Are you interested in learning how to promote your location for the 127 Yard Sale and draw more shoppers? If so, this is the page for you!
Whether you represent a tourism department, chamber of commerce, city or county, or some other organization, we've put together lots of resources to help you promote your location to the thousands upon thousands of 127 Yard Sale shoppers.
Each year in early August these shoppers travel up and down the 690-mile route hunting for bargains, but they also spend time (and money) at local hotels, restaurants, shops, attractions, and events.
Promoting your location helps shoppers find everything it has to offer and brings more revenue to your area.
Key Takeaways
- Biggest Draw — Shoppers are looking for sales, sales, sales.
- Get More Vendors — Vendors are crucial as they attract shoppers.
- Rental Spaces — Vendors need rental spaces. Make sure they can find them.
- Lodging & Food — Encourage local businesses to create listings on 127YardSale.com.
This helps shoppers and vendors find places to stay and eat, making your area more appealing. - Major Vendor Stops — Groups of vendors that draw large crowds.
- Sponsorships — The absolute best way to promote your location.
- Flyers & Posters — Use printable flyers and posters to raise awareness and participation.
- Social Media — Follow and engage with the official 127 Yard Sale social media accounts.
- Email Blast — Share information about the 127 Yard Sale to your email list.
- Free Promo Kit — Download the 127 Yard Sale Promo Kit
How to promote your location?
There are three primary ways for people to participate in the 127 Yard Sale event;
- Shoppers, or "Yardsalers" as we like to call them (those who are buying),
- Vendors (those who are selling), and
- Rental Space Providers (those who provide spaces for vendors to rent).
Next, we'll talk more about shoppers.
What Shoppers Want?
Shoppers want to go where the sales are. Duh, right? Well, to attract more shoppers you need to attract and encourage more vendors to have sales in your area. In addition, shoppers need lodging and places to eat as well. Some shoppers are also looking for things to do such as events and attractions because they make their 127 Yard Sale trip into a vacation.
But to draw shoppers, first and foremost you need vendors, the more the better!
The next section will tell you how to encourage more vendors to set up and sell in your area.
Vendors Attract the Shoppers
We've already discussed the fact that shoppers are looking for sales, so how do you increase the number of sales in your area? You need more vendors. Vendors can be locals who have yard sales in their own yards, or if they don't live on or near the 127 Yard Sale route they may choose to rent a space on another person's property; a Rental Space Provider. Vendors also travel from other cities and states just so they can participate in the 127 Yard Sale. After all, it is "The World's Longest Yard Sale"! It's the biggest and best event of its kind. The more you can do to help and encourage vendors to set up in your area the more enticing it will be for shoppers to visit your location.
We've created an entire page dedicated to helping people learn how to participate in the 127 Yard Sale as vendors. Becoming a vendor is quite easy. The first step is finding a place to set up during the event.
Next, we'll talk about Rental Spaces Providers
Resources for Rental Space Providers
Vendors need a place to set up to sell and property owners rent those spaces. Property owners in your area can post listings about the spaces they have for rent here on 127YardSale.com. They can include all of their location and property info, rental space sizes, photos, and more. Vendors are looking for spaces to rent on this website so you want as many rental space listings as possible for your area. This will make it easier for vendors to find a space to rent. That means more sales in your area which will help drive more shoppers to your location.
Lodging & Restaurant Listings
Shoppers and out-of-town vendors need to find lodging and places to eat. We strongly suggest you encourage local businesses (lodging & restaurants) in your area to create listings on 127YardSale.com. This makes it easy for shoppers to find a place to stay or eat while traveling the 127 Yard Sale route.
The more business listings your area has the more likely shoppers are to take notice and add your location as a great place for them to visit while on their 127 Yard Sale trip.
The How to Post a Listing page walks businesses through the process of posting a listing step-by-step. It's simple easy, and free!
Major Vendor Stops
Major Vendor Stops are single locations and/or small areas, with a minimum of 25 vendors each. Shoppers love to visit these locations so it's a great way to draw people to your area. Vendors also love Major Vendor stops because they draw lots of shoppers. And because Major Vendor Stops typically have food vendors and bathrooms, shoppers tend to stay for a long time and walk around.
Get Listed — If you know of a Major Vendor Stop in your area that's not currently listed on the Major Vendor Stops page please contact us and let us know and we'll get it added.
Major Vendor Stops are also listed on Printable State Route Maps. Shoppers love these maps because there is one for each state and they all show Route 127, other major roads, and cities/towns along the route.
Create Your Own Major Vendor Stop — You might also consider how you can create a Major Vendor Stop in your area. One way to do this is to utilize a county or city-owned property that is already used for other events such as fairgrounds or a community park. Divide it up into spaces and then rent them out to vendors. You can create a listing here on 127YardSale.com to advertise it. The Rental Space Providers 101 page is a great resource to help you
Official 127 Yard Sale Facebook Group
The official 127 Yard Sale Facebook Group has over 78,000 (8/2024) members and it's a great place to let people know about your location. In the group, there are both shoppers as well as vendors looking for the best locations to visit.
4 Ways to use the Facebook group:
- Encourage businesses who have created a listing on 127YardSale.com to post and share the link to their listing.
- Create a post with links to all of the rental space provider listings in your area.
- Post information about your location with pictures and include links to 127YardSale.com listings for businesses in your area.
- Get involved in the conversation and connect with shoppers and vendors.
Note: Only event sponsors may join the group as a business/organization Facebook page and post advertisements with links as that page. See the next section for info about becoming a sponsor.
Become a Sponsor
Becoming a sponsor of the 127 Yard Sale is the best way to promote your location while also helping to support this awesome event. We offer multiple sponsorship levels with many different benefits. Please check out the Become a Sponsor page for more information.
Distribute Flyers & Posters
A great way to promote the 127 Yard Sale in your area is to use the posters and flyers below to call attention to the event and let people know how they can get involved and participate.
Flyers
Distributing event flyers can help spread the word about the 127 Yard Sale.
Flyers are 8.5x11"
Here are some ideas for where to distribute and share your flyers:
- Local Events: Attend other local events or community gatherings and distribute flyers to attendees.
- Local Businesses: Ask permission to leave stacks of flyers at local businesses, such as coffee shops, restaurants, boutiques, and grocery stores.
- Community Centers: Place flyers in community centers, libraries, and recreational facilities where residents often visit.
- Schools and Universities: Distribute flyers at schools, colleges, and universities to reach students, faculty, and parents.
- Neighborhoods: Go door-to-door in nearby neighborhoods to distribute flyers or leave them on doorsteps.
- Public Transportation: Distribute flyers at bus stops and other public transportation hubs.
- Local Parks and Recreation Areas: Place flyers on bulletin boards or hand them out to people enjoying the outdoors.
- Local Organizations: Partner with local organizations, clubs, or associations to distribute flyers to their members or at their events.
- Local Media Outlets: Share flyers with local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations for inclusion in their event listings or community calendars.
Posters
Displaying event posters in strategic locations can significantly boost visibility and attract more participants.
Posters come in two sizes: 18"x"24" & 24"x36"
Here are some ideas for where to display your 127 Yard Sale event posters:
- Local Businesses: Ask cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and other local shops if they'd be willing to display a poster in their windows or on community boards.
- Community Centers: Posters can be placed in community centers, libraries, and recreational facilities where residents often gather.
- Tourist Information Centers: Reach out to local tourist information centers, hotels, and visitor bureaus to see if they can display a poster for travelers passing through.
- College Campuses: If your city has a college or university, consider posting in common areas or bulletin boards to reach students and faculty.
- Public Transportation Stops: Bus stops and train stations are great places to reach a diverse audience.
- Outdoor Bulletin Boards: Many communities have public bulletin boards where event posters are welcome, such as in parks, on community message boards, or at grocery stores.
- Local Events and Markets: If there are other local events happening before or during the 127 Yard Sale, ask if you can display a poster to reach attendees.
- Gas Stations and Convenience Stores: Places where people often stop are ideal for reaching a wide range of individuals.
- Partner Locations: Work with local businesses or organizations that are relevant to the 127 Yard Sale, such as antique stores, flea markets, or historical sites, to cross-promote and display posters.
Follow, Share, and Post on Social Media
Another great way to promote your location for the 127 Yard Sale is to follow the 127 Yard Sale official social media accounts and then comment on posts and share the posts to your social media accounts. You can also make posts to your organizations social media accounts and tag the official 127 Yard Sale social media accounts. This will help to let your followers know about the 127 Yard Sale and get your organization in front of the 127 Yard Sale followers as well. It's a win-win!
Prewritten social media posts are included with the Promotion Kit Download
Email Your Subscribers
If you have an email list of your local businesses, organization members, or community members, sending them information about the 127 Yard Sale event is a great way to raise awareness and increase participation in your area. We suggest including information for shoppers, vendors, and rental space providers as well. You never know how people might want to participate in the event. You can also send out an email specifically to businesses encouraging them to create listings on 127YardSale.com.
Does that sound like a lot of work? No worries, we've created email templates to help you get started!
This will make it easy for you to provide all the information about the event your subscribers may need. All you have to do is download the template below and and then copy and paste the information into your preferred email client or email marketing platform such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, etc. Edit as needed and you're ready to send your email.
Email Templates are included with the Promotion Kit Download
Download Free Promotion Kit
This kit includes a handy "To-Do Checklist" to help you stay organized as you implement the strategies shared on this page. In addition, you will receive all of the customizable downloads listed on this page.
What's included in the Promotion Kit?
- To-Do Checklist
- Email Templates
- Customizable Flyers and Posters
What are you waiting for? Click the button below, fill out the form, and we'll email you the kit shortly!
Let Us Know How We Can Help
If you need help or have questions please don't hesitate to reach out to the 127 Yard Sale Team. We'd be happy to speak with you and do whatever we can to help you promote the 127 Yard Sale in your location.
