Email Marketing for Your Real Estate Business

So you want to begin an email marketing campaign? Excellent. It’s a tried and true way to stay in front of your clients on a regular basis, insuring that you will be the first person they call when they’re ready to buy or sell. But, there are some things you need to know about marketing via email in order to avoid some problems.

First, let’s talk about spam because that’s incredibly important. The CAN-SPAM act was enacted in 2003 and it’s designed to protect consumers but following it can protect you as well. There are  a few requirements of which you should be aware. You can read the details at the FTC’s web site.

• You cannot forge email headers or misrepresent who the email is coming from. If you’re running an honest marketing campaign, though, you don’t want to do that anyway.
• You can’t use a deceptive subject line.
• You have to allow people to opt out of your list.
• You must identify your email as an advertisement and provide a physical mailing address for opt-out.

Those are all pretty easy to follow if you’re running an honest campaign, though. Always remember that you don’t want to leave a bad taste in anyone’s mouth and sending unwanted or deceitful email is a great way to do that.

Next, let’s talk about purchasing email lists. You probably shouldn’t do it. For one thing, you never know where those addresses are coming from, if they’re in use currently, if they actually exist or if these people actually opted in to the list that you’re purchasing. You have no way to verify that they live or intend to live in your market, so you really have no way to target them. Your response rate will be dismal and you’ll probably waste a lot of money trying to reach them. In fact, many email marketing services won’t allow you to use a purchased list for these reasons along with the fact that it opens them and you up to potential legal problems and disciplinary action from Internet Service Providers.

So, how do you build your list? You should have a sign up on your web site. You should have a sign up sheet at every open house you hold. You should ask friends and family members to sign up and you should ask current and past clients for permission to keep in touch via email.

Now, how do you go about managing your list and sending email to your subscribers? We recommend using a service such as Emma for this. (NOTE: Your Realty Geek is an Emma agency, authorized to provide email marketing services. Our clients have their Emma accounts built right into their web site admin panels so that they can easily manage their campaigns in the same place they go to manage their web sites.) They really provide everything that you’ll need to manage your campaign quickly and easily.

How do you make your campaign effective? Well, first of all, you have to get creative. Cranking out the same stuff that your competitors are doing (and that every agent in all of history has done) will not keep you on the shrinking radar screens of your target audience. You can keep them posted on featured listings and open houses, but make that a secondary thought. Try to find some interesting, unique information that will be beneficial but that will also draw people to you and encourage them to take action.

For example, have you recently helped an investor find an absolutely killer deal on an investment property? Ask for permission to mention that in your newsletter. Something like:

“This month has been a great month for Joe R. He came to me three weeks ago, ready to buy an investment property that he could rehab and convert into a cash-flow rental property. We began by using my web site, [web address], to search the local MLS and add properties to his favorites list. (Just register on the sight and click the ‘Save Listing’ link next to any property to do this.) Then, we began screening each property against his criteria and pulling comps for the ones that had the closest match. I also scoured foreclosure and REO lists for him and made a few calls to colleagues who have homes listed for sale by distressed home owners. In the end, we were able to help him purchase a property for 73% of it’s market value. He’s busy fixing it up now and will likely have renters in it by the first of next month. Congratulations Joe!”

Include a testimonial from Joe R and then follow up with a standard statement that’s included in every outgoing email that tells the reader how you specialize in finding incredible investment deals. (Obviously, you want to tailor all of this to your own specialties. This is just an example of how to go about doing that.) This email not only tells a great story, provides social proof through testimonials and showcases your talents, but it also drives readers to open up your web site, register and start creating property lists in hopes of capturing that rare gem that will put more money in their pockets every month (or whatever your readers’ goals may be).

In a stagnant or declining market, the only thing that is going to keep you on top is to think: fresh, new, creative. Your Realty Geek can give you the tools, innovation and inspiration to do just that. Pick up the phone and give us a call. You’re an arm’s reach away from rising to the top.