Six Real Estate Content Ideas for the Holidays

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‘Tis very much the season for the holidays!

It's almost like the homes themselves are wearing big, cozy sweaters. They're decked out to look their best, and people all over are embracing that "homey" feeling.

When it comes to real estate marketing, the holidays are my favorite time of the year. It's a season where we can creatively engage those you already know and even leverage opportunities to attract new customers.

So, this week I'm sharing six real estate content ideas that you can use for social, your website, emails, or even video to form more connections.

Why Holiday Marketing?

For many years, I've created real estate marketing campaigns for the holidays because nothing goes better with homes and families than the emotions of the holidays.

It's a time of year where everyone is talking about getting their homes ready, having guests over, and embracing where they live. There's always a fall festival or winter carnival going on, and people can't get enough of holiday home decor. So naturally, real estate and the holidays are a perfect match and an opportunity for you to engage with more people!

And engagement is the key. You can create content that engages people you already know. You might do this to stay top of mind in real estate, whether that's with past customers or just the people you know in general.

On the other hand, you can create holiday content with the intention of attracting more home buyers and sellers.

In today's episode, I'm sharing six holiday marketing ideas for real estate. The first three are just for engagement, so you can build your agent brand through entertaining content. The next three content ideas are designed to help you grow your business.

And the best part? You can take any of these ideas and use them in a variety of ways.

You might decide to film a video, create an Instagram Reel, write a blog post, or even use it for email marketing. Or you could take one idea and use it for all of those! You know that I'm a fan of repurposing marketing to get the most out of it!

Holiday Marketing for Engagement

So, let's begin with our three holiday marketing ideas for creating engagement:

1. Share a DIY Holiday Home Project

I have implemented this idea for the past 4 or 5 years, and it never ceases to amaze me how popular it can be. In fact, I've had years where I've worked to created dozens of real estate videos (from educational to professional-level community tours) and these holiday DIY videos out-perform them all. They're fun to share on social, and they work really well in email marketing. So, instead of sending a generic "Happy Halloween" or "Happy Thanksgiving" email blast, you send a video (or a blog) that shares how to do a DIY project. 

And it's an easy idea to execute and can work throughout the holiday season. 

First, determine the project you want to create. You can head to Pinterest for ideas and choose something that you (and others) can easily do. In the past, I've decorated pumpkins, created printable holiday decorations, and even decorated welcome signs. I like to choose DIY projects that tie into homes and real estate if possible (vs. ideas like recipes), but there are so many options out there!

{Click here to watch my training on how to create an Instagram Reel for Realtors!}

Next, record step-by-step how somebody can do the DIY craft. Video works best here, but you can also take pictures and include written instructions. You could even get really creative and use this for an Instagram Reel. Then, all that's left to do is promote your content!

If you created a video, you could share it on social, add it to your website, and email it out to your database. Email marketing is where I've found the best results from this type of content. It's an interesting way to start conversations, and people enjoy seeing what you created.

2. Share a Tour of Your Holiday Home Decor

Welcome people into your life and your home with a quick tour of your own holiday decor. You could do an entire home tour from the front door all the way to the Christmas tree, or you could share a small portion like your front entry or decorated kitchen table.

While you could use photos and write up a nice caption, I think video would be the best here.

And if you want to embrace video, you could start off by saying something like, "I'd like to welcome you inside my home and share how my family is embracing the holidays. Let's take a quick tour..."

Then, wave your audience in and casually give a quick tour. This type of content will help people form real connections with you because you're giving them a peek in a way that's genuine but also entertaining.

Again, this content idea is ideal for social, your site, and of course, email marketing. View the 10 most costly email marketing mistakes for agents.

3. Share the Best Places in Your Area to See Home Decorations

This idea works all throughout the holidays. Whether it's the "spookiest street for Halloween" or "the neighborhood with the best Christmas lights," I guarantee that when done right, this idea will get the engagement you're looking for.

I even have the stats to back up this idea! In Episode 52: Where to Find Creative Real Estate Content Ideas, we did some keyword research to determine what local people were searching online in relation to real estate. And wouldn't you know that during that episode, I did keyword research for the Orlando area and a phrase people were actively searching was, "Orlando neighborhoods with Christmas lights." While these people might not be active buyers and sellers, we DO know that people are interested in this type of content.

So, it's the perfect idea to engage your own audience of past customers, the people you know, and maybe even some new potential customers.

Again, I love this content idea for video, but a blog with lots of good pictures could also do the trick and might have an added SEO value as well.

So, these first three ideas are intended to generate engagement. They're fun ways to put yourself out there without coming across as salesy, making them a perfect addition to your content strategy - because you can't be salesy every day, all day long.

However, that doesn't mean that the holidays aren't a prime time for real estate marketing and actively working to generate business. A lot of agents lose steam during this time of year, but I know that you won't!

Holiday Marketing for Generating Business

Here are three solid ideas to help you attract both buyers and sellers:

1. Share the Reasons to List During the Holidays

Want to drum up some listings to finish out the year strong? One content idea that works well is to share a list of reasons why it might be a good time to sell during the holidays.

Many homeowners might think that spring or summer is when you sell, but that's not the case! Educate potential sellers on the advantages of listing during the holidays.

Your reasons might include:

• Their home will look its best decorated for the holidays and could create stronger emotional ties with potential buyers.

• There are generally fewer homes for sale during the holidays. So, their home doesn't have as many listings to compete against.

• If a buyer is purchasing during the holidays, they might be a very serious buyer to be moving during that time of year (perhaps they are relocating or need to be somewhere for the New Year).

Give solid reasons as to the benefit of selling during the holidays, and try to avoid language that could appear disingenuous, like the" temperature is cool, but the market is hot!" While it might be catchy, people really want to know what's in it for them at the end of the day, and you can educate them on the benefits.

This post idea is also great for video, social, email, or a blog. You could even do a "12 days of Listing During the Holidays" series and share a reason each day. You can still be creative while actively promoting!

2. Share the Buyers Roadmap to Getting Home By the Holidays

I love everything about this idea, from the visual side of marketing to how it ties into the emotions of 'home for the holidays.'

One way you could interpret this is as a series for first-time homebuyers. Walk them through step-by-step the home buying process and how to buy their first home in time for the holidays.

Another idea is to create a visual timeline of buying a home during the holiday season. This would be similar to your standard buyer timeline but with a holiday twist.

Give them the exact map (or knowledge) of how to get home by the holidays. This idea would probably work best broken up over a series. So, instead of putting the entire concept into one blog post, social post, or video, spread it out over a series. Then, you can easily repurpose it into an email campaign as well!

3. New Years Resolution - Real Estate Investing Series

Get a jump on the New Year and tap into the opportunity of people setting financial goals.

I've created similar content designed for property investors or people who want to get into real estate investing. Once again, you'll be showing them the way or sharing tips for first-time real estate investors.

You share something like, "Is your New Years' resolution to make money through real estate? Learn my five biggest tips for first-time real estate investors." Or, you could host an in-person or virtual event, "How to Get Started with Real Estate Investing in the New Year." You could even partner with an affiliate like a lender to expand your reach, provide additional knowledge, and help cover the costs of in-person events.

This is engaging content for December and January to generate momentum heading into the new year. While it could definitely attract new customers, this is an interesting way to engage past customers who might be curious about the potential of income properties.

All three of these ideas for attracting customers are full of substance and an ideal way for you to position yourself as an expert while providing genuine help.

So, let's quickly recap the six ideas I shared today:

1. Share a DIY Holiday Home Project

2. Share a Tour of Your Holiday Home Decor

3. Share the Best Places in Your Area to See Home Decorations

4. Share the Reasons to List During the Holidays

5. Share the Buyers Roadmap to Getting Home By the Holidays

6. New Years Resolution - Real Estate Investing Series

There are so many creative content ideas that you can come up with for the holidays. I'd recommend that you take this opportunity to highlight your own personality, build your agent brand, and lean into what's great about your local area during the holidays.

And remember, it doesn't have to be overly complicated to work or require some big budget. Simply set up your phone at your kitchen counter and record a video of yourself. Or, snap some pictures on your phone and share on social with an engaging caption using one of these ideas.

Take action and give an idea a try, and if you do and share on social, be sure to tag me @ideasforrealestate. I'd love to see your creative holiday marketing come to life.

Holiday marketing for real estate can be both fun and strategic. So, I'd encourage you to try a variety of marketing meant for staying connected with people mixed with content to grow your business.

Here's to a happy holiday season for both you and your customers!

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I’m Heather Colby, host of the “Ideas for Real Estate Podcast.”

If you like what you read here today, I’d encourage you to take a listen to the episodes. :