It's about credibility

The digital revolution and economic bust have prompted questions about the value of public relations in the marketing of real estate properties and services. Not a day goes by when I am not asked about social media and whether consumer media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNBC and industry media GlobeSt, New York Real Estate Journal, Real Estate Weekly and The Mann Report have any real meaning anymore. Public relations after all built its mystique scoring hits for developers, owners and brokers in such traditional media. While the world changes, public relations never will. Public relations is not simply about promotion and publicity. It never was and never will be. Public relations to a greater degree is about credibility and reputation. It is about building trust and acceptance among buyers, sellers, renters, lenders and government, something that cannot be done only by tweets, Facebook pages, blogs and search engine optimization. Real estate professionals still need to prove themselves to demanding editors at traditional media. Those who present stories in established forums and who publicize deals, properties, plans and viewpoints in the media that count continue to gain a big edge in credibility and reputation. That's public relations. Harry Zlokower is the president of Zlokower Company, New York, N.Y.