This article on CRE marketing best practices, is the first in a six-part series on lessons learned at Re-convene, real estate private equity’s “un-conference.” Check back to get additional advice from CRE experts Chris Powers, Keith Wasserman, Eliot Bencuya, Marc Gilbert, and Neville Rhone.
How are you setting your CRE firm apart from the muddled middle?
According to Moses Kagan, founder of Los Angeles-based Adaptive Realty, you should be listening to Nick Huber, owner/operator of Bolt Storage LLC and host of the real-estate focused Nick Huber Show and Sweaty Startup podcasts, who he considers to be “the most innovative, cutting-edge marketer in the real estate private equity world right now.”At Re-convene, Kagan and Huber sat down to talk, and Huber offered the crowd a slew of marketing insights that can help you differentiate your firm and win new business.
The Top CRE Marketing Strategy According to Nick Huber
Huber calls himself “a regular guy from Leopold, Indiana.” And he is on a mission to “help people do common things uncommonly well.” One of those things is to build a community of like-minded real estate investors to share ideas across an industry that traditionally has been closed off.
Since Nick started his quest to get more connected to the CRE community:
- His network has exploded.
- He and Dan Hagberg, his business partner at Bolt, have raised more than $10 million for their real estate deals.
- Together, they own 640,000 square feet spread across 25 buildings, including $35 million worth of self storage they acquired in just 10 months.
- He has another 420,000 square feet in 17 buildings under contract.
- He is among the top 75 private self-storage operators in the United States.
Not bad for a guy from Leopold.
Nick is constantly advising other GPs to make sure they understand—and effectively communicate—the unique value they offer their LPs. And then he says it’s all about telling your firm’s story over and over and over again.
What’s his story?
Watch this 30-second video to find out how Nick got his start.
Once he got started, he just kept going—and he has advice for those who are looking to follow in his footsteps.
More Quick Tips on CRE Marketing
Watch these short videos to get insights from Nick:
- Build a bountiful brand - Why his open architecture approach is not as unusual as you might think
- Get social and use video - Why social media works and why video is key to the investor experience
- Target your message - One way to get your message across
- Take your time - The importance of patience
In the end, Nick reiterates it’s about telling your firm’s story—whether that is through video, social media, or some other way.
What does Nick think will happen next in his story?
Check out this video to find out what the future holds for Nick and Bolt.
The Full Conversation
Want to hear more?
Watch the full video with Moses and Nick.
Follow Nick
Nick’s community-building efforts are worth following. Check him out on Twitter or join his real estate Facebook group. Interested in getting Nick’s take on the best way to acquire new investors? Read his article on how to make customer service one of your competitive advantages. And if you’re thinking about real estate software, consider the solution that helped Nick oversubscribe an $800,000 deal in just three hours!
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