How to brave the cold and make a real impact with in-person real estate marketing

Happy Businesspeople At Opening Cutting Ribbon With Scissor

There’s no way around it: February can be a dreary, slow-moving month. But if your showings and sales have slowed to a crawl, there’s still one trick that can get things moving again: in-person marketing.

The idea of hitting the streets and shaking some hands is probably the furthest thing from your mind when you consider the weather, but that’s exactly why it’s such an effective strategy for real estate marketing. It’s a great way to shake things up, make some new connections, and build a positive impression with your target market. This time of year, there are three smart ways to get the word out through in-person marketing:

  1. Parades

Talk about an out-of-the-box marketing idea. Many small towns hold parades on various occasions throughout the year. With Mardi Gras coming up at the end of February and St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, there is likely to be a local parade being held near you. Parades offer excellent opportunities to hand out some real estate promotional materials, and have a blast while you do it!

If you’ve never been in a parade before, you might be surprised by just how much fun it is – and how reasonable the cost is to have a small float in the parade. If you are planning to sponsor a float, look for lightweight promotional items like jar openers that can be safely and easily tossed into the crowd. If you’re planning to walk in the parade, promotional items like RE/MAX pens, bookmarks, and keychain flashlights are always popular giveaways.

  1. Real estate door hangers

When you choose the right neighborhood, a real estate door hanger campaign can be incredibly effective at bringing in new leads. You’ll need to plan your campaign carefully – in addition to choosing the right location, you’ll also want to iron out your message (both verbal and printed) before you begin.

  1. Networking groups

Networking should be a part of your marketing strategy all year long. But February is a great time to get out there and explore some new groups. You’re not likely to have the time to commit to multiple groups during the height of the real estate season in the spring and summer, so this is the time to grab a stack of your RE/MAX business cards and see which groups are worth a greater investment of your time. And if you belong to the local Chamber of Commerce, make sure you still get out to some ribbon cuttings, despite the cold weather – it’s a great way to build goodwill in the local business community.