5 Best Practices For Home Builder Events Post-COVID

Hosting events has always been an important marketing strategy for home builders. Events are a great way to build brand awareness and loyalty, because they give your potential customers the opportunity to interact with the product directly. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to host home builder events and interact with customers in person. 

In the past, home builder events were a way for consumers to interact with properties in person, and they were most successful when they attracted a significant crowd. Although COVID has limited the ways that builders can hold marketing events, it doesn’t mean that you have to skip them altogether. 

With some creativity and planning, builders can create exciting events that connect with consumers while minimizing the risk of illness. Hosting a creative event is an excellent way to boost your brand awareness and help your properties stand out, even during COVID. Here are five best practices and ideas that you can use to host COVID-safe home builder events. 

Parade of Homes

A Parade of Homes has long been a popular way to connect with potential home buyers. During a traditional Parade of Homes, attendees have the opportunity to walk through several different homes in the community. It’s a great way for your potential customers to see the various home models that you have available and compare different options. By actually spending time inside the homes, it makes it easy for consumers to picture themselves living there. 

Depending on where you’re located and the current COVID restrictions, you may still be able to host a Parade of Homes. To make this event safe, you can cut down on the capacity of visitors who can be inside each home at a time. To stay organized, you can also have visitors reserve tickets online ahead of time, so that their arrivals are staggered throughout the event. 

Requiring visitors to wear masks can also make your event much safer for everyone. This is a great opportunity for brand awareness — you can have masks made with your brand logo on them to give to visitors. Have your staff placed in each home so they can ensure that visitors are observing your city’s social distancing rules — and so they can answer questions about your homes! 

If your city’s current restrictions won’t allow for an in-person event, you can always host a digital Parade of Homes. This could also be a great option for potential customers that might not feel comfortable going to an in-person event. Post tours of each of your homes where visitors can see both the interior and the exterior of the property. 360-degree cameras and virtual reality technology can enhance your home tours even more and make attendees feel like they’re at the home. 

Webinars

Webinars are a great way to connect with your potential customers in a safe way. When done well, they’ll also provide real value to the attendees and improve your brand loyalty. Structure your webinars around things that home buyers want to learn about. 

These webinars can be light and fun — think topics like home decorating, home improvement, or gardening tips. However, they can also be more serious and structured. For example, you could host a webinar for first-time home buyers, which walks them through the process of taking out a mortgage and putting in an offer on a house. 

To provide the best possible value through your webinars, bring in experts on the topic to speak. The advantage of hosting a webinar is that you can have speakers dial in from anywhere in the world. You can also ask potential attendees ahead of time what topics they would like to hear about. Your social media accounts are a great way to connect with them and see how they feel about various topics. 

Charity Events

Charity events can be both fun and meaningful for your potential customers. Connect with local charities that your community is passionate about to host a fundraiser. With a strong marketing campaign, charitable events can draw large crowds. They’re also a great way to boost your brand image and develop brand loyalty. 

There are many ways to host exciting fundraisers right now. Of course, you can always host a virtual fundraiser with online entertainment. This could include work from local musicians and artists as well as home tours. Depending on where you live, you may also be able to host an in-person event outdoors. 

You’ll need to make sure that attendees can stay socially distant from each other and that they wear an appropriate face covering. At an outdoor event, you’ll want to set up a booth where attendees can learn more about your properties. 

Athletic Events

Research indicates that it’s much safer to spend time with others in an outdoor environment right now rather than indoors. Sponsoring an event like a 5K run, a bike race, or a yoga class is a great way to connect with your customers in a safe way. With uncertainty so high, many people are looking for a way to relieve stress and spend time with others safely, and these types of events provide that type of opportunity. 

To ensure that they are safe, keep participants staggered at least 6 feet apart, and encourage them to wear a mask. This type of event is excellent for boosting brand awareness. Try hosting the event in your community so potential buyers can see your properties. 

Partner With Local Businesses

Businesses like restaurants and retail stores have struggled during the pandemic as restrictions have limited how they can interact with customers. One great event idea is to partner with a business in your area to host a safe event. 

For example, you could host a takeout-centric restaurant week, where nearby eateries offer special dishes or deals. You could pair this with a virtual open house to promote your properties. Connecting with your community helps improve your name recognition among potential buyers. 

Events have always been very important for home builders. While COVID restrictions may have limited the ways we can host events, the desire to connect with others has never been higher. Hosting a safe event gives potential buyers a fun way to learn more about your brand. If you’re interested in learning more about marketing for home builders, contact Milesbrand today. We’re here to take your community from land to brand.