Look Who's Talking Real Estate On the Web

So newspapers are shrinking, magazines are shuttering and newsroom staff is being cut at even the most prestigious mastheads. But while the Tribune nixes yet another section and another long-time staff writer hangs out his freelancing shingle, a number of positive new-media developments have caught our attention as well: new blogs, social networks and web sites that are making waves in the Chicago real estate community.

While there’s still plenty of room for more voices in the chorus, we’ve been impressed with the depth and breadth of coverage thus far, especially considering some of the new sites are solo acts. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the new new-media offerings on the scene. Let us know your thoughts. And if you’re not mentioned, but want to be, shoot us an email.

• Bisnow, a Washington, DC-based media venture, has launched Bisnow Chicago with local correspondent, Maureen Wilkey, providing real-time coverage and lively commentary on commercial real estate in Chicago. We’re amazed at the number of industry events occurring each day – and Maureen’s ability to make it to just about all of them.

• The Tribune just launched Rent or Buy, a residential real estate blog within its ChicagoNow.com network. Like its print parent, you can expect quality coverage, including Realtor-led tours of Chicagoland neighborhoods.

• The Real Corner looks like it’s on its way to becoming the go-to social networking site for commercial real estate folks. Membership is at 500 and growing. The site features everything from blogs and forums to news feeds and job postings.

• Chicago magazine’s Deal Estate columnist, Dennis Rodkin, has added a Twitter feed (@DealEstate) as an extension of his online column and monthly print section. Twitter also provides local real estate pros with a new way to send Dennis breaking news.

As these sites grow in popularity and new ones crop up, it’s one more reminder to get in on the conversation. Contribute to blogs; read what others are saying; create your own forum. Choose a medium that works for you (blog, Twitter, video, etc.) and make a commitment to stay connected. Ultimately, what you say and how you say it is up to you. The key is to make sure your message is getting out there.

Are You Creating an “Aha Moment” with Your Customers?

No doubt you’ve heard of the “aha moment” – when something happens that makes you think “so that's what it's all about.” One of my “aha moments” was when I started working with a new client called Dry Greening – a reusable dry cleaning bag that is both a tote for dropping off your dirty clothes at the cleaners and a hanging garment bag for the clean clothes you pick up from the cleaners.

A 100 percent recyclable bag, Dry Greening eliminates all those plastic dry cleaning bags that end up in the trash. Needless to say, I was inspired. Then I learned the bag was created by a stay-at-home mom who wanted to help the environment. I was impressed. Next, I found out Dry Greening was going to be the official “swag bag” for an Oscar after-party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Now I was ecstatic.

The Academy Awards plus helping the environment? I was in PR heaven. Here was a product that needed to be shared with the world. So we issued a “search-engine optimized” press release over the newswire, contacted local and national news outlets and sent bags with personal notes (who does that anymore? Us!) to the media – lots and lots of bags. Plus, we believed so much in the product we told everyone we knew about it – friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc.

The results?
More than 2,000 reads of the press release on PRWeb
A 300 percent increase in web hits
International, national and local media exposure (from Googlenews.com to Entrepreneur.com)
Consumer and trade press coverage (from Family Circle to American DryCleaner)
Calvin Klein™ called the company’s founder about a partnership (!)
Direct sales from PR efforts -- while our goal was to create exposure, it’s always nice to know consumers bought bags based on specific stories we placed.

I truly believe a big reason for the success of this PR campaign had to do with the “aha moment” media and consumers felt when they heard about the product. Reporters felt good writing about it and consumers/dry cleaners felt good buying the bag.

Now if you’re wondering “how can I create an ‘aha moment’ with my customers?” and are finding yourself stumped then contact us. You’d be surprised how one person’s “aha moment” can have a ripple effect on your company.

For example, after I started using Dry Greening I wondered ‘what other items could have a positive impact on my life?’ First, Costco reusable shopping bags; next, reusable water bottles for work; and finally, a bike. Instead of driving to work, I could bike weather permitting. Of course the bike purchase led to a helmet, basket, lock and pant guard. And now I think I need new casual clothes for biking.

No one said “aha moments” were cheap. But I don’t mind because it’s worth it for me to realize ‘this is what it’s all about.’

Deborah Johnson Gives Commencement Address at UW-Whitewater

Our very own Deborah Johnson was asked by her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, to give the keynote address at its commencement ceremony on May 16. Ever the marketer Deborah emailed the students a survey beforehand in which she asked the graduates what kinds of things they’d like to hear about from her. The grads responded that they were most concerned about finding a job and paying off debt – so those become the main themes of her speech. While offering insights from her own life experience, Deborah gave the graduates tips on finding a mentor, finding a job, excelling at that job, networking, managing finances and setting goals. The speech was well accepted, and Deborah continues to receive requests from students and parents for copies of her address. Having personally benefited from her words of wisdom over the years, we know the graduates received valuable advice. Deborah has been a mentor to us all and has helped us develop the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in business and life. Thank you, Deborah!

Never Underestimate The Power Of Ma Bell Or Beyonce

Earlier this year I was contacting a reporter at the Daily Herald about one of our clients’ new products. Like most of society nowadays, reporters usually prefer to get their information online, especially if they’re being pitched a story idea. There are many reasons why reporters like receiving pitches via email, but I believe one reason is because email can be so impersonal. It makes it easier/less offending for them to turn down an idea via email.

But that was the problem. I didn’t want to make it easier for this reporter to turn me down or ignore me. How could she truly understand how great this product was if she didn’t talk to me? I needed to get personal with her. So I stopped typing in mid sentence and picked up the phone. Guess what? The reporter loved the story idea, and my client ran on the front cover of the Daily Herald’s business section and online, http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=273404.

Now I’m not saying we should stop using email to reach out to one another, but, with all the buzz about social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, it’s easy to think of the phone as a marketing tool that’s past its prime. But don’t fall into that trap. Never forget how powerful a phone call can be.

For one thing, phone calls usually don’t result in a misunderstanding. On the phone you can hear someone’s tone, inflections and emotions. The same can’t be said for emails. People are also usually more courteous over the phone. And it’s not just me who thinks people need a reminder about the benefits of the phone, check out this story from the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/realestate/26cov.html?scp=1&sq=buying%20a%20home%20via%20e%20mail&st=cse

Even Beyonce prefers the dial-up method. During a recent interview on The Late Show with David Letterman, Beyonce said she doesn’t tweet or text people. When she wants to get in contact with someone she uses the phone, http://www.haveuheard.net/beyonce-on-david-letterman-4-22-09/ (see 2:25 minutes into interview).

Who knew Beyonce and I had so much in common?

You Mean This Stuff Actually Works II

Building Equity is a small player in the big arena of Chicago commercial real estate brokerage. Though they’ve done some notable deals and represented some major institutions, the company has a fraction of the marketing budget of its larger, better-known rivals. So when they came to us looking for ways to level the playing field, we recommended social media as a low-cost, high-value alternative. Lo and behold, it’s working.

Building Equity’s new blog, www.CommercialInvestmentPropertiesChicago.com, gives the company a platform to share its expertise, talk about deals, build relationships, offer advice and promote listings – all in one neat little cyber-package. And because it’s strategically designed and maintained, the blog is elevating Building Equity’s online visibility while also providing some extra juice to a concurrent PR program.

By virtue of keyword-rich content and social media tagging, Building Equity has begun appearing within the first two pages of Google search results for a number of relevant search terms. Recent news coverage of the blog on Globest.com sent Building Equity’s page views soaring by more than 600 percent and resulted in a page 1 ranking on Google for the competitive search term “Chicago Commercial Real Estate Brokers.”

It’s still early in the game, but Building Equity is already gaining traction online and building on its reputation as an underdog that can hang with the big dogs.

The Power to WILB

Workers rejoice. A new University of Melbourne study has concluded that surfing the net at work for pleasure actually increases our concentration levels and helps make a more productive workforce.

The study, which was conducted by Dr. Brent Coker with the University’s Department of Management and Marketing, says that workers who engage in “Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing” (WILB) are more productive than those who don’t.

According to Dr. Coker, “People who do surf the Internet for fun at work - within a reasonable limit of less than 20% of their total time in the office - are more productive by about 9% than those who don’t.”

Luckily, TJO provides you with plenty of online outlets in which to spend time WILBing. So get to work and follow us on twitter at @tjopr or friend us on Facebook.

Want to learn more about the study? Click here.

Happy Birthday, HARO

HARO celebrated its one-year anniversary this month. In this time, the web site (which gets its name from the acronym for Help-A-Reporter-­Out) grew to more than 70,000 subscribers, posted nearly 25,000 queries from more than 10,000 journalists, and was mentioned in more than 500 print articles and blog posts. All great for founder Peter Shankman, but not bad for the TJO team and our clients either. As a result of this start-up web service that links journalists and PR pros at no cost to either party, we were able to build great relationships with new media contacts and score some serious coverage for our clients.

But the purpose of this post isn’t only to shower HARO with kudos. Rather, on this anniversary of HARO’s launch I think it’s important to realize that Shankman is truly living and breathing the key elements to a successful online presence. He’s creating valuable content, as well as building credibility with and a community for his key audiences. And while we’re constantly advocating these elements to our clients, it’s always nice to have one more solid case study to back up what we preach.

To PR and media folks, the HARO name is synonymous with credibility. We trust and respect it. That’s why reporters – once tried-and-true fans of the competing pay-for-play ProfNet service – quickly jumped on the HARO bandwagon. And it’s why PR pros don’t hesitate to reach out to new contacts in the media to discuss why a client would be a great fit for their stories. This isn’t something just anyone can achieve with a free service. It takes an expert voice using an honest and transparent approach, as well as a track record of results to get here.

HARO also does a great job of building a sense of community. From its start as a Facebook page to now providing urgent media queries via Twitter, member posts on LinkedIn, and three-times-a-day emails, HARO is a non-stop social media experience. The result? Members feel like they’re part of something. Something that’s cohesive and meaningful, despite the barrage of messages that flood the inboxes of the many online apps you’ve downloaded to your Blackberry or iPhone in an effort to keep up with the media’s demand for sources.

It’s this cohesive messaging that brings me to my next point: content. HARO is constantly generating new content across a variety of mediums – whether it’s online video about daily media happenings on WHOH.com (What’s Hot On Haro), blog posts about Shankman’s adventures at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin or teleconferences that connect sources with NPR and Crain’s New York journalists. The content builds on itself, while maintaining a clear message: PR folks and journalists can play in the same sandbox and enjoy it. That message is reinforced with continuous feedback from both PR pros and the media. It’s good content like this that informs its audience, draws them in, and tells them something they want to know.

So hats off to you, HARO, and happy birthday. I’m certain there will be many more to come.

Media's Mixed Messages Open Door for Direct-to-Consumer Communications

At Taylor Johnson, we believe media relations is a key component to a successful PR strategy, but we’re also strongly urging clients to integrate direct-to-consumer communications into their PR programs. This week’s contradictory and confusing news on housing is a prime reason why.

• From Terry Savage’s “Savage Truth Column” in the March 24 Chicago Sun-Times: “Can you expect home sales to rise? That remains to be seen, but it looks like we’re off to a good start. Sales of existing homes edged up to a surprising 4.72 million in February.”

• Very next page. Headline: “Home Sales Plunge in February”. Lede: Existing home sales in Chicago plunged 40.4 percent in February from a year earlier, and the median price dropped 24.7 percent, the Illinois Association of Realtors said Monday.

• Turn to the March 24 Daily Herald. Headline: “Local Home Sales Climb”

It’s easy to understand how someone who’s considering a major transaction such as a home sale or purchase could be confounded to the point of inaction. On one page we’re saved. On the next we’re doomed. And every day is more of the same. So people sit on the sidelines and wait for clear direction.

That direction must come from you.

About a year ago, when the housing market started to get really choppy, Doug Ayers, president of Koenig & Strey GMAC said something that really stuck with me. To paraphrase: ‘Don’t confuse information with knowledge.'

Today, there is no lack of information. But consumers are tired of information. They want knowledge. And who better to provide it than you? Who knows your product better? Who knows your market better? Who knows your customers better? You’re in a unique position to provide real insights; and, with the help of today’s new media tools, to facilitate a two-way conversation that will help your customers learn more about you – and just as importantly, help you learn more about your customers.

Here are a few tips for direct-to-consumer communications that should score with consumers looking for knowledge, not just information.

• Use data from a credible, objective third-party source, such as an industry trade association or independent research organization.
• Provide analysis to tell the story behind the numbers. Point out anomalies that skew data.
• Create opportunities for consumers to request more information – and funnel into your sales cycle.
• Educate, don’t sell. In the new-media world consumers choose you, not the other way around.
• Track the results of your campaigns with unique landing pages and analytics tools.
• Time is of the essence. Respond to news and events as they unfold so you can help your customers form opinions or determine what it means to them.
• Target your message to your audience. That's something the mass media can't do, and it's the whole point of direct-to-consumer communications.

The Story Behind Stories

I want to tell you a story.

It’s a story about a kid from Massachusetts who goes to Washington D.C. and becomes one of the most influential voices in American politics by the age of 27.

Interested? Chances are you were before you ever read the first word of the second sentence. That’s because storytelling is one of the most powerful communications tools we have and one to which humans are automatically drawn. Just reading or hearing the words, “I want to tell you a story,” is enough to make most of us perk up, if only for a second, to find out what’s coming next.

OK. So many of you know the story referenced above is that of Jon Favreau, President Obama’s chief speechwriter. Not coincidentally, it’s storytelling that got Mr. Favreau to where he is today. In a profile in last Sunday’s Chicago Tribune, Favreau, who doesn’t give interviews, is purported to have told his friends his simple approach to successful speechwriting: “Tell a story. That’s the most important part of every speech, more than any given line. Does it tell a story from beginning to end?”

The lure of the story lies deep in our subconscious, and its value as a communications device is well documented. Researchers and authors, Chip and Dan Heath, identify Stories as one of the six rules for lasting and effective communications in their best-selling book, Made to Stick, which has become a bible of sorts at Taylor Johnson. (I cannot recommend this book enough). The Heath brothers say a story “provides simulation (knowledge about how to act) and inspiration (motivation to act).” In other words, stories generate action.

For the Obama-Favreau team, the most dramatic action to date was a vote. For those of us in business, we hope the action is a phone call, a visit, a click, a sale and – after the sale – a referral.

So make sure stories are a part of your communications repertoire. Are your stories engaging? Are they relevant to your audience and the problems your audience face? Are they getting out through the right channels? And are you backing them up with a parallel customer experience? If you’re answering these questions in the affirmative today, then chances are you’ll have an even better story to tell tomorrow.

You Mean This Stuff Actually Works?!

Just returned from a client meeting with some good news. A recent media placement generated a record turnout over the weekend at the Kohler Waters Spa at Burr Ridge Village Center, which is owned and managed by our client, Opus North Corp.

Here's how it went down. Last fall, Taylor Johnson & Olesker Account Executive Morgan Brickley attended a PR-media networking event where she met Janet Davies, veteran Chicago news anchor and host of the popular TV show "190 North". Morgan pitched Janet a tour of the new spa, and the segment finally aired on Sunday, March 1. The following Saturday, March 7, Kohler had a record 105 appointments - more than they booked for Valentine's Day, which was also on a Saturday! Despite the economy, despite the fact that it was just a regular old weekend, the success of this pitch proved that if you can reach the right audiences through the right channels, you can achieve positive results.

Want to Communicate Better? Read This Book, Watch Our President

Our current Book Club selection is Words That Work: It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, by Dr. Frank Luntz. Dr. Luntz is the pollster and communications consultant best known for inventing the dial-testing focus group, which allows politicians and corporations to identify key words or phrases based on people’s immediate reactions, and to tailor their message accordingly. It was Luntz’s dial testing that gave us the term “death tax” used by politicians to frame their argument against the estate tax.

In the first chapter, Luntz identifies the 10 Rules of Effective Communication. They are as follows:
1. Simplicity
2. Brevity
3. Credibility
4. Consistency
5. Novelty
6. Sound and Texture
7. Aspirational Language
8. Visualization
9. Use of Questions
10. Context and Relevance

Last night, I thought I’d do a little experiment and watch President Obama’s address to the joint session of Congress with these 10 rules as a measuring stick of his performance. Here is my take of the new President’s address based on a few of these rules.

Rule # 1 – Simplicity: Though Obama’s speech was long and covered a lot of ground (perhaps too much ground), he used simple language that every American could understand. He even began his passage about the complicated financial system recovery with the words, “I want to speak plainly and candidly about this issue tonight…” The President also summed up his entire stance on the government's role in just 26 syllables: “While the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater…”

Rule # 4 – Consistency: Several times throughout the evening, President Obama repeated key phrases of his speech, especially when wrapping up a point. Also, his expository style would make a college rhetoric professor proud; he tells you what he’s going to say, says it, and then tells you what he just said. I’m willing to bet the public’s recall of “energy, health care and education” was phenomenal.

Rule # 6 – Sound and Texture: The right words in the right order. It’s a rhetorical gift of the President that is almost unmatched. Obama’s cadence is masterful and mesmerizing, and, like a great work of art, almost indescribable.

Rule # 7 – Aspirational Language: Once again, the President hit one out of the park. If you’ve been feeling down lately, all you have to do is fire up the Tivo and play this puppy back. Obama avoided the trap that President Carter famously fell into in his “Malaise” speech. Instead he talked about building “a new foundation for lasting prosperity”, assured us that America would “emerge stronger than before”, and described his budget proposal in terms of “a blueprint for our future.”

Rule # 10 – Context and Relevance: Luntz describes context as “the why of the message” and says relevance is “what it means to me.” Using many of the principals outlined above, Obama conveyed the current crisis and his prescription for recovery in relatable terms that should have resonated with cops, doctors, school-age children and moms and dads.

On other points, Obama didn’t score as high. Of greatest concern to many is the President’s credibility (Rule # 3), but recent opinion polls seem to indicate that the President’s credibility gap is a greater problem with Republicans in Congress than with the American people.

The political views of President Obama and Dr. Frank Luntz couldn’t be more different. Still, when it comes to communication and “words that work”, it doesn’t matter who you side with. What these two men can teach us about effective communication is something that every businessperson, teacher, non-profit worker and parent in America can put to good use.

“Grambo” Takes on Hannah Montana and Wii

Check out Taylor Johnson & Olesker founder Deborah Johnson in Crain's Chicago Business' "Getting Face Time - With the Grandkids" story. When the media came calling in need of sources, we skipped our client list and went straight to our resident "Grambo". The Feb. 2 article, which talks about grandparenting in the new millennium, features an interview with Johnson, who has five grandkids. Click here for the full story.

E-CLIPS New and Improved

After a short hiatus, Taylor Johnson & Olesker is proud to announce the return of E-CLIPS, a digest of the day’s top real estate, marketing and media news, delivered directly to your inbox. In its new format, you can link to stories directly from your E-CLIPS e-mail. (Note that you may need a subscription to view some online content for certain publications, particularly the Wall Street Journal). Since we've gone to the new format, we've received a lot of great feedback from clients and friends. Keep it coming and we'll keep feeding you the news. To sign up to receive E-CLIPS, please visit www.tjopr.com.