Author: Marci Sepulveda

How to spread the word about your open house

6 Ways to Spread the Word About Your Open House 

Marci Sepulveda Leave a comment

Even if you’ve checked off every item on your list of open house preparations, your work is far from over—now it’s time to find people to attend.

Luckily, there are many ways you can publicize your open house. We’ve outlined six of the most effective methods to attract agents and potential homebuyers to your open house below.

#1. Print Advertising

Despite claims that print is dead, real estate agents still find value in advertising properties in local newspapers and magazines. A simple ad with the details of your open house can catch the eye of potential homebuyers flipping through the real estate section. Another route you can take with print advertising is posting flyers in heavily trafficked areas, such as bulletin boards at stores and in the window(s) of your real estate office.

#2. Signage

Along with posting flyers around town, another great way to drive traffic to an open house the day of the event is to post open house signage around the property and outside of the neighborhood, alerting consumers driving or walking by that an open house is happening. These signs also function as a directional tool to help people find their way to the property. 

#3. Social Marketing

One of the most effective ways to reach a large audience in a short amount of time is social media advertising. Yes, you can post your open house flyer to your Facebook business page, Twitter and Instagram accounts to spread the word to your fans and followers, but why stop there?

All three social platforms offer a variety of paid advertising options that are guaranteed to increase your reach. For as low as $5 a day, you can set up a campaign that best fits your end goal and budget. Just be sure your ad is eye-catching and adheres to the rules of each platform, which you can find in Hootsuite’s Complete Guide to Social Advertising. 

#4. Word of Mouth

Call up friends, family and other real estate agents to personally invite them (and anyone they know who is looking to purchase a home) to your open house. A personal phone call not only helps to increase open house attendance, but it can also help you connect with other agents in your market.

#5. Email Marketing

It’s time to put that database you’ve spent so many hours building to good use. Send out a blast to your entire database with a detailed flyer inviting them to attend. Remember, consumers are bombarded with hundreds of emails a day, so be certain to send out your open house flyer with an attention-grabbing subject line, such as Don’t miss out on the house of a lifetime! or You’re Invited: One-of-a-Kind Open House.

#6. Rent-a-Drone

For agents with a larger budget, companies like FlyGuys offer drone services, an advertising tactic that many real estate agents have found to be a great way to attract potential buyers to an open house. Some companies even attach professional banners to drones that are then flown in public places to pique consumers’ interest and get more traffic to the open house.

What’s your favorite technique to spread the word about an open house? Let us know in the comments below.

AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.

3 Quick Steps to Set Your Real Estate Budget | AgentEDU.com

3 Quick Steps to Set Your Real Estate Advertising Budget

Marci Sepulveda Leave a comment

One of a the biggest mistakes a real estate agent can make is neglecting to see value in marketing their brand with a sufficient advertising budget.

Successful marketing campaigns can increase awareness of your brand, your business and your income. But how do you determine just how much of your annual income to allocate to marketing? Below we outline three steps to determine just how much you should budget for your advertising efforts.

#1. Observe Market Trends

To understand what marketing strategies are worth investing in, take some time to analyze market trends and compare your company with others in the industry. Look at marketing efforts from similar companies, both online and offline, to determine where companies in your industry advertise and how much they spend. Understanding the ad budgets of comparable companies in your industry can be valuable insight for developing your own budget.

#2. Calculate a Percentage

Look at your average annual income and consider how long you’ve been in business. Younger companies rely heavily on aggressive marketing plans to increase brand awareness and drive revenue. If your company is five years old or younger, experts suggest devoting between 12 and 20 percent of gross revenue to marketing. For older companies, brand awareness and a profitable customer base have already been established, meaning these companies can allocate a slightly smaller budget to advertising efforts, between six and 12 percent of gross revenue.

#3. Determine the When, Where, and How

When, where and how should you spend your marketing budget? Your initial observation of market trends and other comparable companies advertising strategies can be a great starting point to determine where to spend your marketing budget. Once you know where you want to spend your marketing dollars, how much should you spend in each place?

How To Allocate Your Budget

With the rise in online marketing, it can be assumed that a significant portion of your budget will go to online marketing efforts, and Forrester Research provides great insight into how your online budget should be allocated:

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing, including keyword optimization, requires the most significant online spending, capturing about 14 percent of total marketing budgets.

Display Advertising

Display advertising, like banner ads and re-targeting, is the next largest, taking ten percent of total marketing budgets.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is relatively cheap, but by no means free: Most companies devote two percent of their total marketing budgets to maintenance on social sites.

AgentEDU® is a platform where agents at every level can come to watch 10-minute video courses for the many situations that successful agents must master. From essential to advanced level and everything in between, AgentEDU® courses help agents become top producers with increased earnings and a plan for continued growth.

AgentEDU® is an Agent Publishing brand. For nearly two decades, Agent Publishing has been committed to providing residential real estate professionals with the information and training required to build successful and meaningful careers in their local markets. Agent Publishing’s influence extends to every career stage and reaches agents across print, digital, events and online learning.