How do you market yourself and your real estate services? You probably have a website, maybe put something in the newspaper from time to time and, if you’ve been around long enough, likely get some referrals and worth of mouth advertising.
But what about some of the non-traditional options like giveaways and attending local events and festivals?
Having a presence at some of southern Delaware’s fall festivals, particularly the ones that are in communities where you do business, is a great chance for you to get your name and what you do out in front of the public.
And, the best part is, you can do it for a VERY low cost!
This is fall festival season in southern Delaware, so there are literally events and happenings every weekend between now and the middle of November. Some are smaller and some are bigger – but all are opportunities for you to get some face time with the public and maybe even capture a new client or two.
The Southern Delaware Tourism website is a great option for keeping up to date on what’s coming up in the area, as are local chamber of commerce sites. Do a Google search for festivals in your town and see what you come up with.
But, we’ll save you a little bit of time here today by telling you about a few of the bigger festivals that are coming up in the next few weeks. If you want to get out and mingle with the community, these are good opportunities for you to do so.
Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival (Oct. 13-16). Now this is not the kind of festival where you can set up a booth and market your services, but this is held at several locations around the resort and you can certainly get out there and meet your adoring public. Make sure you have some business cards at the ready and prepare for some fantastic jazz music.
Apple-Scrapple Festival (Oct. 14-15). This is the perfect festival for renting a booth and handing out your promotional materials, while shaking hands with as many people as you possibly can. This event in Bridgeville is very well attended, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to meet a lot of new people. Get them on your mailing list and worry about converting them later on.
Sea Witch Halloween & Fiddler’s Festival (Oct. 28-30). Another great event for setting up shop and talking with people who are out and about at one of the area’s final semi-warm weather events. This event has grown every year and is a great place for you to meet lots of people.
World Championship Punkin Chunkin (Nov. 4-6). This huge southern Delaware event returns this year after a two-year hiatus and is one of the area’s largest and most well known festivals.
Sussex County’s Return Day (Nov. 9-10). This is one you should definitely consider attending, both as a REALTOR® and as a local businessperson. Thousands of people come out for this event from all throughout the state, so it’s a chance for you to meet people you might not meet at other festivals. Set up a table, or just roam around with your business cards and meet as many people as you can. And it’s a great event to boot!
A new user portal is launching for billing and education – you will be receiving an email between monday and wednesday next week with instructions on how to access it.
Congratulations to the DAR members appointed to serve on NAR Committees for 2017 during DAR’s 2016 annual conference. Also, check out this PDF for the Delaware REALTOR® of the year press release.
Name
Committee Name
Position
Start Date
End Date
BRAUNSTEIN, ERIC
Risk Management Issues Committee
Member: State Representative [Delaware]
12/1/2016
11/30/2017
BROGAN, RICHARD F
RPAC Participation Council
Member: State Representative [Delaware]
12/1/2016
11/30/2017
DEAN, FREDERICK
Multiple Listing Issues and Policies Committee
Member: At-Large
12/1/2016
11/30/2019
HARMAN, ROBERT R
Board of Directors
State Allocated Director
12/1/2015
11/30/2018
HARMAN, ROBERT R
Broker Involvement Council
Member: State Representative [Delaware]
12/1/2016
11/30/2018
MCGINNIS, PHILIP J
Federal Independent Expenditures
Advisory BoardChair
12/1/2016
11/30/2017
MCGINNIS, PHILIP J
Public Advocacy
Advisory GroupMember: Committee Chair [RPAC Trustees Federal Disbursement Committee]
12/1/2016
11/30/2017
MCGINNIS, PHILIP J
RPAC Trustees Federal Disbursement Committee
Chair
12/1/2016
11/30/2017
MCVEY, ROBERT F
Multiple Listing Issues and Policies
CommitteeMember: State Representative [Delaware]
12/1/2015
11/30/2018
MCVEY, ROBERT F
REALTOR® Party Member Involvement
CommitteeMember: State Representative [Delaware]
12/1/2016
11/30/2018
PLUMMER, BRUCE E
Membership Policy and Board Jurisdiction Committee
Member: State Representative [Delaware]
12/1/2014
11/30/2017
PLUMMER, BRUCE E
Professional Standards Committee
Member: State Representative [Delaware]
1/13/2016
11/30/2018
RENDLE, ANNE
State and Local Issues Policy Committee
Member: At-Large
12/1/2016
11/30/2017
RIEDLE, BRADFORD B
Membership Policy and Board Jurisdiction Committee
It was our honor to be able to share a bit of our communications plan update at SCAOR’s General Membership Meeting this year. In case you missed, or would like a re-cap, here’s what’s happening as of this week (10/07/16):
“At-a-Glance” Mondays – Weekly email of SCAOR news showing up in your inbox monday morning
Tech Tip Tuesday – Helpful Screencast Videos on how to do something with Technology
Throwback Thursday – Fun Pictures on the SCAOR Site of Past Pictures
Blog Post Friday – Articles, Podcasts, Videos – A random selection of helpful information for REALTORS
SCAOR Card – Monthly Communication regarding SCAOR News happening at the department level. Communications, Public Policy, Finances, Education, Committees, DAR, NAR, etc.
Communications Stats:
We also got to share some great, interesting stats regarding the last Quarter’s worth of communication. Check out the PDF here –
We’re not there yet on lower owner-occupancy ratios for FHA condo loans. HUD says it needs more input before making it possible to get federally insured financing for buying a unit in a building with a lot of renters. Other stories look at help for struggling homeowners through the federal HARP program, which allows owners to refinance or even modify their mortgage if they have little or no equity or are underwater. The video also looks at the last home sales, and includes a message from the NAR president why real estate professionals should vote in upcoming elections. And it looks at a new audio podcast called The Takeaway that provides concrete ideas for agents. The first podcast looks at creating a board of directors for your practice.
We caught up with Angela Emerson, head of our education department, and did a quick interview:
SCAOR: We’re all really busy these days. What’s the quickest way to keep all of our REALTOR® education organized?
Angela: “If you don’t have it already, I’d visit the SCAOR website to obtain the handy dandy checklist. It’s a great way to help you keep it all together. “
SCAOR: “What classes are you most excited about?
Angela: I’d say to be on the lookout for some surprise offerings…Here’s a hint…..November 18 we will have a special guest that guarantees to assist you with boosting your sales, performance, and customer experience-without being physically present. This guest will visually demonstrate value that only you can provide – in a way that makes your stand out from the competition.
SCAOR: “Bonus – Do you have a favorite educational quote?”
Angela: I do! It’s by Abraham Lincoln: “Upon the subject of education … I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in.”
So what’s happening with Education these days?
Here’s the low-down:
Do you know the name Doug Devirtre? If not, you should. He’s the national author of “Screen to Screen Selling”, and he’s coming to SCAOR in November. Tickets go on sale soon.
NAR Ethics – Knock out your Module 2 AND NAR Ethics on October 27th. This course satisfies both the State of Delaware’s Module 2 – Professional Standards in Real Estate requirement. As an added bonus this course also satisfies NAR’s quadrennial ethics requirement. Click here to join!
As always, if you have any questions regarding your educational requirements or any of SCAOR’s course offerings please don’t hesitate to give us a call or shoot Angela an email.