Commercial Investment Real Estate is the magazine of the CCIM Institute, the leading provider of commercial real estate education. CIRE covers market trends, current developments, and business strategies within the commercial real estate field.
Issue link: http://cire.epubxp.com/i/206598
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS g Hang Out with Google+ by Mike C. Gray and Andrew K. Ryan Google+ received a lot of fanfare when it launched more than two years ago. Since then, however, Google's social networking site hasn't gotten nearly as much respect or ink as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or even Pinterest. And, understandably, many commercial real estate practitioners have been cautious about the role of social media in their marketing and business development efforts, particularly when considering less popular sites such as Google+. But to ignore or dismiss Google+ as part of your social media strategy is foolhardy. While it might not be as pervasive as Facebook, Google+ is growing rapidly. Te number of active users on Google+ jumped by 33 percent from 2012 to 2013, and there's little evidence that that trend will slow down. In May 2013, Web analytics frm GlobalWebIndex released data showing that Google+ had 359 million active users, making it the secondlargest social network, behind Facebook. Given Google+'s upward trajectory and its backing by Google — which can't be overlooked — the social media platform can be an important marketing and business development tool for commercial real estate professionals. Of course, there are many ways a company or solo practitioner can leverage Google+. But the following three reasons justify giving the platform a closer look. 20 November | December | 2013 SEO Search engine optimization alone makes Google+ an important tool. Google's search engine ranks Google+ content high and ofen returns Google+ posts in traditional search results. Delivering consistent and useful content should help improve your position in Google search results. Take, for example, two multifamily projects located in highly competitive markets in Virginia. Te management company created Google+ accounts for both properties and linked the accounts to the company's traditional websites. Ten the management company began providing consistent and relevant content via Google+, including event announcements, property photos, and resident profles. Within a month, searches for keywords such as apartment, senior living, and all-inclusive community returned not only the management company's traditional sites but also two Google+ posts on the frst page of search results. Simply put, your business is much more likely to be found on the world's top search engine if it has a Google+ presence. Building Online Communities Unlike many social media platforms, Google+ was designed for both businessto-consumer and business-to-business networking. Google+ allows you to join or create a variety of communities for those with common interests. A hybrid of Facebook groups and LinkedIn discussion Commercial Investment Real Estate