Christmas can really throw out the selling cycle.
All the big data providers are telling us that activity has ramped up in places like Brisbane, as southerners come out of lockdown and head for the Sunshine State. Elsewhere, it’s another story – a bit of a mixed bag.
Overall, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Christmas downtime period was extended this year as families cross borders to reunite for the holidays. Are you prepared for that?
The Christmas downtime is fast approaching
Once it hits mid-December, new listings usually stop coming to market. If not sold before Christmas, you’ll see your listings getting pushed further and further down the page list on the portals, and become more and more difficult to find when the market picks back up again in 2021.
We also know that the volume of inquiries drops off in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
But, if you’ve got stock to sell in the next few weeks, there are a few things you can do to help make sure you’re not running inspections over the holidays and getting into risky territory.
Generating competition at Christmas
It’s no secret. The way to sell a property quickly is buyer competition; getting as many people interested in your listing as possible, instilling a bit of FOMO, and working your negotiation magic. But the way you go about driving it looks a little different at Christmastime.
When you need to launch a listing campaign and get traction, fast, digital marketing is the only way. Your potential buyers are on their phones shopping for Christmas gifts. In the backs of their minds, they’re drafting new year’s resolutions for 2021 – what they want to achieve, where they want to live, how many days they’ll negotiate to work from home.
Plus, a digital campaign will get you almost immediate trackable results so you can show your vendors that you haven’t taken your foot off the peddle.
While listing campaigns are an obvious option to help sell listings fast, here are some ideas for brand-building campaigns that will help drive both sales and appraisals.
A campaign to boost confidence
Let buyers know the market is still moving. If you’ve got stats, use them!
The negative headlines have done their job – people don’t know which way’s up. “Market crashes”, “Money’s cheaper than ever”, “Million dollar profit on The Block” – it’s a headspin.
Tell your buyers what they need to hear. There are some fantastic buying opportunities out there, if you have the confidence to make a property move.
A campaign to educate
A lot of things have changed this year, and one of the biggest has been migration patterns.
Studies show that 2020 has prompted people to live the life they want now. That means migration between suburbs, cities and states. Your buyers are likely a more diverse bunch than normal, so you can’t assume that everyone knows your farm area as well as you do.
If you’ve got blog posts or eBooks about why a particular suburb is a great place to live, now’s the time to share them on social media. Perhaps even run a branding campaign with an eBook about the suburb, including a breakdown of schools, cafes, etc? Food for thought.
However, remember that your primary focus is to sell the listings you’ve got right now, so talk about why this property in this part of the neighbourhood is especially great. Is it next to a specific school? In a catchment? Close to public transport? In a quiet, family friend part of the neighbourhood? Write that into your ad copy.
A campaign to get feet through the door
This one may seem a bit out there, but what about booking a Santa for a day? Post on social media that you’re taking Santa to your open homes – kids can meet Santa and take a photo while the parents check out the property.
What are parents going to do with that photo? Share it on their own social media, and tag you if you’re lucky.
It’s a double whammy: more foot traffic through your open homes and free advertising on social.
And then, boost confidence again with a Just Sold campaign. Show homeowners it’s a great time to sell, and show potential buyers the property they’ve missed out on. Leverage your sold listing to find your next.
These are just a handful of quick ideas you can use to create a digital marketing campaign with Spoke today.
Take advantage of the fact that your potential buyers are spending more time than ever on the internet and put your listings in front of them so both you and your sellers can enjoy a well-deserved break.
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