Spooky season, sweater weather, pumpkin spice season—whatever you call it, the dog days of summer are a thing of the past, and cooler weather is starting to creep in. This is the perfect time to add excitement to your business and have fun with the upcoming holidays. That’s why I’ve put together a list of real estate Halloween marketing ideas so you can focus on stirring up some screams, candy, and costumes—and leads—with clients!
Why Is a Halloween Marketing Strategy Important?
Fall welcomes change, and that includes change within your business! Use this time to amp up your marketing strategies and fill your pipeline after the hustle and bustle of summer. People are finally settling back into their routines, gearing up for the holidays, and getting ready for the end of the year. Here are some reasons why it’s important to focus on your marketing strategy:
-
Client nurturing:
It’s important to stay in touch with clients throughout the year; however, involving them in holiday marketing shows you want to connect with them in non-real-estate-related ways and are not just after winning their business.
-
Community involvement:
Showing your business is a part of the community, not just working in it, will help strengthen your brand image.
-
Pipeline preparation:
Getting in front of existing and prospective clients could help position you to get a head start on some deals for the following year.
-
Brand awareness:
Fun campaigns and events are a way to show off your creative side while familiarizing people with what you do and where you work.
10 Fun Real Estate Halloween Marketing Ideas
Open houses are a great way to get some face time with homebuyers and showcase your marketing skills to homesellers. That’s why choosing an open house theme, whether holiday-related or offering specific food and beverage options, is a great way to stand out from the competition. Let’s take a look at some fun ideas for a Halloween open house theme.
1. Host a Haunted Open House
Hosting open houses is a great way to attract potential buyers who will fall in love with your listing. But the trick is getting people to show up. Aside from proper planning to ensure the word gets out, planning a themed open house is a way to capture attention and spark interest. A haunted open house has the potential to get people in the door who may have opted out otherwise.
-
What to do:
With the seller’s permission, decorate the inside and outside of the house with Halloween decorations. Strategically place spooky stuff around the house to lead people from one room to another. If there’s something awesome about the house, consider decorating around it to make it stand out even more.
2. Organize a Pumpkin Carving Contest
A lot of people carve pumpkins around Halloween, so this is a great way to get people involved and connect with past and potential clients. If you’re feeling extra generous, in addition to hosting the contest, pre-purchase pumpkins and entice people to sign up to receive a pumpkin to carve. This will help you score some potential leads.
-
What to do:
Promote your pumpkin carving contest through email marketing, direct mail, and social media. Give instructions on how to submit their entry. In the instructions, ask people to tag you on social media to get even more exposure since their followers will see you tagged in the post.
3. Give Out Branded Candies or Halloween Bags
The holiday season is a great opportunity to plan pop-bys, especially if you have trouble coming up with ideas. Candy is a central theme during Halloween, so it’s extra easy to zone in on a gift. Pick up some of your favorite treats or get branded trick-or-treat bags to give to your clients.
-
What to do:
Choose between branded stickers to put on candy or little gift bags, or opt for custom trick-or-treat bags that kids can use as they run around the neighborhood. Either option will help to get your name in front of more people and keep you top-of-mind.
4. Sponsor or Host a Trunk-or-Treat Event
Trunk-or-treat events have become a Halloween staple. Hosting or sponsoring one of these events shows support for the community and is a fun way to bring people together to mingle and enjoy candy and costumes. Tape your business cards to the back of the candy you are handing out as a way to market yourself and your real estate services.
-
What to do:
If you’re not sponsoring the event but instead organizing your own, consider partnering with a local business, church, or school. This way, you can utilize their parking lot and gain access to their network of people. Gathering your business partners, such as local lenders, attorneys, home inspectors, and title companies, will also help fill the spots and educate people about the individuals involved in a real estate transaction.
5. Host a ‘Spooky’ Homebuyer Seminar
Homebuyer seminars are a popular and effective way of getting new business. At this time of year, get creative by incorporating Halloween-themed treats and beverages, and decorate the space a little to give it the real holiday feel. Create your event flyers by using a design platform like Canva that has holiday templates to help enhance your marketing.
This idea works just as well for sellers if you tweak the content—but keep the Halloween marketing slogans! You can even turn this into a fireside chat about investing in a chill, marshmallow-laden conversational setting.
-
What to do:
Give yourself enough time to get everything ready and spread the word about the event so that people actually show up. Create a presentation that won’t spook your buyers, and prepare handouts the attendees can take with them. Put together a Halloween basket with some tricks and treats to raffle off at the end of the event.
6. Throw a Harvest Party for Past Clients
If you want to go all-out, host a harvest party for your past clients. Showing your appreciation with a fun event is a tried-and-true way to nurture your client relationships. Let’s explore some ways to bring everyone together and make the most of the season.
- Host a bonfire: Roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and tell spooky stories while you enjoy the company of your clients and their families around a fall fire pit.
- Offer hayrides: If the venue allows, offer hayrides while attendees sip apple cider.
- Make costumes: There’s a special kind of magic in creating a unique and original costume for Halloween. So, gather some supplies from your local craft or thrift store and let everyone get creative with their own designs.
-
What to do:
Curate your list of clients with enough time for them to save the date so you will have a head count. Once you know how many people to expect, ask some of your favorite vendors to sponsor the event to raise funds and provide supplies. Don’t forget to take lots of pics the day of the event and share them on social media.
7. Put Together a Costume Donation Drive
Make sure to start this option early so that you have enough time to gather donations and deliver them in time for Halloween. Talk to schools in your community to find out what specific needs students might have, and ask if they would like to partner with you for the costume drive. People will notice when you show up for others in the community, and it will start to solidify your brand image.
-
What to do:
Ask family and friends in your community to bring new, unworn, or lightly used costumes to your office. Offer a drawing for them to enter while they’re there. Have the drawing after Halloween and announce the winner on social media. In fact, do a live video to draw the name.
8. Hire a Food Truck for Your Neighborhood on Halloween Night
Be the good witch of the evening by hiring a food or beverage truck and providing drinks and light bites to anyone who wants them. Hot cocoa, apple cider, and coffee are easy and usually a big hit. Make sure to hand out your information to everyone who comes to the truck for a respite. You can also put a big sign in your yard announcing your treats. (No tricks here!)
-
What to do:
Set up the food truck in front of your house and put your open house signs on the corner of the street with a note taped to it directing people your way. Like other marketing options, consider partnering with one of your favorite vendors to split the cost. Showing that you have a team of trusted professionals by your side helps give people a little insight into how you operate your business.
9. Organize a Halloween Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a lighthearted way to socialize. Approach this idea in one of two ways: keep it exclusive to your clients, or open it up to the community to try and generate leads. Team up with local businesses to support the community and get them involved in the fun. It’s a cool way to promote each other. If you don’t have the resources to host your own event, reach out to your local park district to see if they are planning one that you can sponsor.
-
What to do:
If you’re hosting your own scavenger hunt, determine what you will be hiding and the locations where you will be hiding them. Create or purchase the scavenger hunt cards so you can give them out on the day of the event. Have a meeting point before the event at a local coffee shop or your real estate office, if it’s nearby.
10. Create a Ghoulish Social Media Campaign
When planning your holiday marketing calendar, have a little ghastly fun and let your creativity guide you. Share haunted house stories or Halloween safety tips on TikTok or Instagram. You don’t have to do all the work yourself; there are pre-made Halloween real estate posts available on sites like AgentCrate. You’ll scream with delight at all the options available!
-
What to do:
Plan a campaign for the month of October including a mix of fun, spooky, and educational content. Schedule posts on various platforms, allowing you to take a “set it and forget it” marketing approach. Just don’t forget to engage with your audience after the posts go live.
FAQs
How do you market a Halloween event?
To successfully market any event, you first need to identify your target audience. Once you have determined whether you will be targeting close contacts or the general public, you can develop your Halloween real estate marketing strategy. This may include utilizing direct mail marketing, online promotions, emails, or good old-fashioned phone calls or texts. It’s best to use a combination of these marketing strategies, but the approach ultimately depends on your event goals.
What is the busiest month for real estate?
The spring and summer months are typically busier in the real estate market. The weather improves after winter, and summer allows families extra time to move when their kids are done with school. However, this usually causes home prices to rise due to increased competition in the market.
What is the slowest season for real estate?
The slowest season for real estate varies depending on the market you’re in. Generally speaking, real estate markets tend to slow down during the winter months when the weather gets bad. This is because, in many states, the colder weather makes it less ideal for people to move. Additionally, the holiday season keeps people busy. That said, January is actually an ideal time to buy since there is typically less competition.
How do you increase sales at Halloween?
Utilizing creative marketing is one of the most effective ways to boost sales during Halloween. Implementing the marketing ideas outlined in this article will provide you with a competitive advantage, keep your business actively engaged with clients and the community, and help promote your business.
Bringing It All Together
These are just a few of the many Halloween realtor marketing ideas you can use this year and beyond. Halloween is a ghoulishly good time for extra marketing that incorporates mischief and mayhem.
What kind of fun Halloween marketing ideas have you tried in the past or are you planning to try this year? I would love to hear about them in the comments below.
Add comment