Tis’ the Season to …

Engage Your Clients, Family and Friends!

As the weather changes and the real estate market slows down (historically this has been the case), this is a great time to work on your business. What do I mean by “work on your business?” Not only is this a good time to work on administrative tasks (clean up your office, gather your receipts for end of the year tax time, create new checklists, work on your business plan for next year), it’s also a WONDERFUL time to reach out to your clients, family and friends to remind them you are here to help them. The upcoming holidays will give you several opportunities to reach out to them, whether its in person, or via phone/text/email. Here are some ideas for you to stay top of mind this season.

Need a reason to call?  Try this when making your calls: “I’m working on my holiday card list and I can’t seem to locate your home address, do you mind sharing it with me?” Ever get one of these calls from a friend? It’s a great opportunity to reach out to your contacts to say hello, check-in and get their address to add into your database (not just for holiday cards).  Just make sure to send them a holiday card.

Deliver a personal pop-by.  What is a pop-by? – Pop-bys are simply a small gift usually given to clients face-to-face. They are intended to deepen your relationship and provide an opportunity to connect. A quick pop-by to say hello. Use a catchy “tagline” with the gift to make it fun, memorable, and ultimately to promote your business. With so many holiday’s coming up in the last quarter of the year, it’s a great opportunity to deliver some cute holiday-themed gifts. These items can be handmade, or store-bought, just be creative. A quick Google or Pinterest search will provide you with tons of fun ideas for the upcoming holidays:

Halloween
Veteran’s Day
Thanksgiving
Hanukkah
Christmas
New Year 2020

Newsletters
Now that you have made your calls and emails reaching out to your clients to get their mailing addresses, it time to start your marketing by sending a monthly newsletter. There are two options for sending newsletters, a printed on that you mail to them or an electronic newsletter. Our company offers both to our agents, they can choose to use one or both. I personally prefer printed newsletters that land in my mailbox as so many others have shifted to electronic ones and my inbox is way more crowded than my home mailbox. A quick Google search will provide you with some great free templates and layouts for newsletters. Canva.com has some great free real estate newsletter templates too!

According to fastnewsletters.com, these are three good reasons to choose print newsletters over an electronic one:

• Print newsletters have less competition for attention than email newsletters. The average person gets between 20 and 50 emails a day, compared to 3 to 7 pieces of print mail, much of which consists of bills or junk mail. If the print newsletter is from a trusted source, it tends to stand out in the same way a personal letter from a friend does. This makes print newsletters ideal for creating client loyalty and generating referrals.
• A printed newsletter has durability. It lays around on the counter or gets stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. Your recipients can look at it multiple times at a glance, without having to go out of their way to hunt for it on their phones. Many clients give referrals by just handing over their agent’s print newsletter.
• Studies have shown that people prefer to read multi-page documents in print rather than email. Print allows them to scan the information and focus on what they want to read. This is different from email newsletters, where only a small bit of the newsletter can be seen at one time. When readers scan their print newsletters, they can see the depth and breadth of your real estate expertise, even if they don’t read everything.

But before you start sending a newsletter out, be sure to keep the following in mind:

• Know your purpose: Perhaps you want your newsletter to generate referrals or establish yourself as a local real estate expert. These objectives are fine, but make sure you are clear about your purpose and build your strategy around it.
• Add value: Your newsletter should do more than promote new listings or announce sales. It should add value to your clients’ lives. Maybe it’s a simple spring-cleaning checklist, tips for decluttering or a quick article about refinancing a home. Make your newsletter a must-read!
• Be consistent: Figure out a schedule and stick to it. Monthly mailings seem to be the preferred consistency among our agents. Most send the newsletter at the beginning of the month, it’s regular and keeps costs manageable. Clients are also more likely to read your newsletter if it arrives at the same time every month.
• Update your list: Your mailing list requires periodic maintenance—delete addresses that are invalid and get returned to you. While it’s important to build a big list, it’s also critical that the people on that list are active.

Get involved!
Charitable events are a great way to get involved in the community, and to get your name out there! The fall and winter seasons are an excellent time to get involved with a charity or sponsor an event. There will likely be numerous Halloween parades and events, Thanksgiving food basket packing events, Breakfast with Santa sponsorship opportunities, and Toys for Tots volunteer needs. You could even organize your own event with clients, family, and friends to serve in a local soup kitchen or food pantry. The options and opportunities are endless.

These are just a few examples of how to stay top of mind with your current and potential clients and some great ways to stir up some new business while showing your gratitude this holiday season. Got any additional ideas?  If so, please share, we would love to hear them!