Personalized Email Marketing for Real Estate

No one can deny the power of social media content and ads. Lately, there has been a huge interest in content marketing among real estate agents, however, email marketing is not as popular as much despite the huge potential it has for real estate. According to Inman, compared to any other channels of digital marketing, personalized email marketing for real estate can generate up to 40 times more leads.

The Psychology

The key to success in email marketing is understanding why it works. Unfortunately, many agents have no idea why email marketing works: therefore, they randomly take actions that might even hurt their campaign’s performance. We have compiled some of the best practices alongside some of the deadliest mistakes agents should avoid while trying email marketing for their Real Estate business.

Step 1: Find the one Persona

You might deal with different kinds of clients during your career. They are not all the same; however, a major group of your clients can be classified as one persona. they are the people who you work with most often. A persona describes what the client is going through and what they are looking for. To learn more about real estate persona read our article on the roomvu Academy blog.

Step 2: The Email Structure

An effective email marketing campaign relies on a proper email setup; what is in the email. Follow the following guideline to maximize the results:

The Subject Line

The subject line of an email is the first thing your audience sees in their inbox. If you fail to present an engaging subject for the email, what you have said in the email is gone to waste, since nobody will read the email. As a matter of fact, your subject line determines if the recipients will open the email or not.

If the subject line is not compelling enough, the recipients won’t even bother clicking on your email. The subject line is probably the most important factor in its performance. As a matter of fact, the sole purpose of the subject line is to compel the reader to open the email. Fail at this and nothing else in the mail matters. Ever wonder why some of your emails have poor open rates? their subject line probably contains words like “market update” “news” and nothing else.

Make it Provoking

Writing curiosity-provoking subject lines can help to increase the open rate of your emails and generate interest in your real estate listings. By creating a sense of intrigue or mystery, you can encourage recipients to open your email and learn more about the properties you are promoting. This can lead to more engagement and ultimately more sales. Additionally, crafting compelling subject lines that accurately reflect the contents of your email can help to increase the chances of your email being read and acted upon, rather than being deleted or marked as spam. Here are some examples:

1. “Discover the hidden gems of [neighborhood name]”
2. “Unlock the potential of [property type] living”
3. “Experience luxury living in [city name]”
4. “Live like a celebrity in [famous neighborhood]”
5. “Find your dream home in [city/neighborhood]”
6. “Imagine waking up in your own [property type] oasis”
7. “Upgrade your lifestyle in [city name]”
8. “Live in the heart of [city/neighborhood]”
9. “Escape the ordinary in your new [property type]”
10. “Discover the perfect balance of luxury and location”

Make it Benefit-driven

Writing benefit-driven subject lines can help to highlight the unique selling points of your properties and entice potential buyers to take action. By emphasizing the benefits that a property offers, you can appeal to the specific needs and desires of your target audience. This can help to increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and generate more leads and sales. Additionally, by focusing on the key benefits of a property, you can differentiate your listings from the competition and make them stand out in a crowded marketplace. Writing benefit-driven subject lines can also increase the chances of your email being opened and read, and increase the chances of a potential buyer taking action and contacting you.

The Hook

in the next step, before you go through the main message, you need to convince the reader, the email is worth reading. this is where the hook comes into play. The “hook” section quickly introduces the problem while also sharing the core of your mission. This is your chance of grabbing readers’ attention. Here is an example of a great hook:

Did you know that new government regulations (B-20) are making it harder for Canadians to get mortgages? This means buying a home has become harder for more people and there are fewer people to compete with.

The body

The body of the email connects the hook to the next section of the email which is your call to action. It elaborates on the subject line and the hook while setting up your CTA. Share a story, significant and remarkable statistics, or predictions: anything that supports your headline and the hook and justifies the CTA.

Avoid Mega-Blocks of Text, Focus on Visuals

Large blocks of text in an email can be overwhelming and difficult to read, which can make it less likely that the recipient will take the time to read through all the information. This can decrease the effectiveness of the email and make it less likely that the recipient will take action. Additionally, people are more likely to scan an email than to read it word-for-word, so using shorter paragraphs and bullet points can make it easier for recipients to quickly find the information that is most relevant to them.

In addition, using large blocks of text in an email can also increase the chances that the email will be marked as spam, as many email clients and servers use the length and format of an email as a factor in determining whether it is spam or not.

For real estate, it’s also important to use high-quality images and videos to showcase the property and make sure the layout is visually appealing and easy to navigate. This can help to increase engagement and make it more likely that the recipient will take the time to learn more about the property.

CTA

Your CTA is the final step in your email that offers the next step considering the hook and the body. It should be clear and should avoid confusing the reader by making multiple offers. Tell your audience what exactly you want them to do. Call you, email you or visit a perfectly designed landing page?

In some cases where the reader is celebrating an event or going through a hard time, using a CTA is not recommended since it might come across as pushy and unempathetic. in such cases just offer your help and let them know you are there in case they need any help.

The Killer Email Tips

Now that the market favors home sellers and has put the homebuyers in a hard time, use these 8 killer email templates that resonate with clients and wind leads:

Speak to Clients’ Frustration

In today’s competitive market, you need to offer painkillers, not vitamins. people pass on vitamins but take painkillers. The emails you send should act like painkillers too. One of the best subject lines that can target people’s headaches in real estate (frustrations) is:

“Have you given up on …..?“

These days low inventory and high demand have made it very hard to buy a home. Increasing prices, short on-market days, multiple offers, and low mortgage rates have made many lose hope of buying a home. A subject line like “Have you given up on buying a home?” will target homebuyers’ frustration and motivate them to reply: “No, I haven’t.” You have got yourself some leads there.

Find Sellers’ Sweet Spot

Everything has a price. Even the most reluctant home sellers have a price. Ask them to name the price for their home; the price they would happily sell their home.

“How much money would you ask for your home, If I were to put it right in front of you right now?”

You might think that the home seller will come up with an unreasonable price, but in most cases, their price is pretty close their the actual price in the market. What you have done here is to make the home seller open up and speak to you.

Get Your Past Clients

According to NAR, two-thirds of listings come from past clients either through referrals, recommendations, or the clients themselves. it goes to show how important it is to keep your past clients in mind and make sure you stay on top of their minds.

Instead of bothering them with drip email campaigns, connect with them on social media. See what they are going through in their life. when they are having a hard time in life that relates to what you do, send them an email and tell them you are there for them and they can ask you for help if they need any. On the other hand, skip the formalities at the beginning of the email and get to the point since people have learned to skip them.

Educate Them from Credible Sources

You need to introduce yourself as an expert. However, you might lack the credibility they are looking for to trust. Here you can borrow some credibility by citing interesting news and stats from credible sources like Inman, Zillow, Redfin, etc. However, remember that people are exposed to many different news headlines and have learned to skip most of them. What you tell them in the email should be DIFFERENT enough from what they mostly hear and see.

Don’t Wait

According to NAR, in 77% of cases, people usually work with the first agent they meet. Therefore it is very important to meet with prospects as soon as possible. Just like a doctor’s appointment, the longer prospects have to wait to meet you the more likely they are to cancel. Don’t keep them waiting, set a meeting for the first possible date. Even if your prospect is not ready, assure them the meeting is to help them further and they do not have to take action right away.

Market Your Marketing

Sharing what you have done for the other clients and how you have helped them make a profit will go a long way in gaining your prospects’ trust:

“The home was listed for 8 days, got 31 offers, and is under contract for $32,500 above the asking price. It sold for 10% higher than other comparable homes in the area.“

Such an email demonstrates how you as an agent helped a client profit $32k more than the other agents. However, you need to have such recent deals to talk about them in the email. Make sure you talk about your recent deals. Your old deals won’t matter since the current situation in the market is pretty different.

Focus on Your Reviews

The market is saturated with real estate agents who all claim to be the ones. Therefore, people are losing their trust in what the agents say and are turning to reviews on Google and real estate portals to see what people have got to say about agents. It is very important to make sure you have great reviews and testimonials on the internet.

According to Inman, to help your past clients write better reviews, you can send them the following questions to answer:

• Why did you decide to move?
• What were you looking for in a Realtor?
• What did you value most about our service?
• Why did you hire us?
• What advice would you give to potential buyers and sellers?

Clean Your Lists

Cleaning your contact lists for email marketing can help to ensure that your messages are reaching the right audience and being well-received. By regularly removing outdated or inaccurate contact information, you can reduce the number of bounced or undelivered emails and improve the overall deliverability of your messages.

Additionally, by regularly cleaning your contact lists, you can also ensure that you are only sending emails to individuals who have opted in to receive them. This can help to reduce the number of unsubscribes and complaints and improve the overall engagement with your emails.

Furthermore, Cleaning your contact list will also help you to identify your most active and engaged contacts, and allow you to target your campaigns more effectively. This can lead to higher open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and ultimately, more sales.

For real estate, a clean contact list is crucial as you want to avoid sending property information to people who have already bought a property or have no intention of buying one. This will save you time and resources and increase the chances of reaching the right audience.

How To Clean Your Contact List

Here are some ways to clean your contact lists for email marketing in real estate:

1. Remove duplicates: Use a tool or software to identify and remove duplicate contacts from your list.
2. Remove bounced emails: Regularly check for and remove email addresses that have bounced back or are no longer in use.
3. Remove unsubscribes: Keep track of individuals who have unsubscribed from your emails and remove them from your list.
4. Update contact information: Check for and update any outdated or inaccurate contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers.
5. Segment your list: Divide your list into different segments based on factors such as location, property type, or stage in the buying process. This will allow you to target your campaigns more effectively.
6. Use double opt-in: When adding new contacts to your list, use a double opt-in process to ensure that they have explicitly agreed to receive emails from you.
7. Use a Cleaning service: You can also use a professional email list cleaning service to help you identify and remove invalid or inactive email addresses from your list.

By regularly cleaning your contact lists, you can ensure that your emails are reaching the right audience and being well-received. This can help to improve the overall effectiveness of your email marketing efforts and ultimately increase the chances of closing more sales.

Remind Your Audience You Are a Human

By showing your personality, you can differentiate yourself from other real estate agents and make your brand more memorable. This can help to increase brand awareness and create a sense of loyalty among your audience.

Furthermore, by showing that you are a human, you can also make it easier for your audience to relate to you, and understand that you understand their needs and concerns, which can help to increase trust and lead to more sales. Here are some ways to remind your audience that you are human in email marketing for real estate:

1. Personalize your emails: Use the recipient’s name in the subject line and throughout the body of the email.
2. Use a conversational tone: Write your emails as if you were speaking to the recipient in person. This can help to build a connection and make the email feel more personal.
3. Share your story: Share your own personal experiences or insights related to real estate, or share a story about one of your clients.
4. Use images and videos: Use images and videos of yourself, your team, or the property to help your audience connect with you more easily.
5. Show your personality: Incorporate your own unique personality, sense of humor, and style in your email marketing materials.
6. Offer to meet in person: Invite your audience to meet you in person for a property showing, open house, or consultation.
7. Respond to their queries: Respond to any queries they might have in a timely manner, and make sure to address their specific needs and concerns.

By reminding your audience that you are human, you can build trust and a personal connection which will make your audience more likely to engage with your emails, visit your property, and ultimately close a sale.

Keep it Consistent

Being consistent in email marketing for real estate can help to increase engagement and generate more leads and sales. By sending regular, consistent emails, you can keep your brand and listings top-of-mind with your audience, and increase the chances that they will take action.

Additionally, by being consistent in your email marketing efforts, you can build a sense of trust and credibility with your audience. By sending regular, relevant, and valuable content, you demonstrate that you are knowledgeable and professional, which can help to increase trust and make it more likely that your audience will do business with you.

Furthermore, by being consistent in your email marketing, you can also more easily track and measure the success of your campaigns, and make adjustments as needed. This can help you to optimize your efforts over time, and increase the return on investment of your email marketing efforts.

Finally, by being consistent in your email marketing, you can also develop a relationship with your audience, which can increase the chances that they will open and engage with your emails, and ultimately become a customer.

It is a Long Game

It is true that real estate is a long game and that trying too hard in one email can be counterproductive. When it comes to email marketing for real estate, it’s important to keep in mind that the goal is to build a relationship with your audience over time, rather than trying to close a sale in one email.

By avoiding trying too hard in one email, you can avoid coming across as pushy or desperate, which can turn off potential buyers. Instead, focus on providing valuable and relevant information, such as tips for buying or selling a property, market updates, or information about upcoming open houses.

Additionally, by not trying too hard in one email, you can also avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information or too many calls to action. Instead, keep your emails simple and focused, and provide a clear and specific call to action that is easy for the recipient to follow.

It’s also important to remember that real estate is a relationship-driven industry, and that building trust and credibility with your audience is key to success. By focusing on building a relationship with your audience over time, rather than trying to close a sale in one email, you can increase the chances of closing more sales in the long run.

Personalized Email Marketing for Real Estate: Final Words

Drip email campaigns work but people are less responsive to them. The more personalized your emails are the higher the response rate you will get since personalized emails target the needs and pains of your prospects. You need to be the painkiller for your prospects, not vitamins. People pass on the vitamins (drip email campaigns) but jump to grab the painkillers (solutions in personalized email marketing for real estate).