Remember when holiday marketing meant slapping some snowflakes on your listing graphics and calling it festive? Yeah, we’re not doing that anymore.

In this episode, Chelsea and Kayla are sharing ideas for how you can show up during the holidays without decking the halls of your Instagram grid. They’re getting into the fun stuff, like how your yellow toaster moment can become content gold (is that just Kayla?), why supporting local businesses is your secret weapon this season, and how to create lead magnets that people actually want.

Why Your Holiday Content Strategy Just Changed

Instagram isn’t social media anymore; it’s interest media, which means that Instagram is literally showing you content based on what you’ve previously shown interest in.

If you opened your Explore page right now, it would look completely different from your spouse’s or ours. Their goal is to keep us scrolling as long as possible.

So when you’re thinking about your holiday content, it’s not about “12 Ways to Sell Your House at Christmas.” It’s about getting in front of people who are already interested in what you have to say — people who are local, who you connect with, who could become your ideal client or refer you to someone who is.

We’re not decorating our feeds with generic tips. We’re adding a splash of cozy holiday moments to the real, relatable content we’re already sharing.

Picture this: You have 10 local women who would be your ideal followers. They click follow and you become friends. What would they be looking for from you? What do they want to see this time of year?

You’re not taking real estate out; you’re just sharing your life, adding a splash of real estate, and decorating it with holiday lights.

Series-Style Content That Feels Effortless and Fun

Series-style content is like that episodic TV you can’t stop watching. It’s content with an underlying connected theme that people come back for again and again.

You could do a series once a month, once a week for a month, or ongoing. During the holidays, you could lean into series that are seasonally focused, something like Life of a Real Estate Girl: Holiday Edition.

Bring people behind the scenes of what you’re doing in real estate and at home. Maybe you’re watching Home Alone for the fifth time. Maybe you’re making grasshoppers because your grandma loves them. Maybe you’re picking up holiday coffees from the local coffee shop for your buyers on the way to a showing.

These don’t need to be perfectly produced reels. They can be simple carousels with snapshots from your camera roll. Two to three slides is all you need!

This is the kind of content only you can make because no one else has your life, your favorite spots, or your client stories.

The Yellow Toaster Moment

Kayla needed a new toaster and got a fun, bright yellow one on Amazon. It wasn’t expensive. But every time the toast pops up, it brings her joy. And when people come over, they comment on it.

That’s the yellow toaster moment we want you to find this season. Pick one little thing that makes you smile. A festive mug. A specific candle. Stopping at your favorite local coffee shop every Friday.

One of our new members said it perfectly: “I feel like I’m romanticizing my life too, which makes me really appreciate the beautiful moments — the fall leaves, the campfires, the local businesses, the pretty houses. And I’m enjoying my marketing more.”

Set a daily alarm on your phone. When it goes off, take one photo and one quick video of whatever you’re doing. That iced coffee on the way to your showing. The back patio view from your listing. Your go-to lunch spot.

These everyday moments are your marketing. You just have to start capturing them!

Instagram Stories: Your Lowest Hanging Fruit This December

If you’re truly busy right now (whether with clients or Christmas shopping or family) your lowest hanging fruit is Instagram Stories.

You can get your face on camera, and there’s no curated feed pressure.

And if you’re hesitant about it, ask yourself: Do I have just five minutes a day? Maybe you don’t even post to Stories until you’re sitting on your couch at night, kids are in bed, with that hour to yourself and a cheesy Hallmark movie. That could be your moment. Grab a few things from your camera roll or pop on Stories with your face and share something from today.

A question someone asked you.

Where you went to lunch.

What you’re watching.

It doesn’t need to be overthought!

Even if face-to-camera only happens once a week, you’re getting that behind-the-scenes connection that continues to build trust. And that’s what keeps you top of mind with the people already following you.

If you want to add a holiday splash, it’s as easy as wearing something festive or being mindful of your background. Toss a green pen in your desk shot. Use a cute holiday mug. Hold your book in front of your Christmas tree.

You don’t have to become a full-time content creator. Just stop for 10 seconds and think: What could make this look a little more festive?

Signature Lead Magnets That Only You Can Create

The traditional go-to during the holidays is a local holiday guide. And that’s great. But here’s the question: Could any other agent in my market make this?

If the answer is yes, it’s time to get more specific.

Instead of sharing every single thing to do in your city, what is your version of the holidays in your city? What does it look like for you to enjoy the season?

Maybe it’s Holiday Movie Pairings and Local Takeout. If you’re a movie girl who loves supporting local restaurants, create a guide that pairs your favorite films with the best takeout in town. No one else can create that.

Or maybe you’re a local mom who wants to share what you and your family do every December. List out your ideal weekend day: coffee here, sledding at this hill, baking cookies at home, watching one of these movies. That becomes your signature guide.

It doesn’t seem like there’s real estate in this. But there’s no real estate in a fall local guide either. The point is to cast a wide net to build your email list with people who are local, who connect with you, and who will remember you when they or someone they know needs an agent.

You can always weave real estate in at the end. “When I’m not busy showing houses in [city name], these are the things I’m doing.” Or “If you want to start a home search to find that house with the bigger kitchen you’ve been dreaming of, here’s what’s next.”

When you focus on signature guides like this, you’re building your business for the long term. And you bet that every local business you feature is going to share it!

Supporting Local Is Non-Negotiable

Chelsea saw a reel that went something like, “If your last five deliveries were from Amazon and you’re sad that local businesses aren’t surviving, you’re part of the problem”?

So let’s do something about it! Commit to shopping local and document the whole thing.

Pick a day in December. Get a babysitter if you need to. Go to your favorite local boutiques, the hardware store, that cute gift shop you’ve been meaning to check out. Buy your Christmas gifts, grab lunch at a local spot, and document everything.

Share it as a series in Stories. Turn it into a reel. Create a carousel post. Or better yet — turn it into a lead magnet.

You can also get on Stories and ask your followers, “Where should I go? What should I check out?” People love giving their opinions. Then you go to those places, document what you find, and create a Local Gift Guide.

Break it down by category: For the kids. For your spouse. For the homebody. For the person who wants to redo their living room.

When people see you creating this journey — asking for their input, visiting the stores, sharing the final guide — they’re going to feel like they were part of something. And they’re going to want to share it.

You could even turn this into a carousel post: “I asked all my [city name] followers where to shop local this year. Here’s what they said.”

Supporting local isn’t just good marketing. It’s non-negotiable when you’re a local business owner serving your community.

What to Actually Email Your List This Holiday Season

Email marketing during the holidays doesn’t need to be complicated, the simpler and more personal, the better.

Here’s one email you could send right now: “Hey, I saw this reel about supporting local businesses. I’m committing to shopping local as much as possible this season. Can you hit reply and tell me your favorite local spots?”

Done. You’ve started a conversation and you’re going to get responses from people you haven’t talked to in months.

Other ideas: Bring people behind the scenes of your own life. Put a family photo in an email and talk about your traditions. What you’re doing this season. What you love most about this time of year.

Then, invite people to respond and tell you their holiday traditions or must-haves. Everyone wants to talk about their favorite movies, their traditions, and the things they love to do. It’s such an easy way to generate responses and reconnect.

The One Thing You Can Do Every Week to Stay Visible

If you don’t have time for series content, signature guides, or local shopping days, the simplest thing you can do every single week through the end of the year is a classic photo dump.

Pick a cute holiday-ish name. “This Weekend in [City Name]” or “Scenes from December” or “Me Being Santa in [City Name]” (use ChatGPT if you need help).

Then share a few photos from your week that blend real life, real estate, and local: you at a showing, your favorite coffee shop, a cozy moment at home, a listing photo, the sunset you caught on the way home…

Pair it with a simple caption and post it once a week, every week.

This keeps you visible, relatable, and recognizable. And if you add one minute a day in Stories on top of that, you’re going to be very recognizable come January 2026!

The magic isn’t in doing everything. It’s in doing one thing consistently.

So pick your thing. Your yellow toaster moment. Your photo dump. Your Stories routine. Your local shopping day. Whatever feels doable and fun for you.

Then go all in on that one thing and see what happens.

Because when you focus on connection over perfection, people notice. They remember. And they come back!

This episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.