By Walter Fitzgerald
* A note on the author: At 83 years old, Walter isn’t your typical copywriter—and that’s exactly why we love him. His offbeat take on blogging and colorful storytelling make him a standout voice at ATYPICAL.
A Note From Walter
Ah, digital advertising in commercial real estate. It’s a bit like fishing—cast your line in the wrong spot, and you’ll be waiting forever with nothing but an empty net and a lighter wallet. But throw that bait where the fish are biting, and suddenly, you’re reeling in leads left and right.
Here’s the thing—every advertising platform has its strengths, but not all of them are right for every objective.
Some are perfect for generating high-quality leads, while others are better at keeping your brand visible until the right opportunity comes along.
The key is knowing which platform to use, when to use it, and how to get the most out of it.
That’s exactly what we’re diving into. Let’s break down the best platforms for commercial real estate advertising and how they fit into your overall strategy.
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Why the Right Platform Matters for Commercial Real Estate Advertising
Commercial real estate advertising isn’t just about running ads—it’s about running them in the right place, at the right time, for the right audience. And in commercial real estate advertising, that’s more important than ever.
Think about it. A developer looking for financing isn’t scrolling through Instagram looking for loan options. A broker searching for industrial space isn’t going to stumble across their next deal on YouTube (unless it’s a really compelling video).
But if your ad catches their eye, sparks curiosity, or reinforces your brand, you might be planting the seed that leads to a future deal.
Then, when they are actively searching for the right deal on Google and they see your ad?
You’re no longer just another name in the search results—you’re a company they already recognize. And that familiarity makes them far more likely to click.
Every platform plays a different role in commercial real estate advertising, and understanding those roles is what separates a smart, strategic ad campaign from a shot in the dark.
The question isn’t whether you should be advertising—it’s where you should be advertising and what you want to achieve.
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What Is the Best Platform for Commercial Real Estate?
If only there were a simple answer. If one platform could magically handle every part of commercial real estate advertising, we’d all just pour our budgets into that and call it a day.
But that’s not how it works.
The best platform depends on your goal.
Are you looking to generate leads? Build brand awareness? Stay top-of-mind with investors and tenants?
Each advertising platform plays a different role in the marketing funnel, and success comes from using the right mix, not just picking one and hoping for the best.
That’s why, in the next section, we’ll break down the best platforms for commercial real estate advertising—what they’re best for, how they fit into a larger strategy, and where they deliver the strongest results, based on insights from the 2025 Commercial Real Estate Digital Advertising Benchmarks Report.
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Breaking Down the Best Platforms for Commercial Real Estate Advertising
Google Search
If a prospect is searching for “office space for lease” or “commercial real estate investment opportunities,” they’re not just casually browsing—they’re looking for solutions.
Google Search Ads ensure your brand appears at the top of the search results, making it one of the most effective tools for generating quality leads.
Why Google Search Is Effective for Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
Captures demand in real-time – Your ads show up when prospects are actively searching for CRE properties or services.
Higher conversion rates – Search ads consistently drive the most quality goal completions (leads, form fills, etc.) compared to other platforms.
More cost-efficient than ever – Data from the 2025 benchmarks report shows that cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL) have remained stable, making Google Search one of the most consistent ways to acquire new leads.
Best Use Cases:
Great for all objectives, whether it be investment sales, leasing, products or services.
How to Maximize Results:
Use specific keywords – Broad terms get expensive, but precise targeting lowers costs and improves lead quality.
Pair with other platforms (Google Display, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) – To Reinforce visibility.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is where brokers, investors, and corporate real estate professionals spend their time. Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn allows you to target people by job title, industry, and company size—ensuring your ads reach the job seekers and decision-makers who actually influence leasing, acquisitions, and investments.
Why LinkedIn is Effective for Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
Hyper-targeted audience – No platform offers better precision for reaching brokers, developers, investors, and corporate real estate leaders.
Strong engagement trends – The 2025 benchmarks report shows that ad engagement has improved year-over-year, indicating stronger adoption of LinkedIn ads in CRE.
Best for brand awareness & thought leadership – Many companies in CRE use LinkedIn to establish credibility, generate inbound leads, and nurture long-term relationships.
Best Use Cases:
Brokerage & investment firms – Connect with institutional investors, developers, and high-net-worth individuals.
Corporate leasing – Target decision-makers seeking office, retail, or industrial spaces.
CRE tech & SaaS – Reach commercial real estate companies looking for technology solutions.
How to Maximize Results:
Use a mix of ad formats – LinkedIn’s carousel ads and lead forms tend to drive better engagement than static image ads.
Retarget website visitors – Stay in front of warm leads who have already engaged with your brand.
Facebook & Instagram (Meta)
Not every prospect is actively searching for a deal—but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t know about you. Facebook and Instagram ads help keep your brand top-of-mind, so when someone is ready to make a decision, they already recognize your name.
Why Facebook & Instagram are Effective for Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
Strong visual engagement – High-quality images and videos perform we on these platforms.
Diverse Ad Placements – The ability to show your ads in people’s feeds, DMs, Stories, and Reels.
Relative Low Cost – It’s generally cheaper to reach a wide audience compared to other platforms.
Best Use Cases:
Retail Space Leasing - Target franchisees, small business owners, and expanding brands.
Brand Awareness - Establish a recognizable presence in the market.
Native Form OM Downloads – Facebook offers native forms, which allow users to fill in a form in-platform. This has proven to be an effective way to generate leads for listings.
How to Maximize Results:
Leverage video & carousel ads – They consistently drive higher engagement than single-image posts.
Use retargeting – Keep your ads in front of people who have visited your site or interacted with previous ads.
YouTube:
YouTube isn’t just for entertainment—it can be a very powerful platform for commercial real estate advertising. Video content allows brokers, owners/operators, and CRE SaaS to showcase properties, share market insights, and build trust with their audience.
Why YouTube is Effective for Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
Advanced Targeting Options – Reach very specific audiences based on their interests, demographics, and online behaviors.
Great for B2B & B2C audiences - Whether targeting investors, tenants, or industry professionals, YouTube helps build awareness and drive consideration.
Best Use Cases:
Brand Awareness – Video lets you say a lot more than in static images. Use it to tell your story, what makes you different, your competitive advantage, etc. YouTube’s cost-per-1000 impressions (CPM) has dropped for CRE Tech, making it more cost-effective for reaching broader audiences.
How to Maximize Results:
Narrow your Targeting & Placements - Premium ad placements are becoming more competitive, increasing costs. To avoid this, focus on more specific targeting methods instead of broad interests.
Don’t expect Leads - YouTube excels at generating impressions and building brand awareness, but lower click-through rates (CTRs) suggest users are less likely to click to your website and fill in a form.
Google Display
Ever searched for something online, then seen ads for it on every website you go to? That’s Google Display Ads in action. These ads are a low-cost way to keep your brand in front of potential clients, ensuring you’re remembered when they’re ready to act. However, they have seen an increase in bot activity, especially when you are trying to drive leads (read more about bot traffic here if you’re interested!).
Why Google Display is Effective for Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
Extremely cost-effective for brand awareness – The 2025 benchmarks report shows Display Ads consistently have the lowest cost per 1000 impressions (CPM) across all platforms.
Great for retargeting – Keeps your brand visible after someone visits your website.
Pairs well with Google Search Ads – Helps reinforce your presence in a competitive market.
Best Use Cases:
Brand Awareness - They are ideal for building brand awareness at the top of the funnel, keeping brokerages, owners, and CRE tech firms visible. While they may not drive immediate conversions, they help nurture leads and move prospects toward action when combined with search and retargeting strategies.
Retargeting site visitors – Display Ads reinforce messaging and ensure your brand stays visible to investors, developers, brokers, etc. Retargeting campaigns are especially useful for re-engaging those who didn’t convert the first time.
How These Platforms Work Together for Maximum Impact
Ever bought a car? You probably didn’t wake up one morning, Google “buy a car now”, and hand over your money to the first dealership that popped up.
Instead, maybe you started noticing certain brands on the road. You saw an ad for a sleek new model on TV. You scrolled past a social media post showing off its features. Then, one day, you actively started researching—the specs, the pricing, the dealerships near you.
And when you finally walked into a showroom? You already had a brand or two in mind.
That’s how commercial real estate advertising works, too.
Most people don’t convert the first time they see an ad. They go through stages—awareness, consideration, and finally, decision-making (conversion). The best advertisers don’t rely on one platform—they use a combination to meet their audience at different points in their journey.
Here’s how it all comes together:
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Awareness: Getting in Front of the Right Audience
At this stage, your goal isn’t to close a deal or get a lead—it’s to get noticed. The people seeing your ads might not be actively looking for a space or investment yet, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be soon.
The Best Platforms for the Awareness Stage of Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
Facebook & Instagram Ads – Build brand awareness with visually engaging industry content.
LinkedIn Ads – Introduce your brand to decision-makers and job seekers.
YouTube Ads – Video campaigns introduce your brand and establish credibility.
Google Display Ads – Keeps your brand visible across thousands of websites.
Google Search Ads – Even at the awareness stage, some users are looking for information—target broad, high-intent keywords.
Awareness Content Examples: Blog posts, informational & educational videos, infographics, and social media updates.
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Consideration: Keeping Your Brand Top-of-Mind
Now that prospects know you exist, they start comparing options, researching properties, or looking deeper into investment opportunities. This is where you need to stay visible, build trust, and offer useful information.
The Best Platforms for the Consideration Stage of Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
LinkedIn, Facebook & Instagram Ads – Retarget people who have engaged with your content before.
Google Display Ads – Update your creative & messaging and retarget people who clicked on your ad in the awareness stage.
Google Search Ads – Target more refined, industry-specific searches as people narrow their options.
Consideration Content Examples: eBooks & whitepapers, reports, guides, case studies, templates & toolkits, list of resources, and webinars.
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Conversion: Capturing High-Intent Leads
By now, your prospect knows who you are. They’ve done their research, compared options, and they’re ready to take action. Your job is to make it as easy as possible for them to convert.
The Best Platforms for the Conversion Stage of Commercial Real Estate Advertising:
Google Search Ads – The moment someone searches for “office space for lease in Chicago,” you want to be at the top.
LinkedIn Lead Generation Ads – Collect contact details directly from decision-makers without making them leave the platform.
Facebook Native Lead Forms – Instead of sending users to an external website, let them submit inquiries within Facebook itself.
Conversion Content Examples: Testimonials, detailed specifications, Offering Memorandums (OMs), product demos, free trials, promo codes/discounts, customer stories, and consultations.
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Tracking & Optimizing Commercial Real Estate Advertising Campaigns
Here’s the reality: Every campaign is different.
You might start with multiple platforms, only to find that one outperforms the others. Maybe LinkedIn drives expensive clicks, but Google Search delivers qualified leads at a lower cost. Or maybe YouTube engagement is strong, but conversions happen elsewhere.
The key is to track performance, assess what’s working, and refine your strategy as you go.
Watch your metrics: Click-through rates, cost-per-lead, and conversion rates tell you which platforms are worth the investment.
Don’t be afraid to cut underperforming channels: Not every platform will work for every campaign. Double down on what’s driving results.
Always test and iterate: What works today might not work tomorrow. Adapting is key to long-term success.
The best commercial real estate advertising strategies evolve over time. Track. Optimize. Scale what’s working—and drop what’s not.
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Walter’s Final Thoughts
By now, it should be clear—commercial real estate advertising isn’t about picking one platform, it’s about building a strategy that works across multiple channels.
But here’s the thing: you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Until next time,
Stay ATYPICAL 😊