Advice from a Veteran Public Relations Expert: Use Local PR to Build Strong Local Real Estate Brands

Real estate brokers for decades were the "voice of real estate" in their local markets. It was pretty straightforward: Most daily newspapers had real estate sections and there were hundreds of journalists dedicated to covering real estate exclusively. They were always writing about real estate and contacting local brokers, as brokers had the data they needed and knew the local market and trends better than anyone else.

But times are changing. PR isn't what it used to be. With the pressure to differentiate services and stand-out among the larger brands, it is even more important for mid-size brokers to understand how they should use PR. To get a better understanding of the situation and what brokers can do to stand out in their local markets, we spoke with Kevin Hawkins, President of WAV Group Communications and an experienced real estate public relations guru.

Imprev: How has local real estate PR changed over the years?

KH: Essentially, newspaper real estate sections and their editors have disappeared from the media landscape. Now, real estate is just one of many beats assigned often randomly to a business reporter and few know the beat deeply because they write about it infrequently. The result is that you are more likely to read a story in your local newspaper citing Zillow than a local brokerage.

Imprev: What can brokers do to create or maintain visibility of their brand in their local markets? Is it a losing cause; should they throw in the towel?

KH: No, don't throw in the towel just yet. Local brokers can win back their share of voice in their local markets, but they have to be proactive to win over the journalists, bloggers and social media influencers that are writing about real estate in their local markets.