When Realtors were fat and happy several years ago, I don’t remember them praising the media for running story after story about how they’d list a house one day and sell it the next.
So I wish they’d stop bellyaching about how the media are largely responsible for today’s flat market. In the article “Real estate pros say publicity can shape market’s economy,” for Bankrate.com, Ellen Renish, regional vice president for the National Association of Realtors, says:
“What happened to us is the media.”
Stories about a real estate “bubble” and its potential to burst caused consumers to “not do anything.” she said. “And nothing happened. The bubble stories really stopped things for three months. It was pretty scary.”
OK, so the bubble burst. Tell your members to get out of their offices, start building strong relationships with the media and generating free publicity for themselves and their teams.
Here are a few ideas, some of which I shared with real estate coach Jim Gillespie who interviewed me a few years ago on “How Residential Real Estate Agents Can Profit from Free Publicity”:
—What are the award-winning Realtors doing to sell houses in a difficult market? You seldom read stories about this. But those who are willing to share some of their secrets will get the ink and air time. (One of my pet peeves is business people of any stripe who publicize their awards, but don’t explain what we really want to know: what, exactly, did you do to win?)
—Write press releases, but don’t stop there. Invite reporters to lunch, and tip them off to trends you’re seeing in the market. If you need help with press releases, sign up for my free email tutorial “89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases.”
—Ask the media “how can I help you?”
—Hold a fun event to publicize your office’s anniversary.
—If you pitch a story to the media, offer two or three other sources, with contact information, who they can interview. Help them do their jobs.
—Local business journals run industry-specific sections each week, and real estate is one of the topics. Pitch stories to the paper’s real estate reporter, or pitch the editor who is in charge of assigning stories for that section. If you can’t think of a specific story idea, call the editor anyway and offer your expertise if they need sources.
And when the market picks up again, keep doing all of the above.
If you want more ideas, check out my article “Publicity Tips for Real Estate Agents.”
About Joan
The Publicity Hound