Is The ROI for LoopNet Listings Still There?
I’ve been in CRE brokerage for just over 3 years now and have seen the prices for LoopNet listings skyrocket (especially after the implementation of tiered listings (silver, gold, plat, etc). My question for you all is, are the silver and gold packages still worth it? I realize that the answer is probably “it’s driven by the size of the commission” but what if there are big listings that are challenging to close in the first place? Are there better ways to market spaces that have a higher ROI?

I ask this because my company grants me 2 silver listings and 1 gold and if I want to get an additional spot I would have to permanently split the cost for that spot with my firm. Haven’t decided whether or not it’s worth it to put the money down on an additional spot. Thoughts?
[{"id": "fv0bwgs", "text": "The high cost of subscription forces cut back. Many professional valuations companies do not have means to pay.  That is why many commercials are looking at other sites to promote their listings.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fv0bzit", "text": "I think you should first see how your tiers currently do before buying more. Remember you can always change them to different listings", "replies": [{"id": "fv0mfhf", "text": "Yeah I like to rotate my listings bi-weekly. The challenge is that, as an office broker who constantly has space for lease, there are certain listings that, if I keep them as a silver/gold, they will continue to drive fairly steady traffic. But as prices continue to climb, is it still worth it to go ALL IN on LN/CS or should I venture into other online platforms/other forms of marketing?", "replies": [{"id": "fv0o2oi", "text": "Thing with rotating that frequently is putting myself in the shoes of someone searching for office space. Searching on Loopnet I may not reach out initially. I may gather different options, especially in larger markets with many listings on LN, and go back to my office and discuss between the individuals making this decision. This could take some time, and by the time I come back to loopnet the listing won\u2019t be visible and my only assumption can be that it isn\u2019t available anymore", "replies": [{"id": "fv0qzw0", "text": "So should I consider getting an additional spot and limiting rotating listings?", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fv0eh3e", "text": "Where else do you market and how effective is that source at generating leads?", "replies": [{"id": "fv0m2hq", "text": "I use everything that I can seem to find. Crexi, 42Floors, CityFeet, etc. Crexi is probably the second best, but the SEO seems to change every week, so sometimes it's CityFeet that seems to get a good amount of hits. \n\nI do every other form of outbound marketing: email, cold call, cold walk, etc. I seem to get the most volume from LoopNet/CoStar but the prices continue to climb, which makes me question if they are worth the investment at this point.", "replies": [{"id": "fv0ncs4", "text": "So then you end up back at the \"if you get one deal out of it\" equation as it's your best source. \n\nCoStar and Loopnet (and CityFeet) all overlap somewhat. Do you see more traffic from CoStar versus Loopnet? My understanding is that Loopnet no longer displays anything except platinum listings to free users (iifc).", "replies": [{"id": "fv0qvou", "text": "I'm in a secondary market, Worcester, just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Because of this, gold, and on occasion, silver, will end up on the top of searches. I tend to see more LN inquiries directly from tenants than compared to CS inquiries from brokers.", "replies": [{"id": "fv0rmpw", "text": "Have you tried Catalyst?", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "fv0yrd9", "text": "one thing I'd consider is the quality of prospect too.  we experimented with cityfeet/office space etc and nearly always it was crap users who had no idea what they were doing and wanted like a 12 month lease or other business that can't be profitably brokered.  \n\nI'd rather spend my time with my long term clients trying to do more deals or prospecting listings personally than touring space with someone who isn't qualified to close.\n\nConversely actually costar prospects are always brokers who semi know what they are doing or clients who are serious enough to pay for that kind of service so they are nearly always 100% the first call you return", "replies": [{"id": "fv1el5e", "text": "That\u2019s a good point. Ironically I had a tenant inquiry from Cityfeet looking for a month-to-month arrangement and obviously didn\u2019t spend much more time than show them what I had at the property they inquired on.", "replies": [], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "fv2rvre", "text": "Here are some sales listing sites that are not named Loopnet:\n\n* CREXi\n* Brevitas\n* RealInsight\n* PropertyIDX\n* [ApartmentBuildings.com](https://ApartmentBuildings.com)\n* RealMassive\n* LDCRE\n* [Showcase.com](https://Showcase.com)\n* [QuantumListing.com](https://QuantumListing.com)\n* [CIMLS.com](https://CIMLS.com)\n* [TotalCommercial.com](https://TotalCommercial.com)\n* PropertyShark", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fv1c9a4", "text": "Loopnet/costar are a bunch of greedy fuckers. They raised prices on me a couple years ago for absolutely no reason. I said fuck them, went to crexi and been happy ever since. I also won't give them any information regarding sales/leasing activity, when asked why I tell straight forwardly, you want free information so you can come back and sell it to me for absurd prices.", "replies": [{"id": "fv1etjd", "text": "I think that\u2019s paramount in any market. Hell, I I\u2019ve even heard of brokers flat out lie about data just to fuck with CS/LN. \n\nDo you find that Crexi is worth the time/money?", "replies": [{"id": "fv1fzyy", "text": "I do, for now but truthfully most of my interest has always come from signs on properties since I do mostly small bay (1k-2k sqft) industrial. I fear they will either get bought by costar or start getting crazy once they get really popular.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "fwbs6m3", "text": "Fwiw when I was searching for CRE I hated using LoopNet. It is janky, doesn't seem to consistently show stuff and shows stuff that you have no interest in (like you indicate that you're only interested in one zipcode and it will show you listings from like 10 miles away).", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]