Even though this spring season has been anything but normal, we are still heading into the summer months, when people historically are more likely to buy and sell homes.
States are beginning to reopen, and if you aren’t prepared, you might just miss out on prime opportunities in your market.
As we recently reported, data is pointing to a market upswing. While you’re spending more time at home, now is the best time to prepare for the summer and market to the people in your area.
Here are some ideas to help you get started with your summer marketing plan.
1. Send out a summer newsletter.
While the goal of your newsletter should be to promote your business, that doesn’t mean you need to keep the focus on real estate. You can include a page or two of your most recent listings and information about how to get in touch with you. But if you focus on showing your community knowledge and involvement, people will view your newsletter as something that benefits them, not just a promotional material.
While many traditional summer activities are still up in the air — like concerts, festivals and community pool openings — you can come up with fun summer ideas people can do from home or in smaller groups. Here are some ideas:
- Summer activities for kids
- Summer food and drink recipes
- Family game night ideas
- Tips for hosting events within your area’s social distancing constraints like barbecues, picnics and campfires. Be sure to note that people should follow all state and regional guidelines before hosting and partaking in these events.
- Easy DIY projects
- Landscaping tips
You can also promote lesser-known parts of your community that people can safely visit over the summer:
- Local campgrounds
- State parks
- Walking and bike trail
- Fishing locations
Summer is the perfect time to show that you're a local expert and can be a useful resource. Staying connected to your community is a great way to grow your sphere and increase your referral power. You can send out a newsletter through email, mail or share it from your social media accounts.
2. Connect with people through your blog.
If you aren’t blogging for your real estate business, now is the best time to start. We recently wrote an article with tips for crafting a blog post. Check it out here.
Your blog content should be an equal mix of helpful real estate advice and content specific to your community and location. Here are some ideas of things you can write about in each category:
Real Estate/Housing Topics:
- Projections about the summer housing market in your area
- Easy DIY projects that can transform a space
- Staging tips for people looking to sell
- Tips for showing or touring homes safely during the pandemic
- Summer maintenance or landscaping tips (like how to keep your electric bill down or keep your lawn looking green)
- Tips for cleaning out your home or garage
Community Topics:
- Upcoming virtual and in-person events (again, be sure that all in-person events you promote this summer are in line with the social distancing regulations in your area)
- Features on local restaurants or small business owners
- Similar topics to what you’d put in your newsletter (recipes, game night ideas, etc.)
Writing a blog is a way to connect with people and help them get to know you. You can promote your blog via email and on your social media pages. Try to keep a somewhat consistent schedule, like posting once a week or every other week on the same day. This way, people will come to expect your posts and even look forward to them.
3. Use landing pages.
One of the easiest ways to get people to interact with your social media pages and websites is to offer them something of value. Post a link to a free home valuation with text like: “Find Out How Much Your Home is Worth!” or “Get a Free Home Value Report!”
Make sure that any pages you set up have fields for people to fill in their contact information. You can then follow up and put together a CMA for them.
You can also add them to your email list to stay in contact in the future, even if they aren’t interested in selling right away.
4. Reach out to your past clients and people in your sphere.
It’s important to stay in touch with your past clients or people in your sphere. A simple text or email just checking in can go a long way. Maybe one of those people know someone looking for a real estate agent. Your brief contact will bring you to the top of their mind.
You can also consider putting together care packages and dropping them off. Drop off goodie bags full of fun activities to help people keep busy — anything from puzzles and word search books to toys for the kids (bubbles, sidewalk chalk and coloring books/crayons are good ideas).
For more ideas about ways you can engage with and help people in your sphere at this time, check out this article.
5. Hold contests on your social media pages.
If you want to grow your social media following, encourage people to share your posts in exchange for an entry into a monthly drawing. You can give away gift cards to local restaurants, memberships to local museums or zoos, subscriptions to streaming services, or even cash prizes.
This is also a great way to collect testimonials from past clients. Ask them to submit a review or video testimonial to be entered into a drawing.
6. Hold a community fundraiser.
After social distancing measures are eased, people and businesses in your community may still be struggling financially. Find those in your area that need the most help, and hold a fundraiser on their behalf.
You can collect donations on sites like GoFundMe or start a fundraiser on Facebook. Lean on your social media followers to spread the word.
You can put your own spin on these events to make them more than just collections. Here are some ideas:
- Host a performance by a local artist (virtual or in person, depending on how things progress over the summer with the virus)
- For local restaurant fundraisers, ask them to film cooking tutorials and share them on your pages. You can also lock the content and open it up to people after they’ve made a donation.
- Host virtual or in person yoga, zumba or other fun workout events. All proceeds from participants could go toward your cause.
- Hold a T-shirt design contest, have people vote on the winners, then sell them to people in your community as a fundraiser. Create a social media campaign with a certain hashtag that people can use to share pictures of themselves in their T-shirts and spread the word to buy them.
No matter what you do, choose something you're passionate about so people know your efforts are sincere.
7. Create video tutorials or FAQs.
We recently shared ways to incorporate video into your marketing strategy. You can check it out here.
Each week, ask your followers for questions they’d like you to answer about the home buying or selling process or just about housing/real estate in general. Each week, record yourself answering them and share the video to YouTube and your social media pages.
You can also put together tutorial videos about home staging and effective real estate photos. The point of sharing videos is to prove to people that you’re an expert at what you do and can guide them through their home sales.
