The occupier language gap: Why office marketing needs to speak to the people who use the space

With the Government removing the EPC ‘C’ deadline back to 2031, office owners have more time to get energy performance right. However, building performance isn’t the only factor, occupiers don’t choose offices on energy ratings alone. So as they work towards to the EPC deadline – office owners can use their five-year energy performance improvement strategy as a pathway to uplift  amenities and the aesthetics of the space too.

However, on our Built to Perform podcast, Shaun Simons, founder of commercial property agency Compton, argues that the industry is missing an opportunity to attract occupiers, by confusing them with property jargon that fails to set out the benefits of a building in a way that resonates with them.

The core of his argument is simple and, in his view, widely ignored. There is a language familiar to property professionals, covering terms like “fully repairing and insuring leases”, “warranty packages” and “specification”. By contrast, the language occupiers understand and respond to is often markedly different.

Most agents, Shaun argues, default to the first when they should be leading with the second. As he puts it: “If you prioritise the consumer language, the property market is easy. If you prioritise the property language, it gets lost on the consumer.”

He reinforces this with a story from a day of viewings for a client looking to buy office space. At one building, a representative from the landlord spent around eight minutes introducing the contractor, the warranty package, the specification, and a list of technical detail before the client had a chance to ask whether the space suited their team.

While the presentation would have worked well for a property audience, it wasn’t the right approach for an occupier. Most people viewing an office building aren’t thinking about the landlord’s priorities or the technical detail of the mechanical and electrical equipment; instead, they care more about how the space looks, what it costs, and what will attract the best employees.

Shaun’s own approach to marketing office buildings leans heavily on explainer- style content, jargon busters that unpack technical lease terms for an audience that has no reason to already know them, delivered in a tone he describes as relaxed rather than corporate.

The premise behind the visual strategy follows the same consumer- first logic. He signals to how people already search for office space today, largely online, flicking through thumbnail images on property portals in the same way they might browse products on a retail site.

His conclusion is that offices competing for attention in that environment need more photography, video, and content built to catch the eye, because that is how the audience shops.

Buildings need real amenity and a genuine sense of place, not just a compliant EPC rating. However, that investment only pays off if it’s communicated in language occupiers engage with. A brilliant amenity offer, described in property-speak, risks losing the audience it was built for. Energy performance, retrofit viability and building technology all matter. Shaun’s point is that none of it lands with occupiers unless it’s translated into language they understand, and delivered through content that’s built for how they search, compare and decide.