Commercial Property Marketing Costs in Alberta

1. Define the property, audience and decision

State whether the mandate concerns a sale, lease, phased development, confidential process or mixed objective. Define likely buyer or tenant audiences, information needs, geography, timing and confidentiality before ordering media.

A premium video or brochure cannot repair unclear ownership, unsupported property facts, missing lease evidence or an undefined audience.

• Objective
• Audience
• Evidence
• Media
• Distribution
• Approval
• Ownership

2. Separate included service from reimbursable cost

The written agreement should identify brokerage services and the amount or method of compensation. A proposal should separately state third-party production, advertising, travel, data, signage, hosting or other costs and whether they are included, advanced, capped or reimbursed.

Do not assume that a marketing cost is included in commission or automatically payable. Use the signed agreement, approved budget and actual invoice.

3. Build the property evidence before creative production

Confirm address, title, legal description, area, property type, transaction type, price or rate instruction, zoning representation, occupancy, financial evidence, improvements and permitted disclosure. Keep owner-supplied, public-record, DDF and professionally concluded information distinct.

Correct source errors before they propagate into photography captions, plans, brochures, websites, feeds and advertisements.

4. Scope photography, video, drone and plans

Define shot list, access, occupants, weather, staging, aerial permissions, editing, floorplans, measured drawings, file formats, accessibility text, licensing and delivery. Identify when a qualified measurement, survey, architectural or engineering professional is required.

Visual polish does not verify area, boundaries, condition, structural capacity, environmental status or permitted use.

5. Scope the memorandum and digital property record

Identify required facts, financial schedules, lease evidence, maps, demographics, source citations, assumptions, disclaimers, version control and correction process. Decide what is public, qualified-release or data-room material.

Do not place personal tenant information, confidential financials, signatures or restricted documents in public marketing. Alberta PIPA and contractual confidentiality require purpose-aware controls.

6. Define distribution and direct outreach

Separate owned website, authorized listing feeds, brokerage networks, email, social, paid search, display, signage, direct buyer or tenant outreach, media and events. State geography, duration, budget, target criteria and reporting.

Channel reach is not a verified buyer database and impressions are not qualified inquiries. Do not promise ranking, inquiry volume, offers or completion.

7. Establish approvals and correction controls

Name who can approve facts, price, media, spend and public release. Maintain dated versions and a correction log across every active channel.

RECA rules restrict disclosure of client, property or transaction information unless authorized or required by law. Approval should be specific enough to show what may be published.

8. Address ownership, reuse and cancellation

State who owns or licenses photography, video, plans, copy, websites, domains, data and campaign accounts; permitted uses; transfer; archive; and removal timing. Address committed third-party spend and unpaid invoices if the mandate terminates.

Do not assume an owner can reuse supplier or brokerage assets indefinitely or that live copies disappear immediately from every third-party index.

9. Measure decisions, not vanity metrics

Report releases, qualified recipients, inquiries, response times, tours, document access, questions, offers, source, decline reasons and recommended changes. Preserve privacy and do not merge unrelated contacts into marketing lists without authority.

This guide is educational and is not a marketing quote, privacy assessment, intellectual-property opinion, advertising guarantee or promise of transaction results.