Public Relations: As marketing choices expand, PR holds its own by Zlokower

Harry Zlokower, Zlokower Company Public Relations

There was a time when public relations (PR) was one of the few, economically reliable methods to build real estate brand in the mass market. Cheaper than advertising and more influential than direct marketing, PR was really the best way to reach and build reputation among buyers, renters, and lenders. That was until about 10 years ago with the onset of sophisticated digital communications and multichannel marketing.

Today, real estate owners and brokers must consider online marketing through well-maintained flash, interactive websites, E-mail blasts, digital advertising, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Snapchat as well as content marketing, landing pages, video brochures, texting and more. All can make for confusion and expense as CEOs, marketing managers and agencies determine where to spend their money and answer the eternal question of what really works.

And while PR continues to be popular in the marketing mix, we must adjust to change: Less space for real estate in the business media; a hectic, sometimes error-prone 24/7 online news cycle, and streamlined deftly-marketed real estate conferences which often require sponsorships for speaking slots.

Yet what has not changed is the demand and need for relevant, credible news. A prolific local and national real estate trade media, including this publication, is satisfying that need and adjusting to the times. These publications—and the business/consumer media—welcome fresh news, opinion articles, profiles and commentary on the issues of the day. Real estate companies in turn easily market good news coverage to clients and prospects, achieve search engine optimization, and link to and reprint on their websites. And while the real estate conferences may not be the cozy clubs we used to know, they appear to be thriving, offering a great service and platform for owners and brokers.

And the best news of all, PR is still a bargain.   

Harry Zlokower is president of Zlokower Co., a New York real estate public relations firm, and past president of the New York Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.