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Archive for Holiday Marketing

Managing it All During the Holiday Season

Balance during holidays

We talk a lot on this blog about helping you market your real estate business. We know how important it is to stay consistent – and how difficult that can be when there are competing priorities.

Today I want to step back and remind you – and myself – that we’re all human. The holidays are hectic as can be, and it can be very challenging to keep your business going strong. Here are some tips that will help you manage better this holiday season.

Maintain Consistent Work Hours

The best way to not short-change your business or your personal life is to stick to your usual work hours. Set aside time to prospect, farm, send marketing postcards, and more – and do those things during those times.

Then, when it’s time to “turn it off,” do so to the best of your ability! It’s not the busy season so it should be easier to keep consistent work hours.

Doing this can be the first step to making sure your business stays strong but your personal life and holiday priorities are not ignored.

Work With Your Emotions

One of the reasons the holidays are so stressful is that they bring a range of emotions with them. Perhaps you’ve lost someone this year, and you’re grieving. Perhaps you remember happy holidays from childhood, but your adult life doesn’t have that shine.

Or, maybe it’s your favorite time of year and you simply don’t want to think about work this month!

Working with your emotions is a vital way to make the holidays more manageable – and even enjoyable! Whether that means meditation, acknowledging troublesome emotions, or seeing a counselor, work with how you feel rather than hiding from it.

How you feel – good, bad, or indifferent – is valid. Sometimes just recognizing that makes things so much easier.

Set Boundaries

The holidays are a tough time to set boundaries. You want to say “Yes” to everything because you want to be in the holiday spirit! Or, you might worry about upsetting friends or family that you say “No” to.

The truth is, though, you deserve to enjoy the holidays too! And that means not saying yes to every single thing. Plus, if you don’t really want to be there – or don’t have time to manage everything you committed to – it will show.

Isn’t it better to really enjoy a few things, instead of forcing so much? And you might even discover that the only person who expected you to do 100 things is you.

Include Your Business in the Holidays

You’re not the only one who can show up this holiday season – consider ways to include your business as well! Whether that means sending holiday cards or holding a holiday business event, think about how you can bring your business into the season.

When your business is part of your holiday plans, instead of a competing priority, you might find it easier to balance your work and life this month.

Those are my tips! What about you? Do you struggle with stress and business priorities during the holiday season? How do you handle it? Share in the comments!

Keeping Marketing Consistent During the Holidays

Thanksgiving

‘Tis the season…

OK, maybe not yet (except for some crazy friends I have), but the holidays are on everyone’s mind. Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and then it’s the December madness.

You’re probably thinking about what family will be in town or planning a trip of your own. You’re also still working every day, although things may be a bit slow.

That makes now a perfect time to plan ahead to keep your marketing consistent when the holidays get extremely busy.

Use Postcard Marketing

We recommend sending your farm area a farming postcard every month. The good news is that the holidays make it especially easy to connect. You can, for instance, use Thanksgiving postcards in November and holiday postcards in December.

If you’re concerned you won’t have time to address and mail them, let us help. PrinterBees can take care of mailing the postcards you order through us. You can focus on family and fun while knowing your marketing is on autopilot!

Automate Email Marketing

Speaking of planning in advance, email is easy to automate. You can set up email campaigns so that your promotions, engaging stories, and requests for appointments and referrals go out automatically.

That way, you don’t have to think about or prepare your emails when you have a lot of other things on your mind. All you need to do is respond to the emails you receive and move forward with new business!

Participate in the Community

During the holiday season, there are often a lot of community events. As a Realtor®, you can build your brand and have a good time at the same time. Attend these events, network (it doesn’t have to be awful!), and enjoy the holidays!

When you participate in the community, it gives you a more natural way to meet people than door knocking or other marketing techniques. The face-to-face interaction is priceless for your business.

Don’t Let the Holidays Dampen Your Marketing!

The holidays are very busy in most people’s personal lives and can be a slower time for a real estate business. Don’t give in to the temptation to let your business go during November and December. Instead, keep your marketing consistent through Thanksgiving and beyond – you’ll be thankful you did all through 2020!

How Holidays Help You Connect & Build Your Brand

Holiday MarketingWe’re moving very quickly into a season that’s very busy for a lot of people – the holidays! If you’ve been to any retail store in the last month, you know exactly what I mean.

According to my local Target, it’s currently Hallow-Giving-Mas. That is, it’s holiday season, and that means there’s a lot of opportunities to connect with prospects and past clients.

Whether you want to build your brand, solicit referrals, send a friendly hello, or (most likely) all three, ‘tis the season.
Here’s what you need to know about connecting during the holidays!

People Are Still Buying and Selling Homes

While the fall and winter aren’t nearly as busy as spring and summer, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t relocating. Home buyers and sellers need help all year round, and if you’re a savvy agent, you can be the one they choose.

By staying in touch during the holidays with cheerful postcards and notecards, you can stay top-of-mind as an active Realtor®. When they need someone to help them, even in the off-season, you can be the one they call.

Consistent marketing means consistent business, no matter what the season.

People Enjoy Traditional Holiday Mail

While social media has done many amazing things, it doesn’t connect people like old-fashioned letters and postcards. These days, people get so little real mail that they’re excited to get a holiday card and are much more likely to keep it.

Be someone who makes the season bright, whether you choose to connect for Halloween, Thanksgiving, winter holidays, or all three!

People enjoy getting traditional mail in today’s e-card and e-greeting culture. Help make someone’s day by sending a heartfelt holiday greeting.

Holidays Help With Monthly Postcard Mailings

At Printerbees, we advocate monthly postcards as part of your overall marketing mix. Some agents are concerned that they “don’t have anything to say,” but the truth is there are holidays in almost every month that you can relate to.

Of course October, November, and December are easy. But don’t forget Spring Forward information, St. Patrick’s Day, the 4th of July, and much more!

If you want to stay current on your mailings, use holidays as a great reason to connect. You’ll be timely and relevant while also reminding your farm area about who you are and what you do.

Do You Love the Holidays?

What about you? Do you use holidays as an opportunity to connect to your farm or previous clients? Notecards give you a chance to express appreciation and ask for referrals, while postcards are a simple and affordable way to stay top-of-mind.

What do you do with your business over the holidays? Share in the comments!

Building Your Business With Holiday Gifting

This post may contain affiliate links. That means that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you purchase through our links. We truly love, use, and recommend the best!

Holiday Hang Tag

We’re in the thick of the holiday season, and everyone is making their list and checking it twice. Many have started shopping. A few are already done (those crazy folks!) and some will be waiting until three days beforehand to buy gifts.

No matter which category you fall in, you can do a lot to build your business with holiday gifting. There’s no reason not to give thoughtful, interesting gifts which just happen to mention that you’re in business as a Realtor®!

PrinterBees recently released our first-ever annual gift guide to our email list to help our subscribers with ideas. In case you’re not on the list, here are a few of the ideas!

NEW THIS YEAR: Single and Double-Sided Custom Keychains!

We at PrinterBees are extremely excited to announce our newest gift option – customized single or double-sided keychains!

You can select the image(s) that are used, and we’ll deliver it to the recipient in beautiful packaging with a handwritten card inside.

The options for this gift are endless – gift them to friends, family members, or even use it as a closing gift for clients throughout the year! You can order them individually, so each one is perfectly customized for the recipient.

Use Hang Tags to Customize Gifts

Hang tags are a very convenient way to fill in the “To:” and “From:” that are often found on stickers. Hang tags can be much easier to use on items that are unusually shaped or simply don’t fit in a box.

For example, you might consider giving clients and prospects a small jar of jam as a gift, with a hang tag saying “Real estate is my jam!” or something equally playful. The back of the tag can have your contact information.

They’ll use the jam, think of you, and voila! You’ve built brand awareness while showing kindness during the holidays.

Of course, hang tags can be used to give gifts to friends and family as well. Choose whatever messaging appeals to you!

Use Holiday Postcards for Business, Friends, and Family!

Sometimes people assume that the holiday postcards offered by PrinterBees are strictly business. Nothing could be further from the truth!

You can put a beautiful picture of yourself and your family, or choose any other image, and send it to everyone in your network. Put a nice holiday message on it, and include your business contact information.

There’s no reason to leave friends and family out – you never know who might send you a referral in the future!

Of course, if you do want a more professional holiday postcard for business associates, we offer those as well.

How Are You Incorporating Your Business Into the Holidays?

The holidays are no time to start hiding your real estate business. You can incorporate your brand information into your thoughtful gifts – without being tacky or pushy at all!

We’d love to help you with gifts for those in your life. Contact us today for more options and let us know if you have any questions!

How do you handle mixing holiday gifts with business? Share in the comments!

Top Winter Real Estate Marketing Ideas for 2018

Winter Real Estate Markeing

Are you ready to start your new year strong?

As a Realtor®, that means you can’t let your marketing hibernate until spring. Instead, kick these winter real estate marketing ideas into high gear today!

If you do, you won’t be losing ground this winter. Your spring will be much more successful because you’ve kept up your brand visibility and prospect nurturing!

Seasonal Postcards are Perfect Winter Real Estate Marketing

In much of the country, it’s too cold to go outside to do door-to-door prospecting. Instead, use seasonal postcards to stay in touch with your farm area and prospects.

There are a variety of fun holidays you can celebrate, along with the traditional Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.

Whether you choose easy-to-customize seasonal postcard templates or create your own seasonal marketing with notecards, holidays are a great reason to say hello!

Pro Tip: Don’t use your printer to create marketing pieces! Nothing says “amateur” faster than low-quality printing on flimsy paper. Don’t embarrass yourself – choose professional printing. It doesn’t have to break the bank!

Remind Prospects That Winter is a Great Time to List!

It may seem counter-intuitive, but there are a ton of great reasons to sell a home in the winter. Because inventory is lower, you get more attention. Buyers also tend to be more serious in winter months.

Your prospects may be planning to move, but currently think that waiting until spring to list is the best option. Help them rethink their position.

Remind your farm area that winter selling can be more convenient for the homeowner, they’ll get more attention from you, and that staging is a snap with warm winter décor!

Pro Tip: Use a personal letter to your farm area to welcome them to the new year and promote the benefits of listing in the winter. You have more space for text, and you can give it a lot of personal flair.

Host an Indoor Family Fun Event to Get Leads

No one likes being cooped up inside all winter, least of all kids. And it drives parents crazy to deal with cabin fever!

Help everyone out by hosting a fun family indoor event. You can offer games, face painting, and snacks. For adults, offer giveaways or raffles in exchange for names, addresses, and email information.

You can build your marketing list, help families blow off steam, and build up your reputation in the community. That’s a win-win-win!

Pro Tip: Don’t stress! If you relax and enjoy it, you could find that you have a lot of fun at the event as well!

Winter Isn’t the Time to Hibernate

As tempting as it is, don’t give your marketing a break this winter. You’ll lose ground as prospects forget who you are and what you do. And, if other Realtors® are doing winter real estate marketing while you’re snoozing, you could lose customers for good!

There are a lot of fun ways to reach out during the winter. What do you plan to do? Share in the comments!

How to Make Your Winter Real Estate Marketing Pop

Winter Real Estate Marketing

Does the thought of winter real estate marketing leave you cold?

A lot of traditional real estate marketing is less applicable in the winter. Few people do pop-bys with a foot of snow on the ground. Not as many people are trying to list when it’s 10 below zero outside, and even if they did there are fewer buyers braving the weather.

But that doesn’t mean your marketing should go into hibernation. Instead, find creative ways to continue your outreach all winter with these ideas and tips!

Sponsor an Indoor Event

Just because it’s cold in much of the country doesn’t mean you can’t have a live event. It simply has to be indoors!

Consider having a family fun night where you rent carnival games from a local provider. You can have seasonal treats including hot chocolate, a bake sale, gingerbread or cookie decorating, and more!

Giving people something to do in the winter that doesn’t involve freezing can help you build brand awareness and community goodwill. It’s especially fun because other real estate agents are likely to be less visible during this time. You have a chance to gain some ground!

Write About How to Make the Most of Winter

Whether you use a blog, email marketing, a newsletter, postcards, or all four of these, you always need new content. Why not write about how to make the most of winter in your area?

In a warm climate like Arizona, write about how to make the most of the nicest season your area offers. It’s not so wickedly hot, so encourage people to get out!

In other areas of the country, write about local winter festivals, ways to enjoy the outdoors in the cold, and how to stay safe and warm.

You can use this content across all of your marketing, including social media. It’s relevant and will definitely get attention!

Use a Free Giveaway to Build Your List

The holidays are a great time for free giveaways. You can use so many things to build your list. Consider getting both email information and mailing addresses so that you can maximize your outreach!

Here are some great free giveaways that really make your marketing pop:

  • A free drawing for a prize
  • A small set of greeting cards
  • A holiday decorating guide
  • A list of family-friendly activities in your area
  • Holiday-themed word searches or crossword puzzles
  • Branded gifts like wine bags

Make sure your free giveaway is high-quality and appealing to your target customer base. Families with children will be interested in very different freebies than retirees!

Say Thank You and Ask for Testimonials

The end of the year is a great time to reflect and say thanks. You can send holiday cards showing appreciation to everyone you’ve worked with during the year.

In the card, after sharing your thanks, you can ask folks to leave an online review or testimonial if they enjoyed working with you. Let them know that it makes a difference and their experience can help others decide who to choose as a Realtor®.

You can also simply ask for direct feedback on working with you. Once you receive it, you can keep it private and learn from what is said. Or, if you think it would help build your business, you can reach out for permission to publish it or ask them to post it online.

Reviews matter a great deal – don’t miss a chance to ask for feedback!

Don’t Leave Your Marketing Dormant this Winter

As a real estate agent, you can’t afford to drop off in your marketing, even in a traditionally slow time of year. People need to see your name and information regularly in order to build up that rapport and expertise.

You can’t afford to lose business to competitors in the spring – and your spring business will have a lot to do with your winter marketing!!

What do you plan to do for marketing this winter? Share in the comments!

Thanksgiving Marketing (FREE DOWNLOAD!)

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Thanksgiving

The holiday season gives us so many opportunities to reach out and connect with others, it’s almost not fair that things are more spread out. But you take advantage of what’s available!

Thanksgiving is a great holiday because it’s right before things get crazy for the Christmas season. The pace in November is still slow enough to enjoy.

We recommend getting in one more pop-by before the weather gets bad in most areas of the country. And we’re about to give you some fun marketing ideas – and a FREE DOWNLOAD!

Stand Out With Fall Holiday Cards

Why send Christmas cards when everyone else does? Stand out by using a holiday that doesn’t usually generate a card – Thanksgiving!

Fall and Thanksgiving greeting cards can be a great way to connect with folks before they get overwhelmed with holiday mail and activities.

Be different! Take an opportunity to send an early holiday greeting.

Email Helpful Holiday Tips

If you have a monthly newsletter, the November edition is the perfect time to talk about preparing for holidays. You can share tips about cleaning, organizing, and handling family.

This information will be useful to your prospects and clients and will help them feel like you understand what they are going through.

When they get ready to buy or sell a home, they will remember the Realtor® that sends all the great information every month – and hit reply to ask for your help!

Give a Call!

Not every Realtor® does cold-calling anymore, and many folks aren’t using the phone for calling much at all. Break out of the mold and call folks!

You can choose to focus your calls on those you already know, and just take the Thanksgiving season as a chance to say thanks. Call your professional connections – mortgage brokers, inspectors, bankers, and more. Call your best-referring customers. Call other agents who have helped you this year.

Not everything you do has to have a specific 30-day return on investment. And you never know, sometimes just saying thanks brings future dividends you can’t imagine!

Do a Final Pre-Winter Pop-By

Pop-bys are a great way to get face-to-face with your prospects in your target neighborhood. No one wants to be walking around outside in the dead of winter, however. Take advantage of November to do one final pop-by of the season.

You can hand out Thank You cards, cocoa, and a free Thanksgiving word search! It will be fun, useful, and memorable. You’ll make a great impression!

Ready to get going? Fill out the form below to get your free word search! 

Get Ready for the Season

It’s very important to connect with clients before the busy Christmas season, for two reasons.

First, you want to catch them before they’re too busy to think about you.

Second, you want to keep your marketing going during a season when you might be personally very busy!

Get ready for the holiday season. Get your holiday cards, free word search, and more – and get out there! Have fun!