How to Champion Your Open House Marketing in 2020

Whether you are a new real estate agent or one who understands the landscape, it is prudent to stay in-tune with how your demographic evolves. In this article, we will dive into what an open house is, whether they are still relevant, and how to properly market your open house using 2020 trending initiatives -- including virtual staging, the use of video, and creating single listing websites.

By learning and utilizing these “hot” trends, you will, hopefully, set yourself on a path to open house marketing success in 2020.

Open House Marketing For New Realtors

As a new realtor, the idea of showcasing one of your listings to prospective buyers or renters may seem not only overwhelming but almost impossible. This is due to the amount of preparation and strategy that goes into actually getting your listing on the market.

But, before you try to sit down and brainstorm creative ways to market your listing, it is important to understand what an open house is and how it can generate leads.

What Is an Open House?

To put simply, an open house is when you take one of your listings and open the doors for potential home buyers and/or renters to get a feel for everything it has to offer. An open house is also a legitimate method for keeping your listing looking “picture perfect” for every person that steps through the door. It can be a true struggle -- especially if the current owners haven’t moved out -- to have the listing looking the way you need it to any time a prospective buyer or renter gives you a call. Having an open house allows for you to, in a way, herd all your prospects, grouping them together at one time.

Are Open Houses Still Relevant For Lead Generation?

While you may think the evolution of technology has made open houses irrelevant, it hasn’t. Giving people a real opportunity to walk the layout of their future home is still a great way to sell a listing. Even virtual tours cannot beat the feeling your prospect gets when they step inside their potential home for the first time.

However, some top agents point out that the most effective use of an open house isn’t to sell it. In fact, if you are only using an open house to sell your listing, 63% of top agents suggest to not even host an open house. Instead, your efforts should be focused on generating new leads. You can see far more results from an open house when your objective is to find new clients than you will from actually selling the listing.

This means your open house -- while still essential to focus on the home’s best features -- should showcase your abilities as a real estate agent. For every person who walks in the door, don’t only sell the house, but sell yourself.

Tech Wins #1 For Open House Marketing Trends

While open houses don’t typically scream a technology-driven strategy, they should in 2020 and beyond. First-time real estate agents and experienced agents should take note that people not only want but expect their home buying or renting process to be easy, fluid, and not-at-all frustrating. Technology is a simple and effective way to negate frustration by providing digital access to learn about the listing.

Use of Video

Possibly the most influential and persuasive piece of technology on your prospect is video. Creating, uploading, and viewing a video online has never been easier with top social media networking platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn providing live broadcasting.

The struggle for real estate agents typically comes down to how to use video in a way that will actually attract their prospective buyers or renters. While branding yourself correctly and having a great reputation are certainly handy, it’s even more important to practice. The only way to truly get comfortable in front of the camera is to film yourself as often as possible.

These days, people enjoy something like a live broadcast, because they tend to be more real and relatable. A live broadcast doesn’t, however, consist of any editing. If you make a mistake, then your whole audience will know without any delay. It is crucial to go into a live broadcast with a plan in mind, and maybe even an outline of talking points. This ensures you will stay on topic and limits the chance of mistakes.

Virtual Open House Staging

There are a couple of ways you can create a virtual open house for your prospective buyers or renters. The first is to use 4K video, whether it be your phone or your camera, to do a walk-through tour of your listing. You could do so by having a professional or colleague film you as you go through with talking points about each room, or you could keep it simple by panning through each room without talking.

The second way is a bit more advanced and will require more technical knowledge and equipment: VR. Virtual Reality has become a great way to generate interest, as you can essentially replicate your entire listing as a 3D model. This is great, for example, if you have an office walk-in that doesn’t have time to travel to the listing. Rather than scheduling to take them out to the property in the future, you can hand them a VR headset and they can explore the listing right then and there.

Using virtual staging as an open house marketing tool really comes down to efficiency. By giving your lead a chance to formally look at the listing without needing to leave the comfort of their current home or your office, you get a better feel of the types of listings they are interested in without a ton of extra leg work.

Single Property Websites

Did you know, per the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, that for 44% of recent buyers, the first step that they took in the home buying process was to look online at properties for sale, while 16% of buyers first contacted a real estate agent?

The idea behind a single property website is to allow a lead to get direct information on a listing without doing anything more than typing in the neighborhood or address. More importantly, the point of a single property website should be to highlight features and provide valuable knowledge on a property that your leads cannot get elsewhere. It could also be the main landing page where all your promotional materials collide; i.e. if you have a YouTube video of the property and some blog posts about the neighborhood, then you can host both on the website.

It is important to note the work that goes into creating a website. If you plan on doing it yourself and not hiring a team of professionals, then you should look at possibly creating websites focused on certain areas or neighborhoods. This will allow you to create a website that will rank easily, without the website going null-and-void within a week because you sold a property.

Open House Marketing Doesn’t Need to Be a Hassle

Your marketing needs as a real estate agent, whether you are a new or experienced agent, will always seem overwhelming until you make a change. In 2020, with the number of new trends, it makes the most sense to hire a real estate marketing agency that can have your back.

Rather than worrying about things like when to post to social media or how to build a website, you can rely on your team of professionals. Make 2020 the year you focus on your business instead of letting the hassle that can be marketing take you away from it.

Web Design Services to Keep Your Listing Top of Mind

If you are a new real estate agent, then you likely need a website to associate with your brand. Meanwhile, if you are a more experienced real estate agent, then you might need your website audited and refreshed.

All these needs fall into the scope of GrowthSuite’s real estate marketing services. GrowthSuite provides quality lead generation by providing new and experienced agents with:

• SEO & Social Media Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Website Design
• Content Creation
• Directory Listing Sync
• Reputation Management

When it comes to your everyday marketing needs, such as open house marketing, you are in the best hands at GrowthSuite. Click here to have us reach out and get you started on a path to greater success!