Carol Ruiz

Most professionals today have some form of smartphone, so this should go without saying. But while you may remain addicted to your “Crackberry,” products from Apple, HTC, and Samsung are providing more robust experiences with much stronger productivity tools.

No one wants to face it, but every builder will—a public relations crisis. “Crisis” may seem like a strong word but it’s typically the PR industry terminology for a situation where a builder’s brand, products or personnel are depicted in an overly harsh light by the media—whether that’s old media such as newspapers and TV, or new media such as Twitter or Facebook.

Social media goes beyond buyers. The audience for your social media efforts is not just prospective buyers. The days when traditional marketing efforts could be aimed in a specific direction with some accuracy—using print ads and radio spots—are virtually gone. Your brand and your project messaging are moving in many directions at once, and they are registering with buyers, but also with reporters, bloggers, and regional personalities with thousands of Twitter followers.

The goal of the PR professional is to use a pitch to interest a reporter and/or editor in writing a story about the client, project, or subject being pitched.