You rely on your commercial real estate marketing to create the best impression of your firm with your clients and prospects. You need each interaction to be articulate, pertinent, and ultimately generate the biggest return on your investment by reinforcing your position as a thought leader.

If responsibility for your marketing falls on you, including the decision on which marketing firm to use, you should consider a virtual marketing team that is proven to know the market, and understands how to help you promote your properties effectively and is capable of elevating your position in the market by making you a commercial real estate thought leader. The right commercial real estate marketing team will do this by focusing on four specific points.

Blogging develops consistent audience interaction and showcases your prowess as a thought leader. Business blogging 101 teaches the basics of successful blogging and emphasizes that simple and small are sufficient, as long as the points made are accurate and presented in an entertaining or thought provoking way. A blog filled with fluff words built for length will quickly become boring to the reader, redirecting their focus.

Writing about topics that are important to your audience is key. Sharing insights on the market while promoting your brand is the overall goal. Blogging keeps your clients informed and demonstrates your knowledge of the marketplace. Daily blogs can oversaturate your presence in the market and can be burdensome to maintain. Aim for publishing bi-weekly or weekly articles, a manageable volume, that will keep your audience anticipating your next publishing.

Most importantly, when blogging, be sure to stick to what you know. You don’t have to be an expert on every topic. Feel free to invite a guest blogger that may know more about a particular topic—showing that you work in knowledgeable circles ups your position as a thought leader. Catchy headlines will initially grab the reader’s attention, and adding visuals can result in twice as many shares as a piece without pictures or tables. Finally, include a call to action in your summary. Getting the audience to give feedback or express opinions engages customers, and leads to returning viewers.

Writing articles for your local newspaper, although deemed an old-fashioned method in today’s world of digital media, print can offer an opportunity to reach your audience through a different channel. An effective commercial real estate marketing group knows that newspapers still hold a robust audience, especially in the world of commercial real estate, and can guide you on tapping into those publications.

Well written articles display your knowledge on the subject matter. This media route helps to showcase your knowledge, and builds your reputation as a thought leader.

In lieu of writing a column for your local paper, consider publishing a newsletter. With this marketing tool, you can highly target your articles to your customers and prospective customers.

Creating an ebook or a white paper is an impressive way to put your knowledge of commercial real estate marketing on display. You might consider this a step-up from blogging. A long-form white paper or eBooks sets you up as a go to person in the commercial real estate market. These marketing tools can also be used as “rewards” for prospects that fill out a form on your website.

Working with a commercial real estate marketing team can ensure that the content you publish is fresh and will stand out from other content on the same topic which may be available from other sources. Mimicking content that is out there just adds to the noise, and makes your message blend into the clutter of marketing messages pounding your audience daily.

A good marketing team will also help you track downloads of your article, so you can gauge audience interests.

Finally, your virtual marketing team can help you use social media for marketing your commercial real estate firm. A professional team will show you how to engage audiences on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Because they are social media experts, a strong marketing team will be up-to-date with the various platforms and understand how building your brand through multiple channels will expand your presence in the commercial real estate world.

At the end of the day, it is you who is ultimately responsible for developing your company as a thought leader. Choosing the right marketing firm to give your brand the exposure you need, and displaying the talents and assets you have, will make all the difference. The question you are forced to answer is, are your current marketing efforts showcasing all of your capabilities?