The “slow months” of real estate can seem inevitable and it’s tempting to simply work exhaustively through the spring and summer and then kick back and relax in the winter.
But why waste the time? The slower months are a great opportunity to reconnect with past clients, boost your engagement online and implement creative strategies for marketing your brand in the new year.
Here are a few projects you and your teammates can work on now before the next season starts:
1. Client appreciation events
Once a deal is closed and your clients settle back into their regular routines, it’s your job to make sure they know how much their business was appreciated. Consider offering a free ice cream day for families or a special happy hour at a local bar for your more mature clientele. You’ll stand out among other brokerages because of the memories your clients will make at the event.
2. Pop-bys
Don’t have the time or resources to organize a large-scale event? Consider a “pop-by” instead. Choose a small, reasonably priced gift (for example: tulip bulbs, leaf bags or locally-made items) to deliver along with your business card or thank you note. Plan to deliver or send signed holiday cards, too. Small gestures can make big impressions!
3. Boost your presence online
This can mean anything from increasing your follower count on Twitter to writing blog posts on realty websites to running an Instagram contest. Taking the time to create and implement a plan is a great way to keep your brand fresh in people’s minds, make new contacts and give potential clients a new window into your services. These are things that will become harder to do when the calls start coming in again and the office is busy.
4. Revamp your feature sheets, packages and marketing materials
If you’ve been thinking that your marketing materials needs an upgrade, slower months provide the perfect opportunity to sit down with a graphic designer or webmaster to give your collateral a makeover. Text-heavy, cluttered packages add stress to the process of buying or selling a home; let potential clients know you’ll be helping to streamline that process, starting with streamlined content.
5. Go back to school, attend a conference and share knowledge
Even if you have all the core knowledge necessary to serve your clients, specialty knowledge can garner you more business and boost your salary. Any downtime is a great time to give continuing education a try: CREA offers product training and your brokerage, board or association may offer training that can help, too.
If you’re invested in growing your client base, downtime should really be hustle time. Marketing projects will fall through the cracks when business picks up again, so square them away now and reap the benefits later.
