an open house is as good as the exposure it receives....so, blog away before you hold a home open....and have plenty of signage....

Have a purpose for the open house.

Then have a plan that aligns with that purpose.

Then follow up as dictated by the plan.

Regarding your question: an open house should have one of five designated PURPOSES. Without a purpose, the agent is simply spending time, wishing and hoping.

First, the house must be a suitable open house candidate. If the house is located in the bowels of a gated community, the purpose will realistically be restricted to #1 on the list. Here is the list.

1. Get more listings
2. Sell that house
3. Get more buyers
4. Build a list
5. Market research

Each PURPOSE has a very specific execution, self-selection tools, implementation and followup that requires planned choreography among those staffing the open house. You can not effectively do a purposed open house alone.

Wayne and Jean Marie Zuhl - there are few things I learned at Realtor.com seminar last week. 

One of the tip is - offer something of value to the guests at the open house and get their contact information through APP or some online form. Handwritten contact information is difficult to decode - sometimes that's done intentionally.

It's been 10 years since I've held an open house but when  I did I really pushed them online and with directional signs.

Tip 1, don't do them, they are a waste of time. 

Tip 2, since you'll ignore Tip #1...

• put out more signs than seems reasonable...direct them there and then some!
• post: Facebook, Twitter, Craigslist etc.
• Canvass the neighborhood a day or two in advance and invite the neighbors to attend 1 hour earlier than the public: VIP preview hour.
• have a partner if the house is occupied, lots of theft these days...circulate the house. But, also because if you get busy, you don't want others to walk in & walk out without being addressed.
• have a lead capture plan, as Praful suggested, best to offer a text version of your flyer, no paper flyers: now they have to give you their cell # to get the info.
• Have ready to go questions; have comps;have other available homes lists in the area.
• Get them signed up for a FREE MLS search (your MLS, Listingbook, etc.) now you have their e-mail & name.
• Have a plan to capture & follow up with prospects, or it truly was a wasted day.
• Best of luck!

Doing  a mailer to the surrounding neighborhoods helps bring in more people. And, a lot of the time, it is a neighbor that twlls a friend about a home near them. Promote on Facebook, let other agents know about it, put flyers up at local convenience stores, libraries, etc.   

For me:

Preparation.  Information available -- you really can't have too much.   

Lots of signs.  LOTS

Online and offline presence.

An open house attitude.   If you don't like open houses, I believe it shows so don't hold open houses.

Advertisement would be the number one thing.