I was recently asked what a local Realtor association can do to prepare for the future.
The question comes from a place of concern for a three-tiered association system that has thrived for more than 100 years but now faces disruption from shifts in technology, lawsuits and regulatory changes. Traditional real estate, it’s fair to say, has a massive target on its back.
At least it feels that way.
It’s impossible to foretell the future, but there are six things local Realtor associations can start doing to prepare for the “What’s Next.”
- Promote your value: Every communication you send out, every webpage and every e-blast must tie to a value proposition. Branding is not just about putting your logo on everything, it’s also about making sure there is a unified theme that connects your communications. Consistently telling your members why you matter to them keeps you from being irrelevant.
- Audit your communications: Managing communications channels for non-profits can be challenging. Non-profits oversee all sorts of platforms, from websites to channels such as X or Facebook. Have you asked your members what they find useful and when they want it? Have you asked what news they want from your association? If the answer is ‘no’, then think about a comprehensive review that gets the data you need to make more informed decisions.
- Manage with transparency: In times of crisis, an absence of information results in people creating their own narratives. That’s why association leadership should redouble efforts to be as open as possible on association decision-making with members who are exposed to news sources questioning association relevancy. This may mean providing more explanatory content in your channels.
- It’s OK to discuss the future: In fact, encourage members to have conversations, perhaps in an association-moderated environment, about the forces that are poised to impact the market. Sure, these conversations can never enter any anti-competitive territory, but that does not preclude you from discussing how policies practically would be applied to the industry.
- Take victory laps: Your association is part of a network of like-minded, practitioners who make a positive difference in public policy and in the lives of consumers every day. Don’t be shy about touting your efforts to keep property taxes low, defeat bad transfer tax policies or make things easier for consumers to realize the American Dream of homeownership. Know how to create press releases, manage relationships with the media and post across all channels the successes your organization has.
- A key to relevance is one-on-one engagement: Email blasts are part of the equation, but there’s nothing like getting out of the office and visiting someone at their place of work or a coffee shop. Listen intently. Follow-up on conversations and share ideas. Your members need a place to process what they are reading and experiencing. The two-way conversation that will follow helps you make better decisions and chart a better course for the future.
The future is uncertain, and there’s no way to anticipate or react to everything. These steps, will promote your association’s image and relevancy, and help position it to meet the “What’s Next.”
Jon Broadbooks is principal and founder of White Blaze Strategies, a non-profit management and communications consulting firm. He has more than 12 years of association management and MLS experience. Reach him at [email protected].