When real estate agents were doing well 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.
OK, so the bubble burst. Media stories about this aren’t responsible for lower sales. Agents need to work extra-hard and extra-smart. Get out of your offices and start building strong relationships with the media and generating free publicity for yourself and your team.
Here are a few ideas:
—What are the award-winning agents 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 sharing how-to tips with buyers and sellers, and tie your tips to the state of the current market. Invite reporters to lunch, and tip them off to trends you’re seeing in the market.
—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.