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Have you ever thought of your office as marketing opportunity? Well, it is. Actually, it might be the ultimate marketing opportunity. Here’s why.

Think about it; this is the one location where you are in total control of the brand experience – everything from staff uniforms and behaviour to the lighting and the colour scheme. If you ever wanted the opportunity to show off your brand to it’s best possible advantage, well, this is it.

Your office might be a far more important marketing opportunity than you realise. 

The ultimate media for brand success

We were thinking about this recently while reading this article in The Australian about retail spaces. There’s a ton of research out there looking at what parts of the marketing mix are the most important when it comes to encouraging preference, loyalty, and most importantly, purchasing behaviour. For retailers, their store is all-important.

“No matter where you stand on the debate about the power of digital over traditional media, both are blown away by the opportunity retail offers to present the brand in the perfect light and interact in real time with consumers.”

“Retail stores, when done well, should be seen as the ultimate media for brand success. It’s hard in a 30-second film or a 140-word tweet to communicate what your brand is all about. But bring someone into your house, select every touchpoint carefully, immerse them in your story and magical results can be achieved.

Obviously, real estate agents aren’t selling their services in the ‘store’ as such, but it’s still food for thought. The way the clients and prospects interact with your brand is crucial. Although the first meeting with many vendors will probably be at their home, it’s likely that they’ll step foot in your office at some point, and the experience they have there will contribute to the overall impression they form of your brand.

Keeping it in-house

Major brands like Apple, Tag Heuer and Bonds could easily distribute their products via other stores, but overwhelmingly they choose to use their own branded spaces to do so. There’s a good reason for that – stepping into an Apple store is an immersive experience, and you can bet that the store has planned every single element of it, right down to the temperature, music and layout. The electric car company Tesla refuses to call its outlets ‘dealerships’ because that conjures images of slick, pushy salespeople. Instead, the brand uses its outlets to cultivate a totally branded experience for customers where they can learn about what Tesla offers and develop a sense of loyalty.

Real estate agents can learn something from traditional retailers when it comes to creating an office that really showcases their brand. 

What does this mean for real estate agencies?

Well, your office is a more important part of your branding efforts that you might think. Many agencies are careful to set up shop on busy main roads, with plenty of foot traffic. Consider the sheer number of people who walk past and stop to look at your window displays. Weathered signage, poorly displayed window cards and a bored receptionist make a particular impression – the wrong impression.

Your office is a representation of your brand and says something to people – even those just casually strolling past – about the level of service you provide. When we think about the office spaces of the most successful agencies we know, they almost always stand out in some way.

• They’re distinctive and architecturally striking
• They’ve been professionally decorated
• When the office is part of a franchise, the reception area is done in a the same style as other offices in the group for consistency
• The office is situated in a special, exclusive location

Even if the ‘back end’ of the office, where people are running around, taking calls, is something of a mess, the ‘front end’ – the part clients see – is where you want to ensure they enjoy a seamless brand experience.

Every element of the space is an opportunity to communicate your brand values. The right layout and design puts people at ease, and demonstrates your professionalism and the kind of market you serve.

All in all, something to keep in mind if your office space is in need of an update.

What does your real estate office say about your business?