It’s that time of year again. The time that eggnog lattes and pumpkin spice everything take over our senses. The time that shoppers begin greasing the wheels of their shopping carts in preparation for Black Friday. Yes, that wonderful…and beyond stressful…time of year.
I don’t mean to sound like Debbie Downer over here, but let’s be honest, the Holidays are stressful. In fact, I have stats to back it up (not that you need them) but according to a poll taken by the American Psychological Association, up to 69 percent of people are stressed by the feeling of having a “lack of time”, 69 percent are stressed by a perceived “lack of money”, and 51 percent are stressed over the “pressure to get gifts”.
Here’s where I’m going with this – Realtors (and just about every other salesperson in the country) are marketing themselves heavily during the Holidays, and some Realtors go about it in a very wrong way.
Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer: they are STRESSED. If you are going to send someone well-wishes, whether on Thanksgiving or their birthday – you need to be both consistent and genuine.
By consistent, I mean do it throughout the year: birthdays, New Years, Valentine’s Day, Independence Day…you get the point. Don’t neglect them all year long only to reach out during the most stressful time of year. Would you like that?
By genuine, I don’t mean to insinuate that postcards with your headshot and full branding (front and back) aren’t genuine, but it might come off as having a pretty obvious ulterior motive.
So what’s a Realtor to do? Am I really suggesting that you shouldn’t market during the Holidays? No, not all. But I am saying that you should send something you would want to receive, so here are my holiday marketing tips for Realtors.
Don’t mail a card with the sole purpose of running your name across that person’s desk one more time. During the holidays, it’s getting lost anyways. Send them something because you care. Here’s a crazy thought: send handwritten notes.
I know…insanity…but think about it. Is your competition sending a handwritten note to their past clients? Probably not. And what would 
you appreciate more – a handwritten, thoughtful note or a printed card that was clearly mass produced in a factory somewhere? If it’s me, the latter goes in the trash and the first makes it onto my mantel. Harsh? Not really.
During the Holidays, I want authentic and genuine. Enough of that has been lost in the chaos of retailers shouting ‘SALE’ or ‘SHOP HERE’ to me from every corner. I don’t want any more of that. I want handwritten cards. I want short and sweet phone calls (not TEXTS or EMAILS). I want fresh baked cookies. Ok…fine, that last one’s a stretch. But you get my gist. I want people, not marketing.
On that note, do your best to relax these next months. Let us know if there’s anything you need taken off your plate. Otherwise, enjoy the season and be merry!