We really can’t deny the fact that social media is redefining business on the web but let’s not forget the power of our old and proven (and measurable!) friend, email.
In fact, similar to the “Punk’s Not Dead!” music movement consider this post part of the “Email’s Not Dead!” movement of online marketing. Sure, keep using social media but the due to the proven ability of email to create relationships and sales should keep it a main weapon in your marketing arsenal.
In our Email Marketing for Real Estate: A Comprehensive Guide we covered the types of emails that should be included in your drip email campaigns. With this post I want to highlight some altenative uses for your email autoresponder and drip campaigns.
1. Deliver special reports
Offering PDF special reports as incentives for signing up to your list has long been an online marketing staple.
Try a twist, though. Split the report into multiple parts, delivering it over several days. Each delivery, tease them about what they’ll learn in the upcoming email.
2. Conduct polls
Insert an email into your follow-up that surveys your subscribers. You’ll gain some wonderful insights and good interaction with your list.
You can find a very cool survey tool here that can help you organize and mine any results.
3. Train team members
Got a new team member? Get them on a drip that trains them in your procedures, methods, policies, etc. If you cover these topics in a physical form, an autoresponder series is still a good way to highlight the most important points from the different sections.
4. Evergreen newsletters for your prospects
Most agents have some form of email newsletter but when if they harness the power of a drip newsletter they could save countless hours and not stress about always having to develop new content.
Write your newsletters to be evergreen - don’t include date specific news or articles (you can still broadcast those as “special reports” or “breaking news”). Instead write on broader topics and add your latest newsletter onto the end of your email autoresponder.
Eventually you’ll have a year’s worth of newsletters in your autoresponder series
5. New article and blog post announcements
This is one of my favorites (need to use Aweber for it, though) and is how HomeStomper delivers the latest posts to email subscribers.
Connect your Aweber autoresponder to your blog’s RSS feed and you can have the post automatically emailed to your subscriber list. Talk about a time-saver.
6. Collect testimonials & feedback
Insert emails into your client and prospect drip campaigns requesting feeback or testimonials about the information or service they received. I like to include a few samples in the email as a template for them to follow.
7. Increase consumption and value
A big part of making sure someone receives value is helping them consume the information (special report, IDX) or product (home) that they received.
Email dripped tips help your prospects get the most out of your website’s IDX search functions, or find the golden nuggets in your report build.
For your clients, automatically follow-up with post transaction tips.
8. Automate your sales process
This is probably the most obvious use of your autoresponder and what you may even have in play right now. Take a look at HomeStomper’s Email Marketing for Real Estate: A Comprehensive Guide for a more in-depth look at this process.
9. Market to your affiliates and referral partners
Referral partners are probably one of the most under-marketed groups you have. Create an autoresponder that drips information about yourself and how best to refer you. More importantly, invite them to reply and tell them about themsleves so you can learn to refer them better. They’ll dig it and remember you, trust me.
10. Follow-up with past clients
Another under-marketed group (holiday postcards don’t count.) Follow up with a drip campaign with homeowner tips every so often. You can even start teaching them about the benefits of 1031 and potentially gain a few extra transactions this way.
What else would you add? How are you using email autoresponders and drip campaigns in your business?
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I dig the new ideas Mark: polls (just found polldaddy.com today that’s pretty nice), training, “how to refer” to partners, & collecting testimonicals/feedback are all new ideas that I will definitely implement. Thanks again for the good posts!
I would also add training your past clients how to refer you and asking for VERY specific referrals (not “know anyone who wants to buy or sell?”) such as:
[Hi Joe,
Hope you're well and just wanted to ask for your help.
Lately, the question I'm most often asked is, "So... do you think we've reached the bottom? Is it a good time to buy?"
Joe, I gotta be frank, any time you ask someone who has a vested interest in selling real estate, be wary of their response. For instance, NAR (the National Association of Realtors - yep, a membership I pay my dues for) has been saying it's a great time to buy for the last 3 years!
That being said, my response right now is, "It depends".
It depends on a multitude of factors which I won't bore you with here (though if you're curious, see my post on my blog here).
But, RIGHT NOW, there is a select group that is a VERY good time to buy...]
…then I’d go on to briefly tell them @ the deadline for DPA getting cut off and putting homeownership out of reach for millions who have the credit & income but not the down payment. Maybe throw in a blurb @ new tax credit for FTHB and then close w/an honest assesment of not knowing when the market’s going to level out (though like above link to a more opinionated post) and focus on how rates will rise faster than appreciation & how that will decrease purchase ability and wipe out affordability even if values were to drop a bit more.
An honest approach.
Downside: Not evergreen - it does have the 9/31 deadline, at least w/respect to DPA, but it could be thrown in to all drips off of a landing page as a #2 or #3 email over the next 6 weeks. Plus, the email could get a bit too long - which would lead me to the possibility of breaking up into three seperate emails which might help the exposure of the message by drawing out. Not sure, what do you think Mark & everyone else?
San Jose, CA
great idea, sean. it may be a bit long for a single email, though. consider breaking it up over several, like you said…
here's a different angle on the same thing…
“name, i feel odd about bringing this up but last week i had a phone call with a family i worked with last year. we moved them into a killer home but today they were kind of upset with me. see… all this time we've kept in touch and they just realized they've never given me a referral.
“it's no big deal, really. you know by now that i'm not your typical Realtor that keeps telling you “I'm never true busy for your referrals.” the truth is, i am pretty busy and most all my business does come from referrals from past clients.
“but, when this other family found that out they got a little miffed and felt left out. now, i'd by lying if i said i wasn't a little flattered. so, i gave them some pointers on how best to refer me and they were happy again. they might even know of someone who needs my help. of course, that made me happy, too
“here's the thing: i don't want you or anyone else to be “left out” but i don't want to come off sounding like those “i'm never too busy” goofs, either. what should i do?
“if you have any ideas on this then hit REPLY right now and let me know. i'd really appreciate it,”
follow that email with one where you do the actual teaching of how to refer you… a video would be good, actually.
the thing with referrals is to get folks to want to give them to you… even feel “left out” if they don't. big difference from “do you have any referrals for me?”