Virtual Open Houses and Digital Marketing: 5 Things You Should Know

With the country preparing to reopen, virtual open houses will likely continue to be implemented going forward. This is actually a good thing because it will allow you as a real estate agent to reach outside of your normal boundaries. Doing virtual tours gives you viewers not just within your country, but across the globe. The number one key when it comes to virtual tours is making sure that you freshen up on your digital skills, because any good virtual tour starts with a lot of digital marketing.

1. Promote your up-and-coming virtual open house. This is when you get creative by designing your marketing piece including the listing to be sent to your sphere of influence. A best practice might look like adding a button that will link to a pre-registration webinar link, a pre-recorded tour video, or a form your contacts can fill out so you can follow up after the webinar. If you're a current rezora user, head to support@rezora.com to have our new Virtual Open House Template added to your account, where a button will be patiently waiting for your link. Overall, the importance is to promote. Set a schedule for yourself with reminders on when you need to promote your up-and-coming virtual house and through which channels.

2. Choose the best platform to host your live tour. This could be Instagram Live, Facebook Live, a 

Zoom webinar, or another webinar platform; the best option for you will likely be dependent on your budget. We at rezora have found that a lot of agents are using Instagram Live and Facebook Live for their virtual opens. If you're using Instagram Live, you can set a reminder via your story that viewers can also sign up to be reminded (as seen to the right). Even without this functionality, it's important to remind your sphere of influence when this event is happening.

3. Set up multiple dates. This may sound like a no-brainer, but the amount of digital marketing prep can make it feel like a one-and-done deal. The good news is that most of your digital marketing can include multiple dates! The only thing you'll need to stay on top of are the reminders as each date gets closer.

4. Practice a walk-through before going live. This is your chance to be the director and producer of your mini-movie. Make sure you stage the scene and do a complete walk-through so there aren't any surprises and you're able to get all of your thoughts across in a clear, concise manner when speaking about the listing. You may want to consider having someone assist you during the live tour. This will allow you to show and discuss the listing while your "assistant" is reading off questions that you can then answer. While it's not a requirement, it's always helpful to have an extra set of hands.

5. Record your virtual open house. Your buyer may be stuck in a meeting during your virtual open, so it's important to make sure they have options. While another tour date is helpful, they may forget or lose interest by then, so a recording gives them the option of watching when it's convenient for them.

At the end of the day, the most important piece of a virtual open house is the audience. By focusing on your digital marketing strategy as a whole, and as it pertains to virtual open houses, you'll set yourself up for a successful virtual open with an engaged audience.