You may have a great website, well designed, informative and colorful. But if it is not seen or noticed by IFMA/BOMA members or other business groups, you are a click away from obscurity.
Being a member of BOMA or IFMA paves the way for businesses or individuals who own, manage, plan, develop, market or lease commercial property to networking with other members through the BOMA Magazine and eNews, the IFMA Insider (weekly e-newsletter), conferences and local association lunches. Go to these lunches! Mingle, pass out business cards. And smile but don’t pressure! Additionally, the membership directories of many organizations contain a wealth of opportunities for promotional and informative emails to members, maybe a “nice to meet you” message promoting your facilities management website and services.
But BOMA and IFMA are not the only ways to “get out there.” Your company’s page on Linkedin and Linkingin promotes you as a credible business and provides contact names for potential clients to get to know you as a reputable facilities and property management business. Include a photo of all personnel. This makes it much more personable as opposed to just a name and a title.
Another tool might be monthly blogs on your website showcasing your expertise, targeting facility managers. Loaded with information, they should be relatively short to retain your reader. Your first paragraph must grab and create interest. Otherwise, you may have lost a client or a contact. One click and they are gone.
Website Checklist:
- Do captions and headlines draw a reader in?
- What information would you seek in the first two lines or first paragraph of a competitor’s website?
- Are your services clearly stated in simple terms and vocabulary (no need to be verbose here!)
- Is your website up-to-date with all information current (personnel, contact information, phone, fax, email addresses)?
- Is it user-friendly (do all links work correctly)?
So you have a great website containing links to IFMA, BOMA, Linkedin, perhaps Google+, a company Facebook page – all of these instill credibility, reliability and focus to your business. Membership in various associations and organizations gives you opportunities to share work experiences and exchange best practices with colleagues who support similar facility types or business sectors. On-line discussion groups enable you to solve job-related problems and assist fellow members with projects and career objectives. These are all networking opportunities for you to introduce you and your company to facilities managers everywhere, bringing your website (and YOU) to the forefront and get you noticed!
