As a realtor, you understand how competitive the marketplace can be and how important it is to find a way to make your company’s presence known to the public. One problem many realtors encounter is finding a way to manage their business while also keeping the public engaged with their company. That’s when using a public relations firm can prove to be an invaluable tool.

Today’s real estate marketplace has evolved drastically from the days of taking out an ad in the Yellow Pages and having a billboard or two around town. With everyone looking down at their smartphones these days, who even notices a billboard? What’s the solution, then? How can you possibly establish yourself as a real estate presence when it’s so difficult to be heard above the noise out there?

You hire yourself a public relations firm.

Burt’s Bees

One stunning example of what a good PR firm can accomplish is seen with Burt’s Bees. Burt’s Bees hired Nancy Behrman Communications to handle their PR needs and soon saw an incredible growth explosion. Burt’s Bees was then sold to an investment group and was later sold to Clorox for over $900 million. Burt’s Bees went from being a little-known niche product supplier to one of the most well-known brands on the market today.

Evolution of Real Estate Public Relations

Forbes reported on the evolution of real estate PR and revealed that social media and a constant online presence is one of the most important areas for any real estate company. Having a PR firm handling that end of the business frees up realtors to do what they do best – buy and sell real estate.

Social Media and Public Relations

While many realtors might simply decide to tackle the social media end of things on their own, it’s important to remember that a poorly-designed public relations campaign can have an incredible negative impact. A New York Times article dealing with the tightrope many social media managers need to navigate emphasized how an embarrassing public relations blunder by a corporation can have far-reaching effects.

Branding

When it comes to dealing with realtors, clients want to feel they are in competent and professional hands. One of the ways a client decides on which realtor to use is by going with “name recognition,” which is an important element of branding. Once upon a time, branding simply meant people were remembering a company’s name when they watched a commercial. When public relations came along and started to study the best way for a company to reach the general population, branding became part of an overall experience, rather than simply a trademarked logo.

Realtors can use a public relations firm to help them find the best opportunities for branding available. A realtor in a highly competitive marketplace might use a public relations firm to establish their company as the most competent and accessible, while a realtor in a smaller marketplace might find a PR campaign emphasizing trustworthiness and value to work to their advantage.

Connections

If a realtor uses a company like Nancy Behrman Communications, one of the first things the PR firm will do is create a connection between the realtor and the public. By using tools such as social media, blogs, newsletters, and even podcasts, potential clients will get a real feel for what the realtor is all about. Once that connection is established, the realtor is in an optimal position to engage in business with the potential client, according to Entrepreneur.

While a realtor might wonder if the agency can afford to work with a public relations firm in order to increase business, the success of real estate agencies that work with PR firms speaks for itself