While the real estate market slows down considerably in December, that doesn't mean REALTORS® aren't still thinking about their business. In fact, the month's final few weeks are a prime time to reflect on the year that's ending and start thinking ahead to 2014. What can you do during the next few weeks to improve your business?

The folks at ActiveRain recently asked their community of real estate professionals just that. Their recent blog post, REALTOR® Got Run Over by a Reindeer, compiled the best responses. So what are your real estate peers planning this holiday season? Alongside activities like "attend as many holiday parties as possible" and "tidy up my desk," agents and brokers are looking for ways to better leverage their existing technology tools.

Since tech is kind of our specialty, we turned to our collection of educational articles to assist real estate professionals in meeting their goals. Are you planning on any of the following activities this month? Let our guide below help you succeed!

Goal: Clean Up My Contact Database

How many contacts in your CRM's database are out-of-date? Worse, how many new contacts never made it into your database at all? Start by removing old, invalid contacts from your CRM, then turn to your wallet/phone/wherever and add all of those contacts from various business cards and other sources to your database.

To prevent missing new contacts in the future, consider switching to a CRM with mobile capabilities. That way, you can add new leads' contact info right into your database from wherever you are.

For you power CRM users, take some time to segment your database by value. Here are a couple articles to get you started:

• How to Discover Your "A-List" Clients
• How to Maximize Your Referrals

Don't have a CRM? See our guide to choosing one, then explore your options in our product directory. For more ideas on leveraging your CRM, see our collection of articles.

Goal: Update My Website

Has it been so long since you've updated your website that there are virtual tumbleweeds blowing across your home page? Never fear. Get a handle on things by making sure all of your contact information is up-to-date and that there are no broken links or images on your site.

Then take a good, hard look at the content of your site. Is it useful to visitors or just a shameless billboard for your services?

We've published several articles on website related issues this year, but if you really want some solid reading, check out these two article series:

1. Real Estate Website Sales Funnel

• Introduction
• Step 1: Building Traffic
• Step 2: Capturing Interest
• Step 3: Earning Trust
• Step 4: Lead Conversion

2. Real Estate Website Theme Design Series

• Part 1: The Header
• Part 2: Navigation
• Part 3: Calls-to-Action
• Part 4: Property Quick Search

(If visuals are more your thing, check out this infographic: 18 Critical Features of a Real Estate Website.)

Goal: Update My Social Media Profiles

"Social media doesn't take a vacation," says Maya Paveza, RE Technology's resident video blogger and social media guru. "You have to stay active and engaged with your audience at all times, otherwise your audience will dwindle and stop engaging."

If you've let your social media profiles wither, now's a great time to get them going again. Start by sharing helpful holiday information with your audience: local seasonal events, sales, the best neighborhoods to see Christmas lights, etc. For more inspiration, check out our collection of social media articles.

If you're just getting started with social networking, here's a list of helpful beginner's guides:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• Instagram

We hope these guides help you on your path to success in 2014!