing Commercial Real Estate
www.informetr ics.com
12121 Wickchester, Suite 100Houston, Texas 77079
nformetrics Marketing Commercial Real Estate
Informetrics12121 Wickchester, Suite 100Houston, Texas 77079
www.informetrics.com
