Should calendar moments be part of your marketing strategy?

Blue Monday. Shrove Tuesday. We’re never far from calendar moments , and it can be tempting to use them as a quick-fix to hook a marketing campaign around. 

But are they the perfect opportunity or should estate agents steer clear of jumping on a calendar topic? We present both sides of themed marketing.

Does jumping on calendar moments lead to email fatigue for customers?

“Roses are red, violets are blue…”. “Make it a Valentine’s Day to remember…” “Find your perfect match on February 14th …” These are all email introductions we bet you’ll have seen in your inboxes mid-February, year-on-year.

Calendar events can be an opportunity for estate and letting agents to get creative with subject lines, content and imagery. But if you are going to do them, how do you do them right?

Our top tips for using national holidays in your marketing

Use them as a moment in time to boost your brand

Above anything else, themed events can give you a reason to contact your database and remain front of mind.

From Valentine’s Day to Bank Holidays and big sporting events, using it as an excuse to email your database could help to maintain your brand presence in busy local markets.

And, with the market showing no signs of a major slowdown after a bumper 2020, getting audience cut-through for your agency at every opportunity is more important than ever.

Be thoughtful around what a national holiday could mean for your audience

We’ve seen a growing trend in recent years of companies giving customers the option to opt-out of potentially sensitive national holiday communications.

It began with Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day. And, with human contact more difficult than ever due to COVID-19, an increasing number of brands this year gave customers the opportunity to opt out of Valentine’s Day emails this year too.

Not everybody considers it a big day and some may have reason to want to avoid it. With Alto you can easily segment customer groups according to their preferences.

Think about how calendar moments fit into buyer behaviour

For many estate agents, themed marketing are sometimes crossovers between calendar moments and the estate agent world.

Boxing Day means a big uplift in property searches every year. Valentine’s Day will spur many to take their relationship to the next level and move somewhere new as a consequence.

So, when done well, there is an opportunity to use conversation around a particular time of year to drive results for your brand.

Rather than picking the national holiday with the biggest noise, pick the calendar moment that will resonate the most for your target market.

Does the moment truly match your brand tone of voice?

Some believe themed marketing is too contrived and has little impact on consumers. In fact, one American study showed just 51% of people marked Valentine’s Day last year.

Consider your audience and your brand personality before hitting send. Is it in line with your tone of voice as a brand? Will it feel authentic? If not, it’s better to let the moment pass by and focus on your longer-term communications strategy.

Is it right for an email or better as a social media post?

If you are leaning against themed emails, consider what other channels you can use.

Social media is often a more appropriate platform, giving you the opportunity to get creative without the risk of ‘invading’ inboxes.

Done right, there’s a big opportunity to generate a lot of noise for your brand. And results, too.

While it’s in the FMCG world, Weetabix saw a 15% increase in sales due to just one viral tweet tweeted at the right time.

Think about how the holiday fits in with your overall activity

Be selective. One of the biggest mistakes an estate agent can make with themed marketing is to send too much content, too often.

It’s a cliche, but it’s a cliche for a reason: think quality over quantity. Even on more immediate channels like social media, jumping on every national calendar moment is a recipe for overkill.

Using Alto’s calendar tool is an easy way for you to track activity across the year.

How Alto can help with targeting your email sends

With Alto property management software, you can easily send emails to selected target groups, whether applicants searching for a specific property or a blanket email to your whole database informing about special themed promotions.

You can even use built-in design tools to create themed templates for window cards.

With an all-in-one estate agent software partner like Alto, you’re in the best possible position to drive awareness of your brand at key moments of the year.

Want to learn more about how Alto makes estate agent marketing easier? Book a chat today.