5 Ways to Market An Open House
Oh, open houses. Such a necessary evil. Whether you love them or hate them, you still have to get people there or there’s no point in having one. The good news? There ARE ways to get people there. In fact, thanks to technology, there are more ways than ever. Some traditional, some quirky; all relevant. Below we’ve broken five categories of marketing for you to try for your open houses this year:
1. ALL THINGS DIGITAL
The world is online, so take advantage of it!
First, tap into Parks website, and be sure to include it on the open house listings (and make sure the property’s listing is as detailed as possible). While you’re at it, add the open house listing to Zillow, Trulia, and all other online listing sites you feel are relevant. (If you’re feeling adventurous, it never hurts to expand your reach into Craigslist and other less traditional online classifieds).
Remember all those leads you work so hard to collect? Send out an open house invite to all your contacts including clients and colleagues. You never know who will know someone in the market. Don’t forget to attach the listing!
Go where your “friends” are: Facebook. Thanks to Facebook’s robust event feature, setting up an event online and blasting it to the world has never been easier or more effective. Once you set up an event for the open house on Facebook, be sure to share it on any other social media channels you are a part of, too. (Hint: friends of friends will see the event if they are interested, so be sure to have a group of friends or colleagues say they are interested in the event to help the event get in others’ newsfeeds!) Also, be sure update the open house details as you get closer to the event.
2. THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
Although the world is digital, good ol’ paper and signage is absolutely necessary. The trick? Be smart about it.
First off, challenge yourself to print more flyers than you usually do and tell yourself you will get rid of every single one of them. Put flyers on all the neighbors mailboxes (neighbors will always be curious and are eager to spread the word), public buildings, and local businesses. Most coffee shops and locally owned businesses have community bulletins that you are free to post on! If no community bulletin, ask for a “flyer” trade where if they display yours, you will have some cards or coupons for their business out at the open house.
3. CREATIVE & QUIRKY
One of the amazing things about hosting your own open house is that YOU are the boss and your only limits are your own ideas. Try brainstorming by starting with the phrase “What if ….”. A few ideas that others have had success with are:
Flying a drone overhead with a sign. This obviously requires making sure you are allowed to do so with the neighborhood’s rules, but if so, the sky isliterally the limit. Nothing says something is happening at the house down below like a sign flying over the house!
We love small, local businesses - and sometimes there just aren’t enough opportunities to get their work out there. Get creative and host a pop up at the house during the open house! You may not have everyone interested in the house, but extra people means extra spreading of the word, and besides, you never know who will end up falling in love with a house.
Fundraising, of any kind. This is a multi-fold win. One, you are helping out a fundraiser which is awesome. Two, you can tie your advertising to the fundraising campaign which will expand your audience reach. Three, people may come who otherwise are not normally on the open house “circuit” purely because of the association to the fundraiser.
4. SCHEDULE STRATEGICALLY
Scheduling alone can be a secret weapon of a marketing tool. Thing strategically about neighborhood events, community days, etc. that the open house could slide nicely beside. This gives you more to advertise alongside, and more foot traffic on the day of.
Also, think through the type of audience that you want looking at your house and schedule in the week accordingly. Hint: Your best bet may not be on a Sunday.
5. ADVERTISE IN THE MOMENT
Just as marketing efforts can never begin too early, keep in mind that marketing can be taking place all the way throughout the open house event. Think through ahead of time which channels you want to utilize and be sure to hop online a couple of times before the open house as a reminder and then once it begins. With Facebook Live and Instagram Stories, you can essentially do a live video of you previewing the open house to create interest for everyone at home. How cool is that?
Not big into video? Take advantage of any “in the moment” advertising you can get your hands on. Text your colleagues a last minute reminder, tweet that the house is officially open, or simply update the Facebook eve