There are certain activities that we maintain are important not to overlook before you close for the holidays. One or two of them may appear to be of lesser importance in the greater scheme of things, but they all have far-reaching implications when it comes to supporting your agency’s brand awareness, a happy team and clients, safety, and your handle on the well-being of your company and team.
Here is our list of 5 things every Estate Agent should do before the holiday break:
- Make sure your marketing does not come to a halt
Just because most people are on holiday does not mean that prospective property buyers are not spending time online. Surveys show that every year on Boxing Day UK property searches surge. Use the relatively quiet period before the holidays to review your previous year’s marketing campaign. Take stock of what worked well and what did not. Implement a well-planned holiday marketing strategy to attract genuine buyers over year-end as well as to stimulate business in the New Year.
Over and above your regular marketing you can :
- Target your existing database with a personalised email campaign that wishes your clients and prospects well over the festive season. Including the right call to action and link will help drive traffic to your website.
- Create and preschedule a calendar of social media posts that cover December and January. Include feel-good, holiday-themed social media posts that engage and inspire your followers and spread festive cheer.
- To help momentum, run a competition or giveaway in the New Year once the buzz of the festive season is set to fade.
- Plan staff appreciation
Recognition is a powerful tool in building morale and a positive work environment. Year end is a great time to acknowledge and reward your team for their support and hard work over the past twelve months. For example:
- Build an appreciation ceremony into your year-end event. In the case of a virtual team this will be online. Acknowledging your hard-working team members – and even building in peer-to-peer recognition – works well to encourage and motivate your people and support a quality team dynamic.
- The rewards your give your team do not have to be financial. Consider giving each of your team members valuable non-monetary rewards like the opportunity to take their birthday off or receive specials skills development and training.
- Plan client appreciation
Client appreciation goes a long way to helping you build strong relationships with the very people who help your business thrive. In the digital era, personalised client appreciation can be a powerful reminder of a genuine connection. You can:
- Send your clients personalised holiday greeting cards.
- Deliver festive gift baskets with a personal note of thanks.
- Host a meaningful client appreciation event linked to a charitable organisation. For example you can set aside two days over which you invite your clients to pop in for a hot chocolate and cookie as they drop off animal food or warm blankets to donate to animal rescue or a shelter.
- Always plan for the unexpected
- Make sure all your company’s insurance policies and important documents are up to date and easily accessible.
- In the case of a bricks and mortar office, check your security systems are functioning properly. Should you claim, your insurers will check if your security system and electrical fencing were properly maintained and functional at the time of an incident.
- Remain aware of cyber risk – especially over the festive season. Organise and back up your data and have everyone in the team update their passwords before they take a break.
- Allow time for qualitative reflection
Before you turn your mind and energy toward family and the festive season, it is as important to reflect on the holistic health of your business as it is to set next year’s budget. There are important aspects that are a litmus test of the health of your business that hinge on employee well-being and a positive workplace culture. These can be observed but are more difficult to measure. As the year draws to a close, ask yourself these questions:
- How were overt stress and anxiety levels within your team and company this year?
- Did people show signs of burnout?
- Was there any sign of a toxic culture developing inside the company?
- Did teams collaborate well?
- Did you witness creativity and innovation at work within the company?
- Did business outcomes this year align with, and support, the company’s mission?
Don’t assume your clients know you will be out of office
And finally – on a very practical note – if you are shutting down during the festive break, before you close your office for the last few days of 2024, it is important to let your clients know when you will be out of office so that you don’t just disappear. Send them an e-mail or a text message notifying them about the dates of your holiday break and activate an out-of-office notification on all your communication channels – including the date when you are back, as well as an emergency number.
