With the fourth quarter of the business year upon us and the holiday season nearing, real estate agent Lisa Von Domek sponsored a contest on the networking site Active Rain asking her fellow real estate professionals to share how they market their business during the three end-of-year holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas (or other religious holidays).
The contest had 15 submissions – you can read them all in the comments section of Von Domek’s original post – highlighting how agents across the country put their personal touch on marketing materials and get togethers during the holiday season.
There were many great ideas in the original 15 posts, but here are some of our favorite stories and tips on marketing during the holidays:
Finishing out 2018 with some FUN! Dana Hollish Hill
Hill and her team at Keller Williams Capital Properties in Bethesda, Maryland, host several client-appreciation parties during the holidays.
There’s a Halloween party where guests are required to dress up in costumes and Hill takes a photo of everyone in their costume and sends it out afterward. This year, she’ll also have a Pie Giveaway the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and, for the first time, will host a session where clients can get their children’s photos taken with Santa Claus.
In the months leading up to and after the New Year, Hill hand delivers Hollish Hill Group swag – tote bags, yard sticks, tools, etc. – to past clients and writes “these face-to-face visits are priceless.”
Sliding Into 4th Quarter – Holiday Themed Marketing Ideas Joyce Marsh
Marsh also hand delivers gifts each year, only she chooses to do so during the Christmas season. For the past few years, she’s given Spiced German Mulled Wine with dried fruit and cinnamon to mix in, as well as Tortuga Caribbean RuM Cakes.
The Daytona Beach, Florida-based agent also sends out Holiday cards, a Thanksgiving post card and writes one or two Halloween-themed blog posts for ideas on decorating.
Ready or Not, Tomorrow is the Beginning of the 4th Quarter Sondra Meyer
Meyer, a broker/owner in the Colorado Springs area, doesn’t focus on the holidays during her fourth-quarter marketing, instead choosing to focus on the seasons.
It’s a different approach, but a smart one given Meyer specializes in selling rural homes, land, farms and ranches. In this post, she shares an in-depth marketing plan on what she plans to focus on in October (fall foliage, pumpkins), November (fall harvest, Thanksgiving) and December (snow, birds, Christmas and New Years Eve).
Not only is this a unique plan geared more toward to the seasons than holidays, but it also fits perfectly with Meyer’s office, which doubles as a retail shop geared toward Colorado’s country lifestyle. This, she writes, “(allows) me to meet people without feeling like I am a pushy real estate agent.”
The Icing on the Cake for this Year, the Flour for Next Year’s Cake! Debe Maxwell
Maxwell and her group at RE/MAX Executive in Charlotte, North Carolina, use October to do something fun with their clients, whether it’s bowling, volunteering or a cook out.
This year, they’re meeting at a local brewery and are giving away a gift basket centered around the NFL’s Carolina Panthers to one lucky guest.
She also writes a “Thanksgiving Letter of Gratitude” in November, and in December of each year, rather than focusing on one particular religion, hosts a pet-related soiree at her house where guests can donate bedding to the local Humane Society.
And while it’s fun to connect with past clients, it’s also nice to get to know newer clients. As Maxwell writes, “Our fourth quarter marketing is not only icing on the cake for the 2018 business year, it’s the flour (the base, the foundation) for our 2019!”
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