October is Luxury Month on Inman. Inman Handbooks offer deep dives on luxury marketing and agent branding, luxury staging, referrals, and more. We’re thinking about what luxury means now, examining how the pandemic is reshaping the needs of luxury buyers, and talking to top luxury agents, all month long.
It’s hard to believe that we are about to head into the holiday season for 2020. The year has been a challenging one for everyone around the world, to say the least, and the season ahead is going to look a lot different than it has in past years.
In saying that, now is the time we have to start thinking about marketing luxury listings over the holidays in this new era of business and social distancing.
Unfortunately, the eggnog won’t be flowing at holiday-themed open houses, but there are ways to safely market a luxury listing during this time with a little bit of (pumpkin) spice. Here are three marketing ideas for the upcoming holiday season.
Give back
For many people, getting into the holiday spirit also means giving back. It’s a time of year we get to reflect on all our successes of the past, and in doing so, it’s a time we must extend help to those who need it the most.
An excellent way to market a home and to give back at the same time is to donate a portion of your commission to a charitable organization. You can share the news of this endeavor with your clients and future clients via e-blasts and social media channels, but be sure to explain why you chose the charity that you did.
The delivery of money to charities this year will be particularly meaningful as they’re the ones able to channel that money to where it’s needed the most, and deliver goods and services in a safe way for all.
‘Tis the season for social
The use of social media saw a marked uptick during the initial few months of COVID-19, and we have seen that usage remain steady on our platforms.
During the holidays, work slows and people sign off from their emails and Zoom calls and will be turning to their phones, tablets and computers for entertainment only. While you may want to turn off and do the same, make sure you have some great content lined up, filmed and edited, and ready to post.
And keep it fun and different as a way to stand out from the crowd. Doing a home tour with a house with a chimney? You see where we are going with this one…
Keep the content short, sharp, fun and engaging, and keep yourself on track by creating a social media calendar. That way, you can still be on schedule with your marketing items, but be able to enjoy time with family and friends yourself.
Pick up the phone
As work commitments slow for most people during the holiday season, it is the perfect time to pick up the phone and connect with clients. Most will be thrilled with the call, and also eager to hear what their trusted real estate agent can offer regarding what’s on the market and more.
Use this time to not only make clients aware of a certain property that is on the market, but also to simply catch up. It is at the start of the new year that people typically change jobs or make moves, and with those life changes comes the need for a new living space.
Whatever marketing strategies you employ during the holiday period, make sure you go forth with a clear plan in mind and set a certain amount of time each day (or calendar structure that works for you) to ensure that you can still work effectively, but also enjoy the holidays as well.
As real estate agents, we are on call 24/7. The upswing of that is that you have the power to make your own schedule. With that in mind and with all that 2020 has taught us, being clear with time schedules will provide the maximum opportunity for you to keep business moving forward while enjoying some much needed R&R.
David Parnes is a director at The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram. James Harris is a director at The Agency in Los Angeles. Connect with him on Instagram.
