Special Excerpt: Media and Public Relations

Journalists are now often using blogs for source material

By Richard Nacht and Paul Chaney

Media Use of Blogs for Source Material

Journalists are now often using blogs for source material. One study done by public relations firm Euro RSCG Magnet, shows that more than half (51%) of journalists use Web logs regularly for source information, with 28% relying on them for day-to-day reporting. Of the journalists who use blogs in their work, 53% use blogs to find story ideas, 43% for research and referencing facts, and 36% for finding sources.

Alex Stenback, author of the "Behind the Mortgage" blog, has received his share of media attention, both from both local sources and national publications such as Investors Business Daily and Kiplingers. Stenback says that the "buzz" from his blog resulted in an opportunity to host his own radio show, a two-hour Sunday morning program on a local talk-radio channel dealing with money matters. Stenback says, "Attention from the media was an unintended, but welcome consequence of blogging."

Some New Bloggers Are Journalists

Real estate blogging has gotten the attention of the media to such a degree that many journalists are getting in on the action. As noted previously, Barbara Clements covers the real estate beat in her "Open House" blog for the Tacoma, Washington newspaper News-Tribune. In fact, when considering what kind of blog to start, the newspaper chose one covering real estate rather than one more consumer-oriented site. Clements covers the real estate beat from a local perspective, but writes about national trends as well. Her real interest is in exploring the impact of homeownership on home buyers and their families. It has to do with "people and their dreams," shares Clements. "People are making the biggest purchase of their lives, and there is a lot of emotion attached to that. People put passion into their homes."

You and Your Readers as Media

A revolution is taking place in media and public relations. Consumers are writing their own blogs and writing on other blog sites and delivering the message better and more effectively than any other advertising medium. At the same time, mainstream media is confronting its own problems and the level of trust in the media is being tested. In addition, the consumer is wary of top-down, command-and-control corporate communications. Four out of five people say that they would refuse to buy goods or services from a company they do not trust.

The most recent Edelman "Trust Barometer," which tracks the opinions of influential peoples about credible sources of information, lists a "person like you" third, only behind physicians and academics, as a credible sources of information. Just a few years ago the trust level in peers was only about 20%. Today, it's 68%. Richard Edelman calls what we are now experiencing the "Me2 Revolution" era of communications.
Newsweek recently ran a cover story entitled, "Putting the ‘We' in Web." Some noteworthy reflections by the magazine include:

• "What makes the Web alive is, quite simply, us."
• "It's the main news source for the non-arthritic population, and a megaphone for those who make their own media."
• "It's not an audience, it's a community."

Essentially, we live in an era where trust in "peer-to-peer" communications is at an all- time high. Blogs have entered the mainstream as a crucial supplement to press releases and traditional forms of advertising. Thanks to the Internet, consumers have been empowered like never before. The mere fact that a new blog is created every single second speaks volumes. The hard truth is that people talk. And they are talking about you and your services in chatrooms, on message boards, through instant messages, e-mail, and, yes, on blogs. Because we live in an age called "participatory journalism," everyone can be a reporter, a reviewer and a critic. Everyone has a voice, and thanks to the Internet, those voices are now being heard.

How, then, can a Realtor get their message heard in a way that consumers will respond to favorably? It certainly demands that you adapt to these new ways of thinking about marketing. Blogs have the ability to create a dialogue, start conversations, and talk and listen to clients, prospects, consumers, and the media. A blog provides a direct link from your company to the outside world. The blog can be the "real voice" of your company, speaking and responding in a conversational environment, with your specific market universe.

Real estate and all that comprises its universe-including the housing bubble, house values, property taxes, etc.-is a conversation topic of great interest. After all, for most people, there is no single purchase a family makes that is deemed more important than a home. The best and most interactive way to get involved in this ongoing conversation is by becoming a blogger yourself.

Manage Your Own Online Reputation-Monitor Other Blogs

In addition to participating in conversations within your own blog, it is vitally important that you are also tuned into the blogosphere in terms of monitoring what's being said about your company and your brand. Search engines such as Feedster, Technorati, IceRocket and PubSub, which monitor and index millions of blogs, can track these postings, and you can search these engines for information about you and your company.

You can also create custom RSS feeds based on keyword searches and use an RSS reader to keep track of these keywords. What you track with RSS is everything related to your company, such as your company name, your name, key industry phrases, etc. You can do this tracking with a bevy of free tools from Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts), Yahoo! Alerts (http://alerts.yahoo.com), Blogpulse (www.blogpulse.com), Feedster (www.feedster.com), and Technorati (www.technorati.com).

Surveying the blogosphere for negative messages can help to serve as an early warning system for you and your company. Chances are that what bloggers are saying today, journalists and the media will be saying tomorrow. If you can "head them off at the pass," it will be to your advantage. Not only do you need to know what is being said about you and your company, but it's also important to know what's being said about your competitors.

Online business and competitive intelligence can keep you ahead of the curve. The challenge is that on the Internet, the curve is moving all the time. What is being said about you and your company in blogs, forums, and news groups can have a lightning-fast effect. You always need to have your finger on that pulse.

Actively Pursue Other Bloggers

Building a positive relationship with bloggers can also can help companies not only when the going gets tough but also when it is time to spread buzz about new products or services, etc. Reaching out to bloggers by including them on your press release list, posting comments on their sites, and engaging them through e-mail contacts will help to forge positive relationships. If you've found a well-read blog that pays a compliment to your company, take the time to send them a thank-you. That might be an e-mail or a snippet of news or information that the blog can feature on the site. Consider adding the blog to your blogroll. (You will be surprised at how a small act on your part will pay big dividends because, as many are likely to reciprocate by driving activity to your blog in return.)

Consumers get to know bloggers in an intimate way, and trust is fostered as a result. That means that if they recommend something or are enthusiastic about it, that endorsement will resonate with the highest level of intensity.

Deal with Negative Blog Comments… ASAP

If you find a negative comment on a blog or forum, treat it the same way that you would treat any other public relations issue. Look into the complaint, and if it is fixable, fix it. If you can't fix it, create a blog post that links to the complaint, explain your side of the story, and describe the steps you are taking to address the problem. Don't sweep it under the rug-Nip it in the bud while there is still time to do so.
It's difficult, if not impossible, to completely control your message in the world of the Internet. By becoming proactive-keeping abreast of what is being said about you and your company and, taking the steps as suggested here-you will give yourself the best opportunity to ensure that the reputation you and your company have is the reputation you want.

Conclusion

Media attention may be an unintended consequence of blogging, but one that should be welcomed. While you may not be featured on the cover of the New York Times, blogging can vault you into the limelight at an even more important level, the local community you serve. Share your knowledge, expertise, and insights on a blog, and the media will most assuredly will beat a path to your door.

This column is an excerpt from Realty Blogging: How Real Estate Agents Can Boost Sales with Blog Marketing, by Richard Nacht and Paul Chaney of Blogging Systems, LLC. For more information on Blogging Systems visit www.BloggingSystems.com. For more information on the upcoming book or to order a copy, visit www.RealtyBloggingBook.com.

Be sure to read next month's Real Estate magazine for another section of the book.

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