Before sending another filler email, like “How to Stage Your Home on a Budget,” or “5 Ways to Polish Your Mirrors,” consider using email campaigns that stand out from the crowd and generate real engagement with your real estate leads and clients.
If you’re one of the thousands of Realtors sending email campaigns, then you’re probably familiar with the never-ending hunt for good content. With good content, you hopefully can position yourself as the obvious expert to help them buy, sell, or refer.
I used to be of the mind that sending anything was better than sending nothing, and I still believe that. But I also think that if you’re going to do a thing, you might as well do it right. Doing right in email marketing means sending content that your audience will genuinely value. Here are a few ideas that go beyond the typical puff pieces and truly generate attention and appreciation:
For Leads Who Are Not Clients Yet
Focus on emails that help them make decisions. For example:
- Tell “proof of success stories” about how you helped a home buyer decide to buy, and how that worked out for them. Or how you helped a seller overcome a surprise lien. That sort of story helps people get a concrete picture of what you mean when you say you can help them.
- Send lists of services that would be useful to future real estate clients, such as the names of several lenders or the names of several home inspectors, with a suggestion that they call and talk to several.
- Email them discount coupons you’ve arranged with some of your service providers.
- Do community or neighborhood profiles to help them get a feel for living in particular areas.
- Send local restaurant profiles, with or without a discount coupon.
- Send infographics that help them understand a part of the real estate buying or selling process. Don’t forget to add a short (maybe two sentences) interpretation of the data at the top.
You can also send the usual how-to reports, such as “5 Things to Ask Your Home Inspector,” but don’t overdo these, since prospects get the same sort of content from a lot of different agents. Be different.
For Past Clients and Sphere of Influence
Focus on emails that entertain and engage. For example:
- Start a monthly contest, such as a “Where Are We?” photo (see the featured image at the top of this post).
- Send an entertaining monthly newsletter.
- Send a link to an interesting song.
- Send invitations to community events.
- Send your award announcements.
- Send an infographic about the community (have these made on Fiverr).
- Send discount coupons from service providers you’re working with.
- Write local restaurant profiles, with or without a coupon.
- Create tutorials and courses, or send a link to free courses.
- Send real estate statistics, reports, and advice, too.
- Try proof of success stories in the form of a Q&A.
- Do ecards on the anniversary of their home purchase, which you can set up in advance through an online card service.
If you’re not familiar with email marketing, you can set up much of this in advance in an email marketing service, such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, and the like. You’ll use a workflow to pre-load your finished real estate emails, then set your emails to go out at specific intervals.
Seen or tried something unusual that’s not here? Share your email marketing ideas in the comments.
