A Guide to Building Thought Leadership in Commercial Real Estate

In the competitive world of commercial real estate, establishing yourself as a thought leader is a game-changer. It’s not just about selling spaces; it’s about shaping the narrative and becoming the go-to expert in your field. Let’s explore some powerful ideas on how you, as a commercial real estate agent or broker, can build a strong brand through thought leadership.

#1 Start Your Own Blog.

I know a lot of people say, “blogging is dead”, and I kind of agree with them. The blog articles I have now are for SEO purposes. Particularly so people searching for commercial real estate marketing topics can find me. That’s what they’re good for – popping up on search results that your regular services wouldn’t normally attract. Adding a blog to get more organic traffic to your website and provide content that showcases your expertise. You can also reuse your blog content to create social media posts and newsletters.

#2 Host Webinars and Virtual Workshops.

Webinars and workshops are a great way for commercial real estate agents to offer promos that have nothing to do with lowering commission rates! Start by offering these online before you rent out a place and do an in-person event. Make sure your topic can fill seats with a cheaper Zoom webinar rather before you dish out the money to rent an event space. Plus, it’ll give you time and practice your message and presentation so it will predictably convert leads to clients.

#3 Launch a Commercial Real Estate YouTube Channel or Podcast.

Start by addressing some of the objections you are constantly hearing. An example might be, “No one is leasing office space anymore.” And come up with some ideas, like some flexible leasing options, unique features a landlord could add to their property, how your office adapts easily to remote work, and some success stories you’ve had implementing these strategies for other clients. You could easily create a series of videos or podcasts just on overcoming objectives. It’ll also showcase how you understand the current climate and how you’re adapting to it.

#4 Share Success Stories and Case Studies.

Nothing showcases your ability like a good story on how you’ve solved someone else’s problem. Take a few objections you’re hearing consistently and create some case studies on how your client was having that problem and what you did to fix it. These stories alone can seal a deal without a phone call.

$5 Build a Social Media Presence.

Social media can be a great way to scale your brand and message over a wide audience. Social media can seem overwhelming, but remember, you only need to use one platform consistently to make it work for you. How to Get on Video WITHOUT Your Face or Likeness is a great tutorial if you are being held back by not wanting to become your own spokesperson.

#6 Offer Educational Materials.

Educational materials are something you can offer for free in exchange for a potential client’s contact info, for example: eBooks, checklists, videos, podcasts, online courses, webinars, etc. You can start with creating a simple PDF, addressing an objection, and offering it to your warm leads / current clients. They’ll give you feedback, or ask additional questions and from there, you can improve or add on more educational materials. Once you have a winner, you can offer it to cold lists to get more clients. Lead Magnet Hero has template to make creating these easy.

#7 Engage in Online and In-Person Communities.

Join online forums, groups, and communities related to commercial real estate. You can find a ton of different groups to join on LinkedIn and Facebook. In-person communities can be local business leaders groups and entrepreneurship. If it’s hard to find quality groups in these categories, consider looking into local country club memberships. Most master planned communities will have memberships available for no more than a car payment, so there’s no need to break your bank with a fancy country club.

#8 Stay Informed and Share Insights.

Continuously stay updated on commercial real estate news and trends so you can share insights consistently. Being a thought leader means being at the forefront of industry developments and weighing in with your personal outlook.

Remember, building thought leadership is a journey, not a sprint. Consistency, authenticity, and a genuine interest for sharing knowledge will set you on the path to becoming a recognized authority.

Are you ready to build your brand? The first step is getting a website. Your brand will need a main hub for your service offerings and brand message.

Anyone can create a beautiful website, slap buttons on it and call it “lead gen.”

I’m the only one offering the Sales Funnel Masterclass to give you strategies on how to drive traffic to your website, create lead magnets that work, and nurture your leads so you can bring in more sales.