Email Marketing Information

Realtors - Is Your Newsletter Increasing Sales?


If you are a REALTOR focused on residential sales who distributes a monthly email newsletter, ask yourself: "Is my distribution list growing?" And more importantly, "Is my newsletter accomplishing what I wish it to?"

You already recognize that an email newsletter is an effective marketing tool to help to increase sales. Regular communication with clients and prospects is essential to increase your revenues over time. But if the results are not living up to your expectations, step back and ask yourself, "How can I improve my newsletter to increase its readership and drive more sales?" Perhaps you need to make your content more compelling or to use your newsletter in a more engineered fashion.

The marketing goals for your newsletter should be: 1) to consistently present yourself as a knowledgeable expert to whom readers can trust their real estate matters, and 2) to bring prospective clients to your Website where they can view your listings, be reminded of your realty's programs for buyers and sellers, and to see your latest promotional offers.

To retain and expand readership, your newsletters must present information of value to its intended audience. It must provide specific data beneficial to homeowners in the geographical area in which your marketing efforts are concentrated.

Some newsletters provide general "home fix-it" information, national statistical data or news on community events as their main content. There is a place for that, but this should be used sparingly. You are more likely to create a growing client base if your newsletter talks to a homeowner's wallet. Some suggestions to help make your real estate newsletter a "must read" item are:

1. Highlight a section on home values in the local area. People always want to know how their main asset (i.e., their home) is faring. Create this from MLS data sorted by zip code, then drill down to find recent sales and listings within your farming area. Show average time on market for the latter. Ideally, present this data in a graphical summary (which is easy to do using Microsoft Excel), but require the reader to branch to your website for the detailed information.

2. Using the above information, offer a tool on your Website to quickly provide a "ballpark" estimate of market value based on the latest average dollars per square foot for sales in the targeted area. Be sure to include disclaimers (e.g., "This is a rough estimate only. Actual value will vary based on location, lot size, amenities and upgrades. Contact us for a FREE competitive market analysis").

3. Identify new developments and local trends that are expected to impact future home values.

4. If you work for a full-service realty, include financial information and services, emphasizing homeowner benefits.

Your newsletter should be a vehicle for driving prospects to your Website where pertinent offerings are presented. The best way to do this is to provide compelling article lead-ins or summaries that direct your readers ("Click here for complete article") to your Website for the rest of the story. Make sure that once the article on the destination Webpage has been consumed, other enticing choices (e.g., "See Featured Listing" or "Sign up to win a FREE digital camera") are available to encourage readers to explore the Website.

In short, think through the entire process, from your newsletter to the ultimate path you wish the reader to follow on your Website. If you approach it in this manner, viewing your newsletter as but one component of a marketing machine, then over time you will be rewarded with expanded sales.

Al Kernek is a real estate broker and author of "Creating E-Mail Newsletters - A Practical Guide for the Real Estate Community." To learn more about increasing real estate sales using low-cost Internet marketing techniques, visit Real Estate Internet Marketing

  


MORE RESOURCES:

Email marketing 'can be a killer app when used cleverly'
Business Strata - Business News, UK - 10 hours ago
An expert has claimed that email marketing can prove to be "a killer app" when used in a clever manner. However, Matthew Kelleher, commercial director at ...


Search, email marketing 'should be combined'
Digital Response Media, UK - 12 hours ago
Businesses would do well to combine their search and email marketing campaigns as the two channels are the most used by consumers. ...


Email marketing 'will avoid social networking'
One Stop Click, UK - 11 hours ago
Firms looking to take advantage of email marketing are likely to avoid social networking campaigns during the current uncertain economic climate as their ...
Social networking 'emerging as a significant medium nowadays' Business Strata - Business News
all 2 news articles


Responsys Shares the Secrets to Better Response Rates at DMA08
Earthtimes (press release), UK - 5 hours ago
Mr. Pollard recently joined Responsys as senior strategic consultant where he guides Responsys clients in developing email marketing and lifecycle messaging ...


The decline and fall of email for acquisition
E-consultancy, UK - 14 hours ago
FREE event The use of email marketing to drive customer acquisition is in significant, and terminal, decline. Demise? Is that the right word for what’s ...


E-mail marketing secrets and lies
BtoB Magazine, NY - Oct 9, 2008
By Karen J. Bannan This week Forrester Research released a new report, “Benchmark Your Email Organization,” that details some surprising e-mail marketing ...
MarketingSherpa Releases 6th Edition of Benchmark Guide for Email ... PR.com (press release)
all 2 news articles


Email marketing 'being used more as economy slows'
Digital Response Media, UK - Oct 9, 2008
Businesses are increasingly turning to email marketing as the economy continues to slow, according to a new report. MarketingSherpa's 2009 Email Marketing ...


MailChimp First to Offer iPhone and Yahoo! Mobile Access for Email ...
MarketWatch - Oct 7, 2008
The foundation of every product and service we develop is to make the email marketing experience easier for the user, and these mobile applications are yet ...


DirectNews

Relevant content 'crucial for email marketing'
DirectNews, UK - Oct 9, 2008
Michelle Eichner, co-founder and vice-president on client services at email delivery auditing firm Pivotal Veracity, makes her comments to DMNews, ...


Responsys Shares the Secrets to Better Response Rates at DMA08
International Business Times, NY - 5 hours ago
Mr. Pollard recently joined Responsys as senior strategic consultant wherehe guides Responsys clients in developing email marketing and lifecyclemessaging ...

e-mail email marketing - Google News

Article List | Index | Site Map
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved.