This post is part of a series on how good public relations can help businesses make a name for themselves, promote their products & services, land speaking engagements for executives, influence public opinion or handle crisis situations.
Challenge: Founded in 1997, Wood Partners had become the No. 1 multifamily builder in the nation with 6,000+ apartment starts in 2004. By 2007, it was named “The Fastest Growing Private Builder” in America by Builder magazine. Yet the company had almost no name recognition outside of its base in the Southeast and Texas, and that became a problem when Wood Partners wanted to expand, especially during the downturn when financing was tight.
Action: To build awareness of the Wood Partners brand, tout its track record and announce its expansion, Anton Communications implemented a comprehensive media relations and marketing campaign. It began with the successful launch of the company’s first California office in 2007, followed by the opening of a Denver office in 2008, and others in Seattle (2010) and Boston (2011). We also announced new acquisitions nationwide and promoted the company and its executives through proactive media pitching, executive interviews and speaking engagements at key industry conferences. Eventually, Wood Partners offices across the country began to call on our firm to help with grand openings of new communities and other special events, apply for industry awards and assist with social media efforts. In 2010 we were invited to join the in-house team in charge of developing a new website, and created most of the content.
Results: In 2010 and 2011 alone, our firm generated more than 300 positive news articles about Wood Partners with 5.6 million impressions, including coverage by the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and major newspapers in every city where it is actively developing. The print publicity alone was worth an estimated $442,000. Wood Partners has emerged from the depths of the housing crash as the second largest multifamily developer with almost 4,000 starts in 2011 – and everybody knows their name now.