An Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Email Marketing

An Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Email Marketing
24 August, 2022 • ...
Irene Dmitrieva
by Irene Dmitrieva

Real estate agents can utilize email marketing to their benefit. But what strategies will provide the best results? In this ultimate guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started. By the end, you’ll have all the information you need to create successful real estate email marketing campaigns that will help you close more deals and grow your business.

Why use email marketing for real estate

Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help real estate professionals achieve their business goals. Despite the rise and popularity of mobile messaging and chat services, email is an important component of online life. The worldwide number of email users reached over 4 billion in 2020 and will continue to expand to 4.6 billion by 2025. This means you have a huge list of potential customers.

Global email users stat
Source: Statista

Plus, email marketing is relatively inexpensive and quite easy to set up. If you’re not using it already, here are some reasons to start:

High engagement

Email marketing is still the gold standard when it comes to ROI. For every $1 invested, you get a whopping $36 in return. 

Reaching out to your target audience

With email marketing, you can maintain communication with your target market and keep them updated on what’s going on. By providing quality content regularly, you will gain their trust and build strong relationships, making them more likely to convert into customers.

Through segmenting your email list, you have complete control over who your target audience is. You may customize each individual message to match the needs and interests of a specific group of consumers.

Lead generation

In general, email marketing campaigns in the real estate industry tend to be well-received by recipients. In fact, email is the preferred method of contact with brands for 61% of consumers. This means that email marketing can be a great way to advertise properties and generate leads in the real estate sector.

By including a call-to-action in your emails, you can encourage recipients to take action, such as visiting your website or contacting you to learn more about your services.

Building real estate email campaign step-by-step

According to a study, 92% of realtors use email to communicate with their customers on a regular basis. The competition is fierce. So let’s go through how to create the greatest real estate emails step by step.

Build an email list

Here are some of the ways you can build an email list with potential clients who have an interest in real estate:

  1. Create and embed opt-in forms on your website, so that interested subscribers can sign up to receive your emails. Double opt-in forms are even better because they make sure that the person who signed up is really interested in receiving emails from you.
  2. Also try referrals. Incentives may be offered to current customers who recommend new clients. This is a good solution because according to research, 42% of vendors found an agent as a result of a friend, family member, or neighbor recommendation. Furthermore, a positive reputation is important for your company’s good name.
  3. Meet potential clients in person at open houses or conferences. 
  4. Getting in touch with lead generation firms is one approach to acquiring a sufficient number of prospects. Lead generating companies provide advertising that can assist you to attract potential consumers and sellers. A few popular companies that provide lead generation services are Market Leader and RedX

Segment your list

With email marketing, you can communicate with your clients on a more personal level and tailor the messages to their specific needs.

Segment your subscribers into different categories if you want to extract the most out of them. By segmenting your list, you can send targeted content to specific groups, which in turn strengthens your relationships with them. Your audience will appreciate only receiving information that applies to them and is of value.

Decide on the content

The quality of your email content is crucial in encouraging recipients to either click through the email or make a purchase. The content depends on the type of email campaign: you can choose from a variety of options such as welcome emails, follow-up emails, newsletters, or set a drip campaign.

Welcome emails

Welcome emails are an excellent way to build rapport with potential customers and introduce them to your company. They also have a high open rate, so they are likely to be seen by the recipient.

Welcome email in real estate
Source: Really Good Emails

Follow-up emails

Follow-up emails can be sent to people who have recently purchased a property or viewed one that you are selling. This is an opportunity to ask for feedback or referrals. You can also use follow-up emails to try and re-engage with customers who have shown inactivity or disengagement with your brand.

Make an email (like an example below) or a series of emails that sends to past customers after a set amount of time following the deal’s closing. This email may be used to check in on how they’re settling in and whether they need any help moving out.

Follow-up email in real estate
Source: Campaign Monitor

Newsletters

Newsletters or client stories are another way to keep your audience engaged. You can send these on a weekly or monthly basis, and they can include information about new listings, success stories from clients, or invitations to open house events. Sharing stories from satisfied customers is a great way to attract new business, as it helps to build trust and confidence in your company.

Here is a great example of a newsletter with a helpful guide:

Newsletter in real estate
Source: Really Good Emails

Drip campaigns

All the above types of emails can be combined into a drip campaign chain. Drip campaigns are a series of automated emails that are triggered by a user’s behavior. For example, if someone signed up for your newsletter, you could send them a welcome email. If they then start negotiating a purchase, you could send them further emails about the process. However, if they do not purchase anything, you could send them a follow-up email to try and encourage them to engage with your company again.

Below is an example of a chain of emails from Zillow, from a welcome message and helpful tips and picks to a claim confirmation.

Drip email example
Source: Really Good Emails
Zillow email example
Source: Really Good Emails
Claim confirmation from Zillow
Source: Really Good Emails

Write a copy

After you determine the types of emails to send, start writing a copy. To make your messages more effective, segment the emails and personalize them with tools that add recipients’ names. 

Your email should start with a greeting, followed by interesting content that could include tips on purchasing or maintaining a house, trends in the real estate world, or information about new schemes and loans that the government offers. Again, the content of the email will depend on its type. 

Once you have drafted your content, include an enticing call-to-action (CTA) button that tells the reader what the next step should be. Having a single CTA rather than multiple can increase clicks dramatically, up to 371%.

Design your email

A well-designed email will help your message stand out and get noticed. Select an email template that is visually appealing and catches the eye, while also staying true to your brand’s aesthetic. It’s important to consider how your email will look on different screen sizes, so choose a responsive design.

Below is an example of a message with well thought out design and content. Houzz limited its email to a minimal amount of color for the font. Only green and gray dominate. The pictures are also matched to the tone of the fonts. The writing itself is broken up into blocks, making it easier for the reader to absorb the information. The important part of each block is emphasized by a header, which also helps to highlight the main thing in the text.

PIC

The way you design and write your emails is critical. Of course, these two are not directly related to email deliverability, but they are important for increasing CTR, which indicates the ISP that this email is valuable

Start your campaign

Now it’s time to start your email campaign. If you want to save time and effort, you can automate your emails by scheduling them in advance. This is especially useful if you have different groups of subscribers with different behaviors. 

For example, if you don’t hear back from a customer after they make a purchase, sending them a follow-up message asking about their experience is always appreciated. This is known as a triggered email. ESPs like Selzy can help you effortlessly set up email campaign automation for more targeted interactions with subscribers.

Test and analyze the results

Email marketing is constantly evolving, and one of the most important aspects of a successful campaign is tracking and testing. This allows you to see what elements are performing well and which need improvement. Find out what truly works for your clients by performing A/B testing on the email campaigns. Common variables that are tested include the subject line, CTA placement, email content length, and send time.

In the past, marketers would assess the success of an email by looking at the email click-through rate (CTR) and open rate. However, modern marketers also take engagement trends, long-term subscriber activity, and list health into account.

It’s important to track both ways in order to get the most accurate picture of your campaign’s success. Doing so will help you maximize your return on investment.

Best tips to ensure your campaign’s success

Although there isn’t one blueprint for success when it comes to email marketing, there are some key elements that every great campaign needs. In addition to guidance on segmentation, personalization, and incorporating a call-to-action, here are more top tips for ensuring your next email marketing campaign is a hit:

Keep your email list healthy

One of the most important things you can do to ensure the success of your email marketing campaigns is to keep your email list clean and well-maintained. This means regularly checking for bounced or invalid email addresses and removing them from your list. 

As mentioned before, you should also segment your list so that you can send more targeted, relevant messages to your subscribers.

Use a subject line that is appealing and attracts attention

Email campaigns with great subject lines have a better chance of being successful. After all, if your subject line doesn’t interest the reader, they’re not going to open your email. By the way, statistics state that 33% of people who receive a message open it based solely on the subject line. So, make sure your subject line is short, sweet and to the point.

Make sure you’re sending emails that are mobile-friendly

A large number of email opens (44,7%) happen on a mobile device, so it’s important to make sure that your messages are optimized for small screens. Use a responsive design template, or create a separate version of your newsletter specifically for mobile devices.

Don’t overload your messages with text

If your email looks like a novel, chances are high that subscribers will skim through it or delete it entirely. Keep your email content concise with a clear call-to-action (CTA) that recipients can understand and act on without having to read through paragraphs of text. The goal is to get recipients to take action, not to give them a novel’s worth of information. Too much copy will only overwhelm and discourage recipients from taking action.

In general, shorter emails perform better than longer ones. Keep your initial message concise – you can always go into more detail later.

Top realtor email examples to get inspired by

If you’re in the business of selling houses, then you know that a big part of your success depends on your email marketing campaigns. Realtors who use email effectively can stay top-of-mind with their clients and prospects, and generate a steady stream of leads.

But coming up with fresh realtor email ideas week after week can be a challenge. If you’re feeling stuck, take a look at the following email examples from top realtors. These emails are sure to give you some inspiration for your own campaigns.

OpenAgent: A “Get to know you” email

As a top realtor, you’re always looking for new leads and ways to stay in touch with your past clients. Why not add a welcome email campaign to your repertoire?

This welcome email from OpenAgent is the perfect way to introduce yourself to new leads. In the email, the company included a rating link to reviews and a brief overview of its services. The company took the time to explain how it works with clients and what they can expect from working with the brand. This is a great way to set expectations and build trust with your clients from the start.

Welcome email from OpenAgent
Source: Really Good Emails

Zillow: Listing updates

If you’re a real estate agent, then you know how important it is to keep your clients up-to-date on the latest listings and updates. And what better way to do that than with an email?

Zillow provides all of the information that its clients may be searching for in the listings. The message contains pictures, price, square footage, and other data that would be useful to consumers.

Latest property listings email
Source: Really Good Emails

Zillow: A newsletter

A newsletter is always a good idea. A real estate newsletter can help you sell more by providing clients with market trends, property tips, news, and updates from your company. A monthly or bi-weekly newsletter keeps your name top-of-mind and helps clients stay informed.

The Zillow newsletter is a great example of nurturing relationships with potential clients and customers through helpful tips.

A newsletter example
Source: Really Good Emails

Final thoughts

Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help real estate professionals achieve their business goals. 

  • It allows you to connect with your target audience on a regular basis.
  • It allows building trust and generating leads.
  • It’s relatively inexpensive and easy to set up.

Building an effective email campaign for your real estate business doesn’t have to be complicated. Follow these simple steps:

  1. Build an email list. There are several ways to do it, such as creating opt-in forms on your website, offering referrals, or meeting potential clients in person. 
  2. Decide what type of email you want to send. Are you looking to welcome new customers, follow up with leads, or send a newsletter? The content of your email will vary depending on the purpose. 
  3. Personalize your emails by adding recipients’ names and segmenting your contact list. This will help create a more targeted message that is more likely to resonate with each reader. 
  4. Include a compelling call-to-action button in your email to guide recipients through the next step. 
  5. Design your email in a way that is visually appealing and catches the eye. Consider how your email will look on different screen sizes.
  6. To get the most out of your campaigns, test different elements and analyze the results to see what works best for your audience in your email marketing strategy.
24 August, 2022
Article by
Irene Dmitrieva
As a marketing copywriter, I have experience creating compelling content for websites and social media posts. My background in market research helps me ensure that my copy is both on-brand and data-driven. I am excited to bring my skills and experience to Selzy team and help drive success for this company.
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