Maximize Your Marketing With Press Releases
Want to increase your company’s visibility? Try using press releases. Contractors like these free marketing tools because they get results.

“In the home building market, people need to see your company’s name six times before it clicks,” says Erika Geiser, vice president of marketing for Christopher Homes in Las Vegas. Press releases subtly help them make that connection. “We get some calls from prospects [after a press release runs], but the main impact is, “oh, we’ve heard of you,’ or ‘we saw you in some magazine or newspaper,’ ” says remodeler Greg Miedema, president of Dakota Builders, in Tucson, AZ.

Got News?

Press releases are newsworthy statements about a company and/or its products or services. They’re designed for publication in newspapers or magazines and are pitched to media editors or reporters, although the information ultimately is intended for consumers. Press releases sometimes appear on company Web sites, too.

“I want someone to read what I’m saying, be excited about it, and then take action,” says Chris Stebnitz, marketing and advertising manager for Stebnitz Builders in Delavan, WI. “If one of these things doesn’t happen, the rest won’t. When all three things happen, people are more likely to tell their friends about what they’ve read. If they read it and are excited about it but don’t take action, the impact dies down.”

 “When we feel we can justify some attention, we send them out,” says Miedema. Here are some significant items and events contractors publicize with press releases:

• Educational certification
• Appointment to boards and committees
• Awards
• New models, communities, divisions, brands, product lines, partnerships, and services
• Special programs
• Participation in home parades and tours, charity projects, and other events.

Got Style?

You can’t write any old thing and call it a press release. Follow an established journalistic format for your press release, or editors may not read it. Here’s how to do it right:

Format:

• Keep the length to two pages or less. If you use a second page, include a header that repeats the headline and includes the words “page 2.”
• Print the press release on company letterhead.
• Put contact info at the top: someone’s name, phone number, and e-mail address. (Decide ahead of time who will handle inquiries about your company’s news.)
• Use a short, attention-getting headline. It should relate why the item, service, or event is noteworthy. For example, “Joe Smith Receives Any Town’s First CAPS Certification,” or “XYZ Builders’ Parade Home Draws 1,000 Visitors.”
• Double-space the body text.
• Start the first paragraph with a dateline: The city and state where the event or news takes place. Add the date, including the year, and then a dash (two hyphens run together are fine).

What to Write:

• First paragraph—Introduce your news in one or two short sentences that describe what it is, where and when it will take place, who will benefit from it, and why it’s pertinent.

If it’s a product or service intended for your customers, mention how it will save them time or money, make their lives easier, enhance their safety, or give them more quality for their money, since those are the folks you’re marketing to. “The more interested they are, the further they’ll read,” says Stebnitz.

• Second paragraph—Explain the news in more detail, but don’t overdo it. Less is better when it comes to press releases. Include a quote in the second paragraph to give your news human interest. “A quote can add a perspective a reporter or editor hadn’t thought of before,” says Paul Lopez, NAHB’s director of media relations.
  
  
• Third paragraph—Summarize the news and add a sentence or two that inspires readers to act on it. Invite them to come see your parade home, visit your company’s Web site, drop by your office, call about an estimate, or see your new showroom. Be sure to repeat the contact information from the top of the press release.

Include a carrot for media editors, too; let them know you’ve got photos to send them, more information and company background material if they need it, a company Web site, etc. “While in some instances people might want to run your release as is, you want them to call your president and learn more about the event and your company,” says Kym Kilbourne, director of public relations for NAHB.

Sign Off

• Center three pound signs a few lines below the last line of text. That’s press release shorthand for “the end.” You don’t need to spell out those words.

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For some more tips, check out “Press Release Pointers” in the full-length version of this article in Business Management Tools. Developed by NAHB’s Business Management Department, this members-only section of http://www.nahb.org/ contains articles about regulatory issues, human resources, financial management, sales, production, technology, customer service, and other business-related topics. We’re constantly adding more, so check back frequently.

Want more tools to maximize your marketing? Pick up a copy of The Best of Sales & Marketing Ideas. Compiled from the most popular articles in Sales & Marketing Ideas magazine, the book offers tips, techniques, and advice from successful home builders and prominent new-home marketing pros. It costs $33.75 for NAHB members and $37.50 for non-members. Call 800-223-2665 or visit http://store.builderbooks.com/cgi-bin/builderbooks to order it online.

Do-Not-Call Update
Perplexed by The Federal Trade Commission’s and  Federal Communication Commission’s joint roles in the federal Do-Not-Call regulations? This should help clear things up:

On September 8, The FTC submitted to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation a report on regulatory coordination in federal telemarketing laws.

The Do-Not-Call Implementation Act requires that the FTC and the FCC each submit a report containing an analysis of the two agencies’ newly revised regulations that govern telemarketing, including provisions that prohibit calling consumers who have entered their numbers on the National Do-Not-Call Registry, which the FTC launched in June 2003.

The Act also requires that the report contain a discussion of inconsistencies between the two agencies’ regulations; the effects such inconsistencies would likely have on consumers and industry; and recommendations for remedying any regulatory inconsistencies. The report recommends that if any adverse result occurs, the two agencies should work together to reconcile the differences in their regulatory approaches.

Click here to read our article from the August issue of Business of Building e/Source about what the federal Do-Not-Call and Do-Not-Fax regulations mean for business owners. [return to top]

Home Builders Score Stunning Court Victory on Pygmy Owls
The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently rejected the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) rationale for listing the pygmy owls as endangered in Arizona following a multi-year legal battle involving NAHB, the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, and the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.

In National Association of Home Builders, et al.  v. Norton, appeals court justices unanimously declared on Aug. 19 that the FWS's listing of the owl as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was “arbitrary and capricious,” and lacked the appropriate scientific data to support it.

By sending the listing back to a lower court, the Ninth Circuit has called into question the status of a proposed critical habitat designation for the bird—a designation that included land use restrictions that could have added as much as $12,000 to the price of a new home in the Tucson area and levied $108 million in costs for Arizonans living in Pima and Pinal Counties over the next 10 years.

The decision has also reinforced a central requirement for endangered species listings affecting builders nationwide: that the FWS must have science as the basis for its decisions, not just speculation.

“The ruling is a wonderful first step toward imposing some rationality in the area of endangered species designation and habitat designation,” said Robert Washburn, an attorney with Flaster/Greenburg PC in Cherry Hill, NJ, and a member of NAHB’s Legal Action Committee. He said the FWS and many state agencies that oversee endangered species “designate well beyond what is reasonable.”

“This decision is a wake up call to the agencies telling them, ‘These are the rules you will have to play by,’ ” Washburn added.

This case marks the first time in more than a decade that any court has ruled against the FWS regarding a species listing, and may be the first decision ever in which an appellate court has called an FWS listing “arbitrary.”

To read the court’s opinion, click here. For more information, read the NAHB press release or contact Tom Ward at 800-368-5242 x8230. [return to top]

Builder Bright Ideas

• Facing a $10,000 advertising budget for his Ideal Energy show home, a builder enlisted the support of 10 building product manufacturers whose products were used in the home. Nine of them agreed to co-sponsor it. A major manufacturer’s advertising department wrote the copy for promotional material. The sponsorships helped defray the costs of the builder’s energy workshops and a media blitz.
  
  
• Networking with a furniture company can yield referrals. People sometimes look for furniture and design ideas before they build. Send the furniture company customers—and ask it to refer prospects back to you.

You’ll find hundreds of terrific tips on accounting, personnel, customer service, sales and marketing, management, trades, production, and design in Management Ideas That Work and More! Management Ideas That Work from NAHB’s Business Management Department. Each book costs $25 for NAHB members and $31.25 for non-members. Both are available from BuilderBooks; call 800-223-2665, or visit www.builderbooks.com to order online. [return to top]

Business Opportunities from NAHB’s Councils
Sales Pros to Shine at NSMC Awards

NAHB’s National Sales and Marketing Council (NSMC) is preparing to shine the spotlight on the nation's finest industry professionals at the NSMC Awards on January 19, 2004. “The Nationals” pays tribute to superior new-home sales and marketing achievements by individual sales and marketing professionals, home builders, and associates. Home builders, developers, associates, and consultants are invited to submit entries, including fees and exhibits, until October 3, 2003.

Log on to http://www.thenationals.com/ to download entry materials. “The Nationals,” will be presented at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas during the International Builders’ Show. For more information about “The Nationals,” call 800-658-2751 or 909-987-2758.

Show Off Your Seniors Housing Project

Enter the 2004 Best of Seniors Housing Design Awards competition. The NAHB Seniors Housing Council has expanded its awards program to 66 categories, including 20 dedicated to seniors multifamily housing. Included are separate categories for current and "on the boards" projects for rental apartments, affordable rental apartments, and for-sale condominiums.

Now in its 13th year, the Best of Seniors Design Awards program is open to project owners, builders, developers, architects, interior designers, operators, remodelers, and marketing and advertising firms who serve the growing 50+ market. The program honors architectural and interior designs for their quality, innovation, and overall excellence.

The deadline for entries is October 10, 2003. Seniors Housing Council members receive a substantial discount on entries. Check out the Call for Entries brochure for a complete list of categories and criteria. Contact Eucklan Matthews by e-mail or call 800-368-5242 x8220 for details. Or visit www.nahb.org/seniorsdesignawards.

Profit From Good Design

Whether you build for first-time, move-up, or empty-nester buyers, you’ll benefit from attending the 2003 NAHB/BALA Design Institute: Teaching the Tools to Turn Trends into Profits.
 
Held in conjunction with the Best in American Living Awards (BALA), this educational event takes place October 13-15 at the Hyatt Newporter in Newport Beach, CA. Attendees will:

• Learn the latest in residential housing design trends
• Tour award-winning homes that display the latest in cutting-edge architectural design\
• Learn how to profitably apply these designs to the homes they build.

Click here to register online. For more information on how to register, please contact NAHB’s Office of the Registrar at 800-368-5242, x8338, or at registar@nahb.com.

Keep Your Business Growing Through Education

NAHB’s University of Housing is offering educational programs to help you grow your business as pre-show events for the 2003 Remodelers’ Show, which will take place October 23-25 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore. The pre-show education begins on Monday, October 20.

Pre-show courses include:

• Managing a Profitable Family-Owned Business (new)
• Introduction to Business Management
• On-Site Project Management
• Estimating for Builders and Remodelers
• Negotiating Skills
• Home Modifications
• Working with and Marketing to Older Adults
• PREP: Your First Step to Certified Graduate RemodelorTM (CGR)
• Train the Trainer (new)

The pre-show course schedule and descriptions are available at the Remodelers’ Show Web site. Go to www.remodelersshow.com  for course and show registration or for detailed show information. Sign-up for the NAHB courses is available when completing the Show registration.

The Remodelers’ Show is sponsored by NAHB and the Remodelors™ Council and produced by Hanley-Wood, LLC.

Publicize Your Multifamily Project With the Pillars

NAHB’s Multifamily Council invites applications and nominations for its 2004 Pillars of the Industry Awards. Considered the most prestigious awards in the industry, the Pillars awards recognize excellence in multifamily design, development, finance, management, and marketing, and showcase of future trends and innovation. Applications will be accepted through November 2003.

For an official call for entries application form, visit www.pillarsconference.com or call the Multifamily Council at 800-368-5242 x8215.
[return to top]

NAHB Teaches Kids About Home Safety With New Bob the Builder(TM) Awareness Promotion
Home builder associations, members, and Women’s Councils can now order the 16-page Bob the Builder Blueprints for Home Safety activity book that teaches young children about staying safe from accidents and injuries in their homes. The activity book is part of a public awareness promotion sponsored by NAHB and HIT Entertainment (Bob the Builder’s owners) and features a pull-out poster with 10 key safety points.

This is a one-time promotion for NAHB-affiliated associations and members, and the activity books are available free in limited quantities. You can distribute them to children attending home shows, parades of homes, special events and to area educators. Consider providing the activity books to your local elementary school children and help their schools host a “home safety day” in which members and community fire fighters talk with children about home safety. National Fire Prevention Week is October 5-12, 2003 and is terrific timing for this kind of promotion.

And, HIT Entertainment has teamed-up with Wal-Mart for a Bob the Builder Safety Day on Saturday, October 18 with an in-store promotion from 10:00 a.m. until noon. Kids will participate in a “Safety Scavenger Hunt” and will receive a smaller version of the Blueprints for Home Safety activity book at the finish. All 2,900 U.S. Wal-Mart stores are participating, and the NAHB name and logo will appear on the activity books that are part of this promotion. To learn more about Wal-Mart’s Bob the Builder Safety Day, contact your local Wal-Mart store’s Risk Manager.

The activity books are available for a limited time as part of this promotion and are free, apart from the cost of shipping and handling. For more information and the Blueprints for Home Safety Member Idea Guide, visit:
http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=12954. [return to top]

Member Advantage: Save up to 69 Percent With Viking Office Products
NAHB and Viking office products are working together to bring members more than just low prices. Advantages include fast overnight delivery, same-day delivery in major cities nationwide, savings up to 69 percent from manufacturers’ list price, free delivery on orders as small as $25 (within the continental U.S. only), one-year guarantee on everything, complete delivery (virtually no backorders), and courteous, helpful people. 

Call 800-421-1222 and mention code “HB” for the standard 10 percent member discount. 

To order online and for details on more than a dozen other money-saving Member Advantage discount programs, click here, or go to http://memberadvantage.nahb.org.

Go to www.nahb.org to explore the numerous advantages associated with membership in your local, state, and national home builders association. [return to top]