Buying and selling real estate is an incredibly personal experience. At Weichert®, we see this as the ultimate opportunity to build real and meaningful relationships with our customers. One tool for facilitating these relationships is email marketing.
Michele Watson, Director of Marketing, Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., develops strategic marketing initiatives and oversees the marketing tools, programs, and services available to all Weichert® affiliates. Her thoughts on the role of email marketing in estate success? “It’s a critical tool in the arsenal of today’s real estate agents. It’s an efficient, potentially personal way to get your name in front of consumers, which helps generate leads. It’s also vital for staying in touch with your existing clients and sphere to keep yourself top of mind,” says Michele.
With Michele’s help, we’ve put together these 10 tips to help power up your email marketing.
1. Give thought to segmentation
Quite simply, segmenting your email marketing is an opportunity to stand out. Think about what your prospects or customers may need and then match those needs with what you can offer.
To hammer home the point of just how different segments can be, take a look at this example from Campaign Monitor:
- Subscriber A signed in at an open house. They didn’t make an offer on the house, but indicated interest in working with you in the future.Subscriber B signed up for your email list months ago when they first started looking for a new home. Now, they’ve successfully bought a new place that they love—with your help.
It doesn’t make sense to send both subscribers the same content. They are in two different frames of mind. Subscriber A would best be served with content about your new listings or educational content about preparing to move. Subscriber B, on the other hand, would find such content useless since they bought a house recently.
Understanding a real pain point for a customer and then providing a solution to address it can make you stand out in the market. While a mass mailing can be beneficial when you’re trying to start conversations, segmentation offers a chance to reach someone in a more meaningful way.
Sample segmentations:
- Current clientsPrevious buyersPrevious sellersOpen house attendeesReferrals
Think about how you can slice and dice your database and then start crafting content that is ultra-relevant to what individuals care about.
2. Personalize your content, when possible
Email can be a one-to-one experience, so take advantage of any opportunities to make it feel intimate and personal. The warm, caring, attentive approach in your emails can translate to the customer’s opinion of you. From making a first impression to building your brand through follow-up, you can always look like a star.
Personalization can also help avoid landing in a spam folder. The National Association of Realtors® offers comprehensive guidance on avoiding spam emails (as both a sender and a recipient). This includes remaining compliant with legal regulations set forth in the CAN-SPAM Act.
3. Write a compelling subject line
Talk about a first impression! A subject can either grab your audience’s attention or put them to sleep. Even worse, is a subject line that triggers spam. Here are some dos and don’ts for subject lines.
DO:
- Keep them short (i.e., MailChimp recommends a max of 9 words/60 characters)Use power words and numbers (e.g., 3 tips to win a bidding war)Convey value and credibilityPersonalize as much as you can
DON’T:
- Shout with ALL CAPSUse spam-triggering words (i.e., free, urgent, make $)Go crazy with emojisCreate generic messages
For a more comprehensive list of spam-trigger words, check out this list from Campaign Monitor.
4. Include preheader text
If the subject line is your smile, then the preheader text (also known as your preview text) is your handshake. In the time it takes for a quick one or two pumps of a handshake, tell your audience a bit more. This is the content that can get them to open the email. MailChimp recommends 85-100 characters, or 30-80 characters if you want to be sure that it will convey properly on a mobile device.
Here’s an example…
Subject line: Is this a good time to sell?
Preheader text: Mary, you may be on the fence about listing your home. Let Weichert help you decide.
You can also explore subject line/preheader text preview tools online to see what your content might look like to your audience before you send the email.
5. Make your message short and sweet
Don’t take too long to get to your point. People are busy. They scan and peruse things with speed and scrutiny. In addition to what you’re saying, there’s also the visual aspect to consider. Are you including an image in the email? Are there links in the text? Is the call-to-action button big enough to see?
One of the advantages our Weichert agents have is their myWeichert tech stack. This includes a smart CRM containing an entire library of pre-built email templates, which follow all the latest best practices. We make it easy to engage your audience segments to keep advancing down your path of communication.
Curious to see some of our email templates? Contact us and we’ll take you for a spin through our myWeichert platform.
6. Create a call to action
Once someone opens an email, what do you want them to do? That’s your call to action. Choose one thing (not five!) and make it easy to get there. This sets you up for a strong click-through rate because your audience is literally clicking through your email to get to the next step, which can be reading your blog, signing up for a report, or reserving a spot at a local event you’re hosting.
7. Design for mobile
You have to assume that people will be opening your emails from many different devices and platforms. While some may use a desktop computer, the majority will likely be on their mobile devices. Make sure you optimize your emails for mobile. In fact, you probably want to go with a “mobile first” design to ensure that your message can be easily read on a cellphone. Weichert email templates are carefully designed this way.
8. Develop relevant email campaigns
Engaging content nets engaged people. That’s why your email marketing must always be fresh, exciting, and relevant. The same old “sign up for our newsletter” email can quickly get tired, and the hard sell can become a turn off.
You can plan for a myriad of email campaigns, including:
- Drip campaigns (automated emails triggered by behavior, such as a client visiting your site)Targeted campaigns based on interestsOpen house follow-up campaignsBirthday and anniversary campaignsWelcome email campaigns
Again, one of the advantages Weichert affiliates have in myWeichert, is that the platform has many pre-built campaigns that they can plug into immediately, without having to build them themselves.
9. Follow up
You’ve given your audience a call to action. Great! Now you need one for yourself, too, otherwise you leave potential business on the table. So, think about what next steps you’ll be taking to keep building those connections.
Follow up steps can include:
- Another email–even more personal this timeA personal phone callA handwritten note left in the mailbox
Of course, you don’t want to be that broker or agent who starts to make customers feel hounded. But you also don’t want to go silent. Find a balance so you can stay top of mind and remember the four “P’s” in your communication: patience, purpose, personal touch, and persistence.
10. Rinse and repeat
Email marketing is not a one-shot effort. Keeping up your efforts over time will allow you to see the best results. A “rinse and repeat” approach means you’re creating a constant flow of communication. By “rinse” we mean analyze your data and see where adjustments can be made before sending out the next batch of emails.
It’s very easy to track analytics for your email efforts, so be sure to look at:
- Open rates (% of people who opened your email)Bounce rates (% of emails that never made it to an inbox)Click-through rates (% of people who clicked on a link inside the email)Conversion rates (% of people who followed through once they clicked the link; for example, signed up for a newsletter on your website)Unsubscribe rates (% of people who dropped out of your emails)
These metrics will help you better understand what’s working and what’s not. Adjust your approach based on your findings and then “repeat” by sending your next batch of emails.
According to Fit Small Business, the average open rate for real estate emails was 21.7% and the average click-through rate was 3.6% (2022 data). Track your data over time and see how you compare.
In summary
Real estate email marketing is a robust tool for generating leads and staying connected with your customers. But to achieve optimal results, your approach must be methodical and well-planned. Our broker-owners and their agents have 24/7 access to myWeichert for easy-to-use email templates, campaigns, and follow-ups. Plus, they have ongoing guidance and leadership from industry experts like our very own marketing guru, Michele.
Don’t you deserve the same advantage? Of course you do. Let’s talk.
Are we a good fit?
Let’s talk about it. We promise no pressure, just useful information.