In a display of unity, real estate pros showed a spirit of giving back during REALTOR® Volunteer Days. See the projects they undertook.

SMS marketers can boost open rates, conversions and sales by using any of nine effective methods, including welcome messages, product alerts, birthday greetings, abandoned cart reminders and event invitations, writes Christine Campbell. Examples of each strategy are highlighted, and Campbell urges brands to always adhere to regulations and include secondary response mechanisms for scam-weary consumers.

Whether employees are in-office or remote, the engagement and connection between them and their managers has become more tenuous, which can lead to less engagement or interest in the customer—and real business problems, according to the Gallup Organization's Jim Clifton and Jim Harter in their book, "Culture Shock." Leadership coach John Baldoni spoke to Harter about ways managers and employees can reconnect and get re-energized.

Otter PR staff writer Amanda Reseburg offers several tips to help executives write guest articles that showcase thought leadership, generate exposure and even boost leads and sales when combined with other marketing tactics. Among her tips: have "a unique and authentic tone of voice" with a "professional-yet-conversational tone."

Home buyers are willing to pay more for so-called smart homes that feature connected technology, according to Interpret's latest Smart Home Matrix. "Smart home makes a difference in one way or another for 85% of buyers and about 40% expect to pay nothing more for smart home products," says Brad Russell, vice president of Interpret.

Silver Reef Investment Holdings is planning to spend $15 million as part of a Voluntary Cleanup Project agreement to remediate a uranium mine site in Utah and then build 100 homes on 148 acres. Critics have doubts about the program, but Bill Rees of the Utah Division of Environmental Response and Remediation says, "It's in the best interest that the program ... saves tax dollars so that a party is voluntarily stepping up to clean up [the land] as compared to the government having to pay to clean it up and then trying to cost-recover on the back side."

Twitter plans to "become the world's most accurate real-time information source and a global town square for communication," said incoming CEO Linda Yaccarino in an employee memo and a Twitter thread. The shift toward Twitter 2.0 offers "the opportunity to reach across aisles, create new partnerships, celebrate new voices and build something together that can change the world."

Banks may be leery of other construction sectors, but the multifamily market remains strong, says Bernie Wasserman, president of Participant Capital Advisors, which recently rolled out a $250 million fund for multifamily development in the Sun Belt region. "If somebody's generally coming to provide capital to the real estate market, multifamily is where they are most comfortable," Wasserman says.

Recent comments from Federal Reserve officials suggest they are less concerned that wage gains are driving inflation, a point that, in light of recent labor market data, supports the case for holding off on a rate increase this week. Meanwhile, lingering stress in the U.S. banking sector and a lack of consensus over how much tightening the economy can withstand further complicate policymakers' calculations on how to proceed.

Despite the stock market's growing optimism about regional banks, these institutions are expected to face significant challenges. Dawn Fitzpatrick, CEO of Soros Fund Management, warned at the Bloomberg Invest conference that a credit contraction is looming and that more banks will fail due to underlying issues. The pressure on these banks is particularly high in the commercial real estate sector.