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If you check your inbox, you will find a whole bunch of business emails with the same token “Merry Christmas” message that is accompanied by a note that basically says, “The office is closed over this period, so please PLEASE do not bother us unless it’s life or death!”
But if we observe the behaviours and tendencies of our customers, it’s quite clear that opportunities are being missed over what is a rather intense festive period in many people’s lives.
Firstly, the level of casual social media consumption rises considerably. Recent data shows that, on average, people are on their phones at least three hours a day during the holidays. On top of this, shopping via social media increases by up to 28 per cent during this holiday period, so it’s safe to say that our customers are scrolling through their feeds regularly!
Secondly, it is around this time that people tend to take stock of their lives, which includes where they work, where they live and who they’re with. It’s a very reflective period of the year for many, which can open their minds to new possibilities and what would potentially be required in order to realise those possibilities.
For these reasons, we need to make sure that our businesses, brands and personalities remain present in our databases and on our social media channels.
Let’s consider a few strategies and ideas that could quite easily be executed over the holiday break. We’ll break it down into the two components being the creative element and the execution.
Part 1 – Creative
If we have a think and a feel about how people travel emotionally through this period, we can split the holiday into two sections – before and after 1 January.
Before the new year, people tend to be comatose from parties, food and/or mind-numbing conversations with relatives! A lot of the time, people are also looking for small windows of escapism, so it’s during this time that we want to be less about real estate and more about entertainment.
My advice during this time? Focus on the lighter social content and ease up on the educational industry-related topics.
Once January rolls around, that’s when you need to be providing as much educational content as possible. “How to” videos, explainer tiles around things like commission, the process and the importance of marketing are just a couple of ideas for you. During this time, people are motivated to make changes, so that’s where you need to be the one who helps them.
Part 2 – Execution
We have a few different mediums that we use to connect with our community and our database, and they all have the ability to schedule touchpoints with your consumer base.
In terms of platforms that can help you, there are a few that I’ve used myself and would highly recommend:
- RiTA by AIRE – An A.I. platform that learns and talks to your database. You can turn RiTA on to keep in contact with your database, field buyer inquiries and send relevant information out to potential vendors amongst several capabilities.
- Hootsuite – There are a few social media scheduling apps out there, but I personally like the ease that I can use the app for this one on my phone. You can connect three social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter) for free and schedule all of them at once.
- ClickSend – One of many SMS broadcasting platforms, this one has a good CRM within it and is cost-effective per SMS.
Put simply, with only a small degree of thought and half a day of preparation, you could have a connection strategy across the holiday period that will put you ahead of your competitors at a time when most of your database is more receptive to content.
The question isn’t even how to do it; it’s that easy! It’s whether you can be bothered to put in the preparation that will put you on the right track for a strong year because I can guarantee you that your competitors can’t, and the early lead is yours for the taking.
Andy Reid is an auctioneer, business coach and the head of training for Century 21 and Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate
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