When Starbucks starts selling their Pumpkin Spice Lattes, you know Fall and Winter are right around the corner. With the new seasons comes fresh opportunities to switch up your marketing tactics. Although you still have a little time before the official season change, why wait to do tomorrow what you can accomplish today. Happy planning!
Here are simple yet effective marketing ideas to help make your holiday season a success.
Part 1: Seasonal blog post ideas
- Tips for surviving the winter cold in your area
Depending on where you live, winter can be a tough time of year. Help your readers handle the cold by offering up tips on how they can better prepare. This could be anything from how to snow-proof their homes to a handy list of local resources they may need to contact should they need help (i.e. shoveling the driveway).
- Holiday decorating tips
Who doesn’t love welcoming the new seasons with fun decorations. A great post to put together is one with DIY projects and decor ideas along with safety tips for hanging lights. You can also share ideas on how to throw a holiday party. Pinterest can help you out with that one. While you are at it, put together a list of the best places to see lights in your area. Be that resource people turn to.
- A blog post recapping the year
Everyone likes to reflect on the year that you are about to close the book on. This is a post where you can share any personal successes as well as relevant real estate info. Think hottest trends that year, what areas were the most popular in terms of sales and interest, You can also discuss any new year’s resolutions you have. You never know who you might inspire to come up with their own.
Part 2: Get in the holiday spirit on social media
- Host a thank you giveaway
Your relationship with the local community is key. For this reason, the holidays are the perfect time to say “thanks” and give back. You can do this by hosting a giveaway for a gift card to a local establishment. Have a form to fill out where you collect some general info. This way you are also capturing leads in the process.
- Photo contest for the best holiday decor
One of the reasons people look forward to the holidays is so they can decorate their home. This is the perfect opportunity to have a holiday best photo contest. Reward the winner with some sort of festive prize.
- Holiday costume photo contest
People love to get into the holidays not only with their home but also their clothing. Host a photo contest for the best holiday outfit. This could be the ugliest sweater contest or maybe a Mr. and Mrs. Claus or best holiday dog costume. There are lots of ways to have fun with this one.
- Post your Thanksgiving traditions
This could be anything from decor, a special recipe or your Thanksgiving dinner spread.
When it comes to the prize, you can go the route of a gift card to Starbucks or some other large retailer or you can go with a local business. Not only will you help promote them but you will boost your reach too.
- Get On Instagram
If you are not on Instagram for your real estate business already, you need to be. Not only is this the place to post all those great photos of your property listings, but you can also do seasonal themes. Take pictures of the holiday decor around your area, holiday lighting on homes, pics of your Thanksgiving decor and your Christmas tree/menorah. These are great ways to help you stay top of mind and show your personal side.
Get involved in the community
- Give back
Give thought to ways you can help give back in your community. This can be hosting a canned food drive, getting involved with Toys for Tots, doing a shoe and coat donation. Have your office be the drop off spot and when people come, have something warm to drink along with treats. Get to know the people in your community and hopefully get some new business while doing a good deed.
- Send out holiday cards and ask for a review
This one works both ways. Send out a thank you card (written by hand is best) for the holidays to show your appreciation. While doing so, ask if they can leave you a positive review. If they had a positive experience with you, they will most likely be eager to leave one for you. You can include your Facebook page link, Yelp profile, LinkedIn profile or anywhere else you have your profile but pick what is most prominent.
- Make sure you have updated call to actions on your website
Your website is going to be a major lead generator for you so take out some time to make sure the tools you are using to capture leads is working. Check all your opt-in forms and make sure you have an attention getting CTA button.
- Put together a local events calendar for the holidays
The holidays are a time when people want to get out and enjoy all that their area has to offer. This is a perfect opportunity to put together a simple calendar of all the events happening throughout the current holiday season. Go the extra mile and start with Halloween through New Years. Your community will be so thankful and will definitely remember the gesture.
Final thoughts
The holidays represent the perfect time to engage with your community and your database. The above tips will help you get the most out of your winter marketing efforts while showcasing you as the community expert to turn to.