Most agents focus their digital marketing efforts on converting internet leads and social media ads, plus creating content for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Sadly, they’re ignoring a key strategy capable of generating up to 40 times more business than any other type of digital marketing. That strategy is personalized email marketing.
Jimmy Mackin, the CEO and founder of Curaytor and co-author of Exactly What to Say: For Real Estate Agents, has created one of the most effective marketing campaigns ever that can help you build your brand and your business. This week, he shared the scripts and templates you need to apply this powerful approach in your business.
Set your mindset for an ‘audience of 1’
Agents pay massive amounts of money each year to engage in so-called “36-touch” drip marketing programs. According to Mackin, automating your email marketing “loses the soul of your brand, its personality, and its effectiveness.”
Rather than blasting out to the “auditorium,” Mackin advised, “Focus on an audience of one.”
A proven way to achieve this goal is by creating a “persona” for the types of clients you work with the most often. A persona usually describes the scenario the person is facing, where they are currently in their journey and what they want to achieve.
To illustrate how this works, “Frustrated Frank” has been looking for a home for six months and has already been outbid 10 times. In contrast, Roberta Retiree plans to downsize into a single level townhome. Your goal is to address the specific concerns of each individual (persona).
Use this proven framework
To implement an effective email marketing campaign, Mackin recommended using the following framework:
The subject line
Because 80 percent of all email recipients only read the subject line, this is the most important part of your email. The subject line determines whether the reader will open your email. Here’s an example:
Finally some good news for buyers.
The hook
While the subject line motivates the recipient to open the email, the hook is designed to get the recipient to read the body of the email. Here’s an example of a great hook:
Did you know that the Mortgage Bankers Association announced the number of mortgage applications has declined for the last 6 weeks in a row? Fewer mortgage applications may mean fewer people competing to buy homes.
The body
The body of your email should share a story, unusual statistics or predictions, or give your take on what will happen in the future. The body also adds interesting details and context to the headline and hook. It also sets up your next step, the call to action (CTA).
Your CTA or next step
A CTA asks the recipient to take a specific action such as: “Click here to learn five ways to save money on your next mortgage,” or “Email me if you would like to be added to our VIP list and be notified the moment I put a new listing on the MLS.”
Sometimes using a CTA in not advisable, however, especially when you are interacting with someone who is celebrating a major life event or experiencing a difficult time. Instead, Mackin recommends commenting on the event and saying, “I’m here if you need me.” He will then reference getting back to the person in one to two weeks about a real estate-related topic.
Curaytor’s 8 most popular ‘swipe and steal’ email templates
The first four email template scripts are designed for prospecting, starting conversations and setting appointments. The remaining four email templates address how to strengthen your credibility, build the buzz, reimagine your just-sold campaign and generate high-quality reviews.
1. The matchmaker script
Chris Voss posed an interesting question in his book, Never Split the Difference. His question is: “Have you given up on … ?”
The instinctive response to this question is, “No, I haven’t given up!” This question inspired Mackin to write his favorite subject line ever:
Have you given up on trying to find a home on Zillow?
Agents today need a value proposition that speaks to the buyer’s frustration with the current lack of inventory. When buyers say they haven’t given up on trying to find a home, Mackin offers to send their search criteria to his contact database of over 5,000 people. This approach has the advantage of generating both buyer and seller leads.
2. ‘Name your price’ script
Mackin likes to ask reluctant sellers the following question:
Do you have a price where you would say, “I’d be crazy not to sell at that price point!”
Greg McDaniel uses a slightly different version:
If I were to drop a bag of money in front of you right now, how much would it take for you to sell your house today now?
In both cases, their markets are appreciating so rapidly that the price is often close to the actual market value.
3. Re-engage your past clients
According to The NAR 2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 67 percent of sellers found their agent through a referral from a friend, neighbor or relative, or used an agent they had worked with before to buy or sell a home. In other words, two-thirds of all listings come from the agent’s sphere of influence.
According to Mackin, drip email systems, “lack imagination, soul, relevancy, personality, and context.” Also, skip the pleasantries at the beginning of your communication — people are trained to overlook them.
A better system is to monitor your social media contacts for when they post life events. Comment on those events rather than dripping the same message on everyone.
When someone is facing a difficult time, add, “I’m here if you need me.” This is not the time to pitch anything about real estate. Instead, let them know you will reach out to them later.
4. Educate your buyers with relevant data
What sources do you use for relevant data? Mackin looks to Inman News as an overall content source, to Redfin for research and Zillow for the strongest data on consumer behavior.
The key is to search for unusual statistics or facts that will hook the reader’s interest. By referencing these resources, you gain “borrowed credibility” and establish yourself as an expert.
For example, Mackin cited a statistic from CNBC that said online searches for “When will the real estate market crash?” have increased over 2,450 percent in the last three months. You could use this statistic as way to provide commentary on whether it’s better for an owner to wait for the market to stabilize or to list their property now.
5. Build the buzz
Mackin recommended marketing at every stage of the listing cycle. For example, everyone likes getting inside information. Here’s how Mackin capitalizes on this fact.
Subject line: “I’m about to meet a potential seller.”
Body: I’m not certain if this is right for you, but I’m about to meet a potential seller this afternoon at 2 p.m. Properties like this are currently selling in several days with multiple offers.
CTA: If you’re in the market, I can add you to my VIP list. The moment I can share the information with you, I will. (This may be the moment you hit the send button to upload the listing to your local MLS). If you’re interested, let me know.
Next, take the responses you received to your listing appointment. If you have already lined up 10 to 20 buyers who have expressed an interest in seeing the property, the listing should be yours!
6. Set faster appointments
Mackin shared some research regarding the cancellation rate for doctor appointments. The further out the appointment is, the more likely it is to be cancelled. In contrast, someone who books an appointment for within 24 hours has a 98 percent chance of showing up.
Consequently, even if a potential client is not ready to transact now, still set the appointment as soon as possible. Tell the client, “I want to make sure that when you are ready to move forward, you will be completely prepared to do so.”
Keep in mind the NAR statistics that say the first agent to meet with a seller when they decide to list gets the listing 77 percent of the time. You want that agent to be you.
7. ‘Just sold,’ reimagined
Another email campaign that works well is to “market your marketing.” For example:
Subject line: 35,230 people viewed the home at 123 Main Street.
Body (use storytelling to describe what happened): The home was listed for 12 days, it had 23 offers, and is under contract with an all-cash offer for $28,325 over asking price. It sold for eight percent higher than other comparable homes in the area.
Mackin explained that the delta between what your listing sold for versus comparable homes in the same area is your value proposition.
To illustrate this point, a $300,000 home that sold for 8 percent over what other comparable homes have sold for means that listing agent helped the seller get $24,000 more than other sellers.
8. Generate higher-quality reviews
According to Mackin, many review sites have lost their credibility. As a result, buyers and sellers are increasingly turning to Google to read an agent’s reviews before making a hiring decision.
To help your clients write a better review, Mackin suggested sending 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?
These simple questions help your clients create a better review while simultaneously addressing concerns many potential clients have.
To download the Curaytor “Swipe and Steal” email marketing campaign, click here. Also, be sure to listen in to this week’s video. This 45-minute video is nothing short of a masterclass on email marketing, packed with pure gold for your business.
Bernice Ross, President and CEO of BrokerageUP and RealEstateCoach.com, is a national speaker, author and trainer with over 1,000 published articles. Learn about her broker/manager training programs designed for women, by women, at BrokerageUp.com and her new agent sales training at RealEstateCoach.com/newagent.
