Soft Real Estate Self-promotion for the Holidays

Tis’ the season to be jolly – and to promote yourself softly.

Here are a few ideas you can use to stay top of mind and bring some smiles to those folks who will buy, sell, or refer others to you in 2019 – or even sooner!

E-Mail: Send your regular weekly real estate e-mail with photos of beautiful light displays – and directions on where to view them in person. You might also include decorating tips, safety tips, and/or a favorite holiday recipe handed down from great-grandma. Or… one you invented yourself!

If your community offers a variety of events for the holidays, send a list of what, where, and when. If you have a photo or two from last year’s event, include it.

If you haven’t been emailing regularly, send a special e-mail that could begin with something like: “You know I love houses, and I love them even more when they’re decorated for the holidays. I hope you enjoy these photos I took last night in the Whatever Subdivision.” Or perhaps “You know I love our city, and I love it even more when the homes are decorated…”

E-mail “Kudos to…” If there’s an organization that has done something wonderful for the community, write to your list and tell them about it. While you’re at it, remember to write to the organization with your praise.

We all get a warm feeling toward those who express appreciation.

Use your blog and your social media sites to promote giving to your favorite charities and/or to host a holiday contest. Invite your friends to submit their favorite holiday photos or to tell you why their favorite charity deserves your notice. Offer a prize based on the most likes.

Make yourself visible by volunteering at charitable events, and expand your sphere of influence by becoming acquainted with other volunteers. Depending upon what goes on in your community you might volunteer to help wrap donated gifts for kids, to put together food boxes, to walk dogs at an adoption event, or to help with a food drive for the food bank. You could also help deliver meals to the home-bound or serve at a free dinner.

In the week between Christmas and New Year’s send some last-minute tax-saving tips or good advice on getting organized for the New Year.

Take time to make copies of your 2018 clients’ closing statements and send them to them. They’ll need to furnish these to their tax preparer, so save them a little time.

Remember to get personal!

In between working and preparing for your own holiday celebrations, try to make time to share lunch, dinner, or even a cup of coffee or a cocktail with those past clients and members of your sphere whose company you truly enjoy. If it’s all you have time for, make a quick phone call to wish them a joyful holiday or a Happy New Year.

After all, we’re supposed to enjoy this season.

If you like Christmas stories…

My Mom was a gifted story teller. She spent most of her life too busy taking care of other people to put pen to paper and record many of them, but she told wonderful stories to my children as they were growing up.

The story of The Christmas Tree is one that thankfully did get set to paper. I’ve reproduced it here, and I hope you enjoy it.

Until next week, remember that this is the season of joy!

Merry Christmas!

Rural Christmas scene courtesy of Multipedia at FreeDigitalPhotos.net