For efficiency and effectiveness, the digital market is impossible to beat. Within a single newsletter we can walk our clients through dozens of properties and offer countless services; all they have to do is click. Yet, currently the average open rate for real estate email marketing is 21%. Nearly 80% of our audience is walking straight past our eMarket without bothering to stop and take a look! One reason for this is our tendency to focus on our content, and forgetting to develop a relationship with our clients. So what’s the first step? We must gain their trust. A few easy, but necessary, steps to build trust with your subscribers.

You’ve spent hours crafting your newsletter.  You have chosen specific properties and found relevant articles that will appeal to your readers.  You even updated your old headshot with a recent photo and replaced the banner image with a stun You’ve spent hours crafting your newsletter.  You have chosen specific properties and found relevant articles that will appeal to your readers.  You even updated your old headshot with a recent photo and replaced the banner image with a stunning beach landscape.  It’s sleek and fresh, and you know it will leave an impact with your readers.  So, when you open your report the following day, you are surprised to learn your open rate continued its downward trend.  What happened?

It seems like Ferris Bueler’s iconic maxim, “Life moves pretty fast,” has become a bit of an understatement.  From the moment we wake up we are constantly bombarded with media from all angles.  We hardly have a chance to breath, let alone make rational choices.  In terms of marketing, our message has to stand out more than ever.  Every ad we place before our clients must engage them, and wrestle their focus away from the countless distractions that are fighting for their attention.  If our content is not captivating our readers, we are not only risking immediate sales opportunities, but we are losing trust with our audience, and potentially losing their business in the future.

We encourage our clients to send regularly, and are often asked ‘but won’t my readers get sick of receiving my emails?’. They will if the content is irrelevant to their situation, but if your client fits into specific or multiple segments and you don’t take the time to note that, you may miss out on a lead. Contacts can be assigned to one or multiple groups or mailing lists. Some examples are:

Implementing these easy, yet effective techniques will ensure your newsletter is engaging and well received by your contacts – meaning you’re front of mind when they decide to move in the market.

Earlier this year Google changed the way it ranked pages for searches. If your website was not “responsive” then there was every chance your search rank would have dropped. A responsive designed website is one where the website changes and is easily read if viewed on a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. If you use email marketing, the same principle applies. Your emails must adapt and change to suit the device of your contact. If readers of your email need to pinch the screen to zoom, then it’s time to go responsive and update your design.