An open house is like party, if no one shows up, it’s just not fun. And just like for a birthday or a Superbowl party, you have to invite people.
In this article we are going to give you 6 actionnable tips to ensure your open house is a success!
There’s no denying it, Facebook is a wonderful tool for Real Estate Professionals. Just like you would for a party you are organizing, creating an event is a great way to start a buzz around your open house. Make sure to invite friends, family and colleagues and ask them to share it along. You can also promote your event on groups, on your company’s page, etc.
When you create an event there are a few things to do:
Create an original cover photo for your event. I recommend using Canva. It's a great free tool that allows you to create a custom event cover.
Don't forget the important information, such as the date and time of your open house, as well as a link to your listing on Zillow or Trulia
Here is an example I created to show you the importance of an inviting open house event:
In the magical world of social media, Facebook is the king. But that's not a reason to forget other websites. They can also create an impressive buzz around your open house!
Advertise your open house on on Zillow or Trulia. And don't forget to update your listings with the date and time of the event!
Don't forget Pinterest. You'd be surprised by the amount of home buyers looking for decoration ideas there. If you have great photos, make sure to create a few pins. Use the photos and advertise the open house in the description.
Tweets have a very short life span, meaning that you have to tweet about your event regularly. What I recommend doing is creating a countdown, using a little humour (with a gif for example) and making sure to link it to a current event or buzz. For example, I used a Home alone reference in mine to relate to the Holiday season.
Free food is a great way to attract more people to your open house, it acts as the extra push to get them to come to your event. They were hesitant? How do mini pizzas sound? And they'll come running through the door.
If you decide to go with this tasty strategy, I recommend being careful regarding your culinary choices. Indeed, free food is great, but you don't want to create a mess. So avoid things that are too complicated to eat or that will leave stains all over the house.
Local ads (both digital and non digital) are a powerful way to target the right people for your open house event.
Write an ad in a local newspaper.
Leave flyers at local shops. I recommend shops where people have to wait for their order and have nothing better to do than read that flyer lying on the counter (like your local Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks).
Create local ads on Facebook. Facebook ads enable you to target people based on their interest, location, age, etc. So once you've defined your target, get creative!
I created an example to give you a few tips. I recommend using the carousel ad (this ad format is more successful than the other ones), and of course, go crazy on Canva!
Make sure they don't drive by the house without finding it! So put some color in the landscape. Attach balloons to the mail box, put a sign on the front lawn and create a few markers on road signs. For example attach a little cardboard to a sign on an intersection with the words "OPEN HOUSE" in capital letters. You never know where your next client will come from.
Let's not forget about e-mails. E-mail marketing is a classic for a reason, it works! Make sure to send an-email to your friends, clients, family and prospects. The best way to do it is to use MailChimp.
This powerful tool can be used for free (to a certain extent) and enables you to create a campaign, design a personalized e-mail and much more.
I created an example. You can also re-use the visual you created for the Facebook Event. Always create a button linking back to the said event, so people can easily join and remember the date of your open house!
I hope you will be able to use these tips to rock the promotion of your next open house. If you have a question, comment or remark, feel free to contact us or leave a comment.