Commercial real estate online
New joint venture spotlights news, listings and information
A new online channel that highlights the latest developments in Canada’s commercial real estate sector is launching this week on the websites of four of Canada’s leading daily newspapers.
Property Post is a joint venture between Canada’s largest newspaper publisher, Postmedia Network Inc. and Colliers International Inc. the biggest player in the domestic commercial real estate industry.
The new digital site will include up- to- the minute news, commentary, information and videos that are accessible via the Financial Post website and the online business sections of The Vancouver Sun, the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal.
Property Post also features content provided by Colliers, including twitter feeds, videos, and industry reports. Property listings will be a key component, allowing Colliers to use the site to market properties on behalf of its clients.
“It is absolutely exciting,” said Sudeep Balasubramanian, manager of digital sales at The Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers.
Almost a year in the making the project is a true partnership between publisher and advertiser, one that aims to meet the aspirations of both parties in exciting new ways.
“What we realize in terms of our digital strategy is that it is no longer just about selling advertising on a website,” Balasubramanian said.
“It is more about content integration, and creating relevancy and channels that will allow our client ( in this case Colliers) to get much better value out of its digital advertising budgets.’’
Lex Perry, director of marketing and communications with Colliers said Property Post gives his company the ability to meet its brand objectives by pushing content in a dynamic way through a media platform which attracts roughly four million unique visitors per month.
“We want to be seen as a leader in marketing for commercial property as well as the number 1 provider of commercial real estate services in Canada, which we are.”
In keeping with that goal, Colliers will use the Postmedia websites to reach out to three key target groups:
• Asset and fund managers involved with real estate investment trusts and pension funds that trade in commercial properties, and who buy, sell, and manage retail and office towers.
• Developers engaged in the construction of commercial real estate.
• Corner- suite executives and major users of office space, including industrial or retail space.
“What we really like about Postmedia is that it has such good traction within their local markets as well as nationally,” Perry said. “We still kind of cover off the broad audience, but by doing an online program, we are able to highly target our message and generate a lot of frequency within our target group.”
Perry said it’s a good time to launch a site like this because there are a lot of new developments underway, or close to being underway, across the country. This is exciting for occupiers of commercial real estate because of the many options that are currently available.
Balasubramanian said Colliers was very excited when the partners did a soft launch last week and noticed a spike in traffic coming to its website. He said some of that traffic was undoubtedly driven by news that Vancouver’s downtown Hudson’s Bay Co. store was getting a multi- million dollar facelift, aimed at making the retailer a top destination for the fashion- conscious.
Postmedia will support the site with editorial content that will be anchored by the Financial Post, and each of The Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, and Edmonton Journal newsrooms. It will also showcase commentary by Financial Post business columnist Gary Marr, Postmedia reporters, and freelance writers. “We want to make sure that the content is refreshed on a weekly basis,” Balasubramanian said.