Hang out with CCIM: Add the Institute
to your Google+ circles.
groups, Google+ communities can be used
to engage with others, build brand awareness, and showcase your expertise.
For example, the Llenrock Group, a real
estate advisory and investment banking
frm, created the Commercial Real Estate
Finance community on Google+. This
group encourages discussion and networking among professionals in the commercial
real estate fnance sector. Llenrock Group's
participation in the community, which has
more than 100 members, positions the company as a leader in the industry.
Using communities and discussions for
information mining also can be helpful when
compiling business development research.
Tere are a number of existing communities
related to the commercial real estate market
and investing on Google+.
Hangouts
One of the coolest Google+ features, Hangouts ofers great marketing and collaboration options via video chat. Hangouts can
support video calls with up to 10 people, and
the calls can be broadcast to a much larger
audience with Google+ Hangouts on Air.
Videos can also be saved to your YouTube
account for further use. In addition, you
can create a platform in which to discuss
the commercial real estate market or host
meetings with employees or colleagues.
Many companies use Hangouts to ofer
free webinars to current and potential clients. These webinars can highlight your
services and expertise while creating content that can be posted on Google+, your
website, and YouTube, which happens to
be the second most popular search engine.
Te Hangouts feature truly diferentiates
Google+ from other social media platforms
and underscores how the platform can be
used creatively for internal collaboration and
external marketing eforts.
Despite these features, many companies
are still overlooking Google+. And that's
another great reason to use it. By taking
advantage of this opening in your market,
you can help to diferentiate yourself, like
the management company with two Virginia multifamily properties. It was the frst
in those markets to link Google+ to its property websites, and it's noticed a signifcant
increase in leads originating from online
searches. By standing apart online, it's been
able to get more potential tenants in the door.
Mike C. Gray and Andrew K. Ryan are cofounders and partners with Commonwealth
Partnerships, a marketing and consulting firm
specializing in the real estate industry. Contact
them at mgray@cpgroupllc.com and akryan@
cpgroupllc.com.
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CCIM.com
November | December | 2013
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