By Kailey Waring, marketing, communications and design manager, Seattle King County REALTORS®

“Complicated language, policy, and prices—our housing market can be confusing. But not when you have Seattle King County REALTORS® by your side. For over 100 years, REALTORS® have been passionate about creating healthy communities and a balanced housing market. We want to help you understand all the nitty-gritty, the nuances, and anything and everything you need (and didn’t realize you needed) to know about housing policy.”

This statement above is on the opening page of the HousingTranslator.com site, which is the cornerstone of our Housing Translator campaign, designed to reach out to consumers and demonstrate REALTORS®’ understanding of today’s complex real estate market. The goal of the campaign also is to position the association and its members as leaders in proposing solutions for those who desire to be homeowners in our region.

Here’s how it worked

The spark for Housing Translator came in June 2016 after our 22nd Annual Housing Issues Briefing. This special event is for state senators, state representatives, legislative assistants, and candidates for the state Senate and House. The event features experts’ and consultants’ take on the housing market, consumer preferences, and the policies that may be solutions to the vexing issues of affordability and supply. The information was so powerful and relevant, we knew we needed to share it with a wider audience.

First, the association developed a set of legislative principles and initiatives to correct the current housing shortage, which is the top challenge for our members and the clients they serve. This shortage of inventory manifests itself as ever-increasing home prices, multiple offers on existing homes, inflated offers on homes of marginal value, and accepted offers of sale tens of thousands of dollars above asking price. We felt this critical lack of supply must be addressed for consumers to view our housing market in a positive light.

One of the regulatory solutions we chose to advocate for: legalization of mother-in-law cottages and other accessory dwelling units to increase supply without impacting a neighborhood’s character. We also supported improved transportation systems and increasing the amount of buildable land in the area through the Growth Management Act.

With our legislative priorities in place, we sought PR representation to create a targeted media campaign with the goals of increasing awareness of the value of membership among the 6,000 members of the association in King County; educating members and consumers about the legislative efforts made by REALTORS®; and promoting the use of REALTORS® by consumers.

In January, with local agency Green-Rubino, we launched a multisegment, integrated campaign that includes television advertising buys, digital media ads, radio spots, bus ads, and news and features in local media outlets, all driving consumers to HousingTranslator.com for more information. The website featured an easy-to-navigate list of FAQs such as, “Why aren’t there enough new condos?” “Is it better to rent or buy?” “What would it take to create more affordable housing?” and “How do interest rates impact buying a home?” The site also explained the role and value of REALTORS®.

By the time the initial campaign wrapped up in April our digital media materials logged 10.7 million impressions, reaching approximately 67 percent of adults aged 35 and over in the Seattle area.

Our association’s volunteer leadership was so impressed that we launched a short-term summer campaign, and we’re currently discussing ways to keep it going in the future.