While it’s true that spring and summer are real estate’s busiest months, that doesn’t mean real estate companies should pause their marketing strategies during fall and winter. Instead, why not use the less active season to refine your overall effectiveness? We’re sharing our top strategies for what to do during the off season that will benefit your business all year round, not to mention help drive summer sales.

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1. Run a Year-End Post Mortem

Rather than going over one specific strategy or campaign, gather your team and conduct a review of the entire year. Encourage the team to reflect on what worked well, what performed under expectations and what could have been done differently. Then, based on your findings, refine, reinvent and start planning for next year. 

2. Perform Selective Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Testing

G5 tests new PPC strategies throughout the year. But sometimes it makes more sense to test specific strategies during the off season to measure interest on a more concentrated level. This type of testing could be beneficial for testing out new brand messaging, launching new products or honing in on the most effective value prop for your business.

3. Establish Upcoming New Properties Online Now

Start marketing initiatives now for properties slated to open the following spring and summer. Develop brand awareness through paid advertising. Create social media profiles (and maintain a regular posting schedule to keep them interesting). Build an informative and eye-catching website. If a full site launch is not possible, at the very least work toward putting up a strong landing page, a list of property amenities and prominent contact information.

4. Develop a Strong Content Arsenal

The off season is a great time to build an arsenal of relevant content to release during your busy months. While property photos are typically best taken in the sunnier months, there are still plenty of content pieces that can be cooked up over fall and winter to deploy during spring and summer. Fresh interior photos, new graphic treatments, new property videos and monthly blog posts. Even if posts aren’t actually written until later, nailing down topics now can be a huge time saver.

5. Build a Social Media Presence

The forward-thinking strategy of establishing a voice for upcoming properties can also be applied to your existing brands. We all know that building a solid social media presence takes time, so it’s wise to start well before your peak months. Take the time to build partnerships with other local businesses, connect with current customers and make an impression on future prospects.

Even though new move-ins may dwindle during the colder months, your digital marketing game doesn’t have to slow down. Thoughtful planning during the off season can yield big rewards and fewer hours burned during the summer.