As a real estate agent, you probably count on email to communicate with clients and prospects. Make the most of this time-tested tool by following these best practices for real estate email marketing.
Related: GoDaddy guide to email marketing for business
10 best practices for real estate email marketing
- Build your email list.
- Segment your email list.
- Scrub your email list.
- Steer clear of the spam folder with smart subject lines.
- Be conversational.
- Seek a sincere connection.
- Think like your customers.
- Build trust with valuable email content, delivered consistently.
- Plan email campaigns.
- Get permission to send emails.
Let’s look at each practice in more detail.
1. Build your email list
The first thing to focus on when it comes to real estate email marketing is your list of email addresses. As a professional real estate agent, you have a list of clients who you already email or contact regularly.
If you are out networking and socializing, as many agents do, add those new contacts to your list as soon as you can. Efficiency is a thing and there are even apps that will scan a business card directly into your phone contacts. You can always move those contacts to your email marketing lists later.
Related: 14 creative ways to grow your email list
2. Segment your email list
Know your audience and who you are marketing to. If you already have an information capture you can use this information to identify similarities and segment your email list accordingly.
Identifying contacts by age or even generation is a perfect way to know how emails should be worded, and where they may land in the buy/sell life cycle.
If you are getting your leads through any other form of lead generation, advertising etc., there are typically built-in ways to create your email marketing lists.
Create separate lists by categories, such as those looking for urban versus suburban homes, retirement versus family home, etc. This makes it easier to market specifically toward client preferences.
You also might create separate lists according to when recipients clicked an email link. Usually 30- and 90-day increments work. Making separate lists will help you write appropriate emails to retain and attain new clients.
Related: Using customer segments to build lasting relationships
3. Scrub your email list
One thing you must do, and have probably heard of, is scrubbing your email list.
If you keep up with your list, then scrubbing every 90 days will keep it squeaky clean. The cleaner the list the better the return. You want quality versus quantity. Don’t waste your time on clients who aren’t interested, or may even be turned off by continuing to receive your messages.
Create a list of addresses that haven’t clicked on an email the last 90 days. You can write a separate email for one last chance to re-engage them. If they do not respond, then take them off the list.
Related: Best practices for managing your email list
4. Steer clear of the spam folder with smart subject lines
After writing your planned real estate email marketing emails, make sure your email doesn’t have words that trigger it as spam or get it thrown into the “promotions” tab. Not that the promotions tab can’t be good — it serves its purpose — but for what we want to accomplish, steer clear.
Here is a list of buzz words that might dump your message into the spam folder. Avoid them.
Craft a message that is friendly, and feel free to use an emoji. People like emojis. Just don’t go crazy.
Related: How to write the best email subject lines
5. Be conversational.
Set up your initial welcome letter as a more informal, “hello” email. The key here is to use plain text.
When you create emails in a plain-text format — meaning they have no links, images or attractive fonts — you ensure that all email recipients can view your message.
You want it to feel personal and friendly rather than a sales pitch. Something simple about how it was great to meet them and you are looking forward to seeing them in the future.
Related: How to welcome and nurture email subscribers
6. Seek a sincere connection
Befriend your clients. Don’t just sell to them, connect with them. Keep this in mind when it comes to creating or crafting your email.
Related: How to write an email that people will read
7. Build trust with valuable email content, delivered consistently
Being in front of your clients regularly, with email content they find relevant, is crucial for growth and builds trust.
After the initial hello email, place them on your email list for your weekly newsletter or weekly update emails. You can also consider slowly introducing them to your newsletter by offering other types of content, such as a small video series or how-to.
This way the client starts seeing value in what you have to offer, giving your real estate business a higher chance at a conversion.
8. Think like your customers
Each real estate agent is different, with varying needs.
Get a plan together, and then ask questions from a customer’s point of view. Look back at old emails that got your attention about a product or service. What prompted you to purchase? What was your thought process?
Sometimes stepping out of our own business shoes and into the consumer’s shoes can put your marketing campaign into perspective. This is where solutions are found.
9. Plan email campaigns
Develop several emails in advance. Like an auto response for a house listing, create a hello or welcome email for those who you just added to your email list.
Keep it simple and informative.
Include one or two other homes that are similar. Write other emails according to the categories you created. Know your audience and write accordingly.
10. Get permission to send emails
You will want your clients to choose to be on your mailing list. In your second email, after your initial friendly email, include an option for them to “opt in” for your newsletter and weekly emails.
Of course, if you received the contact information from an online source the client will have already opted in.
Related: Best practices for creating email opt-ins
Editor’s note: Ready to level up your real estate email marketing efforts? Check out GoDaddy Email Marketing to create and track emails that integrate with your website.
Tips for crafting real estate email content
There are many ways to craft content for your emails. Real estate agents are at an advantage because you have so much unique content to use in an email. Pictures, videos, customer stories and reviews are just a starting point.
Crafting your basic “hello” email for your email campaigns can be something as simple as below. Keep it short and sweet.
Hi John/Jane!
It was great meeting you last weekend! I’m looking forward to seeing you at the next outing!
Cheers,
Your Name
Your Phone number
Your LinkedIn profile link and/or website
Don’t be pushy. You want to connect with them on a personal level. You can create a standard email without names and make it more general, but if you are meeting just a few people at a time, then take the time to email them personally.
When it comes to writing your other emails, remember these five things:
1. Be friendly, cordial and conversational.
2. Be concise; don’t use 50 words when 25 will do.
3. Keep it simple; don’t crowd the email with everything.
4. One active link keeps it simple; use it in more than one spot.
5. Use short, specific subject lines; try to avoid salesy words.
As a real estate agent, more than likely you have some standardized emails that are sent automatically when someone clicks on a listing.
Update the wording and tone every month to keep those otherwise boring auto emails fresh.
Make sure to have a subscribe button in the email or your newsletter. It is always a good idea to link to a similar listing or two as well. Give the client some options they might not have known they had.
When you are crafting your real estate emails and looking to convey a friendly tone, a story is always a good place to start. A client success story or positive local community news can provide a wealth of relevant content for your real estate email marketing newsletter.
And be sure to keep track of how all your real estate marketing campaigns are performing so you can make changes for improvement.
Related: How to use email analytics to improve your campaigns
What to include in real estate email newsletters
Newsletters can be a fantastic way to routinely engage your existing clients, while building a rapport with prospective clients. If you can nail down what your clients want to read, your ability to gain readers will grow as existing clients share your content with their circles. The possibilities are endless!
First things first, what to include.
As real estate agents your options are many. Choose one or two solid topics to routinely publish in each newsletter. Images are always a good idea, but don’t go overboard. Create something tasteful and easy to navigate. Oh, and make sure it is mobile friendly.
If you find it difficult to find general topics of interest, think about the conversations that happen naturally as you show clients different houses and get to know each client on a personal level.
What they share as their concerns or interests will be of interest to others. Use this to your advantage. What topics recur from client to client? It could be gardening, decorating, cooking — who doesn’t love food?
Find one or two subject areas you would like to share, and create valuable content around these topics for clients.
Real estate offers many different avenues to connect with people. Find what works for you.
Another section of the newsletter could include an “exclusive” preview of up and coming properties. Get that earworm in there. You don’t need a lot of images, just enough to pique interest.
Once the house does hit the market, make sure to follow up with the listing and all the details in the next newsletter. Offering previews is a great way to plant that seed for potential buyers, not to mention those already looking.
Consider sharing a bit of a house’s history, if it has one. Even sharing a few details about how a previous family started an organic vegetable garden on the property or used apples from the backyard tree in Thanksgiving pie can create a strong emotional connection.
Want an even stronger connection? Think video.
Real estate agents are in and out of houses on a regular basis. Why wait for just a professional photographer? Shoot a short selfie-style video of the features of the house. Even if it is a fixer upper, pointing out the right things and marketing to the right audience will go a long way.
Personalize this by thinking of your buyers. If you come across a property they like, make them their own video and email it to them with the link attached. Clients like to feel special.
Now what?
Emails flood our inboxes, and many are marketing related. It is necessary to always be thinking outside the box to keep people engaged in new and creative ways.
Developing a solid real estate email marketing campaign can bring you the consistent leads that keep your business going. Even if you are an existing real estate agent who has an established business, these tips can help improve your lead generation.
This article includes content originally published on the GoDaddy blog by Ashley Grant.
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