Ever feel like all of the “good” ideas to showing listings have been worn out by other real estate agents?

Open houses are no exclusion. Back in the day, they were the most common technique for getting people in the door. Today, they’ve become a tad more rare. With the advent of the internet and the ability to see property pictures online, it’s certainly reshaped the “open house” solution.

Does this mean hosting open houses isn’t effective anymore? Certainly not.

Whether you’ve seen success with them or not, I want to show you one way to increase engagement with your listings — by promoting open houses on Facebook and Instagram.

Choose a Listing with a “Movability Index”

Hosting an open house for a property that lacks appeal (i.e. has clutter everywhere, is in need of repairs, etc.) obviously won’t generate the success you want. Instead, choose a listing that will generate movable prospects.

The Stephen Cooley Real Estate Group leverages this method in the Rock Hill, SC area. They choose properties that are located within desirable neighborhoods, that are conveniently near a major street/highway, and have general good appeal. They need all 3 elements. They know which neighborhoods attract attention, increasing the probability someone will want to move there (i.e. movability index).

This sets a foundation for success, and it gives them ammunition to use within their Facebook promotions.

Pick Photos. Prepare the Facebook/Instagram Post

Another no-brainer. Pick photos that look good. People always say bathrooms and kitchens do well, but honestly, choose photos that will match your promotional messaging. Example: If you’re going to talk about how spacious the house is, show the rooms that provide space.

Here’s the difference between photos that sell and photos that push away leads:

The house on the left naturally grabs attention because of the red door. Yes, it’s that simple. You subconscious registers the green grass coupled with the red door and thinks beautiful. The house on the right doesn’t have as many distinguishing features, so it doesn’t grab people’s attention as easily.

Now that you have a sense of which photos might do well, pick 2-3 pictures. That way, you can do carousel photos if you want. After that, it’s time to write your social media post on Facebook and Instagram.

Nervous about writing? Want to make it stellar? Here are some tips+resources to help:

• Think about who would want to buy this house. What do they want to hear and see?
• Which features of the house would this ^ audience like?
• Combine these two elements into a message.
• Be descriptive, but don’t be overbearing with adjectives. Ex: “This small, cozy, beautiful house with rose pink walls …” Instead, write: “If you don’t want too much space, but not too little either, this home is the perfect embodiment of coziness. Check out the living area with rose pink walls …”
• For more guidance, check out this article.

Promoting Open Houses on Social Media

Why social media? Because you can create demand within a local area. It allows hyper-targeted advertising.

Typically, to promote an open house, you would inform neighborhood residents, send out flyers, and email your lead database. Social media can expand your reach and it allows you to leverage the best aspect of real estate, pictures. To begin, let’s talk about promoting an open house on Facebook.

The easiest and simplest way is boosting a post. Create a normal post, detailing the property and the open house. Make sure to label the date, time, and location of the open house in the description. If you’re doing something creative, like hosting a food truck outside, make sure to mention it. If not, briefly highlight the listing itself.

Once published, you can boost the post. You’ll noticed a button in the lower-right corner of the post, saying “Boost Post.” If you don’t see it, you may need to set up your Facebook Business Account.

Once you click “Boost Post” you should see an array of options to choose from, including budget and audience. This article will you help you define those elements: click here to view article.

With Instagram, you can promote your open house through advertising. You’ll need to set up a Facebook Business Account (since Instagram is a company under their corporate umbrella). You can create an ad through Facebook’s Ad Manager or you can start at this link location.

Simply select your budget and audience. Then choose the photos you want to use, and hit go. Make sure to select a call-to-action (CTA) button that directs to the listing url (from your website) or to a blog post promoting it.

Extending Your Open House Audience

Taking a multi-pronged approach to promoting an open house can yield significant results, if done properly. If you’re not generating the leads you want, consider experimenting with the ad copy or the imagery. Perhaps, turn the open house into a neighborhood event.

We’ve seen clients leverage creative postcards to let neighbors know “John and Jane Doe” are moving out of the area, so come by and say farewell. People always have friends who may be looking for a home, plus if any of them ever want to sell their property, they’ll remember you as the agent who represented them.

For more details on how clients with BoomTown create success, check out our Success Story page.