Is it frosting? Sprinkles? Cupcakes?
Nope (though we're totally into those things, too).
The super, delicious, calorie-free, super-duper surprise of successful marketing is ...
EMAIL.
“NO. WAY.” you say. “WAY!” we say.
It's true. The most successful agents in real estate--those that are making more than $100,000 per year--are spending their resources on email because it’s simple, it provides a gentle touch to their customers, and because it WORKS.
Maybe it’s time you served yourself another helping of email’s delicious goodness.
As it happens, we’ve got some thoughts about how you should slice it up (make sure you get the frosting rose, too).
FIRST, decide who, exactly, you want to communicate with and why. Are you looking for more referrals? Do you want to improve your networking overall? Do you want to make connections with new leads? What’s YOUR goal? Defining this at the start will save you from choking on a bite that’s too big.
Once you’ve decided what your goal is, it’s a good idea to separate your database into two separate lists: FRIENDS--people you actually know and with whom you have some sort of personal relationship--and LEADS--people who are looking solely to have a business relationship with you, such as people who found your website or who called the phone number on one of your listing signs.
Figuring out, right from the beginning, who falls into which group will save you a big stomach ache in the long run.
NEXT, you need to figure out which sorts of messages to send to whom. Sending salesy pitches to your friends will irritate them no end, but neglecting to keep in touch with your leads will sink your souffle faster than you can say, “crepes suzette.”
No matter which group your contacts fall into, you want to make sure you’re sending them the messages THEY need. Your leads might want market data or information about the areas in which you specialize. Your friends will likely be best served simply by knowing they’re in your mind and that you’re thinking of them.
In both cases, sending the right type of messages will position you well for getting the nod when either is ready to buy or sell a home.
There are lots of tools on the market to help you get your contacts the messaging that will keep them engaged and keep you topmost in their minds (which is delicious goodness, no?) For keeping in touch with friends, Happy Grasshopper’s service offers messaging that makes everything easy as cake, err ... pie. Check out this blog post by Karen Salmon to find out how easy it was to incorporate email marketing into her business.
Email marketing is sweet. And it’ll add a sweet dollop of icing (and maybe even a cherry!) to your overall marketing plan. Give it a try; we think you’ll find it’s the tastiest way to give your business a surprising boost.
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