Carve an e-Pumpkin; It's Holiday Marketing Time!
By Deborah Ball, RE/MAX Times Associate Editor
The holiday marketing season, with Halloween leading the way, is here.
Patty (ASP, SRES) and Scott Carroll of RE/MAX Equity Group in Vancouver, Wash., marked the occasion in their Clark County Insider blog by adding a fun way for visitors to carve a pumpkin electronically. Their post:
What type of Jack-O-Lanterns do you like? Do you like the friendly, happy ones or do you like the mean, evil ones? Or are you one of those artist types that spends hours carving a black cat silhouette or an even more elaborate scene or design? Still undecided? Try out this great Pumpkin Simulator. The simulator lets you try out all sorts of faces and designs without touching a knife, a pumpkin or any of the nasty, slimey seeds and stuff inside them. Kind of cool, huh? Let us know what type of pumpkin you draw and feel free to pass this along to others that may enjoy it. Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Another Associate, Tina Maraj-Shah, sponsors a Halloween coloring contest that gives children in her Fullerton, Calif., market a chance to win a $25 gift card to either Borders or Toys 'R' Us.
The response, she says, has been frighteningly positive.
"Last year, we had more than 30 entries and I hung all of them up in our office," says the Sales Associate with RE/MAX North Orange County in Fullerton. "I include the contest flyer in the 1,600 newsletters I mail out to past clients and my sphere each month.
"I love Halloween and I thought a coloring contest would be a great way to do something fun and positive for the community."
Maraj-Shah also included other agents in her office who are spreading the word about the contest.
All the children who send an entry receive a Halloween treat bag filled with candy and Play-Doh - along with a small card that lists Maraj-Shah's contact information and photo. The winners are chosen from three age groups: pre-kindergarten/kindergarten; first through third grade; and fourth through sixth grade.
This isn't the first time the Halloween enthusiast has done marketing for the holiday. She used to send out Halloween note pads - something she started when she became an agent in 1989.
"The pads said, 'Your graveyard specialist,'" she says with a chuckle. "I've also put small flashlights for trick-or-treating in the past. These are great marketing and self-promotion tools that help set up my campaigns for the next holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas."
Her biggest piece of advice to agents who are looking to do special marketing for a holiday is simple.
"It needs to be genuine and something that doesn't take from the consumer," she says. "People have a perception that Realtors are always looking to get something out of them. It's important to get your name out there, but do it in a fun and positive way."
Share your holiday marketing ideas
Share your holiday-related promotional and marketing ideas by e-mailing editor@remax.net. Your ideas will appear in a follow-up story or below.
Comments (1)
I always hand out my notepads to the trick-or-treater's parents.
- Don K. Patton, RE/MAX Community, South Ogden, Utah
Copyright © 2008 RE/MAX International Inc. 10/28/08
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