Marketing Your Real Estate Business on Instagram
As one of the fastest growing social media networks, Instagram is an instrumental marketing platform for real estate agents, as it provides another free outlet for branding, exposing listings, generating leads, and engaging your audience. In addition, its function as a photo and video-sharing social networking service enables Instagram to establish a more personal and emotional connection with followers since consumers tend to be visually driven. In fact, statistics show that Instagram delivers 58 more engagement per follower than Facebook and 120 times more engagement per follower than Twitter. Plus, with 200 million active monthly users, it is an effective and significant channel to reach potential clients, impress your current clients, and stay relevant to your past clients.
Whether new to the industry or an industry veteran, Instagram is a beneficial tool that will aid in virtually every aspect of branding, marketing, and prospecting. Therefore, it is imperative that agents take advantage of this platform and incorporate the tips, various apps and capabilities below into their daily marketing regimen in order to stay competitive and build their business.
- Set Up Your Account:
- Instagram does not offer the ability to create a separate business identity like Facebook does, so users are able to integrate their work related images and videos with their personal photos.
- Current Instagram users should make necessary adjustments to their account to ensure that the username, picture, bio, and website represent their business and brand. To do this, login to your account through your smart phone, tablet, or computer, and select “Edit Profile”. Once you make the necessary changes, hit “Submit”.
- New users will have to establish an Instagram account by downloading the app on their smart phone. Then, you can login with your Facebook username and password or create a separate username and password. Again, choose a username that represents your brand (i.e. RealtorJohnDoe).
- Add your real estate headshot or a photo of one of your listings as your main image, upload your real estate biography to your account bio and your agent website to your website in order to send backlinks to your website and improve rankings!
- Once the account has been updated or created, sync it to your Facebook account so that you can easily find your friends on Instagram.
- Download a badge and paste it on your website, blog, email signature, email marketing, and other social media sites from your computer by logging in to your account, clicking on your username from your home page, and selecting “Badges” from the drop down menu.
- Interact with Other Users:
- Consistently engaging not only those that follow you, but also those that you follow is crucial!
- If your Instagram is synced to your Facebook account, you will be able to follow your Facebook friends immediately after creating your account.
- Find other users to follow by searching for hashtags that interest you in the search bar, such as real estate, home décor, luxury listings, etc.
- Spend time daily interacting with users by liking and providing thoughtful commentary on their posts as well as responding to comments from other users on your posts.
- Add your Instagram badge with a link to your profile to your social media, email signature, blog, website, and email marketing campaigns as mentioned earlier, and include a call to action to encourage others to follow you.
- Brand Your Business in Every Post:
- Instagram is a fast, simple and fun way to share your life with family and friends through photos and videos, so it is essential to post both personal and business related pictures throughout the day to relate to a broader scope of followers. However, even your personal posts present branding opportunities.
- Let your personal posts illustrate your connection with and knowledge of the local neighborhoods and surrounding communities; thus, branding you as an area expert. Capture and share images while at local hot spots, a new restaurant in the area, neighborhood or community events, fundraisers, school functions, etc.
- Integrate real estate oriented posts while on the job to remind your audience that you are a real estate agent. Share pictures of your happy clients, your personal listings, new listings or featured listings in the area, behind the scenes glances of the life of a real estate agent, new construction sites, homes you are showing to a buyer, vendors you work with, a successful closing, decorating or home staging ideas, gardens, etc.
- Include captions to each post with information about the photo or video, such as details about an event, thanking a vendor or agent who helped you with a closing, the final score of a local sporting event, a restaurant review, a local business recommendation, remodeling or decoration advice, etc.
- Utilize Tools to Expand Your Reach:
- Tag clients, colleagues, family and friends who are pictured in your images and videos or relate to them in some way. This will give you the opportunity to interact with them and their followers and broaden your scope.
- Incorporate hashtags into the captions of your posts. Hashtags are essential and necessary to boost engagement and attract followers, as users can search for hashtags to find posts. Therefore, your hashtags should be relevant to your post and generic so that it is easier to find. For example, if you post an image of a listing, you could use #realestate, #realestateagent, #houstonhomesforsale, #pricereduced, #luxuryhome, #waterfrontproperty, as well as other property descriptions or the name of the neighborhood. If you are posting a picture of a football game at a local school, you might hashtag the school name, the opposing team’s name, football, the school district, other information about the school, like #awardwinning, #exemplary, #statechampions, etc. Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags for each post, so the more the merrier!
- Enable photo maps when you post a video or picture to pin your location on a map. Not only does this demonstrate your familiarity and knowledge with your community and neighborhood, allow users to find your photos on the map, and mark the exact location of different listing or showings, but it also builds your credibility as an expert in that area and creates relevance in your community.
- Maximize exposure with social media integration to automatically share your posts to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. This not only saves you time, but it also ensures your branding is consistent on all social media platforms. To manually share your posts, click on the dots at the bottom of the image or video you want to share. Then, elect to “Share” or “Copy URL” and paste it to your desired destination.
- Capture Your Audience:
- Enhance your images by using clear, focused pictures with natural light, and apply digital filters to edit brightness, saturation, contrast, etc.
- Showcase your media marketing skills by posting videos of your listings, parks or amenities in the community, a certain neighborhood, a client testimonial, etc. to boost traction and response on your Instagram. In addition, surveys prove that current, past, and potential clients are more impressed and likely to hire agents who incorporate video into their marketing.
- Download third party apps with the ability to modify or develop intriguing content. Flipagram is a free tool that allows users to create a short video of previously taken photos, complete with music and captions. You can also post beautiful collages that capture more followers through Pic Stitch or a similar app. Transform images into powerful marketing tools with Over, which allows users to add text to images, whether marketing an upcoming open house, your website, listing highlights, or adding inspirational messages to your photos. Take extended videos of your listings, a neighborhood, community events, etc. with Hyperlapse, a time-lapse video app that enables users to control the speed at which the finished video will play; thus, eliminating time restraints.
- Stunning images, enticing videos, and third party modifications will help you construct appealing posts, but timing is equally important when capturing followers. Ensure you post during the most active times of day to increase engagement and reach more followers. Typically, social media usage is most active in the evenings, but you can analyze your follower’s peak usage hours on Instagram with Icono Square.
With new apps and capabilities consistently introduced, Instagram’s popularity among internet users continues to rise. Although all social media platforms are dominant sources for effective marketing and branding, Instagram caters to visually driven consumers, which accounts for an overwhelming majority of internet users and attributes to its status as the fastest growing social media network. Plus, it maximizes efficiency by allowing users to share the same visually stimulating posts with their fans and followers on other networks. Not to mention, with real estate agents devoting roughly 40% of their time daily to marketing related activities, the ability to market yourself on the go, whether in the car, at an event, or at a local hot spot with friends, family or clients, is a constructive use of that time. As new Instagram features continue to emerge, the opportunities to market your business, generate leads, attract clients, and deliver your message will be more profound, as will the need to embrace it in your daily marketing.
How Can You Build Your Online Presence and Attract More Clients?
Real estate is one of the largest transactions most people will encounter in their lives; so naturally, selecting the right real estate agent requires extensive research and interviewing. As buyers and sellers continue to use the internet as a primary source of information when conducting research throughout the real estate transaction, it is imperative that real estate agents grow and build a solid online reputation in order to stand out from the competition, influence people’s perception, and brand their business to even land an interview.
With social media becoming increasingly prevalent in a number of marketing initiatives, it provides a principal foundation that real estate agents and other small business owners can capitalize on when developing and enhancing their online reputation! Plus, there are an assortment of new tools and apps that have been introduced that allow users to incorporate several different methods into one platform! From branding and blogging, to creating an effective website and obtaining client reviews, there are several opportunities that will showcase you and your business in the most favorable light and boost your online reputation.
- Branding:
- Perception is everything, and it is imperative that your potential clients are receiving the message that you want to convey. However, before you can determine what that message is, you have to define your brand.
- Reflect on the qualities that differentiate you from the competition. What are your strongest attributes and skills? What is your area of expertise or specialty?
- When you determine what quality or specialty it is that represents you as a Realtor, as well as your business and brand, reinforce it in everything you do, especially online.
- Continue to highlight the other qualities that make you the best candidate for the job, as well, including your experience, awards, accomplishments and specialties.
- Agent Website:
- Every real estate agent should have their own website so that potential clients can discover them and see what their about outside of referrals or social media.
- Many times, an agent website is the first thing a client sees, so it is crucial to create a good first impression with a well written real estate biography and a professional head shot of yourself! Your biography should adequately represent you and your brand.
- Provide content that engages visitors and keeps them on your site, such as helpful information that buyers and sellers are likely to research, featured listings in the area, and client testimonials.
- Use key words in the content that you include on your website, such as real estate, real estate agent, and the cities that you service so that search engines will pick it up in a search inquiry.
- Embed links to your social media pages so that visitors can easily access your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. and learn more about you, your brand, and what you bring to the table.
- Social Media:
- Surveys show that the majority of internet users spend an overwhelming amount of time on their social media sites daily, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc, so maximizing your presence on social media is a key component to building and maintaining an impressive online reputation.
- Since social media allows you to connect with clients every time they log in, it provides an ideal platform to brand yourself and your business. Therefore, it is crucial that you utilize each social media platform available in order to expand your reach. Plus, potential clients need to be able to find you on every outlet imaginable.
- Upload your real estate biography to each of these sites, and include key words that are relevant to your neighborhood, specialty, and city.
- Join real estate discussions on your LinkedIn groups, and ask for endorsements to legitimize your business.
- Connect with clients on Facebook, and ask them to write a review.
- Engage your fans, followers, and connections by posting, pinning, and sharing useful content that reinforces your brand, such as helpful tips for buyers and sellers, market trends, housing statistics, ideas for the home, etc.
- Become the voice of authority when contributing to real estate discussions through your social media, blogs, or message boards.
- Incorporate video into your social media marketing. It might not do much to affect your online reputation, but it enhances your online presence and impresses potential clients.
- Keep all social media posts professional, even on your personal profile. Avoid posting anything that could alienate potential clients or cause them to perceive you in a less favorable light.
- Blogs and Other Informative Resources:
- Develop a hub of online resources about your community and its neighborhoods that provides helpful information to buyers and sellers and portrays you as a neighborhood specialist. Include neighborhood statistics, schools, tax rates, amenities, average homes sales, and update the information frequently to keep it current.
- Create a separate website where you can assemble such material, or embed a forum on your own website that can be easily accessed by visitors and found in search results.
- Start a blog. Writing thoughtful, useful, relevant content is an extremely efficient and constructive way to build your online identity, share your expertise, and brand your business.
- When publishing a blog, think about your audience. Write about topics that your target audience is most likely to surf the web for.
- Use key words, titles and tags appropriately so that you can control your online search results.
- Personalize the content to show readers a glimpse of your personality. Offer personal examples or stories that support your thoughts, advice and opinions.
- Once you publish an article to your blog, share it across every social media forum to increase traffic to your article and blog site, as well as optimize SEO.
- Embed links to your social media pages, website, etc. on your blog to create a domino effect with consumers who read your article. This not only encourages your audience to interact with your brand and engage in a call to action, but it also facilitates their online research without ever leaving your site.
- Publish blogs to your site several times a week, and structure every article with content that emphasizes your brand.
- Reviews:
- Perhaps the most influential contribution to your reputation, research indicates that consumer reviews of services and products are more compelling than any other type of marketing. In addition, they are 12 times more trusted than information provided by a sales/service provider. In fact, 75% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. Furthermore, studies show that consumers who interact with reviews are more likely to buy the product or service.
- Reviews support word-of-mouth referrals, and when a past client, friend or family member refers your services, the person that they refer you to will more than likely search online to find reviews to validate what was said.
- Positive reviews from satisfied customers reflect your hard work, time, and efforts and indicate successful results. Plus, surveys show that they are key components that encourage potential clients to contact a real estate agent.
- Facebook, Trulia, Zillow, Realtor.com, Google +, and Yelp are a few sites that allow consumers to write a review for real estate agents or other businesses that rank high on search results.
- Ask clients to write a review on one or all of the applicable sites after their transaction has closed. Then, establish a strong collection of genuine, flattering reviews, and display them on your website and other social media pages.
- Real reviews instill trust and confidence in potential clients, so resist any temptation to fabricate reviews and avoid anonymous reviews. Consumers and websites can often recognize fake reviews, and if you are caught, the website can place a consumer alert on your account, or the FTC can take you to court or administer a hefty fine.
- Don’t delete negative reviews, as it authenticates the positive ones. Plus, surveys indicate that positive reviews outweigh the negative. Instead, respond to any negative reviews in a professional manner that illustrates your remorse, concern, and dedication to finding a resolution.
- Avoid seeming defensive or placing blame. If necessary, contact the client privately to resolve the issue. Once it is resolved, ask them to write an updated review.
- Complement negative feedback with positive blogs or news articles that might get more traction and rank higher in a search than reviews.
- Set up a Google Alert to monitor positive and negative inquiries about you as they are submitted so that you can promptly handle each situation accordingly.
According to a recent survey, buyers and sellers agree that a real estate agent’s reputation is more important than their experience. While it may seem overwhelming, many real estate agents have embraced these tools and are implementing them into their marketing plan seamlessly, thus, generating more online presence, enhancing their online reputation, branding their business, and dominating internet searches in their area.
In addition to maximizing your online presence and contributing to your reputation, these marketing resources are incomparable in effectiveness and efficiency in comparison to traditional marketing initiatives, proven by increased leads, better client conversion rates, and a reduction in cost and time. As new social media sites, apps, and technology continue to advance, traditional marketing methods will continue to reduce in effectiveness and become more obsolete, as will the agents who use them. Therefore, it is paramount to take advantage and remain adept of the latest online tools and incorporate them into your marketing more and more every day to ensure that your business not only thrives, but survives.
A powerful marketing tool, online video, is rapidly becoming a primary resource for consumers who surf the web for information and entertainment. In fact, more than 100 million internet users claim to watch online videos every day. When you consider the wealth of information found on the internet, it is no surprise that consumers are more attracted to video content that is easier to digest when seeking advice, a service or a product. Plus, video is more engaging to viewers and entices them to spend more time on your website or social media page. Furthermore, statistics show that online video viewers are also more likely to respond to the video’s call to action, visit the website of the company represented, and even purchase the specific product or service mentioned.
In real estate, online video is especially imperative, as it gives real estate agents a chance to introduce themselves, share market updates, showcase their listings, and inform viewers about the community. In addition, videos are ranked higher in a Google search, so agents who capitalize on this opportunity can increase their reach. Plus, statistics reveal that real estate listings with video generate four times more leads than those without video. If you want to grow your business or brand, consider incorporating the following types of online videos, as well as a few tips, tools, and strategies, into your marketing campaign.
What Type of Videos Can You Create as a Real Estate Agent?
- Branding Video: Grab the attention of potential clients immediately with a humorous, fun, clever, and memorable branding video that characterizes you and your brand while making potential clients laugh.
- Introductory Videos: Create a conversational video to introduce you/your team, share client testimonials, and explain your work philosophy, values, and interests to give potential clients an idea of what it is like to work with you and who you are as a person. It should describe your personality and establish trust with clients, not promote your services like a sales pitch.
- Informational Videos: These are similar to introductory videos, except with a sales pitch. They allow you to differentiate yourself from competitors by emphasizing your credentials, abilities, and processes. When creating an informational video, employ the same tone as your listing presentation; sell yourself, but include content that applies to both buyers and sellers.
- Listing Videos: According to NAR, 73% of sellers say they are more likely to list their home with an agent who used video to market their property. In addition, real estate listings with videos generate four times the amount of leads. Therefore, incorporating online videos of listings is not only beneficial in reaching more buyers, but also in attracting sellers. These videos allow you to walk viewers through a home and discuss its key features. Plus, you can edit the video with text that summarizes the desirable qualities of each room. With greater interaction and information, listing videos are much more appealing to buyers.
- Market Update Videos: Create monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly videos that provide information on housing trends in your city and community. You can disclose information regarding home prices, home sales, mortgage rates, and other facts and figures.
- Community Videos: A valuable resource for out of town buyers, community videos allow you to introduce buyers to the city and neighborhoods that you work in. Showcase the area’s parks, shopping, and dining options, and address the local economy and the quality of schools.
- Instructional Videos: The majority of online video viewers are seeking information or entertainment. Therefore, instructional videos are more likely to capture a specific audience and retain them until the end, which increases the engagement with the video’s call to action. Create a “how to” video that targets your niche audience, such as “how to stage your home”, or provide tutorials with steps regarding certain aspects of the buying and selling process. These videos will not only increase engagement in your call to action, but they will also brand you as an expert in the field, establish trust with potential clients, and prompts repeat visitors.
How Can You Make Your Videos More Effective?
- Be Creative: To maximize a video’s marketing potential, it needs to grab the viewer’s attention within the first few seconds.
- Keep it Short: After ten seconds, a video starts to lose viewers. To hold the audience to the end and engage a call to action, restrict the video length to three minutes or less.
- Distribute Across Multiple Platforms: Share each video across every channel that makes sense. Depending on its content, videos can be promoted across multiple blog forums and social media sites; distributed through email marketing campaigns and press releases; or embedded on your blog or website.
- Build Emotional Connections: Structure your video content to focus on a bigger story that relates to the theme of your brand instead of promoting yourself and what you sell. For instance, supplement videos about your brand, such as listing, introductory, or informational videos, with an assortment of instructional or “how to” videos.
- Narrow Your Audience: Creating content that targets a niche audience will generate quality leads by attracting viewers who possess a clear sign of interest, watch the video until the end, and engage your call to action. To hook your niche market and filter out the random viewers, begin each video with a specific sentence about the topic.
- Set and Track Measurable Goals: Identify your objectives in your online video marketing, whether it is to capture a certain number of leads or hold a certain percentage of the audience until the end of the video. Evaluate the results, and if necessary, modify your online video content and/or strategy accordingly. Continue improving your video content to cater to your niche audience, gain more viewers, and convert them into clients.
What Tools are Available to Facilitate Your Online Video Marketing Strategy?
- Mobile Apps: This is an increasingly important segment to reach, as more than 1/10 online video plays happen on cell phones or tablets. Incorporating mobile apps, including Vine and Instagram, in your online video marketing is instrumental in reaching this growing audience.
- YouTube: As the most visited video portal in the world, a YouTube account is crucial to a successful online video marketing campaign. Simply create a free account, capture videos and upload them. In addition, the videos have the capability to include a link to your website, and statistically, a viewer that visits your website is more likely to become a client. Remember to incorporate a variety of the videos mentioned previously on your YouTube account, and share them across other social media platforms.
- Tubemogul: com facilitates online video syndication by allowing you to upload a video and insert its details and descriptions. Then, it publishes the video on YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, and metacafe.com, the four major avenues for sharing video. From tubemogul.com, you can promote your videos across each site, track each video’s traffic across all sites, and attain updated reports about its reach that you can send to your clients.
- Paid Solutions: As you become more experienced with online video marketing, you can combine the use of free sites and mobile apps with paid solutions for your long-term videos, such as those you want to embed in your website and blog. This not only protects your investment and gives you more control than free services, but it also allows higher quality video.
Online video is an instrumental tool for marketing and advertising your business, and resources such as time and financial budget should be allocated accordingly. Effective use of online video marketing increases sales and leads, which is validated by the numerous businesses that have already tapped into this platform and reported an increase in engagement rates, click through rates, and conversion rates. As the popularity and use of online video continues its exponential growth, developing an online video presence is the most efficient and practical use of time, energy, and money spent on marketing. It is crucial that small businesses, including real estate agents, utilize this medium to maximize their exposure and branding potential, or they will risk losing business to those that do.
Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Home
A representation of achievement and a symbol of the American Dream, purchasing a home is considered one of the largest financial decisions and obligations one will encounter in their lives. However, eager to move into their dream home and begin the next chapter of life, even seasoned buyers can let the excitement and chaos cloud their judgment. If crucial components are not executed properly or neglected altogether, you invite a number of complications to the transaction that are not only detrimental to the outcome, but can also negatively impact you for years to come.
Avoid these common mistakes to facilitate the process, protect your investment, eliminate unnecessary stress, and secure a favorable outcome.
Neglecting to Hire a Professional:
Buying a home is a complex and tedious process, and a major financial investment, so it is crucial to work with the appropriate professionals. Opting to forgo a Realtor, Mortgage Professional, Licensed Home Inspectors, and Licensed Title Agencies, etc, can result in higher costs and unnecessary worry. A Realtor connects you to the right professionals and guides you through the process so that you can execute the proper steps and enjoy the most favorable outcome.
Starting Without a Plan:
When buying a home, it is imperative that the entire process is a thought out plan so that you can remain organized and in control. Know the type of home you are looking for, the area(s) you are interested in living, who is going to help you, and what steps you will need to execute. Without a realistic idea of these essential components, you may encounter a number of difficulties.
Not Getting Pre-Approved:
Obtaining pre approval should be a top priority when starting the home buying process. Buyers need to know where their credit stands and how much they can afford. Also, being pre approved will strengthen your offer when you submit one, and it will secure your interest rate to protect yourself from increasing rates.
Expecting to Find a Home with Everything on Your Wish List:
There will most likely be some non-negotiable features that you consider essential elements in your new home. However, it is difficult to find a home that encompasses every single component desired. Make a list that ranks the most important qualities to the least important, and keep your options open.
Unfamiliarity with the Neighborhood or Area:
Location is everything in real estate! Buyers need to search for homes in an area that possesses the best location and amenities that accommodate their family’s lifestyle. Then, understand the neighborhood you are considering moving into. Consider Home Owners Associations, dues, and restrictions. Inquire about the neighborhood’s amenities and property taxes, and evaluate its proximity to schools and activities. Visit neighborhoods during various times during the day and week to get an accurate portrayal of it prior to narrowing down your choices.
Limiting Your Search Options:
While you can find a lot of information about a home online through various websites, the information can be limited or expired. Take advantage of every platform available to you so you don’t miss out. If you use a Realtor, you will have access to the MLS, and can possibly benefit from their industry connections.
Exceeding Your Budget:
You need to have a realistic concept of your budget and what you can afford. Don’t convince or allow yourself to exceed that budget. Again, working with the right professionals will help you avoid this mistake.
Failing to Evaluate Hidden Costs and the Importance of a Home Warranty:
Homes require a certain amount of maintenance and repair work, which can often be costly and stressful. Factor in these unexpected occurrences, and prepare by saving extra money to accommodate. Make sure to buy a home with a warranty to avoid some costly repairs, as well. If it doesn’t include a warranty, your Realtor can request that the seller provides one during negotiation. In addition, factor in other costs, including property taxes, HOA dues, and other applicable fees that accompany the neighborhood.
Not Obtaining a Comparative Market Analysis or Considering the Resale Value of the Home:
Buyers need to have an idea the property’s market value prior to submitting an offer to avoid over paying. Obtaining a Comparative Market Analysis will show comparable properties in the area, their sale price, and recent price trends. If you pay too much, you are likely to lose on the investment when it is time to sell. Purchasing a home for the right price and employing the right professionals will help protect you and your investment.
Disregarding the Importance of a Home Inspection:
Avoid major costs down the road by obtaining a home inspection by a licensed, reputable provider. Any recommended repairs should be completed by a licensed contractor. Then, the home should be re-inspected before closing.
Purchasing an Expensive Item Prior to Closing:
Credit requirements for loans have become strict. If you need to buy furniture or appliances for your home, a new car, or other costly items, wait until after the house closes, as financing these expensive items can affect the closing. Work with a credible mortgage broker to avoid jeopardizing the closing.
Home buyers who avoid making these mistakes will undoubtedly reduce the risk of complications or financial strain down the road; however, buying a home is still an overwhelming time. It is imperative that buyers find a professional real estate agent who will guide them through the process, facilitate every facet of the transaction, and provide assurance that each step is executed properly, efficiently, and in the client’s best interest!
What Tax Benefits are Available to Homeowners?
As April approaches, Americans across the country are consulting with their accountants and claiming their deductions to ensure they take advantage of the various tax benefits that may be availalbe. Whether writing off a business expense, calculating charity contributions, or deducting your mortgage interest rates, filing taxes can be an overwhelming, stressful, tedious process to those who are looking to maximize their return and reduce what they owe.
Homeowners receive plenty of advantages during tax season when claiming deductions. In fact, the U. S. Tax Code is designed to offer incentives to homeowners. Whether your home is paid in full or financed with a mortgage, there are several tax-saving opportunities that may accompany home ownership. If any of the following tax perks are applicable to your situation, we recommend that you address your inquiries to an accountant or tax professional who can determine your tax liability based on certain qualifications and regulations.
1. Mortgage Interest Rates: Deducting your mortgage interest is often the biggest tax break offered to homeowners, especially early in the home’s loan.
- The standard mortgage amortization schedule is front-loaded with mortgage interests, which means annual interest payments on a 30-year loan term exceed annual principal payments until the loan’s tenth year. In other words, your mortgage payments during this time are primarily on the mortgage interest, which can be deducted.
- Interest from second mortgages, refinances, home equity loans, and home equity lines of credit may also be tax deductible. However, there are restrictions if the mortgage debt extends beyond the property’s fair market value. Generally, equity debt of $100,000 or less may be fully deductible.
- Interest from a second home, boat or RV may also be considered deductible. As long as the property has cooking, sleeping and bathroom facilities, even if you rent it out as a second property, there may be tax perks!
- Consult with a tax professional or accountant to examine your personal situation and evaluate your options.
2. Discount Points: This is a one-time fee that occurs at closing in order to allow the borrower access to mortgage rates that are below the current market rates.
- Discount points are treated as “prepaid mortgage interest” by the IRS, which may make them eligible for tax deductions.
- As long as discount points are paid in conjunction with a home purchase, the cost may be deducted in full (dollar-for-dollar) in the year they were paid.
- If you are refinancing your home or taking out a line of credit, discount points paid will be amortized over the life of the loan. Therefore, any eligible deductions may depend on the amortization schedule, rather than deductible in full the year it was paid. For instance, the cost of one discount point on a 30-year loan may be deducted at 1/30 of its value in a calendar year.
- Verify that your loan meets the qualification requirements and ensure that you are deducting the right amount by consulting with a tax advisor or accountant.
3. Real Estate Taxes: As a homeowner, you pay annual real estate taxes to local and state entities.
- Any taxes paid to local or state entities may be deducted in the year which they are paid.
- To deduct your real estate taxes, file your annual statement with your federal tax return.
- Speak with an accountant or tax advisor to execute the steps properly and verify your liability.
4. Home Improvements: Various types of home improvements may be considered tax deductible.
- If you or a family member living in your home has a medical issue that requires modifications to your home, the costs of those modifications may be up to 100% tax deductible.
- Any repairs and improvements made for aesthetic purposes may not be tax deductible. However, keep your receipts, as these improvements may be deducted from the profit when you sell your home!
- Of course, should you need any clarification regarding your situation, consult with a tax professional or accountant!
5. Home Offices: If you work from home, you may be allowed to deduct the expense of maintaining a qualified home office.
- These tax benefits may include renovations to the room, the addition of a separate telephone line and the cost of heating, cooling, and lighting the room.
- There are special requirements of what constitutes a “home office” for tax purposes. To avoid increasing your risk of being audited, make sure you address your home office with your accountant or tax professional to understand the benefits and liabilities!
6. Selling Costs: When you sell your home, you may be allotted several possible tax deductions that include:
- Agent commission, title insurance, legal fees, any advertising costs incurred, administrative costs, escrow fees, and inspection fees.
7. More Tax Benefits When Selling Your Home: Since 1997, $250,000 in sales gain (or $500,000 if married, filing jointly) may be considered tax-free IF:
- The owner owned the property for at least two years and lived in it for two out of the last five years prior to selling.
- If the home was sold before meeting ownership and residency requirements, tax must be paid on any profit, unless the move is due to health, employment or unforeseen circumstances.
- Ask your accountant or tax professional to be sure you are meeting these requirements.
8. Home Improvement Deductions for Sellers: When you sell your home, you may lessen the tax burden on profits that exceed $250,000 (or $500,000 if married, filing jointly) by deducting any home improvement costs from the gain.
- Deduct the improvement costs from the gain (gain = home’s selling price – selling costs + tax basis).
- Your gain – the home improvement costs will determine your tax liability from the profit of the sell.
- Remember to seek counsel from your accountant or tax advisor, as these rules and regulations can be tricky!
9. Moving Costs: If you are moving because of a new job, you may be eligible to deduct your moving costs if your situation meets several IRS requirements.
- One requirement is that your new job must be 50 miles farther from your old home than your previous job was.
- If you meet all IRS requirements, you may be allowed to deduct travel and transportation costs, lodging expenses, storage fees, and other expenses related to your move.
- See your accountant or tax professional for expert advice in regards to your individual situation and requirements.
10. Non Deductible Expenses: To avoid confusion, there might be a few expenses that may not be considered tax deductible. Prior to meeting with your accountant or tax professional, understand that the following expenses may not be eligible to receive tax deductions:
- Insurance, including private mortgage insurance, may not be deductible unless you meet the requirements under a special PMI Law. This is because you are paying this insurance as a result of not fronting enough money for a down payment.
- Property hazard insurance premiums may be non-deductible, even though coverage is required as part of the home loan and included in your monthly payment.
- HOA dues.
- Additional principal payments.
- Home depreciation.
- Closing costs.
- Local assessments that increase neighborhood value, such as sidewalks and street lamps.
- Miscellaneous home repairs (see accountant or tax advisor for further details).
It is important to note that Connect Realty provides the information in this article for general guidance only, and does not constitute the provision of legal advice, tax advice, accounting services, investment advice, or professional consulting of any kind. The information provided herein should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional tax, accounting, legal, or other competent advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a professional adviser who has been provided with all pertinent facts relevant to your particular situation.
In addition, this article is not intended to be used, and cannot be used by any taxpayer, for the purpose of avoiding accuracy-related penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The information is provided “as is,” with no assurance or guarantee of completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of the information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose.
With the majority of homebuyers beginning their home search online, it is imperative that real estate agents are maximizing their online presence to capture buyers and sellers. This includes utilizing the most beneficial social media platforms, especially Facebook. After all, with over 300 million active users, Facebook is becoming the ultimate social destination.
For real estate agents, Facebook’s features, apps, and numerous capabilities create an ideal environment for prospecting and growing your business, as it allows agents to establish a faster and more personal connection, engage with fans or followers, share valuable information, acquire new clients, and more. To summarize, it is truly an essential component to an effective online marketing strategy. However, to be effective, real estate agents must embrace Facebook and take advantage of its countless resources. By executing the following steps and implementing the suggested tips regularly, you will build value in your brand, instill trust and loyalty with your followers, and enhance your real estate business.
1. If you don’t have a Facebook Business (or Fan) Page, Create One.
- Setting up a Facebook Business (Fan) Page is simple. Just go to Facebook.com, and click “Create a Page” on the login screen, and follow the steps.
- A Facebook Fan Page functions just like your personal page except for it collects “fans” instead of “friends”. However, creating a Fan Page allows you to remain professional by separating your personal posts from your business posts.
- When inserting your page information, complete each field with as much detail as possible. Include your website in the “About” section to increase visibility.
- After your page is complete, publish it and invite your personal Facebook friends to “like” it. In addition, you can upload your database to your Fan Page and invite your clients to “like” your new page, advertise it to a target audience, etc.
2. Incorporate a Facebook Marketing Strategy into Your Business Plan.
- Establish clear goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound.
- Budget the amount of time daily that you will devote to Facebook Marketing, and compose a list of ideas that you would like to implement into your Facebook Page with a time table.
- Map out your daily schedule and allot time to post at least two or three times a day to Facebook, preferably during peak usage times to get more exposure, “likes” and “shares”.
3. Connect your Facebook Page to your other Marketing Initiatives.
- Add the Facebook icon with a link to your Fan Page to your website, blog, email marketing, and other marketing collateral. This will produce more exposure for your page, and therefore, more “followers” or “fans”, by allowing site visitors and email recipients to conveniently access the page.
- Add the link of your Facebook Fan Page to your email signature so that email recipients can easily access it, as well.
- Connect your Facebook Page with your other social media accounts. Apps like Ping.FM and Selective Twitter Status allow Facebook to automatically share the content that you post to your other social media accounts (and vice versa). This will enable you to engage on all of your social media pages without spending any additional time.
4. Post Consistently.
- Remember, the goal of social media is to be social, offer value, and engage your audience; therefore, the most vital component in executing a successful Facebook Marketing Campaign is to post useful content at least two or three times a day.
- As a “Golden Rule”, 80% of the content posted to your Business Page should focus on lifestyle, customer interests, tips, etc, while only 20% of your posts should be business oriented.
- Actively seek and share informative content that will engage your followers, entice them to “like” or “share” the post on their page, and attract a wider audience.
- Post your personal blogs as well as articles written by outside parties to diversify the material and information on your Facebook Page. Just copy the link of the specific article, and paste it as your “status”. Generate traffic and blog clicks by adding compelling information about the article to your status.
- Be careful not to bombard the news feed with consecutive posts, as it can annoy your followers and fans. Instead, consider waiting at least an hour or two between your posts to maximize their visibility on the news feed.
5. Incorporate Images and Videos in Your Posts.
- Posts with images receive more traction and often remain in the news feed for a longer period of time, as people generally connect more with images.
- Add stimulating images, graphs, charts, etc. to capture the attention of more fans and followers in the news feed, and encourage more “likes” and “shares”.
- Include a video or a virtual tour of one of your listings. However, too many status updates of listing photos or virtual tours detract value from your page. Remember to keep 80% of your posts related to the community, news, and other material that users deem useful.
- Share a photo of a property you just sold.
- Utilize functions of other social media for videos, including Flippagram, Vine, Instagram, and YouTube to create and display memorable photos, videos, or slideshows.
- Take advantage of the “YouTube for Pages” app by Involver to share your YouTube videos on your Facebook Fan Page.
6. Utilize Facebook’s Cost Effective Advertising Platform.
- Facebook allows users to create right column ads that are targeted to a specific audience. For example, if you want to advertise a new listing, you can target a specific city, or narrow the audience to those who are renting or relocating.
- In addition to creating a right column advertisement, you can promote your posts. When you promote a post, it will remain at the top of the news feed for an extended time period to increase its visibility among your followers or fans. If you want to maximize exposure of a post, determine the audience you want to target, and your post will appear on their news feeds even if they are not followers or fans of your page.
- Both methods of advertising allow you to connect with Facebook users outside of your Fan Page; thus, creating opportunities to capture more fans or followers, promote your brand, and expand your reach.
- Compared to other paid search marketing, this is an inexpensive and effective way to enhance your Internet Marketing Campaign.
7. Employ the Use of Facebook Tabs and other Free Advertising Options.
- Update your Cover Photo with a picture of your newest listing. Download a customizable template that enables you to highlight key features and include multiple images of the home. Encourage users to visit your Fan Page by posting about a special offer or incentive to secure page traffic and exposure of your new listing.
- Use a tool like TabSites Website ReSizer to create a Facebook Tab for your Featured Listings within 10 minutes, rather than share every listing on your news feed. Just select a few listings that you want to occasionally post to your news feed, and embed the URL of your Featured Listings Tab. This adds a great dimension to your Fan Page and will attract and engage visitors.
- Set yourself apart from other REALTORS by incorporating your MLS web page to a Facebook Tab with TabSite Website ReSizer. After easily creating the tab, visitors will receive full access to your website’s MLS straight from your Facebook Fan Page.
- Add a “Contact Me” tab to prompt visitors of your Fan Page to input their email address and information. Post about the “Contact Form” periodically on your news feed, and offer incentives to motivate users to opt-in. You can add their email addresses to your database and send them your email marketing campaigns. This is a great way to expand your database.
- Make an appealing “Welcome” tab, complete with testimonials, awards, or an introductory video that showcases your skills.
- Run contests and sweepstakes through third party apps, like Wishpond, to generate traffic to your page and increase visibility of tabs and posts.
8. Miscellaneous Tips for your Facebook Page
- For your business related posts, share stories about your clients that illustrate how much you care about them. Write about showing houses to your buyers, getting a contract on a house, etc. Make it short and sweet, just to remind your fans that you are a real estate agent.
- Engage your followers by updating your status with questions that encourage a response from fans. Respond promptly to continue interacting.
- Avoid political or religious posts on your Fan Page to keep it professional.
- Provide links with helpful information to your Fan Page, like road construction, the website of a recommended vendor, a fundraiser or event, etc.
- Interact with users or pages that you follow by “liking” or “sharing” their status updates and pictures.
There are an abundance of additional features and functions of Facebook that will help you expand your reach and build your clientele. Although applying these tips to your marketing initiatives will promote your brand, it is crucial to stay adept of new trends and apps that you can adopt that will continue advancing your social media presence and set you apart from the competition! Search for new ideas on Facebook or online, and integrate as many components as possible to your Facebook (or other social media) marketing initiatives!
New Year’s Resolutions That Will Advance Your Real Estate Career and Enrich Your Life
Now that 2014 has emerged, many people have been reflecting on 2013; its successes, triumphs, pitfalls and tribulations. Upon recognizing areas for improvement, resolutions are in development or already in full effect. After all, 2014 is a New Year; a clean slate and a fresh start to enrich your life, both personally and professionally.
For real estate agents who wish to implement New Year’s resolutions to secure a more profitable 2014, it is imperative to remain realistic. With a career that depends on building strong relationships, agents tend to work hours that extend well-beyond Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, and it becomes increasingly challenging to find a balance between work and personal life. Consider the following resolutions for 2014 to ensure it is a lucrative year in all aspects of your life!
1. Develop a Business Plan: Whether you are just now building your business, would like to earn more money, or seek to allot more time to family and friends, every successful real estate agent needs a Business Plan for the New Year.
- Set a specific amount that you would like to earn for the year, and make sure it is reasonable. Pushing yourself to achieve unrealistic expectations will cause unnecessary stress and pressure.
- Set goals for yourself and develop a time table of when you would like to achieve those goals; by the week, month, quarter, etc.
- Develop a series of plans to execute in order to achieve each goal on your timeline. These plans should include budgeting, action steps, marketing strategies, prospecting, and more.
- Track your success to ensure you remain focused and committed.
2. Maintain a Positive Attitude: Employing a positive attitude immediately gives you an advantage. It will help you see the opportunities, overcome obstacles, influence your decisions and instill confidence.
3. Utilize the Resources at Your Disposal: Real estate agents, especially at Connect Realty, have an abundance of material and training that are instrumental to advancing your business.
- Attend as many meetings or trainings as possible.
- Optimize the benefits that accommodate being a Connect Realty Agent, like agent websites, cloud-based technology, a virtual office, Quick Links, Round Table, a BackAgent calendar, virtual tours, marketing material, lead generation and more, including individual property websites for every listing, cloud-based flyers, and new, even more sophisticated agent websites (coming in early 2014).
- Attend networking events, seminars, or go to local venues to hear presentations of experts.
4. Indulge in Various Modes of Communication: Communication is essential when trying to build or grow a business. From maintaining relationships with past clients to prospecting for new ones, it is essential to remain adept of, and active in, all possible outlets of communication.
- Don’t rely on mail outs and emails for your sole method of communication.
- Stay active on social media networks or blogs to engage with as many people as possible.
- The more channels of communication that you utilize to reach past, present, and potential clients, the more business you will generate.
5. Focus on Quality Rather than Quantity: Too many responsibilities can weigh you down, and it will benefit your personal life, as well as your business, if you don’t bite off more than you can chew.
- Avoid taking on too many clients at once. Instead, provide your expertise only to the amount of clients you can effectively manage at the time to ensure you are delivering the utmost service and professionalism rather than sub-par service.
- Don’t look at your clients as an opportunity for profit. Businesses that view their customers as family or friends tend to be more successful.
- Optimizing your service and the experience of your clients will result in a greater return on your investment in the long run, as the more enhanced your service is, the greater likelihood that your clients will refer their friends and family for years to come.
6. Make Yourself a Priority, Too: Real estate agents always have an assortment of priorities to juggle at one time with closings, marketing, training, and clients consistently commanding attention. However, it is important that you don’t neglect yourself and your own needs.
- Eliminate the unessential responsibilities to lighten your burden. There’s no need to add more to your plate in an already overwhelming time.
- Ask for help. Hire an assistant to help you with your clients, or ask family members to help you with chores around the house.
- If you can’t delegate some tasks to others, make sure you still make time for yourself. Get plenty of rest, listen to your favorite music, take a walk, stretch, take short breaks every hour or two, break up your daily chores and personal care, light candles, etc, to better manage the stress.
7. Get Organized: Schedule, plan and organize every task you have to execute.
- Develop a plan of listing and closing activities for each client you are representing.
- Keep data of all of your current clients in one place, including notes about their likes/dislikes, progress, feedback, marketing plan, etc.
- Set reminders and “to-do’s” on your calendar, phone and other devices to ensure you are efficiently executing all of your marketing initiatives.
- Buy a calendar and write a list of daily tasks and appointments. Check tasks off the list as you complete them to track your progress.
8. Manage Your Time: When planning your weekly schedule, set aside time for each daily activity.
- Block off time every day for checking email, and social networking, prospecting. Allot time to catch up on uncompleted tasks.
- Prioritize your schedule to make time for friends and family. Map out personal time for non-work related activities, like school plays, birthdays, family dinners, etc.
- Plan vacations and some short getaways at the beginning of the year. This guarantees you are taking time for yourself, allows you to better plan ahead, and having something to look forward to will increase your productivity.
9. Stay Involved: Businesses that are active in their community attract more clients and experience more success. For real estate agents, community involvement also solidifies that you care about and are connected to your community; thus, better equipping you to connect clients to their community.
- Volunteer, donate money, sponsor a cause, contribute to food drives, etc.
- Stay adept on the community’s schools, services, etc.
- Emphasize the importance of helping others, not just your business.
While many people focus on executing the common resolutions, like exercising more, eating healthier, not procrastinating, etc, it is crucial not to neglect the other areas of your life that could stand improvement. Real estate agents who are able to effectively execute these suggested resolutions, and develop their 2014 Business Plan accordingly, will benefit with a well-balanced and organized life, as well as a more profitable and stress-free business!
Advantages of Buying or Selling a Home During the Holiday Season
Tis the season for buying gifts, planning festivities, visiting with family, decorating homes, and cooking food! However, as the holidays grow near, it is imperative that buyers and sellers don’t overlook the opportunities that the season presents to optimize their goals of buying or selling their home.
The hustle and bustle of the holidays distracts buyers and sellers who are more focused on their holiday preparations than their real estate needs. After all, buyers are aware that the inventory of homes available depletes in November and December, as sellers opt to take their house off the market during this time, or postpone listing their home until the busy spring season. However, both buyers and sellers can capitalize on a number of advantages and receive immeasurable benefits from the unique real estate climate that characterizes this time of year.
Sellers, before taking your house off the market or waiting for the New Year to list your home, consider some of the perks that the holidays entail:
- Buyers who continue their home search during the holidays are motivated and are not just wasting time. While showings and traffic to your home will undoubtedly decline, those coming to view the property are serious about purchasing. Thus, the holidays weed out the influx of curious people who are not necessarily in the market to buy, but just wasting your time, a common occurrence in the spring season.
- Low housing inventory during the holidays eliminates the competition for sellers, as many homeowners choose to take their home off the market during the season, and others are convinced it’s best to list their home in the spring. For sellers, this means your home will likely sell quickly and at the best possible price.
- In January, the supply of homes on the market will drastically increase, resulting in less demand, less money, and more time that your home will sit on the market.
- Houses show better during the holiday months with decorations, enhanced curb appeal, warm fires, welcoming scents, and more that instill a warm and cozy feeling for potential homebuyers. However, stick to tasteful and simple décor to avoid cluttering your home and distracting potential buyers.
- Most companies give their employees extended time off throughout the holiday season. Therefore, buyers who are off from work can tour the home or schedule a showing throughout the week.
- Tax advantages leave some buyers urgent to purchase their home before the end of the year. As a result, if the home is priced fairly, buyers will snatch it up quickly for the listed price.
- Many homeowners are under the impression that they will be inconvenienced with showings or dealing with the closing process, and simply want to enjoy the holidays. However, sellers have the option to restrict showings, delay the close, etc. so that they can celebrate the holidays and still keep their home on the market.
- Statistically, interest rates tend to drop most at the end of the year, a further encouragement to serious homebuyers.
- Large companies typically transfer employees in January. Those relocating to your area will likely need to buy a house right away.
- The season slows down business for REALTORS, lenders, and title companies. Therefore, real estate agents are more available to manage showings and provide the highest level of service and care to clients. In addition, lenders and title companies can process loans faster.
For buyers who are on the prowl and eager to settle into their new home, don’t let the frantic holiday preparations deter you from your home search. Buyers benefit from similar characteristics of the season that sellers do, which should not be overlooked.
- With fewer buyers searching for homes during the winter months, sellers can experience a lack of interest and fewer competing bids. Thus, desperate sellers are forced to reduce their price to lure in buyers who are looking for a deal. Buyers who purchase during the holidays will undoubtedly secure the lowest possible price from urgent sellers.
- Fewer buyers actively searching for homes during the season also results with more negotiation power when dealing with urgent sellers. Only 8% of home sales occur in December, so buyers have more leverage when countering and negotiating the price.
- A drop in demand throughout the real estate industry results with fewer requests for mortgage money at this time. This creates better interest rates on mortgages and translates to more favorable mortgage terms for buyers.
- Buyers who close before the end of the year benefit from a tax deduction. They have a high probability of being allowed to subtract the interest component of the initial mortgage payment from their taxable income.
- With fewer overall transactions in the industry during the holiday season, buyers also benefit from faster closings. Plus, lenders want to close their books at the end of the year, so they are more inclined to close the transaction more quickly and efficiently.
- Homebuyers who move in the winter don’t have to waste their summer months searching for homes in the summer. Plus, with more buyers to compete against during the summer, the length of time it takes to secure your home and close will increase substantially.
- Similar to sellers, buyers receive more services and attention from their REALTOR during the holidays. As business slows down, they have plenty of time to show you homes without having to juggle other clients; thus, enabling them to provide a more personalized service.
While many buyers and sellers around the country are shifting their focus from real estate needs to holiday plans and preparations, it is crucial to note the advantages that accompany this time of year for both parties. Purchasing or listing your home during the holidays doesn’t have to become a daunting task that adds stress to the overwhelming, busy, chaotic season. After all, the holidays present such an ideal real estate climate for buyers and sellers, equipped with benefits that are sure to result in a quick, smooth, profitable, and efficient transaction!
With the hustle and bustle of the holidays rapidly approaching, homebuyers are preparing their homes for guests, planning their holiday feasts, making traveling arrangements, and getting started on their holiday shopping. As a result, real estate tends to take a firm position in the backseat. However, educated buyers are aware of the numerous benefits that accompany searching for homes during the season. Low housing inventory throughout the country has created a thriving real estate climate for sellers, but during the holidays, buyers receive the advantage. An unyielding focus and attention on holiday preparations reduces the amount of traffic from potential buyers to each listing. This lack of competition creates an optimal environment for buyers eager to find a deal.
Real estate agents can take advantage of the holiday season by implementing a number of marketing tactics that will not only educate buyers and encourage them to continue their home search, but also attract new clients and reach out to past clients. Executing these unique, thoughtful marketing strategies is instrumental in building your business and avoiding the historically slow months ahead.
Social Media Pages: Effectively utilizing your social media pages throughout the holidays can enhance your business, as there are a number of outlets available that will help educate buyers and sellers; promote listings, services, incentives or events; generate traffic to attract clients, and much more. Incorporate these suggestions into your social media pages to maximize interest and traffic to your page.
- Hold a contest or sweepstakes.
Engage your audience on your social media pages by inviting friends, clients, neighbors and family to participate in a special holiday giveaway or promotion, and encourage them to visit your page throughout the season for additional contests to secure repeated exposure to your page, content, and business. Facebook’s advertising platform also allows you to advertise the contest and entice others to participate by liking your page. Be sure to include your contact information, company information, and logo on your site to familiarize new visitors.
- Reflect the season.
Ensure that your posts, blogs, marketing material, listing photos and virtual are reminiscent of the season. Update virtual tours or listing photos with a holiday theme, and showcase how great the listing looks for the holidays. Properly display your listings and post information frequently to optimize effectiveness.
- Post industry news to your social media pages.
Maintain your page with industry news, blogs, listings, etc by sharing the link of an informative article on your social media sites. Write and post blogs about topics related to your clients or prospects, and promote it or advertise it on Facebook.
- Remind your clients that you are not just a business.
Personalize your social media pages with posts about holiday experiences, a holiday recipe, and photos of your decorations or family in combination with business related posts to remind them that you are a real person who cares.
Utilize Email Marketing Services: Email marketing provides a great opportunity to promote your services, announce special offers or discounts, share seasonal tips or industry related articles, and more.
- Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, and other email marketing services.
These services allow you to conveniently and frequently send announcements, promotions, industry news, etc to your database. Include links to your social media pages and social share to create traffic and optimize exposure.
- Create an E-Flyer
E-flyers offer the same capabilities as email marketing services. Optimize the season by utilizing a holiday theme, complete with pictures, articles, links to information, and more. In addition, E-flyers allow you to utilize syndication tools to reach a broad audience.
Offer Seasonal Tips, Promotions and Hints: Rather than bombarding people with a sales pitch, stay at the forefront of their mind by sending them helpful tips that will captivate their attention and elevate their interest.
- Send out helpful blogs and articles.
Create flyers with holiday preparation tips, scrumptious holiday recipes, special holiday events, articles relating to the season, etc. Strategically place your contact information, logo, and company information on the marketing piece you are sending, and invite them to contact you for additional tips or services.
- Announce holiday discount packages with companies or vendors.
Partner with local businesses or vendors to create a holiday discount package on products or services that will accommodate your clients’ needs throughout the season (i.e. snow removal, HVAC, decoration and light installation, cleaning services, etc). Create a gift card or postcard about the special discounts offered exclusively to your clients. Mail it to them with information about the companies involved and a description of their services.
Personalize Your Approach: There are several marketing ideas that will ensure that both you as a person and your real estate business will stand out to clients over the holidays.
- Hold festive events at your office or at home, and invite your clients.
Engage with your past clients, current clients, and potential clients by inviting them to attend a holiday party or event at your home or office. Better yet, hold a party in appreciation of your clients.
- Brand some unique, thoughtful gifts, and send them to your clients.
Thank clients for their business and loyalty with thoughtful holiday gifts, like homemade truffles, nice wine, tickets to a show, their favorite dessert. Invest in a custom label on a bottle of wine, or use a custom container for food. Include high end promotional products with your gifts, like a calendar with your logo, contact information, and a personalized message, or enclose a holiday-to-do-list. The thought will be greatly appreciated and the subtle branding will ensure clients remember your services.
- Send thoughtful greetings.
A simple holiday greeting goes a long way when creating and maintaining solid professional relationships. Send Holiday E-cards, complete with animation and music that add personal flare and links to your social media sites. Real estate agents can also utilize festive REALTOR® holiday cards to send warm wishes to clients, and remind them that you are a REALTOR® who cares and understands what they want and need.
Sponsor a cause or donate your time: Contributing your time or resources to a worthy cause will guarantee an admirable reputation and solidify the respect and loyalty of your clients and the community.
- Set out a donation box for clothing/toys.
Inform your neighbors, clients, colleagues and family that you will have a donation box at your office or home to accumulate items that you can send to those less fortunate. Invite them to participate by donating old coats, scarves, toys, games, etc. Promote your efforts on your social media, and encourage participants to visit your page for updates. Follow up with information regarding the outcome of your efforts, and thank them for their contribution.
- Donate your time or money to a special charity or cause.
Email your clients, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. to let them know what you are doing, for who, and why. Offer them a discount or rebate for future services in exchange for their donation, or let them know that you have contributed your time or money on their behalf.
While the holidays are undoubtedly the optimal occasion for enjoying family and friends, it is crucial that the opportunity for marketing is not overlooked. Attracting new clients during the holidays doesn’t have to be a daunting task. The trick is staying engaged with past clients, current clients and prospects to generate exposure of your brand. Set yourself apart from the surplus of holiday mail by being bold and innovative in your method of communication, as well as meticulous with the frequency, design and content of your message. Use over sized mail pieces, quality graphics, vibrant color, holiday themes, and quality information to secure the effectiveness and efficiency of your holiday marketing.
The Connect Times 
