Dos and Don’ts of Holiday Greetings for Apartment Marketers

December is a magical time of year where everything at the mall is glittery, there are new cookie recipes galore and you are practically required to cozy up on the couch with the fluffiest blanket available and watch your favorite holiday movie. (And, yes, Die Hard counts. It’s 2024, and we’re not going to have that debate anymore. It’s not even that great. Give me Home Alone any day.)

It’s also a great time to ramp up your marketing and let your current residents know you’re thankful for their patronage as well as appeal to potential renters. December is the perfect time to send some holiday cheer. Just be careful—there are some pitfalls to avoid. Here are some dos and don’ts for sending holiday greetings.

Do get personal. Try to personalize cards and emails with your residents’ names. Better if you mention everyone in the unit. Bonus points if you include the pet!

Don’t forget to check yourself (before you wreck yourself, and your campaign). For email marketing, make sure to send yourself a test first. You don’t want random html code in your greeting where the names are supposed to go when you’re doing a mail merge. You also want to make sure everything is spelled correctly and has proper grammar. After all, you’re writing professional messages for your residents to encourage them to renew their leases. You’re not a Nigerian Prince who wants to give out all his money but first needs an Apple gift card deposited into your account.

Do be inclusive. There are a lot of holidays this time of year. “Seasons Greetings,” “Happy holidays,” and even “Happy New Year” won’t leave anyone out.

Don’t feel the need to sell. You can just spread some cheer, and the message will your company or the community top of mind for the residents. Don’t feel like you need to include a hard sell in your holiday card.

But do remember to be a total Baldwin and ABC. While you shouldn’t feel pressured to sell in your holiday greetings, Glengarry Glen Ross is a classic for a reason. If you’re launching a marketing campaign to appeal to new renters, you might want to include a discount for a lease or another perk in your messages. Remember, Christmas cookies are for closers.

Do get social. If you don’t have the bandwidth to send physical cards (or, like me, you never got your act together but promise you will next time even though it’s the fifth year in a row you forgot and you’re totally not going to remember in time again next year), social media can be just as effective! You can send emails, or you can do a festive post on your social channels. Plus, using social media is cheaper, better for the environment and you can reach more people at once!

Do be a video Vixen. (See what I did there? Vixen? Like the reindeer? Whatever, like you’re so funny.) Video can be a great way to showcase your community in your message, or to get the whole team involved. You can have holiday messages from the leasing team for prospective renters, or the maintenance team for current renters. It’s also a great opportunity to get creative.

Don’t spam your renters. One holiday message to your renters and potential renters is plenty. No need to send a card for each holiday, or to send a card, plus post on social, plus send a holiday email, plus hire carolers to go to each unit. That’s…a lot.

Do feature animals. It’s a surefire way to boost engagement. Plus, you can have a dog in one of those Grinch one-antler headband things. Seasonally appropriate and totally adorable. What more could you ask for?

What are some more holiday marketing dos and don’ts? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Send a tweet to @MHNOnline or @jfiur, send a Threads message to @jfiur, or send me a message on LinkedIn. Happy holidays, everyone!