5 Tips for Hosting a Virtual Open House

Wow, the events of 2020 so far have taken the whole world by surprise. Everyone is having to adjust to a new normal, including adding a “face mask” to the list of things you need before you leave the house. Phone, Wallet, Keys, Face Mask, Gloves, Hand Sanitizer. the list goes on, but with all these changes it can be hard to keep up! The shift to a virtual world can leave some people playing catch up as they start using new technology. We are here to help! Having hosted a live open house, we wanted to share some best practices to help you connect with your clients virtually.

 

Let people know about your open house so they can share it with colleagues, friends, and family. Virtual open houses are a great way to connect with people from all over the world, so let people know about it! Facebook Live makes it easy to create an event and invite people to it. Invite people via email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the event link that Facebook Live provides you. Utilize Facebook and Instagram Advertisements that will help you reach your target audience.

 

Live stream video gets more engagement, traffic, and views than competing content. People would rather watch a video they can engage with than read long content. Make sure to upload this live video to Facebook and YouTube. Live video is where the future of marketing is headed so stay ahead of the trends.

 

Live videos can be downloaded and edited after filming and uploading. You can edit short clips to be posted on Instagram and Facebook stories to give your followers a taste of the whole video. After using the live video feature for your open house, film a shorter high-quality walkthrough video to give people a quick tour of the home. Upload the walkthrough video to YouTube, Instagram TV, Facebook, and Twitter.

 

Make a practice video first to make sure you know how to use the live video streaming service you choose for the best results. Before filming, research the best social channel to reach your target audience. If you are not a technological guru there are tons of free resources and videos to help you with your first live video. Sometimes having a partner to hold the camera and give insight as a viewer is helpful.

 

Make sure to provide a lot of detail about features in the home and the surrounding area. Ask your viewers what questions they have during the video and answer them as they appear on the feed. Try putting yourself in your clients’ shoes and answer questions you think they would have such as, “What is the school district like? How close is it to town? What’s the neighborhood like?” Since people are viewing this home through their screens, try to make them feel like they are there with you by answering questions and giving plenty of detail.