4 tips for growing your business through event-based marketing
By Gayle Bennett
There are many approaches you can take to grow your business. You can market to first-time homebuyers, develop a niche market, add more agents to your team or increase client referrals. But one of the most effective—and sometimes overlooked—ways to build your client base is to use event-based marketing. But holding a killer event, be it a major block-party bash or a helpful homebuying seminar, is going to take time and cost money. Here are some planning tips from CRSs who have made event-based marketing a key component of their business growth.
1. Who? Target your audience.
You might see event marketing fit multiple paths toward business growth. That’s great! But you’ll want to target each event to a piece of your business that you are looking to grow. One size doesn’t fit all, and it might make sense for you
to focus your efforts.
Betsy Pepine, CRS with Pepine Realty in Gainesville, Florida, holds seminars for homebuyers, home sellers and investors, and a Career Night to prospect new hires. But she really goes all out on client appreciation events, including a fall event at a corn maze with hay rides, raffles, country music and more; a tree-cutting event in December; and community Easter egg hunt in the spring—to name a few.
“Seventy percent of our business comes from our past clients and sphere of influence,” Pepine says. “Instead of trying to chase internet leads and leads of people who don’t have an investment already, we’ve shifted our marketing dollars to focus on the 70 percent of our business who are already our fans.”
2. How much? Spend money to make money.
You don’t have to spend a fortune on an event, but you do want to ensure attendees get the most from it. For example, Don DeHanas, CRS, with DeHanas Real Estate Services in Waldorf, Maryland, holds monthly homebuyer workshops from 6 to 8 p.m. on a weekday. “We have food there since most people are coming on their way home from work,” he says. “We don’t want them wondering what they’ll have for dinner at 8 p.m.”
If you are throwing a big bash, try to stand out. “Old standbys like sponsoring neighborhood block parties are great,” says Matt Stone, CRS, with the Matt Stone Real Estate Team in Charlotte, North Carolina. “But we make our block parties memorable with live music, food trucks, a bounce house for the kiddos and craft beer for the adults—some of whom get in the bounce house after a few beers!”
Laura Dahl, CRS, with Music City Experts in Franklin, Tennessee, holds a monthly bus tour for local agents. “We rent a 40-passenger tour bus, and I select a variety of listings in various price ranges from one area of town,” she says.
“We use it as a recruiting tool to hire agents, but also to train agents in the area about what they can get for the money and expose them to areas they may not sell in.” Lunch is provided and industry sponsors hold gift card drawings.
3. How many? Set an attendance goal and market to meet it.
Facebook and Eventbrite, along with email blasts to your database, are still great ways to get the word out and track RSVPs.
Stone also does sponsored posts by ZIP code on the Nextdoor app. “We’ve also gotten in with the different HOA boards,” he says, “so we’ll come up with an email for our block party for them to send out that says ‘sponsored by’ and has our logo.”
DeHanas likes to keep his monthly homebuyer workshops to 12–15 people to ensure he gets enough one-on-one time with attendees. He knows a certain percentage of people will RSVP “yes” but won’t show, so he shoots for a “yes” list of about 25–30. If he’s not near that range two weeks out, he’ll invest in Facebook ads to broaden his marketing.
“We’ve learned that roughly one-third will RSVP “yes,” and two-thirds of those show up,” Pepine says. “So if you are trying to hit a number, you can work backward to hit it.”
4. Touch base! Have a follow-up plan.
Have a great time at your event, but get ready to hit the ground running once the last guest leaves. “You can put on a good party and have fun,” Dahl says, “but the work comes in the follow up, which is either, ‘I’m sorry we missed you at the event’ or ‘I’m so glad I got to see you,’ and ‘let’s schedule some one-on-one time.’ The event gives you the reason to call.” At the least, you want to capture attendee contact information to build your database.
Whether you are holding smaller seminars or big blowouts, events demonstrate your value to potential clients and keep you front and center with past ones. “I would encourage people to make this a key tactic in their marketing plans,” Pepine says. “I think it’s important to have multiple events throughout the year consistently to keep yourself top of mind with your clients and agents.” 
Tips from the pros
Find a niche. Don DeHanas, CRS, with DeHanas Real Estate Services in Waldorf, Maryland, targets teachers in his area. “This past August, we had a presence at an orientation for new teachers coming into the county,” he says. He and his team then follow up by sending monthly gift baskets full of goodies, teacher supplies and information on his monthly homebuying workshops.
Ask about venue rules early. Betsy Pepine, CRS, with Pepine Realty in Gainesville, Florida, holds numerous client appreciation events throughout the year. “One venue asked us at the last minute who was our licensed bartender,” she says. “We’d had numerous events with alcohol and had never been asked that. We didn’t even know you needed a license to bartend! You need to get the rules of individual properties upfront, so you know you are covered.”
Have a bartender. Matt Stone, CRS, with the Matt Stone Real Estate Team in Charlotte, North Carolina, has increased his sphere of influence over the last year by holding neighbors-only open houses with wine and cheese. But after the first one, he has someone on his team pour the wine. “Some people got a little out of control pouring their own,” he says with a laugh.
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