You have mastered the art of selling homes. You use all types of mutli-media, including several web sites, virtual tours, social media marketing, etc. But have you tried selling your town?
Ask yourself why would anyone want to live here? Look around from the perspective of a new resident, what do you see? What are the best features of your town. The best small things that only locals see?
Drive around, take pictures of places that are of interest (not listings), show off your community. Ask your local friends what they think is the best selling feature of your area.
What would you do if your community was a listing? It essentially is. When locals are house-hunting they typically know the community already and are truly looking for a house, and perhaps would want to know about the surrounding neighborhood. But what about those who are relocating for work, family, or retirement? They may have a new job in a location within easy commuting distance to your town. But there are so many communities for them to choose from. Create a website that will say “You WANT to live here in Mytown, USA!”
Keep in mind the seasonal differences…when are the best features of your town the most attractive? Do you have maple trees that turn glorious colors in the fall? A massive tulip garden in a local park? A golf course with bright green grass that may be brighter in the spring than any other time? A community pool that is full of happy children in mid-summer? An ice-skating rink on a busy December evening with twinkling holiday lights surrounding it? It may take you an entire year to catch the best aspects of your town in their seasonal glory, but just think of how you can build out your community pieces in that time frame.
Don’t forget the things that you see as everyday, just-the-way-things-are, places and events in your town. Even something as mundane as a children’s playground at a fast food restaurant could be a selling point. (You would be surprised at the number of towns that don’t have that!) The stuff of everyday life is the stuff that will make a home shopper feel like this could be a great place to call home.
You could also consider featuring a guest blog by the mayor or chamber of commerce president. Or invite a local school to submit entries for blog posts and reward the best ones with a $5 gift card to McDonald’s or some other kid-preferred place, then feature these blog posts for a truly unique perspective of your community!
For another media twist…add video to your community info! You can do this yourself if you are video savvy, or you can have someone assist you in it. (Do you have a teenager? This might be a good bonding activity to do with them!) Just be sure that it is YOU who appears in the video.
You can also get your community involved in this. Does your town have a festival or other community event? Set up a video camera and invite your fellow town folk to talk about what they love about your town, and invite home searchers to join them as a citizen.
Are you interested in hiring a virtual assistant to help you with this? We currently have virtual assistants who are “local” to the following areas: North Carolina, Georgia, & Missouri. We also have connections around the country and we may be able to locate a blogger that is local to your area. We can also help you with posting your own content, editing and polishing your video, etc. Contact us today for more information!
REVATS is a team of independent virtual assistants working together to bring comprehensive virtual services to real estate agents around the USA.
