Even as digital channels like social media, texting, and smart speakers gain traction, the king of all communication channels is still…email.
It stands to reason. Email is inexpensive. Everyone has an email address. And it’s measurable: the right platform will tell you how each email you sent performed.
And that is especially true in real estate, where agents need to stay top of mind with their sphere of influence for referrals and repeat business. They also need to nurture the people they don’t quite know as well, building that trust and establishing a valuable relationship.
But these real estate professionals still struggle with knowing the kind of email they should send. What will be most effective? Which emails will generate the right response?
Here are the five most important emails to send to your network — and why you should send each, to whom you should send it, and, most importantly, what you do next.
1. ‘Just Listed’ announcements
Why send it?
Getting a listing is fantastic, now you need to get it sold!
Share the good news. You’ve got a new listing which further validates your role as a local expert. Sharing a new listing promotes your own brand as well as the property itself.
Who should receive it?
Promote yourself and your property by letting all other agents and brokers in your area aware of the new property — they may well have the perfect buyer already. Also, promote your success to your own sphere to reinforce your expertise in the local market.
2. Market reports
Why send it?
Your true value is in your expertise. Market Reports demonstrate that you make it a priority to stay on top of trends and keep your sphere informed regarding the latest movements and activities in the market. The fact that each report is unique to the prospect displays an elevated level of regard and appreciation for being part of your sphere.
Who should receive it?
Each prospect within your sphere has his or her own ‘micro-neighborhood’ that is of specific interest to them — your tailored reports respect this uniqueness and provide content of specific interest to each prospect
3. Sold property reports
Why send it?
Sales are a signal of the health of the market and are something that everyone monitors, even if they are not actively looking to sell – as the biggest asset of most people, constant monitoring of home values is a norm. Sending regular updates of sales achieved helps reinforce your market expert status and your passion for keeping your sphere informed, and remaining top of mind!
Who should receive it?
All your sphere prospects should receive this report regularly. Their level of engagement with sales results, particularly as they relate to their own geographic location, can be an important indicator of ‘self-valuation’ and a future decision to list their property. Send it to other agents to promote your business and recruit top talent.
4. Open house announcements/reminders
Why send it?
Open houses can be contentious. But if you’re creative and diligent, they can be highly effective marketing methods. Maximize your time and efficiencies by letting your sphere know of your upcoming open house and try to drive as much traffic as possible to your open.
Who should receive it?
Share this with everyone in your sphere when relevant, but also to all other buyer agents to ensure the broadest coverage and promotion of your property across their spheres — the greater the spread, the greater the chance of selling!
5. Listing updates, such as price changes
Why send it?
Changes to a price on a property or even that it is under offer could both re-trigger somebody’s interest in a property, failing which, they will still appreciate your professionalism in keeping them aware of changes to a property that they had engaged with.
Who should receive it?
Everyone that showed interest in the property – either through online interactions or real-world viewings of the property.
Don’t forget: each email needs to be personalized. Make sure your sphere feels seen and recognized, with the data, properties, and messaging specific to each prospect and the stage of the journey with you.
Don’t miss the last critical step!
This is the part most real estate professionals forget when it comes to using email. You aren’t done after you hit send. You need to revisit each email and look at how it performed. Who opened it? How many times did they open it? Who clicked through to the attached link? Who clicked on your web site?
All this behavior becomes valuable intelligence to help you understand more about your network.
You can manually track engagements and create and send emails that you tailor yourself, but
ActivePipe makes this easy. ActivePipe includes detailed prospect and property insights as well as intuitive email and campaign builders. Or you can simply automate your campaigns to do that work for you.
ActivePipe’s automated drip campaign functionality is dynamic and learns from engagements to ensure that each prospect is getting sent the right content at the right time. Learn more about email marketing best practices and how Activepipe can help.