Being a leader is a supreme position. It’s about being the go-to person for people’s problems and desires. I think becoming a leader in a market is an endeavor most people overlook because it sounds daunting and unnecessary, but I think it’s the most profitable move you could possible make in your business.

Two markets to speak too. The management side (to owners) and the home/renting side (to tenants).

The result of being a market leader is that people refer to you, property owners seek you out, and prospective tenants find your properties because you are perceived as the best. This is the key – obviously just because you are the most referenced and most sought out in a market doesn’t mean you are the best, but it does mean you are perceived that way. Perception is powerful – this is what we play around with when we build marketing plans and reach out to people.

So if you have the opportunity to have your clients and tenants perceive you as the best, why not go for it?

The catch for people is that market leadership takes time and consistency. The best way to explain market leadership is that it is a factor of content and consistency. Your content must be amazing, and you must share it on a consistent basis.

Very straightforward.

This is why I push having a blog style website in addition to what you currently have (which may be simply a business card, or possibly a website that serves as a portal for your tenants if you use something like Propertyware). I also think the idea of a community based website – where you provide support and information about the community you are in – can be a huge asset for your market presence.

It’s about demonstrating authority, on a regular basis. What do you know about property management? What could you share with other property managers, property owners, and tenants? These are the sorts of things you can write about on your website. Exercise your expertise.

To bring this week full circle, on Tuesday I talked about how Google has made several changes lately that have turned standard internet marketing on it’s head. Intentional link building is seen as evil, but somehow still necessary. This is where market leadership fits in. When you build amazing content for people on a regular basis, people start referring to you online and Google sees this.

You continue this by sharing your content via social media channels – facebook, twitter, linkedin, pinterest, etc. People see your content and if they love it – if it improves their lives and makes them feel good – they will share it with their friends. But you must build quality for people, and you must do it on a regular basis.

It’s as simple and as complex as that – create awesome content, share it online, and do so on a regular basis (even if it’s once per week). Eventually you will rise to the top and have more publicity, traffic, and interest than you can shake a stick at.