LJ Hooker is a big brand. It’s a big brand in a tough industry. Real estate agents, at the best of times, attract unfair criticism. Throw in the special case that is property management and you have a volatile mix of ingredients for some serious public relations challenges.
In years gone by agents worked off the 5:15 rule. If you did something well 5 people would hear about it, but do something wrong 15 people will hear. With the advent of email this rule was thrown out. The potential for the spread of a bad news story was magnified by the ease with which photos, videos and text could be distributed to email lists. Social media has changed the rules again. Whereas email is essentially private sites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter publish the same content so that it’s viewable by anyone with a web browser.
And this is the problem for Hookers. Today, when people get upset with Hookers they post their upset and anger onto Facebook or Twitter, often to a worldwide audience. Take a look at these examples.
Someone hates LJ Hooker
This status update was found by performing a Facebook search using the term LJ Hooker then applying the Posts by Everyone filter and the Status Updates and Wall Posts sub-filter.
These next examples are from Twitter.
There's no "thank you Mr Hooker" happening here.
A study in being concise, although not overly polite
I accept that a couple of tweets and a Facebook rant don’t make for a full-scale PR disaster, but what is interesting is the ease with which these examples can be found. And what is more disturbing is the vitriol that’s aimed at the organisation. These aren’t people expressing mild disappointment. Rather they contain passion and feeling; a sense of deep-seated resentment toward the franchise.
To provide a further outlet for anger a Hooker employee (I gather) has set up an invitation-only Facebook group called I used to work at LJ Hooker Warrnambool. From the looks of the logo the group is designed to convince prospective employees that working for the Warrnambool office is not a smart move.
Someone doesn't want you working for the Warrnambool office
Then there’s the Facebook group LJ Hooker – The worst Real Estate for RENTING!! (admittedly only 8 members strong) set up “for People who think that LJ Hooker is the worst realestate (sic) to go through when renting properties”.
Of course these groups are small and relatively inactive. Their minimal influence must be balanced against the significant positive steps made by Hookers including the many Facebook Pages set up by individuals and franchise offices. But, as Horizon Realty Group know, a single tweet can quickly turn into a public relations nightmare.
The question then is how much effort is LJ Hooker putting into training their franchise owners and staff on social media? If just one of these tweets or status updates flashes over into main stream media Hookers may find themselves answering some tough questions staring down the barrel of a Current Affair news camera.
