The holiday season is quickly approaching. With over 2 billion physical and 500 million electronic holiday cards sent around the country every year, it can be easy for your message to get lost in the mix. Plain old “Happy Holidays” messages simply aren’t going to help you build the strong emotional connection with your clients that you need for a competitive edge. But what if we told you that you could craft a message that’s far more engaging just by following 3 principles? Good news is that you can.
Email marketing pieces tend to fall into two major categories: product marketing and content marketing. Both are incredibly useful, and equally important. However, when it comes to crafting engaging holiday messages that your readers actually want to read, we recommend leaning into content marketing to demonstrate that you’re not just selling houses, you’re selling experiences.
Content driven campaigns are all about boosting brand awareness, generating curiosity, and captivating your contacts. Rather than sharing your product, or your “what”, i.e. what properties you have available… we recommend you take this opportunity to share a little more about your “why” and “how”. Why are you the best option for a realtor in your area? Why do you love what you do and/or your community? How can a contact engage in the real estate market now? How can they buy their dream home? The list goes on, but the idea is: this is your chance to share what makes you and your community special. These are especially a great way to keep past clients or further off prospective clients consistently engaged, so that when the time comes that they need a real estate professional, you’re at the top of their list.
Holiday emails are the perfect opportunity to incorporate content driven messaging.
There are 3 themes we recommend including in any content driven campaign:
- A personalized message
- Local updates
- Industry related knowledge
We’ve created two examples for what this might look like.
In our first example, we followed this exact format. We start with a brief personal message, then include several pieces that are relevant to the local community, then end with a client testimonial and a call to action for new leads. Our ideas that are specifically timely given the holiday season are:
- A new restaurant opening. (This is great to include year round, but especially for those who are fatigued after cooking big holiday meals!)
- Volunteer or donation opportunities.
- A recommendation for holiday light hanging services. (This is a great way to build partnerships with fellow local businesses.)
In our second example, we follow the same formula again. We have a personalized written message (and an example of a personal message in video form), local insights, and then finally an article related to real estate. Our top holiday themed ideas are:
- Local holiday traditions or special events
- Opportunities to give back to the community
- A video message from either form the realtor or the whole brokerage giving well wishes
- Tips for buying or selling during this season.
All of this accumulates to create a message that is authentic and relevant for anyone interested in the area. It positions the sender as someone who genuinely cares about the community, his clients, and his work.
Some other creative ideas you might consider including:
- Your favorite holiday recipe
- 12 days of house hunting tips
- Winter home maintenance tips (freezing pipes & etc.)
- Winter curb appeal tips
- Host a donation drop off at your office
- Include an end of year market recap or analysis
If you find yourself wondering where you should go to find engaging articles, there’s 3 places that are great starting points: first, many real estate brands or brokerages have their own blogs so check to see if you do too. Second, if you want completely personalized landing pages for your articles, checkout our service, RealEstate Content. Third, choose your favorite local magazine or newspaper and see what’s new on their site. If none of those are satiating your taste, you could even consider starting your own blog.
There are certainly plenty of options, but ultimately the goal with campaigns like these is to nurture your current contacts to make sure you stay top of mind as someone they can rely on for expert knowledge and exceptional customer care.
