As digital
advertising becomes more and more essential and appealing to real estate agents
to grow their business, many have stopped more traditional practices like
holding open houses. The promise of quick and easy leads from online sources
leave agents feeling like these more personalized experiences aren’t necessary.
However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. When done correctly, open
houses can increase an agent’s overall brand equity, be a powerful source of
leads and still be the vehicle to move a significant percentage of your
listings. Not to mention, in the age of online and tech focused competitors,
more personal tactics like this can really set you apart. The key is to
understand the correct way to prepare, host, and follow-up from each open house
to extract the maximum benefit.
The
Preparation
An open house that
is quickly thrown together without planning and marketing will yield
disappointing results. If you want to maximize your traffic and exposure, you
need to look at it as an “event” not an item to check off the list. Take to the
streets with flyers and door hangers and promote it online. Get the word out to
potential buyers, as well as neighbors with friends who may know potential
buyers, that this is their chance to see the home. We recommend starting about
a week before the event on digital sources and you should post pictures and
related material on your social pages daily, leading up to the event. Think
about how you can make this an experience for those who attend. It is important
to keep track of all that needs to be done which is why agents should have a
clear-cut system in place to stay organized throughout the process.
The
Open House
Let’s say you’ve
done all your preparation well; there is still significant promotion to be done
the day of the open house. Be sure that all of your signage is out and visually
attractive to capture the attention of people in the neighborhood. This is
great low-cost advertising–even to those who do not attend! Seeing your open
house signs week in and week out goes a long way toward building brand in your community
and ensures you get the call when a consumer is ready to make a move.
If the house is
empty for a few moments, hop onto Instagram, Facebook Live, YouTube Live,
and/or SnapChat to show people who couldn’t make it what they are missing. For
those that do come through, make sure you have them sign in to capture their
name and contact information, so you can follow up with them later. Make sure
you ask them if they are working with an agent. If they are there to buy, there
is a good chance they have property to sell as well. Make sure you
welcome each guest and walk them through the home if you can. Make the most of
their interaction with you–show off your knowledge, your professionalism and
attention to detail. This is real estate
marketing 101, but as a broker, it never hurts to remind your
agents of the basics.
Tech savvy brokers
and their agents may even consider running digital ads the day of the open
house, concentrated on a geography around the home. New advertising
technologies such as “Geo-Fencing” and others, can target people on their
mobile devices when they come within a radius of your event!
The
Follow-Up
In addition to
getting the listing sold, it is a primary goal to capture new buyers/sellers
that aren’t already working with an agent. As soon as the open house is
complete, it is important to follow up with the buyers that passed through the
property within 24-48 hours of the event. A good real estate CRM is
essential to this activity to keep follow-up organized and efficient. Even if
someone is already working with an agent, it is important to follow up with
them to get their insights about the property and learn what they liked or
disliked so you can keep that in mind for your marketing efforts.
For many brokers,
organizing a comprehensive system of training, activities and supporting tools
to help their agents make the most of every open house can seem like a daunting
task. But when you team up with a brand like Weichert, all the work is already
done for you. All you have to do is plug in and use the resources. From
checklists and suppliers for materials to scripts, tips, and marketing templates,
Weichert associates have access to everything they need to make these events
successful. Weichert even provides the CRM to help manage and organize
pre-event invitations and follow-ups.
Weichert believes
in the importance of personal connections and developing meaningful
relationships with clients. Embracing face-to-face strategies like open houses
are a key to doing this. It’s these types of strategies that generate human
connections that will feed your sales production and create a pipeline of business
for your brokerage for years to come.
For more
information about Weichert and their suite of real estate marketing tools and
systems go to www.weichertfranchise.com or
call us at 877-567-33350.
Original content
posted on https://www.weichertfranchise.com/blog/if-open-houses-arent-generating-leads-youre-doing-it-wrong/
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