Success With Email Marketing

Email marketing is NOT dead, as many like to think it is. When most people think of emails, they think of spam and junk mail, so it's hard to break this barrier and get into the good graces with your database to continuously open their emails from you. This is where you need to come in an offer something of value that they can't pass up, something that keeps them entertained, or gives them knowledge, or something they can even use. I spend a lot of money on social media to help grow my business, and although my followers are my sphere, the emails I collect through that are also a huge factor to growth. Email marketing can be the most affordable, and beneficial method of marketing, still to date. You just need to learn how to do it right.

HOW TO COLLECT MORE EMAILS: 

To collect more emails, you're going to need a landing page. A landing page that is specific to what you're going to offer your audience in return for their email address. As I've shown in prior marketing modules, using your landing page can be a great tool to get you 100's of leads, but most of these leads aren't ready to convert into a client yet, but that's okay! Because you plug them into your database and start giving them value. One of the best ways for me to get emails outside of offering home valuations or a list of homes for sale, was one of 3 things. 1. I created a simple little (local) magazine, that showcased businesses and homes in our area. I made this magazine once a month and sent it out to all of my emails. Of course they got the value of entertainment from the magazine, and my personal branding was all over it.

Next method, I created a landing page to collect leads for our local coupon giveaways. I reached out to businesses every month and asked if they would offer a coupon for my "clients." In the landing page, I encouraged members to sign-up to get all of the exclusive coupons from around town to their favorite restaurants, attractions, etc. and by signing up for the coupon newsletter, they would get the coupons every month. This was a big hit, everybody loves to save money. It's important to create a custom landing page for this (NOT a website) or you won't get as many email addresses. When the emails were sent out with the coupons, at the bottom I had my branding and to send any referrals my way.

The next method was the local events calendar. Again, need a landing page explaining what people will be getting by sharing their email address. Every month they'd get a flyer (with my branding all over it) showcasing any local events happening for that month. They'd get this once a month at the beginning of the month and this was a pretty big hit as well! People love to know what's going on around town, without having to spend hours doing the research themselves. 

So in all of these methods, we had significant open rates, and the unsubscribe rate was almost none. Why? Because we offered people things they'd actually want. And in return, made ourselves to look like the professionals, because we have the "scoop" on what's going on in town. This is a phenomenal way to pick up more emails, get your branding out there much more significantly, and keep yourself out of people's spam folder. 

WHAT NOT TO SEND:

Please, whatever you do, stop sending listings to people! Unless of course they request to have them sent. I have yet to meet a real estate agent that has actually picked up a client from spamming them with listings every single week. And if you are reading this and you say, "hey, I have!," then the odds are stacked against you. Because in those instances, you just come off as junk mail, more people hit the spam button on your email, and the more future emails go to spam all together and completely get missed. Unless you have a potential buyer that has requested, either through verbal communication or through a landing page offering this type of marketing, that they want a list of homes, I would avoid it all together. Exception to those rules are emails you collect at open houses, or through landing pages offering a list of homes, of buyers you're working with. If it's just a cold email address, you have to warm them up by offering them value. 

WHAT TO SEND IN YOUR EMAILS:

I'd recommend putting together something like I did with the local magazine, coupon newsletter, or even the local calendar. This is a great way, not only to stay in people's inboxes and get your brand out there, this is the type of content people will actually refer others to sign up for. "Hey Mary, where did you get that coupon?" "I got it from the newsletter on (your website.)" You want organic growth on your emails as well, and no one really ever talks about this. Give people reason to want to hand their emails over to you, the bigger you grow your sphere through email, the less you have to worry about spending money on so many other things. Because you can focus on converting them right from the comfort of your home, and on your laptop (or phone.)