By James Sheldon
At Property Webmasters we have over 20 years of experience within the property industry. One of the recurring themes of the industry every year is the panic surrounding the festive period. The general stigma behind the Christmas period is that there is a lack of people willing to sell or look for a new home over the festive season.
We want to make it clear that when marketing your business correctly and taking up all the opportunities, covering all bases your business can still attract buyers, sellers and general enquiries.
Within this article, we will discuss techniques that we have found extremely beneficial when marketing your properties around the winter, festive period. Also, we will cover some of the general thoughts and feelings of homeowners who may be put off selling their home over this period.
The title of this section says it all, the following information is the minimum requirement for an agency who wants to be successful. We have worked with agents large and small so we understand there are limiting factors to some of our advice, but for any agent who wants to attract sales, this should be your bread and butter!
Easing the customer’s experience
Utilising your online resources is one way of easing the experience for your customers, so think, is there anything else you could do to make it even easier for them during this busy time? Video house viewings, presenting each room so they get a feel for the actual size, going live on social media showcasing house viewings, this saves the customers time and effort and allows them to get more of a feel for their potential house without having to go view it immediately. This is even more important in the current pandemic we’re still navigating through (dependent on government rules within your area). This will also help with your social media presence and following, building strong brand awareness.
Be personable, contactable and responsive
The festive season is a natural time to wind down, you must make sure that any potential customers are still dealt with in a quick, responsive time. Utilise your social media, set the option for Facebook chat to pop up to your customers first and include in all your social bio’s you are available to be contacted any time of the day (make sure you have someone there to answer it)! Also including a live chat on your website or an easily discoverable email with a quick response rate could be incredibly valuable for your business. We recommend to do a cut-off point e.g. 11 pm during the Christmas period to show customers you are catering for them, rather than just after closing hours, you may only get one customer but, they could be valuable to your business! If a customer is waiting for a long time for a reply, there is a high possibility they will be spending that time looking elsewhere.
Focus on what matters
Although the viewing of property does drop over Christmas, this should give you a chance to improve and focus upon other parts of your agency. One of the most important things an agent can do is build up relationships with potential customers. People still want to see what’s available and plan viewings for the New Year. So, although you may not have queues of people wanting to come around for a look, your property will still benefit from being marketed professionally online and potential customers can still be sent emails and phone calls.
Time – Some of the benefits of many people being off work and taking a break over Christmas time is, although people are more than likely going to be rushed off their feet Christmas shopping, spending time with family, wrapping preparations and getting sorted for the big day, many people have more time off work over the Christmas period using their leftover holidays, meaning it can be easier for them to find the time to view a property.
Intent – In general, there are fewer houses on the market at this time of year and most buyers looking are serious about securing a home, so they will not only be willing to pay a bit more but will also want the process to move quickly, this gives you a chance to showcase the excellent service your business offers, so go above and beyond!
New Year Boost – The property search trend increasing most likely exists because once Christmas is over and done with moving house is the next big thing on people’s list. Estate agencies should think of this period as an ‘initial engagement’ and ‘acquisition’ stage.
Accessibility – The technology today allows buyers to engage with and preview properties from a variety of estate agencies, this increased accessibility has made the stress often associated with house-hunting a thing of the past. Websites and social media aren’t just making the process of searching easier, they are changing the way we go about it, with a strong online and social media presence customers are more likely to engage with your estate agency and contact you as they can do it whenever and wherever they please!
Your business has successfully navigated through one of the worst global health crisis in decades but we need to make sure you push on. Christmas and the new year is a great time to reflect upon what you and your business has done well and what has worked proficiently for your business. This also is a time to reflect upon what hasn’t worked for your business.
Are you getting traffic to your website? Is the traffic converting into enquiries? Have you explored all avenues of marketing for your properties? All these questions need answering; it is essential to market your business correctly in order to receive the best return on investment.
You may be wondering where to start. Your goals and activity should be calculated in order to achieve goals. If you would like more traffic, why not try some advertising online, perhaps through Facebook or Google Ads? Google can provide you with free advertising credit on most occasions to get your campaign going, this could drive visitors to your website who have searched relevant keywords. Ther point is, there are always more options to explore for your agency, make 2021 the year to take advantage of them!
If this seems like a lot to take in, how about you make plans to get in touch with us? We can provide advice regarding what options could be perfect for your estate agency!
