I get it. Most commercial real estate professionals don’t really enjoy self promoting. It’s considered a waste of time by some and too egocentric by others. Almost all of the CRE professionals that I talk to say they just don’t have to time to dedicate to it. They are busy enough trying to keep up with their day job.
However, I have been in the real estate marketing, public relations, and media space for almost thirty years and I can confidently say that I have never been more excited to embrace about a new form of marketing. So much so that I personally left my own successful public relations agency to focus full time on this. And, if I was a real estate professional, I would be all over it as well!
What I am talking about is the power of Content Marketing. It’s relatively inexpensive, is incredibly easy to do and most importantly, it works! It’s about positioning yourself as a thought leader.
If you don’t trust me, just ask these real estate professionals…
So, what is Content Marketing?
Content Marketing is simply positioning yourself as a thought leader by creating your own content and sharing it in as many targeted places as possible. Here is another post I did that explains content marketing: What is Content Marketing and why am I so obsessed with it?
The professionals mentioned above aren’t new to content marketing, they have been doing it for years. And they are among the best examples I have seen (in any industry) of how one individual, using limited resources and investment, can build a great brand for themselves. The entire business world is now experiencing “people as brands.” It’s everywhere you look and on every social platform that exists.
Several years back, it was almost entirely the media that decided who the gurus were. (While I hate to admit it, a lot of very smart PR people were behind those campaigns) :) Today, being a thought leader or “guru” is measured not by media impressions, but by followers and sharing. It’s the great equalizer. No longer does it take a great deal of money to do a kick-ass job individualizing yourself, communicating with existing clients, and generating new leads.
Here are the five things I would do if I were a commercial real estate professional to utilize Content Marketing for my own business:
1) Start a blog. Write weekly about market trends, insights, case studies, tips/suggestions etc. Don’t self promote your own business, help other people with their business!
2) Be a beast on social media. Pick three main sites to share your blog… LinkedIn, Twitter and my personal favorite, The News Funnel ;) All are free. All have your target audience on their site.
3) Blog for others. If you see a site you really like, whether it’s a start up, news site, or fellow blogger, ask to blog for them and reciprocate. Guest blogging is an enormously effective way to generate exposure in many different business sectors and expand your reach.
4) Send out a weekly newsletter. Build a database and send them weekly newsletters with local and national industry news, your blogs, and any other pertinent info. Again, be the source of knowledge and information. Save your network from doing the work themselves by sending them the content that would interest them. You can use a tool like Privy to create an email signup form for your website for free to expand your email list.
5) Monitor your engagement and traffic. There are many tools to do this that will give you insights into what people liked, shared, and what they didn’t engage with as much as a topic. You can also monitor your follower counts and more importantly, who is following you. This might seem like a lot of work and money for someone new to Content Marketing, but it’s just the opposite. Perhaps 30 minutes in the beginning of the day and the same at the end. And in terms of investment, if you’re spending a lot you’re doing it wrong!
The world of real estate marketing is coming out of the dark ages!
Need Help?
If Content Marketing is something you're interested in, we can help. My site, The News Funnel, provides Content Marketing solutions for countless real estate professionals. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you would like to chat about it at michael@thenewsfunnel.com.