Your social media tips for Dec.6: for real estate pros on today's most popular social sites.

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Issue #22 | 12.6.2013 | 247,225 members

3 Ways to Market Your Business During the Holidays

The holidays are upon us. In the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s easy to lose track of your business goals.

'Tis the season for reaching clients

Social media use surges from Thanksgiving through the New Year. The holidays can be the perfect time to drum up new leads and sales via social channels.

Here are 3 simple tips to keep your real estate marketing on track during the holidays. Put these tips into practice to effectively market your services and increase business opportunities!

Sprinkle holiday-themed images into your content marketing
Whether you use an auto-posting service or post content yourself, you’ll want to be sure to include a few holiday-themed images on your social pages. Agents can look to Pinterest as an excellent source of festive home-related photos. Agent services like Page Engage will post holiday content for you.

Hold a festive contest to build excitement around your brand
Contests are an effective lead generation tool at any time of year, especially during the holidays! Hold a ‘caption-this-photo’ contest on your page; set a goal for your Facebook business page (ex: 200 page likes) and ask your friends to like your page; post a holiday trivia question; or add a sweepstakes tab and fangate to your page (for example, Dream Sweeps has a December home-themed sweepstakes).

Prizes you give could include a Home Depot gift card, stocking stuffers, a gift basket, or tickets to a local holiday show. Get creative! Note: Make sure your contest complies with local and/or state regulations.

Run an ad campaign on Facebook to meet more home buyers and sellers
Shopping is top-of-mind for consumers during the holidays; this is often the case for home buyers and sellers. Several agents decrease their marketing activity during the holidays, so it’s an ideal time to stand out from your competition.

Incorporate holiday themes into your Facebook ads to stay timely, and send the message that you’re ready to assist clients with their real estate needs during this busy season. Then make sure to follow up with leads! If you plan on being on vacation or out of town, you can schedule your ads well in advance. Holiday real estate ad templates from READ ADvantage will be available later this week!

Have a holiday social media suggestion or want more information on the tips above? Sound off in the Social Agent Group on Facebook!

Peer Insight: Should Sellers Decorate Their Homes for the Holiday & If So, Would You Post a Photo on Facebook?

"I think current sellers should decorate their homes for the holiday, but in moderation. It's also a way to see where a buyer can put THEIR tree...another soft mention of selling! Some of us never think of that. I would post a picture of it decorated, but also be careful to take the MLS photos WITHOUT the decorations, or else you're going to have to remember to change them after the holidays."

- Deborah Chapman Newell, Realtor®, Virginia Beach, VA

"If the house has a feature that is greatly emphasized by decorating, it could be a very good idea. The decorating needs to be classic and not overly done. But the house also needs to be staged so that a buyer can picture the house during the rest of the year."

- Miriam Schneider, Realtor®, Bolingbrook, IL

Page Engage

Save this image and post to your page!

Suggested Copy:

This outdoor fireplace would be the perfect place to gather for the holidays! Where will you be celebrating the holidays this year?

#holidayhomes #outdoor #fireplace

To have images like this auto post to your Facebook page, try Page Engage here.

Trending: December Hashtags

With the holidays right around the corner it’s important that the content you share on social media stands out so it doesn’t get lost in all the holiday buzz.

Including hashtags in your posts allows consumers to easily find your posts and interact with you. Try using these popular holiday hashtags to increase your visibility on multiple social media platforms:

#realestate #homefortheholidays #holiday #december #gift #winter

For more trending hashtags, visit hashtags.org

Page Spotlight: READ ADvantage

Get more likes and leads this December. Try Facebook Real Estate ads with READ ADvantage advertising service!

New holiday ad templates will be available this week! Choose from several holiday real estate templates (or 100s of regular templates), create a campaign in under 3 minutes, and place your ads in front of 1,000s of home shoppers daily!

Start your ads and meet more clients this holiday!

Sample templates pictured below (ads not shown to scale).

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