Is email marketing part of your digital marketing strategy? We commonly hear from agents that their ‘email marketing needs improvement’ or a variation of that statement. Unfortunately, poor execution of email marketing can mean a low return on investment. However, for every $1 invested in email marketing you get on average $38 back.

Without sounding biased, email marketing is still one one of the best ways to advertise real estate when done correctly. There are currently over 3.2 billion email users worldwide and 77% of those people prefer to receive advertisements via email when compared to other digital methods. As a real estate agent email marketing can help you:

• Grow your database – Using online subscription forms for people to opt-in to your emails.
• Generate leads – iRealty’s ability to track interactions delivers you valuable insights on your database in the form of leads.
• Demonstrate expertise -Provide your database with market information specific to your area. Suburb profiles, clearance rates, open homes and sales results are all helpful.
• Build trustful relationships – Become a name that people go to when they require information on their local market.
• Automate your routine – Choose an email marketing platform that allows you to automate some of your email campaigns. Save time with a one off set up and send automated alerts that fit your business and market.

Now here are some 4 tips to consider for email marketing success.

1. Send relevant content

The saying content is king didn’t come from nowhere. though, it can be tempting to share everything with everyone. But, ensuring the content you send is relevant to your database is important. 

We have come up with what we call our “Success Pattern” a simple sending procedure that is setting our clients apart. 

Step 1 – Send out a monthly or bi-monthly content newsletter. This can include a more broad range of information (Feature properties, industry insights, office updates, calls to action and property pages) This newsletter would typically be sent to a large portion of your database.

Step 2 – Send automated and targeted emails to those who engage in your content. Engagement could be anything from a click on a property to enquiries and appraisals. iRealty tracks these interactions for you and creates live groups to represent who is engaged.

Targeted content can be: 

• Open home invites
• Sales results
• New listings
• Appraisal offers
• Property preference survery
• And more

Building trust from your database is important. If someone knows the content you send is relevant they are more likely to stay engaged and go straight to you when they are ready to buy or sell.

2. Test your subject lines

Over 45% of people open emails based on subject lines alone. Therefore, getting the subject line correct and enticing enough for your database to open your email is vastly important. 

There are some general rules for real estate subject lines that will point you in the right direction. Historically, non-specific phrases like ‘Property Newsletter’ and ‘Property Update’ have some of our lowest open rates. 

Another no no is shouting at your database. Unfortunately, it is all too common that we see things like ‘RECENT SALES RESULTS!!!’ if this doesn’t go straight to spam in the first place it is likely it won’t get people opening your emails. 

There are 3 things that usually help a subject line prevail – Specificity/ exclusivity and  the ability to instantly inform. 

Try testing 2 subject lines. If you are highlighting a sales result try something like the 2 options below (Both informative and specific).

1. Surprising sales result: New Bulimba record 
2. New Suburb Record: 12 Smith Street Bulimba

Run with the subject line that gets the best result (highest open). 

Now that you have people opening your emails how do we keep them engaged?

3. Put imperative information above the fold

(Or as high as possible)

Well done, your hard work  in creating an open-worthy subject line has worked. Now don’t make your subscribers scroll too far before presenting the information that got them there. 

In reference to the example above. If you were teasing a great sales result in your subject line this needs to be one of the first things you include in your email content. 

It might be tempting to leverage your improved open rates by putting your new listings or open homes first. This over time will diminish the trust that you have tried hard to build. 

You now have people opening your email, you have presented them with the information they came here for, now what else should you include in your email?

4. Offer value to your audience

The final tip we can give you is to include a service offer in your emails. A subscriber has liked your subject line, opened your email, read the ‘full story’ teased by your subject line. Now how can you help them? 

Can you offer?

•  Complementary sales appraisal?
• Current market valuation of their investment property?
• Updated suburb profile?
•  Home loan enquiry?

The use of a simple banner and landing page in your email will allow subscribers to easily request information from you. Providing you with valuable information about their interest in the market. 

Key takeaway: 77% of people respond better to advertising when it is delivered via email. When done correctly, email marketing can help you build a database, gain trust from your subscribers and ultimately provide you valuable leads to grow your business. Tweaking subject lines, content and providing services to your database are key to email marketing success.