Become the Media
by minifig
An interesting item in last week’s Wall St. Journal about the online war of words between beer giants Miller and Anheuser-Busch.
Miller has taken the interesting tact of hiring a former Ad-Age reporter and created “Brew” Blog, a daily blog to covers the beer industry from Miller’s vantage point.
Why do this? The answer from WSJ.com.
While the site lets Miller tweak its famously tight-lipped rival, it also gives the company a platform to take a first crack at spinning industry news.
Even with its obvious bias, the blog is actually a fantastic resource for anyone interested in staying on top of the beer wars. Several years ago I worked for Molson, before it became Molson Coors, so the brewing industry is still of interest to me (both professionally and socially).
But I think there is a lesson here for the real estate industry. Often when I speak to brokers, I hear a lot of them complaining about the negative press the real estate industry gets in the mainstream media.
One thing I suggest is for them to create their own blogs to counter this noise. Not fill the space with meaningless marketing platitudes like “Now is Great Time to Buy…” but actually contribute meaningfully to the conversation and to debate the issues.
The big real estate brands would be wise to take a lesson from Miller; create a real estate blog and hire a full time blogger. It could be an agent - but they’re (hopefully) too busy selling real estate. Rather, carve out some dollars from that bloated print marketing budget and hire a social media guru or a cub reporter fresh out of journalism school, then let them off the leash a bit to create stories that are relevant to the conversation but maintain your brand integrity.
A company like Redfin understands this idea implicitly. It’s the impetus behind their Sweet Digs bloggers (see Redfin Unleashes the Listing Critics) - who, granted, can veer out of control every once in a while (see Something I’ve Been Meaning to Say for A Long Time) but still contribute greatly to the real estate conversations in their respective markets.
I’m actually surprised more of the bigger real estate brands haven’t picked up on this idea, and I’d love to see one of them try. Go ahead, your brand will thank you.
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3 Comment(s)
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- From Big Brand Blogging « The Notorious R.O.B. | Apr 29, 2008
- From Real Estate Voices » Blog Archive » If blogging is a key strategy for major international companies then it should be for your business! | Apr 29, 2008
Overland Park Real Estate | Apr 29, 2008 | Reply
I really am suprised more comapanies are not hiring social media gurus. It gives them such a great platform to put their spin on things, at a very little expense…why wouldnt they?
TheRECoach | Apr 30, 2008 | Reply
Hi Joel, nice post!
I concur with the idea that a Brand should take a look at the benefits of Social media. I was hired by a Pru Broker about 2 years ago to begin researching and instructing the 300 Agents in his 15 offices on web 2.0 concepts, like Blogging. Since that time I have enjoyed my entrance into the web 2.0 world, Social networking (where I 1st met you, and many other fine people), and mostly Blogging! I have found it to be an amazing opportunity to bring knowledge to the masses. I am however, doing this under my own “brand” (TheRECoach) if you will, because it is not a safe place for a brand to be. It is unregulated and there are so many “potholes” still lerking that a Brand would be subjected to too much, driving this road (Note your example of RedFin’s latest woes, which have now erupted into a full blown debate in the Blogsphere (healthy though). Though I can attest to the undeniable success a Blog, website, and web 2.0 education can have for an Agent, I am not recommending my Broker engage in a brand identified Blog yet. Still a “Slippery Slope” out there.
Keep up the fine work, I really enjoy your posts!
TheRECoach
Real Estate Graphic Design | May 13, 2008 | Reply
From being in the real estate marketing world myself, I can state with some authority that the average consumer is very wary of realtors who constantly preach a line that will get them business like “Now is Great Time to Buy…” Honesty is seen more and more as a trait to differentiate yourself from the masses. Combine that with knowledge you’ve garnered from experience, and your authority and honesty will win you business. Blogs are a great forum to express that.