PR Means Business for REALTORS®

Introduction

Our silence is over. As public relations (PR) professionals, we can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch Realtors® pour billions of dollars into marketing everything from newspaper ads to fridge magnets with little or no thought of how public relations can add significantly to their business without adding to their bottom line expenses. As informed observers and participants in the real estate industry, with both family and friends who earn their living from this volatile profession, we saw the need for a guide to help Realtors® focus their marketing efforts through public relations. This book is not intended to be an indepth examination of public relations nor is it intended to be a compendium of how to sell real estate – we think you know that already. This book focuses on straightforward public relations tactics which will directly result in increasing your listings and sales.

Public relations can add substantially to a Realtor’s® marketing program. It can be done for a fraction of the cost of other promotional initiatives and can be effective long after the newspaper ads have yellowed and the fridge magnets have faded. PR Means Business for Realtors® is necessary as it complements a Realtor’s® marketing campaign. While much has been written on advertising, promotion and the like, little to nothing has been written on public relations in real estate. Research and reality proves that public relations in a Realtor’s® marketing program is neglected. What Realtors® forget is that PR is the right stuff to extend a marketing program and stretch their advertising dollar.

We have created a book of fictitious characters who will help us in our quest to show you what works and what doesn’t in the business. Over the first few pages, you will meet our heroes Rusty Regular and Rachel Rookie. You will also meet Paige Reader (pun intended), the public relations consultant Broker Bob hired to help Rusty, Rachel and the rest of his sales associates create and execute their own public relations plans.

Throughout the book, we explore in detail how you can create a PR Plan to help you achieve your real estate goals. We examine a well-respected four-step process known as the R.A.C.E. formula, which is the basis for creating a PR Plan. Then we review some traditional PR tactics most relevant to the real estate profession. We look at news media, community relations and using real estate board/association and franchise resources. Finally, public relations plans for Rachel and Rusty will be presented.

Make sure you check out Paige’s RANTS! Paige is known for many things, particularly her ability to go off on a tangent. Sometimes it’s in the form of an amusing anecdote, a tirade or a shovel-full of common sense and you will find her remarks throughout the text. We hope you enjoy them.

The surplus of how-to real estate books available serves to prove the point there is no sure-fire way. We believe the focus we’ve taken with PR Means Business for Realtors® is unique and will help you expand your business. It will demonstrate how Realtors® can employ public relations practices in their newsletters, advertising, work with the media and community relations efforts. It focuses on the tools available through their boards and associations and hints on how to create your own public relations plan. Samples of news releases, newsletters and a worksheet to help you complete your own personal public relations plan are included as appendices.

Although we use the term Realtor® throughout the text, which is a term referring to brokers and salespeople who are members of the National Association of Realtors®, the information in this book is applicable to all real estate representatives.

Your goal is to help your clients buy and sell property, ours is to demonstrate how to use public relations to improve your business and your bottom line!

Topics include:

• Planning Basics
• PR Tactics
• News Media
• Community Relations
• Using Board/Association/Franchise Resources
• Public Relations Plan
• Samples