How to Keep Your Real Estate Business Booming in Winter

Should you change up your real estate marketing in the winter or keep it consistent?

The answer is a little of both.

First of all, the one thing you should keep the same is your stay-in-touch real estate marketing systems. You might think it is fine to skip a month here and there during winter — perhaps to save a few bucks — but that can backfire.

Why? Because the power of stay-in-touch marketing lies in part with its consistently. Prospects, clients, and those in the geographic farms you target, are hearing from you every month. They’re getting your real estate direct mail, regularly, along with calls and visits from you. With each monthly contact drip, you’re building trust and loyalty that ultimately results in more leads and real estate agent referrals.

Remember, prospects don’t care, or may not even know, that it’s the “slow season”. They only care about selling their property and buying a new home — whatever season they happen to be moving — or recommending a good agent to a friend or neighbour.

If you skip your stay-in-touch activities for a month or two, those leads and referrals might go to someone else.

That being said, there are some things you should do differently during winter to keep business coming in. For example:

• Plan client visits. Winter is a great time to do an annual review or market assessment. Visiting clients annually is a best practice in cultivating referrals.
• Some prospects will be concerned about selling in winter, thinking their home might not show well. Let them know you have strategies for selling a property in any season, including winter.
• In your monthly real estate newsletter, feature some tips and articles on buying and selling during winter. Ideally, your real estate marketing system will include this content.
• Considering hosting a holiday client appreciation event, or a winter-themed community get-together. Just one event can raise your profile and generate a fresh batch of leads.
• Nurture your list of prospects who are waiting until spring to sell. Keep in touch with this group. Some may decide to list sooner than expected.
• Some sellers, who are waiting until spring, may be willing to list sooner if you have buyers interested in their type of property. If that’s the case, work those leads.

Takeaway: Winter doesn’t create a ghost town in the real estate market. Far from it. The season can be fruitful in terms of generating real estate agent leads and referrals, if you keep your level of marketing activity consistent.