Learn how E-Newsletters help real estate agents. A recent survey shows emails were in the “Top 3 Effective Marketing Strategies” for real estate agents. The top two are featured listings and referrals.

Here are several reasons why e-newsletters must be on your list of marketing campaigns.

 

Wide Usage of Emails in Real Estate Marketing

 

Let’s begin with looking at the power of emails generally for real estate marketing. Then, we will explore e-newsletters.

According to ABC News:

• 85% of Americans use email;
• 98% of people from ages 18 to 29 use emails; and
• Of the 15% of Americans not using email most are over 65 years in age.

 

Emails Sell Listings

 

Much of real estate marketing focuses on getting prospective buyers to see your listings. Email brings them in virtually. Internet photos of beautiful homes and those with features a buyer seeks, sell themselves on the internet.

Sending photos by email of a home with a gourmet kitchen, breathtaking views from a bay window, or a backyard your kids would go crazy for sells homes.

Prospective buyers looking at homes on the internet appreciate a real estate agent follow up with additional photos showcasing features they desire.

 

Emails Give Prospective Buyers Useful Information

 

When buyers view your listing online you want to send them more photos and background information. They may want to know the square footage of the master bedroom, the kids’ bedrooms, the master bathroom, and the kitchen. Is the home heated by gas or electricity? While a phone call can answer these questions, an email gives them time to view photos and information at their leisure and share them with their family.

 

How E-Newsletters Help Real Estate Agents

 

An email newsletter (E-Newsletter) is a marketing tool regularly sent (weekly or monthly) to a list of subscribers who signed up.

E-Newsletter content can include:

• Specific listings;
• Real estate local and state news items;
• Educational items about real estate; and
• Editorial content.

Educating subscribers about real estate topics, your local market, including lifestyle and living tips, make up the bulk of most real estate agents’ e-newsletters. Of course, letting subscribers know who you are and your services along with your listings helps you professionally.

E-Newsletters help build customer loyalty to increase business. They also help to drive traffic to your website and blog posts.

 

How to Create Your Real Estate E-Newsletter

 

Before creating your email newsletter, here are a few tips to maximize your success with an e-newsletter.

 

Define the Objectives for Your Real Estate E-Newsletter

 

As mentioned above, you can include many topics in your newsletter. However, rather than a mish-mash of local news stories, you should come up with an email marketing strategy.

Neil Patel, an SEO guru, explains email marketing as, “sending promotional messages by email to many people to generate leads or sales”.

Campaign Monitor defines an e-newsletter as “a type of email informing your subscribers of the latest news, tips, and updates of your company or services”.

With these wide-open definitions, you must decide what are your objectives for your e-newsletter.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who is my target audience? (buyers, sellers, investors, developers, landlords, or renters?);
• What are the goals of my e-newsletter? (increase sales, generate web traffic, find leads, build client relationships, stay in touch with past clients, create a loyal following, etc.);
• What type of content will I send to my subscribers? (local news stories, introduce local businesses, tips on living in your market area, recipes, new posts from your blog, updates, new listings, etc.);
• How frequently will I send the e-newsletter? (weekly, monthly, etc.); and
• What value do my subscribers get from my newsletter? (Why should they subscribe?).

Once you clarify the objectives of your e-newsletter, you can begin to organize your e-newsletter.

 

How Your Real Estate E-Newsletter Adds Value

 

You do not want your email newsletter to end up in your subscribers’ spam folders like weight-loss scams.  Accomplish this by providing real value in your newsletter content and send it in regular intervals. Do this by:

• Choosing a fixed sending frequency (like every Monday or Tuesday, or the first Wednesday of every month, etc.);
• Figure out the design, theme, and tone for your newsletter (consistently follow these three formats);
• Provide your best newsletter content ideas and listings; and
• Make your e-newsletter different from your competitors.

 

Build Your Real Estate E-Newsletter Email List

 

Now that you decided on your objective, themes, design, and tone it’s time to begin building your email subscribers list. Here are some tips:

 

Obey Anti-Spam Laws

 

The United States, Canada, and the European Union (EU) enacted Anti-Spam laws to protect the online privacy of their citizens and residents. This includes receiving emails.

Sending bulk emails or soliciting business by email to anyone in these countries must follow their Anti-Spam laws. Most of these countries hit spammers with heavy fines.

The U.S. federal law called “The CAN-SPAM Act” is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which levies large fines against violators. Essentially, this law created rules for commercial emails and gives recipients the right to stop receiving them.

Many U.S. states enacted their own laws against email spamming. For instance, the State of California has laws against “unsolicited email advertising”.

Canada’s federal government enacted Anti-Spam laws (CASL) to protect Canadians from email spam.

The EU also enacted an online privacy law called the GDPR. This law also makes unsolicited email spam illegal.  Learn about the EU’s GDPR by reading: “How to Easily Comply with GDPR”.

 

How to Protect Your E-Newsletter from Anti-Spam Laws?

 

Don’t let the laws explained above scare you. All you need to do to comply with these laws is to get your subscribers to agree to receive your e-newsletter and prove it.

Two ways for subscribers to sign up and prove they want to receive your email newsletters: the “Single Opt-In” and the “Double Opt-In”. Mailchimp, the largest of the mass (bulk) email service companies, offers both signup options to comply with the U.S. CAN-SPAM and Canadian CASL laws. Here is an explanation of the difference between the two:

Single Opt-In

Your new subscriber fills in your signup form and clicks “submit”. Your form saves the name, email address, and IP address.

Double Opt-In

This option requires extra steps. After a new subscriber clicks the “submit” button, he/she receives an email confirmation and must click to confirm.

Which is better? All the bulk email platforms recommend using the double-opt-in because it provides more proof that the subscriber affirms being a recipient of your e-newsletters. Also, it confirms the email address is valid. This weeds out fake signups.

 

Create Compelling Email Opt-In Forms

 

First, you need to create an opt-in form for subscribers to agree to receive your email newsletter. As explained above, it’s required by law that only people actively subscribing to your email newsletter can receive them.

Second, you need to use a Call To Action (CTA) in your opt-in form to get people to subscribe. This includes using:

• Clarity: Make your newsletter’s value to subscribers very clear and include the frequency you will send it. This helps to set expectations to ensure you get the right subscribers;
• Simple Sign-up: Your signup process only asks for information you need (name, and email address); and
• Confirmation: Consider using a double opt-in system ensuring your list only consists of people genuinely wanting to receive your e-newsletter.

 

Here is an example of what an e-newsletter opt-in form looks like

 

[Image Licensed for Free Use by Freepik]

 

Strategically Place Signup Forms in Your Website

 

Your website needs to attract attention to your e-newsletter signup forms. Keep in mind your users’ experience by not overdoing your signup forms by:

• Avoiding disruptive popups preventing your users from reading your web pages;
• Use either the sidebar or footer as safe places to include your signup forms; and
• Include reminders to sign up for your newsletter which includes the value for subscribing.

 

Promote Your E-Newsletter Signup on Social Media

Include promotions for your e-newsletter signups on all your social media channels.

Include a Call To Action (CTA) in Your E-Newsletter so readers visit your website and blog.

Place a CTA button or prompt in your newsletter to get readers to act like visiting your website or clicking to view an article or blog post.

Add your E-Newsletter Sign Up promotions in your ads, business cards, and promotions. 

 

Create an E-Newsletter CTA that Converts

• Pick a color that stands out in your e-newsletter;
• Use action wording encouraging readers to act; and
• Place it strategically to be very visible to your readers.

Use a CTA button to promote a different blog post or past e-newsletter edition articles. Also, to promote “hot property” listings.

 

Link to Your Social Media Profiles

Include your social media links in your e-newsletter. Let them engage with you on social media to build up loyalty.

Build your followers by encouraging your subscribers to follow you on social media channels.

 

Choose an E-Newsletter Platform

 

Many email and e-newsletter platforms to choose from. However, using your email providers like Gmail or Outlook won’t work because they are not set up for sending bulk emails.

You need a platform that specializes in sending bulk emails. Here are some of the most popular ones:

MailChimp: Used by 80% of all marketers. Great for beginners with a Free initial cost. It’s Free for up to 2,000 subscribers with 10,000 sends per month. Thus, 2,000 weekly subscribers only total 8,000 per month for Free! Extra add-on services start at $10 per month.

ConvertKit: Also, good for beginners with a Free initial cost. They specialize in bulk email services for bloggers. Their Free account allows you to manage up to 1,000 subscribers but doesn’t include all their features. Their paid monthly plans begin at $29.

Constant Contact: Offers email automation allowing you to view your email marketing results in real-time. You can see who opened your emails. Email subscriptions plan costs $20 per month.

 

How E-Newsletters Help Real Estate Agents – Conclusion

 

You learned how e-newsletters help real estate agents. Also:

• The benefits of email marketing;
• Types of e-newsletter content;
• How to create your e-newsletter;
• Defining your e-newsletter objectives;
• How your e-newsletter adds value;
• How to build your newsletter email list;
• Obeying anti-spam laws;
• Creating compelling email opt-in forms;
• Promoting your e-newsletter signup;
• Creating an e-newsletter CTA that converts; and
• Choosing an e-newsletter platform.

 

Join a 100% Commission Brokerage in San Diego

 

Learning about e-newsletters is one of many real estate marketing lessons you will learn by joining Big Block Realty in the greater San Diego area.

Big Block Realty also offers:

• 100% Commission Plans with No Hidden Fees;
• Real Estate Attorney and Broker Support;
• Free Lessons to improve your Realtor career; and
• Free Concierge Services

Contact us and join our family of 985+ Realtors and growing in San Diego County.

 

 

Steven Rich, MBA – Guest Blogger

 

 

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