When considering locations for a new business or a new branch, companies like to evaluate the surrounding location to determine an area’s potential for sales, growth, and value. A real estate map showing nearby retail and amenities gives potential clients a comprehensive, easy-to-view aerial map showing retail shopping and locations such as banks, gyms, medical facilities, salons, and more.

Maps and photos are one of the must-haves for a great offering memorandum, broker opinion of value, real estate flyer as well as other commercial real estate marketing materials.

Save the client (and you) time
By providing a retail and amenities map, you offer a service to potential commercial real estate customers that save time and expenses to scout and evaluate the area. Seeing familiar retail businesses in the area, or the lack of, can help customers decide if the location is suitable for their needs.

Having a real estate map is also incredibly useful for agents and companies when searching for properties to show potential clients based on the list of requests provided. Easily discover if a location is in a strip mall, near a hospital, close to a neighborhood, and more.

Improve customer engagement
According to the National Association of Realtors, 70 percent of realtors have real estate websites. However, the bounce rate, or those leaving a property listing page, remains above 50 percent. The main reasons customers leave a website are amateur page design, static pages that do not encourage engagement, a lack of relevant information, and a lack of visual interest.

Forbes suggests that bounce rates can be reduced by visualizing the data. “We’re visual creatures. If your visitors are bouncing, it might be because there’s not enough visual content to hold their interest.”

Displaying relevant data in a visually pleasing manner can pull visitors in and encourage them to stay and learn more about the property, company, or agent. Interactive amenities maps have been shown to drastically increase engagement from website visitors by providing quick access to key information.

Potential clients can learn more about the area and what is available, both key decision drivers for any potential tenant or investor.

Expand your area
When using interactive maps, agents can expand the area in which they offer listings. The map allows for familiarity with the shops and amenities in an area further from the areas frequently visited. Having more knowledge about an area increases your ability to provide excellent client services with a further reach.

Interactive vs. static
Real estate maps can be made in both static and interactive varieties. A static map will show points of interest for a specifically chosen area and does not allow for functionality like zooming in or out or looking in other nearby areas. Static maps are great for fliers or other commercial real estate marketing materials that are printed.

Interactive real estate maps are much more engaging and can be easily updated. The interactive maps allow for zooming in and out and looking at nearby areas. They also allow for amenities to be sorted by types such as transportation, food, schools, grocery stores, entertainment, and shops.

Having an interactive real estate map showing amenities and retail locations demonstrate an area’s potential, engages those potentially interested in the property, and converts more viewers to sales. It is a must-have for any real estate marketing plan.