Making the decision to become a commercial property inspector is a great move to expand your career in an important and growing industry. When adding commercial inspections to the other services you offer, you must change your mindset and marketing strategy in order to be successful.
Commercial inspection clientele consists mostly of business professionals and management companies that only deal with commercial properties. Companies that promote predominantly residential services will likely not give this type of clientele the confidence they need to hire them over other inspectors that appear to cater more to the commercial inspection market.
Read more about the different types of clientele and the nature of the market in CCPIA’s About the Commercial Inspection Industry article.
The Importance of Digital Marketing
Much of the world does business online. This includes people researching businesses to find services that meet their specific needs. Your website can be considered the first impression you make to prospective clients.
If they’re searching for someone to inspect a heavy manufacturing facility, it’s unlikely they will choose the inspector who boasts only about their residential inspection qualifications and mentions their commercial services using only one bullet point under their list of services.
An important step in marketing your commercial property inspection business is having a website that eloquently explains your services and relevant qualifications that speak to the degree of your ability to perform commercial inspections.
Commercial Property Inspection Website
Having a dedicated website that promotes your commercial business is ideal for online traffic. This allows customers to get to know you and your business through the information you provide. Not only does a dedicated website make you stand out as a professional, but it also provides a platform for you to convey your knowledge and expertise in the industry, as opposed to someone who performs a commercial inspection only every now and then.
There are various DIY website services like Wix, Weebly, SnapPages, and countless others that you may choose to use, but beware. DIY website services can look simple on the surface but may sacrifice quality and optimization. The difference between a professionally designed website and one put together by the business owner using a standard template can be painfully obvious to your prospective clients.
Remember that professional web designers can do more than make your website look good. A professional web design team can also ensure that your website is optimized to be user-friendly and easily located by search engines. It doesn’t matter how great your website looks if no one can find it.
Adding to Your Existing Website
If you’re not ready to create a new website specifically to promote your commercial services, make adjustments to your existing website wisely. The first thing you should do is create a separate “Commercial Inspection Services” webpage, and then link it to your main menu and footer. The second thing you should do is make sure this service is as visible as your residential services to someone who visits your homepage.
Unlike commercial clientele who are wary of home inspectors who dabble in commercial inspections, the opposite is true for home inspection clients. It’s likely that a prospective home inspection client will be more confident hiring an inspector who performs both commercial and residential inspections, so don’t worry about featuring commercial inspection services on your homepage.
Though not as powerful as a dedicated website, having a separate landing page for your commercial property business can make a big difference in landing jobs. It instills confidence in consumers about your abilities and allows search engines to find your service.
CCPIA’s “Find an Inspector” Search Engine
Link from CCPIA’s “Find an Inspector” search engine for use by consumers appropriately, whether for your dedicated commercial inspection website or for a dedicated webpage for your commercial services on your existing website. Consumers will find your information from your listing and they will likely visit your website for further information about you and your services. You could lose a commercial job if prospects visit your website if it only promotes your residential services.
Commercial Inspection Branding and Marketing
The route you choose to market your commercial inspection business online is part of the bigger picture related to your business plan, so remember to adjust your branding accordingly. Don’t confuse marketing with branding. They are not the same thing.
Branding is identifying your business, and marketing is made up of the tools you use to promote your brand. Branding is all about who you are and what you do. It’s about how you want to be known, and how you want your clients to remember you. Keep that in mind when deciding between offering commercial inspections as an ancillary service or via a standalone inspection company.
Additional Commercial Inspector Resources:
- How Home Inspectors Can Market Their Commercial Inspection Resources
- Registering a DBA to Expand Your Market Research
- What is SEO for Commercial Property Inspectors?