To crush your yearly business goals, you need a solid marketing plan to stick to throughout the year. So, I created a real estate marketing calendar and an entire year’s strategy that introduces a different marketing element each month to focus on. Keep in mind that you should consistently use each channel throughout the year to build traction and engagement with your audience. However, focusing on one component each month will help break up the overwhelm so you can focus on selling houses and not spend all your time on marketing. I’ve included additional resources for each month to get you started. To get even more templates, download the free PDF below.
Download the Real Estate Marketing Calendar
January Focus: Email Marketing
To kick off the year, focus on your email marketing. Email marketing is highly cost-effective and gives you the biggest return on your time investment. Before generating new leads, warm up the ones you already have sitting in your customer relationship manager.
- Prune and update contacts in your CRM email list.
- Set up drip campaigns.
- Start a newsletter (monthly or quarterly).
- Repurpose newsletter content for social media posts.
January Marketing Idea
- Jan 1: New Year’s Day #newyearsday—Send out a community events calendar to everyone on your list. Make it a downloadable PDF and send it out each month.
If you want more great ideas for kicking off the new year and rekindling your email list, check out my New Year’s email marketing ideas article.
February Focus: Facebook + Instagram
Now that you’ve freshened up your customer relationship manager (CRM) and your email marketing is purring, it’s time to expand your marketing efforts to another channel. I recommend social media. Specifically, Facebook and Instagram.
- Clean up your Instagram bio.
- Choose a brand-new Facebook cover photo.
- Choose three topics (pillars) to post about, with real estate being one and others that define you, like pets, family, love for running, etc. Sharing some of your personal aspects makes you more human and relatable.
If you really want to make your life easier, check out Agent Crate. They create topical content for you every month. They do all the figuring out for you so you can concentrate on the activities you do best.
February Marketing Idea
- Feb 14: Valentine’s Day #valentinesday—Love is in the air, so lean into it with a weekend getaway giveaway! Get your followers on social media to participate along with your email list. You can keep it local with a local resort and a dinner package.
Need more great ideas to spark client love? Check out my article 18 Real Estate Valentine’s Day Ideas to Spark Some Client Love for some fabulous tips.
March Focus: Referral Marketing
The busy season is about to ramp up. That’s why I suggest that now is the time to rev up your referral marketing. After all, referrals are the #1 way most agents get new clients.
- Stay in touch with your sphere of influence in an authentic way.
- Build more social proof as an agent by asking for testimonials and reviews.
- Revisit your CRM to ensure you have the best emails possible to drive referrals and repeat business.
You can also check out the free Referral Network, NuOp, where you can find fellow agents who can refer you.
March Marketing Idea
- March 10: Daylight Savings #springforward—How often do you get a chance to create a meme with “If I Could Turn Back Time” by Cher? This is that time.
Focus on your referral marketing with the article below chock full of great ideas. Check it out!
20 Clever Real Estate Pop-by Ideas to Get More Referrals
April Focus: Open House Marketing + Farming
Spring is officially in the air. And with warmer weather comes open house season. Now is the time to invest in your open house marketing and branding.
- Start farming your area.
- Circle prospect to generate as many leads as possible.
- Make sure your buyer’s presentation is on point.
- Create a listing presentation that addresses objections.
- Level up your comparative market analysis skills.
April Marketing Idea
- April 10: National Siblings Day #nationalsiblingsday—Post pictures of you and your siblings, preferably when you’re all young. The more awkward your childhood photo is, the better.
You’ll find tons more great open house marketing ideas in our article below.
26 Open House Ideas That Will Actually Get You Leads
May Focus: Print Marketing + Branding
While you did a lot of print marketing around your open houses in April, there are many other opportunities to get your branding seen in the physical world.
- Create a postcard campaign to announce recently sold or just listed homes from your brokerage.
- Make sure you have plenty of professional signage, including riders, bandits, or sold signs.
- Make sure everything is consistent with your branding materials.
- Take inventory of your branding and marketing materials before summer officially starts.
May Marketing Idea
- May 7: National Teacher Appreciation Day #thankateacher—How can you support your local teachers? If you contact your local schools, they will have some ideas!
Postcards helped me build my listing empire. I used a single listing and a multiple postcard campaign to dominate my neighborhood. You can pair this with a fun door hanger to become the neighborhood expert that everyone recognizes.
June Focus: CRM + Prospecting
If you’ve made some sales this year, add testimonials to your email marketing drip campaigns. I also recommend pruning your CRM and SMS messaging. Make sure your list is clean, and you’re following all regulations.
And if you have barely touched your CRM this year, consider getting a new one you enjoy using. If you’re unsure which CRM software to choose, I’ve got you covered. Check out this breakdown of all the top CRMs with reviews and pricing information to help you decide which works best for your business.
- Send out a mid-year market update.
- Call prospects in your database.
- Send letters to prospects in your database.
Yes, it can be a little old-school to hit the phones or send letters. But old-school methods stick around because they work. You just can’t beat real conversations with people to build valuable relationships that generate new business.
June Marketing Idea
- June 7: National Donut Day #nationaldonutday—Grab a few dozen donuts and put together a sweet pop-by gift for your favorite clients, past clients, and even a few vendors. You’ll be delivering smiles galore!
If you aren’t loving the CRM you currently have, or you still haven’t invested in one, check out different ones to see which one fits you best.
July Focus: Video Marketing
Here’s an uncomfortable truth for many agents—video marketing is now a critical part of social media and online marketing. In fact, video has taken over the online marketing landscape. And it makes sense why this is especially true for agents: Prospects want to get to know you before working with you, and they want to see you flex your marketing muscles online.
- Create listing videos with Canva.
- Post directly to platforms like Instagram and Facebook throughout your day.
- Create educational content along with entertaining videos.
If you want to really commit to video marketing, Parkbench has a video mastery program with an entire system they guarantee will get you a 5x return on investment (ROI) if you follow it to a T.
July Marketing Idea
- July 18: Get to Know Your Customers Day #gettoknowyourcustomersday—This day is just begging for a client testimonial. Post a video of your clients gushing over how wonderful you are.
Use video to show off your personality, not just your real estate business. Video is powerful because it lets people in. You get to show people your human side.
August Focus: Networking + PR
It’s the end of the summer, and now is the perfect time to focus on how to network and level up your reputation as an agent during the last few months of the year.
- Join local networking communities.
- Get extra business cards.
- Throw your own events.
- Learn how to get mentioned by the local press.
- Include “As Seen In” images in all your marketing when you land a great press mention.
Remember: Marketing is what you say about yourself. PR is what others say about you. Get out in your local community and give the public and the press reasons to talk about you. That’s how you become a trusted and known agent in your community.
August Marketing Idea
- August 9: National Book Lovers Day #nationalbookloversday—Have you read a book you swear by that’s changed your perspective and helped you grow? Share your book and briefly describe how it’s impacted your life. You can create a social media post and share it with your email list.
I love throwing my own events! Once you get started, you may fall in love with it too. The best part is you can throw the kind of party you like, which will attract people who also enjoy it.
September Focus: Website + SEO
Did you know your website can actually generate leads? Search engine optimization (SEO) can help you show up when your prospects make hyper-local Google searches before they decide to list or buy.
- Conduct a site audit to make sure it’s SEO optimized.
- Make sure you’re taking advantage of Google My Business.
- Research keywords to create relevant content for your blog and social media.
Marketers often deem SEO traffic as “high-intent traffic” because people are Googling specific things they want an answer to. If the question they have is, “Is now the best time to sell a home in {enter farm area here}?” it’s your goal to be at the top of that search result. Understanding SEO and how it can drive traffic to your website or a landing page will help you generate more leads with less effort.
September Marketing Idea
- Sept 22: Car-Free Day #carfreeday—Create a fun video for social media (TikTok would be perfect for this) of you as a real estate agent trying to do your job without using your car. Cue the laughter!
Once you get your website optimized, the content you create on your site will get tons more visibility, which attracts more leads. SEO is the magic fairy dust that makes it happen.
October Focus: Seasonal Marketing Focus
Before you know it, holidays and family time will be here. Get ahead of it by planning out your seasonal marketing strategy now.
- Create a print marketing campaign like door hangers.
- Organize an event or two around seasonal themes like a Thanksgiving giveaway or Halloween Trunk-or-Treat.
- Design a series of standout social media posts focusing on engagement.
October Marketing Idea
- Oct 31: Halloween—Deliver branded candy to your farm with some fun, Halloween-themed door hangers.
Need some monster Halloween marketing? Check out my 14 Spine-chilling Halloween Real Estate Marketing Ideas 👻 article for great ways to get out there and scare up some business.
November Focus: Seasonal Referral Marketing
’Tis the season to keep in touch with your sphere. People are taking time off from work to be around family. That’s why, during this season, it’s important to do things that make you stand out as a person first (and an agent second). Grow your sphere by being thoughtful and considerate. And show your gratitude for the clients who have trusted you so far. After all, what you appreciate, appreciates.
- Send thank-you notes.
- Order seasonal pop-bys and holiday cards.
- Consider throwing an event.
November Marketing Idea
- Nov 30: Small Business Saturday (Last Saturday of November) #shopsmall #shoplocal—This is the perfect time to do a business spotlight. Shoot some videos, take some photos, and get quotes from one of your favorite local businesses. Encourage your database to shop locally.
Thanksgiving is a great time to appreciate your past clients and show some love to your future ones. I’ve got some ideas for how to do that in the article below. Go check it out!
12 Thanksgiving Real Estate Marketing Ideas for Giving Thanks
December Focus: Content Marketing
Content marketing puts the bang in your SEO and website efforts. And when you do content marketing well, it can also position you as the local expert.
- Share your perspective on your local market and the real estate market at large.
- Offer what you think will be the best move for buyers and sellers.
- Send relevant real estate content through email and social media. Don’t limit yourself to text—video makes great content even better.
The biggest challenge in marketing is maintaining consistency throughout the year. Hopefully, with my monthly marketing strategy, you can stay on track and keep pushing through each month. If you can, you’re sure to get amazing results.
December Marketing Idea
- Dec 4: National Cookie Day #nationalcookieday—Cookies make excellent pop-by gifts! Pair some fresh cookies from one of your favorite local bakeries with adorable gift bags and cards and you’ll look like an early Christmas elf!
I love the holiday season! Not just because it’s a magical time of year but also because it’s the perfect opportunity to do some fun, smart, effective marketing heading into the New Year. I’ve got some amazing ways to celebrate the season while setting yourself up for success for the new year. Check them in 17 Christmas Real Estate Marketing Ideas to Get More Clients (+ Templates).
Your Take
Do you have some great ideas to add to this plan of action? Will you commit to your marketing strategy in the upcoming year? What are your thoughts and ideas to generate your success? I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a comment below and share your successes.
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