Page 15 - REMAX of Southeastern Michigan 2018 Summer Regional Matters

With a passion for giving back to the community and the need to do some creative personal marketing to get her new real estate business up and running, Shannon Parker of RE/MAX First recognized a unique opportunity to fill both her passion and her need with the RE/MAX How Hot Air Rises balloon program. Instead of spending money on typical post card mailings, she decided to “go big” and get her name out in the community in a way that she would be sure to get noticed, by hosting 15 How Hot Air Rises events at schools in areas in which she is trying to develop business. “I absolutely love giving back to the community. That is my number one. And why not give back to the community while also marketing the RE/MAX brand and myself as a local realtor? It was a win-win and I jumped with both feet in,” says Shannon.
The cost of hosting so many events can really add up, so Shannon partnered with Mortgage One to help offset the cost of hosting each event. Additionally, she worked with local businesses to put together a resource guide to go home with every student and teacher. “I love helping other businesses grow as well, so why not partner with other like-minded businesses that love to give back to the community and at the same time provide a great resource for all of the parents.” says Parker.
The thought process behind the guide was to provide parents and teachers a resource for local businesses that they would find valuable and keep in their home. “ThevalueaddwasimportanttomebecauseIhadoneshottogetinfront of these parents in a very unique way and I wanted to keep my name in homes as long as possible – which requires offering real value and having the parents want to hold on to the materials,” Shannon explains. Additionally, for each event, in an effort to capture leads, Shannon offered $100.00 gift cards. By simply registering on her website with an email address and phone, parents and teachers automatically got a chance to win a visa gift card. “This was my way of trying to capture some information to stay in touch with these parents and teachers,” says Shannon.
Shannon has created quite the buzz in the community and has made some great connections with teachers and parents, but she attests that it is the smile on the kid’s faces that is the best part of doing these events. She explains, “It is truly all about the kids and their reaction is priceless.”
TAKING THE BALLOON TOA
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Shannon’s Tips For a Successful Balloon Event:
• Begin the process of contacting schools 6 months prior to doing your event. Follow up 2-3 months after that to get the commitment and schedule a date.
• Target school districts, not specific schools. Learn who the principals are at each school within the district and reach out to them via email.
• Be involved in every aspect, talk to all the teachers and talk to the kids. Make sure that everyone knows you are the one bringing this amazing event to their school.
• Be sure to send something home with the children that has a “value add” and will stay in the homes a while. That way your name will stay in the homes too!
• Be sure to take care of the teachers at the school. For example, bring in lunch and be sure to drop your business cards off in the teacher’s lounge.