Event marketing can be key to success in building relationships and meeting new potential buyers and sellers. There are several categories of events. Events you create, promote, and manage yourself, events that you can sponsor which are created by others, and smaller get-togethers with select groups from your list.
Here’s a monthly guide to party and event ideas to keep your pipeline flowing all year.
1. January: Host a ‘Happy New Year’ party, or a ‘How to winterize your home’ video message. If you’re having a blizzard where you live, make a video about preparedness, emergency systems, where to get the best snowblower, etc. In the south? Consider a fun run for charity.
2. February: Use Red Hot candies for a pop-by gift with the message, ‘It might be cold outside but the market is red hot!’ Or, ‘I love referral business!’ Hand out heart candy or heart candles. You can use these for door-knocking, lead follow-up, open house giveaways, and at the closing table. Bring them to new-home builder representatives and ask for their resale referrals.
3. March: Think tax time, free CMAs, and closing statements that you can send to last year’s clients. Send a video email offering an updated market analysis and follow up with phone contact. That market analysis can be your in-person event.
4. April: ‘Buy or sell with me and adopt a pet for free’ promotion. Work with your ASPCA or local shelter for a specific format. They will promote this for you with press releases or events like PetSmart adoption days. Promote your event via a video sent to your database. Then, reach out with individual phone calls to invite people. Of course, post on social media. This is the type of event that gets a lot of media attention.
5. May: Encourage your sphere to participate with you in Memorial Day parades, especially if you’re in a military or town with a lot of historic places or homes. Participate in existing parades, and give out candy, water bottles or American flags. Create a Facebook live session or a video about VA loans and how they work. Door-knock your neighborhood prior to your open houses with red, white, and blue candy and flags.
6. June: Host a ‘paper ‘n pancakes paper-shredding party!’ Rent a shredding truck and a pancake food truck and host a shredding party at your office. an events center or clubhouse. This has a surprising turnout and doesn’t cost much!
7. July: Host a natural disaster prep party. Offer tips on preparing for natural disasters that are common to your area. Also, after a disaster, host a donation drive. You can do this doorknocking, or ask people to drop donations at your office or home office. Get good press for this through your local papers and TV stations.
8. August: Work with the American Red Cross for a blood drive. They’ll bring the BloodMobile to your location and even prospect for you to maximize turnout.
9. October: Hold a pumpkin-fest!! Host the event at your home, clubhouse, school, library, or recreation center. Buy your pumpkins wholesale in September and invite your neighborhood, the community, your sphere of influence, and more. This is always a very popular event. Serve apple cider or partner with your local coffee house to cater the event. Think about who in your database has a bakery, coffee shop, or other business that you can support.
10. November: Host a Thanksgiving food drive. You can promote this on your website, Facebook page, Instagram, etc. Submit press releases to your local media. Partner with an existing food pantry or church to get additional support and press. You can also host a ‘Friendsgiving’ event at your home or local restaurant. Ask your local elementary school, churches or synagogues for families in need and sponsor them with a surprise turkey dinner.
11. December: Host a holiday toy drive. Partner with your local police or fire department for toy pick up or have your past clients and sphere contacts drop off toys at your home or office. Send thank you cards and highlight the drives and donors on Facebook.
12. December :(Because there are so many opportunities this month!) Organize a gift wrapping party. This is one of the most popular projects for our coaching clients and many listings have resulted! Use the slogan: ‘Don’t get wrapped up with the wrong real estate agent’ on the card and attach it to a simple roll of wrapping paper. Add gift stickers wrapped with a ribbon and add the slogan: ‘Stick with me for all of your real estate needs!’ Add a candy cane and you’re all set to deliver to your neighborhood, farm, use in open houses, drop to past clients as a pop-by, etc. Take them to expired listing and FSBOS!
Bonus!
Play the yes game when anyone invites you to their fourth-quarter parties and events. This means you say yes to everything, even if you might not feel like going. You must make more contact, more frequently than you think, to get the results you desire for this spoke!
Tim and Julie Harris host a podcast for real estate professionals. Tim and Julie have been real estate coaches for more than two decades, coaching the top agents in the country through different types of markets.
