Top 5 Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas for Real Estate Agents

admin

Posted on

We’re still awaiting AAA’s annual Thanksgiving travel outlook (it should be released on November 18), but last year, in 2023, it predicted that more than 55 million people would hit the roads and sky for Thanksgiving with another whopping 115.2 million traveling during the Christmas holiday—the second-highest figure in 23 years!)

With all these people coming together, you’ll want to make sure you’re top of mind for any conversations about buying or selling a home. Try these five Thanksgiving marketing ideas for real estate agents, and watch your client list grow into the new year (and beyond).

1. Sponsor a “Turkey Bowl”

Turkey Bowl

In many communities, people are again gathering on or around Thanksgiving to watch football games between rival high schools. These games are known as turkey bowls.

If there’s a turkey bowl in your area, find out what you can do to contribute. If the event requires some kind of financial backing, find out if you can be a sponsor. Are there refreshments being sold? If not, offer to donate hot dogs and buns, coffee, or soft drinks. (It’s a great opportunity to hand out useful promotional items like drink koozies.) Any money that the schools might charge can be donated either back to the school or another worthy cause. If you can’t swing the check equity, volunteer your time and invest some sweat equity to promote your business by helping to man the concession stand.

The idea here is to give your business a presence at the event. Be sure to take photos and record some videos to post to social media with local hashtags. You probably won’t win any listing appointments on the day of the game, but you’ll be in a better position to help buyers and sellers in the months ahead if you get your face and brand out there in the community.

2. Share Thanksgiving content on social media

Top 10 Thanksgiving Recipes to Share with Clients

As Thanksgiving arrives—and quickly gives way to the holiday season—your clients and prospects will be incredibly busy. They’ll also be bombarded with a variety of marketing messages for Black Friday, pre-Christmas sales, and one-day-only sales, that they’ll eventually learn to simply tune out. (Have you noticed those one-day sales seem to go on for way longer than 24 hours?)

To make an impression and cut through the proverbial noise, you need to connect with messaging that’s relevant to people now.

This month, skip your usual sales pitch and offer something truly useful instead—whether it’s tips for hosting the perfect Thanksgiving dinner or super helpful, ready-to-share recipes you can get in our list of Thanksgiving blogs. The links for sharing to social media and email are right on the pages, so start sending them today and earn a place at the table when Aunt Mary asks Cousin Susan, “Where did you get this recipe? It’s delicious!”Ad insert. Free ebook. Learn referral-generating secrets from top producers. Click here to download.

The idea behind sharing content is to consistently add value to people’s lives, which will increase appreciation for you and your business. Then, when the time comes for them to buy or sell, they’ll be more likely to remember you. (If you’re challenged to maintain a consistent presence on social media, take a look at our Social Media Automation tool; there’s nothing like it on the market today, and we’ll give you a 30-day free trial to try it out.)

3. Give back to your community

Make a Change

One way to build a great business is by doing great things. While not a marketing campaign in the traditional sense, performing unselfish acts will put you and your business in a good light. Displays of sincere gestures of goodwill trigger the halo effect, which leads people to assume your benevolence in one instance extends to other circumstances; i.e., you’re a good person and a good person will run an honest and trustworthy business.

Here are some ways you can give back to your community this Thanksgiving:

  • Collect canned goods for a food pantry to help families in need.
  • Volunteer your time at a community kitchen.
  • If you’re a ReminderMedia customer, spotlight a local charity on your magazine’s back cover.

You literally cannot go wrong when you give back to your community. Even if no one notices what you’ve done and there is no tangible difference in your business, you’ll still carry with you the good feelings that come with doing good.

4. Say “thanks” to your clients

If you want to save a trip to the store (along with a few bucks), download our free Gratitude Greeting Cards that you can print out at home.

While it’s important to continually fill your funnel with new leads, it’s equally important not to neglect the people you’ve already worked with. After all, it’s five times more expensive to win over a new client than it is to earn more business from a current customer.

When you stay connected with your existing clients, you’re positioning yourself to capture referrals and repeat business. The key, as I noted above, is to reach out consistently to offer value.

One way to do that is by sending a personally branded magazine from ReminderMedia. This puts you in touch with your most valued clients every other month, while giving you organic reasons to pick up the phone and have a genuine conversation. (“I’m calling to check that you received the latest issue of my magazine. Did you enjoy the article about x?”)

It’s also important to reach out with personal messages around special occasions. Thanksgiving is the time of year when we all express gratitude for the people and things we care about. By sending all your clients a handwritten note, you’re reminding them that you care, and that you’re available to help them with anything they might need. With our magazines, and at no additional cost, you can write a custom letter, personalized down to the individual recipient, and we’ll print it on the Front Inside Cover. Beat that Hallmark! Oh wait, we did—each issue costs less than most greeting cards!

5. Participate in Small Business Saturday

Small Business Saturday Sign

As we all know, Thanksgiving is followed by Black Friday, where seemingly every business will be offering some kind of incredible deal.

Now, many communities also promote and celebrate Small Business Saturday, when shoppers choose to patronize local merchants over bigger retailers. While you might not be able to offer a “special” for this unofficial holiday, you can create good feelings around your business by associating yourself with it.

One way to do this is by spotlighting local businesses you enjoy in posts to your social media accounts or include in your email newsletter. If possible, try to partner with some of those businesses—promoting their sales in exchange for them displaying your business card (or magazine) near their cash register.

Kick start your 2025 and be top of mind for spring market! Get your free PDF sample of our most recent issue sent to your inbox today.

An easy way to show your support for Small Business Saturday is by posting a sign in your office or on your front window. You’ll be seen as a friend of local businesses, which will make local consumers appreciate you more. Click here to download our free printable Small Business Saturday signs.

The takeaway

Whichever Thanksgiving marketing idea you try, remember that it’s all about building brand awareness in your community. When you’re willing to go the extra mile in your marketing, your potential clients will know that you’ll go above and beyond for them down the line.

And from all of us at ReminderMedia, have a happy and safe holiday!

Getting Started with Relationship Marketing

More from ReminderMedia

Written by admin