Top Ways to Stay Busy During the Winter
Oh the dreaded “slow” season that winter brings. It always feels like the holiday lights are sparkling as the housing market dims its own lights. But is it really the “slow” season after all? Yes, there may be less homes on the market and less people looking - but that doesn’t have to mean that your own business slows to a grinding halt. In fact, you could use this time to really step up your own game and stand out in the crowd.
The trick is to not let yourself slow down. Take advantage of this time to put a little more hop in your step while the rest of the world is slowing to a walk. This not only keeps leads coming in during the slower parts of the year, but is setting yourself up for extra success come next spring!
Here’s a roundup of some of our favorite, tips, tricks and ideas:
Give that individual attention.
Perhaps most wholesomely (or maybe just common sense?) take advantage of this slower season to really pour on that customer service for the clients you do have. Do everything you wish you could do during the spring and summer months to make a client happy … and then add a little extra. By taking their experience above and beyond (more than you usually do!) you’re not only marketing yourself as the best agent out there, but you are! Word of mouth spreads fast and your happy clients will be marketing for you! Win, win.
Increase Marketing Spend
If you have a monthly budget for online marketing spend - don’t shy away from it. In fact turn the dial up and spend a little extra. Think of it as reallocating the money you’re saving on those extra client coffees and lunches and other business expenses that rack up in the busy season that you likely don’t have now. Upping your spend should help you make up for for less leads in the market, and if you’re lucky - you’ll also have less competition.
Give to Your Community
Do something good for the community and for your business. Set up a drop off area for a canned food drive or coat drive in a popular public spot. Set up information about yourself as an agent along with festive apple cider or hot chocolate to encourage people to stay for a minute and talk. Nothing like giving back while putting yourself out there.
Audit Your Online World
Think of what you don’t have time to do during the busy season … and likely updating your web presence is on the top of that list. Take the time to update and clean up your website, social profiles, and listings while you can do it with the type of focus that only comes with a little extra time. Change out photos, check copy and links, and clean up anything that doesn’t feel easily understandable. Pro tip: Have someone else look over your copy. It’s hard to catch mistakes or confusing wording when you’ve been looking at the same copy for months, sometimes years!
Sponsor a Winter Event.
While sponsoring an event is always a good way to get your name out there, they can often be way more money than you’re looking to pay. Thankfully, the market for sponsorships gets a little less competitive around the holidays when there’s a huge influx of holiday events. Negotiate your way to a sponsorship or two, and be strategic about what types of audiences you’re going for!
Lean into the Holiday Spirit
Although not applicable to the entire winter season - during the holidays you should absolutely lean into it. Think about what people go absolutely nuts for during the season, and work with it. Home buying is emotional and family oriented, just like feelings that come along with the holidays. Make sure any home you’re showing has the fireplace on, cozy candles going and some classic holiday greenery. You want buyers to think about how they would love to settle in and truly spend their own holiday season there!
Get Automated & Scheduled
When spring hits and things get rolling again, it feels as if there isn’t enough time in the day to do the bare necessities for your clients, let alone going the extra mile. Take the time, while you can to automate every client touch point you possibly can. Research online tools to help you with this. Think about using sites like Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule social media posts in advance, and MailChimp or Constant Contact to get newsletters ready to go out.
Organize & Prepare Leads
At what point in the busy season do you get the chance to really sit down and go through your leads? Likely never. Prioritize sitting down and going through each one of your leads to separate into past clients to keep in touch with, clients looking to buy, clients looking to sell, and leads that you should no longer keep. This makes targeting those lists with specific messaging so much easier. When you’re done sorting all your leads, think of networking ways that you can ramp up your lead list even more before the beginning of the season.