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This is part one of a two-part series on email newsletters. Read part two here.
Email newsletters are a phenomenal way to stay in touch with clients and contacts, generate leads, and build your brand. There are 4 billion daily email users but only 64 percent of small businesses leverage newsletter marketing. With a solid strategy and valuable content, every agent should be able to reap the benefits of an email newsletter. As well, an overarching goal should be a newsletter that recipients will find valuable enough to forward to their contacts.
Who should have an email newsletter?
An email newsletter is a solid foundation for any agent’s marketing efforts, whether you are a newbie or a seasoned veteran. Those with a sizable sphere of influence (SOI) should stop what they are doing right now and start working on their email newsletter. They are that important.
New agents with a small SOI and subscriber list should also focus on building their newsletter to maximize their marketing efforts. For example, a new agent focusing on open houses should maximize their reach with a newsletter that markets to everyone from those open houses.
Who should receive it?
Think of your email newsletter as “watering the garden” of your prospecting and lead generation efforts. Almost everyone on your phone or email contact list should receive your newsletter. Anyone in your SOI should receive your newsletter, as well as new contacts and leads.
The most expensive part of your newsletter is the content, so add as many subscribers as you can because as your subscriber list grows, so does your return on investment.
Fight deletion and being ignored with stronger content
Most real estate newsletters are ignored or deleted before they’re opened because the content is not interesting or unique to the reader. The most important element of your newsletter is its relevance so fight irrelevance like the plague. While national real estate topics will be applicable to your readers, local content is king.
To catch your readers’ attention, focus on local events and topics that affect their local market and their lives directly. For example, local market statistics are appreciated as are local events that impact the local market in any way. Is there an event that brings visitors to your city? Include it. Is a local business expanding? Include it. Did the city council pass a bill that would affect home prices? Include it.
As well, keep your copy, well, conversational. Many agents attempt to write in the style of a large company or publication, but this disengages your audience. A conversational, analog newsletter will stand out and prompt conversations with your clients.
It’s also important to be consistent with delivery and send in the morning. Aim to send it out every single month within a few days of the copy and statistics provided. This consistency will help you build a loyal following and ensure that your content is up-to-date and pertinent to current times.
Drive home value with good design and consistency
Whether you opt to outsource your newsletter to a marketing freelancer or keep it in-house, remember to drive home the goal — delivering value to your clients. As well, pick the production option that will allow you to remain focused on other needle-moving tasks while maintaining a high-quality newsletter that aligns with your brand.
You do not necessarily need a flashy, highly-stylized newsletter to see results. In fact, overly-designed newsletters can hurt your deliverability and end up in your recipients’ promotions folder. Instead, take a more readable approach by avoiding the traditional “mailchimp-like” newsletter templates.
Mistakes happen
Don’t be afraid to make corrections in the event of a mistake. While not ideal, a correction email can actually be a valuable opportunity to generate more leads and conversations.
For example, at our firm, we accidentally included an incorrect link in one newsletter that was sent to 40,000 recipients. While not an egregious mistake, it was certainly sloppy. Rather than ignore it, we sent a correction email that highlighted the correct link. As a result, we saw a 2x increase in impressions and a 10x increase in conversions that month.
With any correction, be sure to stay consistent with your brand and ensure that it still aligns with your overall messaging.
Stick with it for strong ROI
Email marketing with a newsletter is incredibly effective and the cost does not noticeably increase as your subscriber list grows; newsletters must be an integral part of your marketing strategy. By regularly measuring performance, staying consistent, and focusing on conversational, brand-consistent content that is unique and relevant, you will have a newsletter that generates leads, fosters conversations and helps you stand out in a crowded market.
Measurement is critical over time to optimize content and delivery to generate leads, foster conversations and help you stand out among your peers. Learn more in part two.
Eric Bramlett is the owner of Bramlett Residential, a mid-sized real estate brokerage in Austin, Texas. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
