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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®








 Marketing your brokerage
Developing Public Relations Strategies


  

Setting Marketing Strategies

Analyzing the Business Climate

Creating Your Market Identity

Planning Your Advertising

Coordinating Company and Salesperson Marketing

Developing Public Relations Strategies

Enhancing Customer Service 		  In Real Life: Hiring a PR Pro

Like many real estate brokers, Jim Napier of Napier ERA in Richmond, Va., recognized the value of public relations as a marketing tool, but never found the time in his busy schedule to launch the necessary full-scale effort to get results. “We wanted to build public awareness, and we’d send out releases on promotions and awards at the company. We’d get a few mentions in a people and places column, but it never got very far,” said Napier.

The decision to get more serious about PR came when Napier was elected president of the Richmond Association of REALTORS® in the same year that his brother Rich, who ran the company’s construction arm, was elected president of the local National Association of Home Builders chapter. “We decided that was an interesting enough situation to get some coverage, so we hired a freelance public relations professional to help us promote the event,” said Napier. The ensuing coverage was extensive and very cost effective. It turned out to be the beginning of a whole new PR phase for the company.

With the help of PR consultant Wendy Martin, Napier and his company set out to establish themselves as expert sources for the media. With the consultant’s help, the company developed a nine-person “media resource team” of managers and associates. Each member was selected for his or her areas of expertise—from construction trends and zoning to relocation and retirement lifestyles. Martin conducted a half-day media training workshop for all team members.

Next, the company put together an electronic file to introduce the team. The file featured a bio, extensive contact information, and a picture of each expert, plus a list of the topics they would be most comfortable discussing in an interview. The document was then e-mailed to an extensive media list; printed versions were mailed as well. “It was very well received; we started getting calls from local papers, radio, and business magazines almost immediately,” said Napier. Napier cautions other would-be experts to keep in mind that they have to put the reporter’s needs for a newsworthy story above a desire to blatantly publicize the company.

To keep their company in front of the media, the expert team regularly brainstorms hot new real estate topics. Then Martin “pitches” these stories to their media list, using the company as a local example of a national trend. One recent story idea involved a property staging class being offered to the company’s associates by a national consultant. When Martin contacted the local paper, it turned out that the real estate editor had been sitting on a national wire story about staging for weeks. Martin was able to give her a local spin on the story. Instead of a brief mention in the “Announcements” column, Napier's company found itself on the front page of the real estate section.

The payoff has been terrific, but “you have to have the personal contacts and keep them up to make this work,” cautions Napier. The company uses its consultant to make monthly calls to the entire media, although Napier notes that brokers could do the work themselves if they were willing to spend the time. “You have to keep looking for new ideas and have someone who makes PR a principal focus, otherwise, your efforts won’t pay off,” he concludes.

Tips in Hiring a Public Relations Company >