Back in 2009, I tried something new.
While many of my colleagues were still marketing with postcards and cold calls, I started a blog called Location Advice. It was not common at the time for commercial real estate brokers to share insights publicly, but I wanted a way to connect with owners, occupants and other brokers beyond the usual handshake or phone call.
That experiment led to 2013, when I launched Tuesday Traffic Tips, short YouTube videos on the nuts and bolts of brokerage. I posted every week. No studio. No script. Just a consistent commitment.
Looking back, I was one of the first commercial real estate brokers in the country to post content this way. That consistency opened doors, including this very column. I can thank Twitter, now X, for the introduction that connected me to the Southern California News Group.
Why I did it
The reason was not followers, likes or clicks. I believed that visibility builds credibility and credibility leads to trust. By showing up online with useful ideas, I could create value for my audiences of owners, occupants, and brokers before we ever sat across a table together.
Making content memorable
Fifteen years later, I have learned that memorable content comes down to three qualities:
—Consistency: Show up regularly. People may not read every post or watch every video, but they notice if you keep showing up.
—Authenticity: Be yourself. Clients connect with real stories and honest observations, not polished perfection.
—Relevance: Speak to the audience you serve. Commercial real estate is not about abstract theories. It is about space, timing, and decisions that affect real businesses and families.
The payoff
Social media has never been about shouting into the void. It is about building trust at scale.
Over the years, people who first discovered me through a blog post or video have become clients, colleagues, or referral sources. Others simply shared an article that resonated. Either way, the ripple effect continues.
Here is the takeaway. If you want your content to stand out in commercial real estate, or in any field, focus less on going viral and more on showing up. Be consistent. Be authentic. Be relevant. Over time, those three qualities create a brand people trust.
Allen C. Buchanan, SIOR, is a principal with Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services in Orange. He can be reached at abuchanan@lee-associates.com or 714.564.7104.
