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E-Mail 101

E-mail

In a recent blog post I discussed the volume of spam I receive every day: An Internet Thanksgiving Gift

When responding to a comment it hit me. Too many folks out there do not seem to know basic etiquette when it comes to sending e-mail.

Here are some basics that everyone should know if they plan to send out messages for their business or group. If you want to win friends and influence people, you will not do it by irritating or harming folks.

Keep the message quick and simple. No one wants to read the encyclopedia.
Avoid sending attachments unless you are transmitting a document they are expecting. Even then there are services that you can post them on the net and send them a download link. This avoids overloading their e-mail account.
If you are sending to multiple parts, use the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) command. If you show the names of everyone on your list you open them up to spam from others.
Be sure your computer is virus free at all times. If you want make a lot of folks angry, send them a virus.
Do not send the same people too many messages. Daily stuff is a great way to tick them off. If you are selling homes, know it off with the unrelated stuff like pumpkin pie recipes. You are already filling my box with the same junk 10 other people are sending me about the market, the last thing I need is 10 more message with the latest pumpkin pie recipe.
Before you send any message, ask yourself a simple question. What would your reaction be if this was sent to you?
Provide an unsubscribe button and honor it!!!

There are several real estate agents in my area who are bombing my e-mail box with every listing and open house in their office nearly daily. I have hit the unsubscribe button and e-mailed them to stop. The flood just keeps coming. Guess how bad I want to work with them in the future?

It is a matter of common sense and common decency. Follow the golden rule.

Here is another blog article on a similar topic: A Changing Market is No Excuse for Bad Behavior

Posted by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® on 11/29/2008 01:29 AM

Comments (90)

E-Mail in the Technology and Tools Channel

email, real estate

Originally posted at: Hawaii Randy's Real Estate Opinions: E-Mail 101

Post is included in group: Almost Anything Goes
Post is included in group: ETHICS and the REALTOR
Post is included in group: Hawaii Real Estate Professionals
Post is included in group: Realtors®
Post is included in group: Tech Corner

90 Comments on E-Mail 101

NOV

Randy...great blog...I feel teh same way. I don't need E-Mails of listing...I look on the MLS to find what I need. Unless it is withheld, and then If you are sharing it, it should go on the MLS. I have never even looked at a property because of an E-Mail being sent to me!

Here is another...that I bothers me...don't expose all those email addresses to those you are sending emails too! I usually send to myself and when bulk mailing like my company or a group of friends..I blind copy them...Huge no no in my book! Great post Randy..I might have to share this with some people in my neck of the woods.

William - I try to spam filter all of them, with the exception of a couple of agents that I exchange regular information with.

Midori - The BCC is so important when sending to a group. I do not even send to myself, I just BCC everyone on the list.

Randy, sometimes I think it is the price for getting popular, and especially in real estate everyone knowing you and thinking you can help them. I agree ABSOLUTELY with get the email message down to its most basic SHORT form. I am constantly amazed how verbose some people are in their emails. GET TO THE POINT!!!

Randy the first one is tops in my book "Keep the message quick and simple". If it is to long I will probably delete it without reading it.

Several agents send other agents copies of their purchased newsletters. It's nice to know what's going on in other areas, but I don't need multiple copies of exactly the same newsletter. It certainly doesn't set the sending agent apart in a favorable way.

Boy, this is right on, Randy. I guess it would be too obvious if I sent it to people who email me...

Randy- Unsubscribing and then being taken off the list is a serious offense and the person can be charged a fine and worse, have their sites shut down. That is considered spam if you email to someone after they unsubscribe. NOt to be taken lightly.

Gary - I just got one a few minutes ago from a broker listing every listing in their company with pictures, from all over geographically. Not only was it too long to read, it was a huge file. Are they nuts? I hit the unsubscribe button and it gave me an error message.

George - Most just go to the junk folder and then flushed here.

Sharon - I also get annoyed with the recipes and the non business stuff.

Margaret - I feel like forwarding it back to them and flooding their boxes.

Nester - The second biggest franchise here is doing it in big way. They also keep sending me messages trying to recruit me. It is getting real annoying.

Randy... what's common sense? Besides, I just sent you an e-mail with a virus... ;o) happy Holidays...

jeff belonger

NOV

Email flyers were popular a few years ago in Las Vegas, but they seemed to die out after about six months. Good suggestion about sending a download link instead of a file. Many home users still don't have the power or download speed that offices do, and this can really put a drag on their system.

Good points Randy. There are still a lot of email listing flyers being sent out here. A lot of recruiting also. And yes, Katerina is correct, there are penalties if your name is not removed when you opt out.

Randy- A nicely written, concise discussion of business email etiquette. Thanks.

Go Randy! EMail for Dummies needed. And the serial flyer senders here are the agents who have JUST discovered the internet!! We have quite a few of them here. Did you eat any ahi sashimi for Thanksgiving?

Jeff - You would not be the first or the last to do it. :)

John - I think it is extremely rude to send a large attached file to someone, especially unsolicited.

Doreen - I am not sure who would enforce the violations for not opting out.

Randy, I'm getting several hundred emails a day right now and quite a few of them are solicitations. I am finding some good products and ideas from them sio they don't bother me much.

I agree the BBC is very important.

Also, did you know you can purchase almost a million REALTOR(R) email addys for less than a $1,000?

I'm launching a product in January and email blast will be a huge part of my marketing. I promise to keep it limited to Florida......for now:)

Richard - Thank you

Suzie - You have to wonder who coached them into believing they would get more business by ticking off all of the agents in the area.

No ahi sashimi, I like mine well done. LOL

B.B. - E-mails is cheap, That and being lazy is the reason they are abusing the e-mail.

A good review for everyone--I see agents that send mass emails with many mistakes.

Email spam is a nuisance and your points are helpful. I'm betting that the ones that are currently spamming aren't going to pay attention, however.

Hi Randy,

Thanks for this refresher course - we are doing all of it.

The big thing to me is keeping the communication short and simple.

The objective of email is to let people know you are thinking about them or have a quick piece of information for them.

Keep It Simple Stupid. :)

Randy -- Everyone should have to read this before they get their "Email license" -- Great post

Randy, nothing irks me more than to have folks pass along jokes witth hundreds of email address attached. What are they thinking. That is why I rarely and I say rarely pass along those things. IF I do pass something along, I copy and paste so everyones email is not exposed.

Also put your blogs on, folks. In your signature.

Randy, this blog should be must reading for all the spammer agents in my market area - and even outside who send me listing information about a townhouse they just listed somewhere in West Virginia! Good grief!

I so agree, I get weekly emails from a local R, and the content is really aimed at consumers, so why I get it I have no idea. To say the emails are boring and some of them are chain emails gives you an idea of the content, but no unsubscribe button. I have had to politely asked her to take me off the list, but to date she has not done so.

Make the unsubscribe button EASY to FIND and the process simple. Nothing more annoying than having to spend 5 minutes clicking through to find out how to get out of the snare! LOL

I probably delete emails about products or services in which I may have an interest, but when I get bombarded with them, I just delete, delete, delete. It's annoying!

Morning Randy, Thanks for a good reminder. Why is it that so many agents still use the email services for listings I get through my MLS anyway ?

I find that many of the agent listing "news" emails don't have an unsubscribe link. They're usually from non-internet savvy agents. I can imagine that those agents have told their sellers that they just emailed "1000 of the top agents"! GEEZ!

The brokers who are recruiting are just as bad at not having an unsubscribe link. Like I want to work for someone who isn't very techy ... I don't think so!

Great tips, Randy. It is common sense but amazingly people forego common sense more often than not.

Randy - nice post. If you are doing any email marketing to your client / friend base, I would keep it simple, send it out at the same time every month (or week) and keep a consistent format and subject line, so people recognize it in their inbox.

I think you may be correct that many people are not familiar with the netiquette of proper email usage.

Randy.... what a GREAT post here... I get many spam e-mails on a daily basis and it seems to be hard to get rid of them.

Randy, great points ! I agree, cleaning out my email on a daily basis is a part time job ! You are right, I wish more folks would have more etiquette ! Maybe all realtors should take your Email 101 course !

Randy - Great tip! I gave my name to one "Marketing expert" and would get 3-4 "Alerts" a day; I agree, short & sweet is better.

Randy - what a great topic, and I completely agree with you on all topics. I do not "spam" my clients because they will just hit delete. Like you - I get so many emails from everyone, and I actually had someone get irritated with me for not opening a joke . . . it is only because I don't have time ( I did go back and open it only to realize I have seen it before).

I am also with you on the BCC feature - most people do not use that and you will get a gigantic chain of email addresses.

Congrats on the feature and hope you had a great Thanskgiving!

Randy, that is a pet peeve of mine, too. Not only the spamming on the email but also the spam on my fax. Like you said, "guess how bad I want to work with them in the future?" NOT!

Good tips - BCC is very true. It is amazing the stuff people send out while broadcasting 100's of emails - ESPECIALLY business related stuff. Ignorance of simple etiquette like that may make me not want to do business with an individual like that.

All commmon sense suggestions. Unfortunately "common sense" seems to be in short supply these days.

Nicely done, Randy. This is a great list for anyone thinking of using email for marketing their business. I hope you have a great weekend!

Its much like the mail and since its free we can expect to get more. The filters work much better than they used to work. Most of my spam is generated by professional spamers for no reason that I can see. Its kind of refreshing to get something from an agent! Maybe that is too much.

Randy, get your own blog started. You are good at this. Check mine out and leave me a comment www.neworleanscondotrends.com .

Did you find any websites that you liked from NAR?

Thanks, Randy, for the reminder. I beleive email is a great tool if used properly. I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Thank you for the excellent advice regarding E-mail and spam. i like the idea of unscribe button, though, I wonder if that really works.

The best thing is an apology once the sender knows with I won't do that again. Lot of advertising letters can be spam, but i recently

learn that one should not put marketing websites in blogs and just respoind to the blog. I do get curious to know that it is understandable,

but isn't the reason realtors blog is to make connections so that eventually they will get commissions? If not would realtors still blog?

Can't agree with you more Randy!

JoAnna

The unsubscrbe button is the safe and golden rule or standard for emailing. Most people do not complain the first time, especially if you allow them to unsubscribe

Hey Randy:

Very well said on your blog on how to influence people. Whenever I send out my E-Newsletters, I always say to myself if I would like to read it first (since most New Yorkers have type A personality, including myself...), so the faster I can get to the bottomline, the longer I can hold their attention...

In my recent CREC update class spam was mentioned. The Colorado Real Estate commission specifically mentioned Spam as a crime and possible reason to loose you license. That's a nice little wake up call!

Diane B. - I see them too. I guess they do not know about spell and grammar check.

Colleen M. - I am sure the spammers do not care what we think.

Mark M. - Keeping it simple and not too often.

Fantastic post. I too have had people continue e-mailing me after I unsubscribe, and it's incredibly irritating. Thanks for sharing some great thoughts.

This is a very timely post. I get so much junk mail from one particular person who knows I am not in the market for what he is offering. It is four times a week at least, and there is no unsubscribe button for me to click on. I actually just sent him an email today asking him to stop sending me this useless information.

Randy- Yesterday I posted about receiving e-mail flyers from across the country. Do they really think I'm going to show their listing, 1500 miles away, or that spamming my inbox will put them high on my list of referral agents?

Amen! Good reminders for us all...now if only folks will comply!

With our mls we get fined if we bombard agents with emails about price drops, motivated sellers, vacancies, blah blah blah, and text changes.

The only e-blast we can send is one for open house announcements.

I too hate the chit chat recipes and "urgent read this"( forwarded chain letters) I wonder how many people have died or been cursed with 7 yrs of bad luck because I refused to forward to my email contacts !

That is why social networking webistes are making a statement in our industry. The responses I get on a Facebook post verus an email to the same group is quadruple.

I really find the email listings kind of annoying...I too will look in MLS for a home .... not the emails.

No one wants spam or useless emails to go through and erase especially from other agents!

I agree one hundred percent with keeping it short. Man I get bored reading a book.

Good reminders...I need to cut & paste this list in a reply email to all these spammerzzzzzz!!

I wish everyone followed these simple suggestions. I get so many emails that I simply hit delete or spam for over 50% -- so if someone wants to send me a serious email, they should follow the tips you outlined above.

Jason E. - They won't

Missy C. - I recently added my blog to my signature. Good tip.

Patricia K. - I am sure that the agents who are spamming me, are not the ones I will be sending referrals to.

Randy,

Must read for all real estate agents and mortgage consultants and others who are into email lists. Unsubscribe button has to be honored otherwise the sender's reputation is done with.

Johnathon & Corrine - Too many of these agents do not have an unsubscribe button and many who do, still keep sending them after you hit the button.

Susan H. - I make it a policy to buy nothing from phone solicitors or from spam e-mail. I do not even let them hit my delete folder; I use the junk folder and flush it.

Bill G. - Great question. I someone is not internet savvy enough to check the MLS, they probably wouldn't be checking e-mail either. LOL

Elaine R. - For fun I look up their websites from time to time. In many cases they do not have much of a presence.

Kris K. - I more had common sense we would have less to blog about. LOL

Kerry L. - If it were for clients, I would also pick up the phone and confirm they are receiving them and wish to continue to do so. (Customer service 101)

Christine D. - I think that applies to more than just internet.

Roland W. - I do not think there is an easy way to get rid of them and not risk missing a client or potential client message.

Christopher and Stephanie - I would teach them to post it on their blog instead of spamming the info out.

Bobby W. - Doesn't that just make you wish you had never made a contact with them?

Sharon P. - The jokes get tough too. I get the same joke over and over from many friends and family members.

Gena - We get a few on the fax, but nothing close to the e-mails. Either way they will not win my business with that tactic.

That is a lot of comments for an issue that may only get worse. I have not forgotten where I parked since you were in New Orleans,lol.

Steve K. - I wonder if that tactic works for those doing it. Would they really buy something from someone sending them similar e-mails?

Alan M. - Common sense is not always common.

Jason C. - Thank you, have a great weekend.

Eric B. - I am looking at a few websites. I did find a great deal on signs and bought 20 more. I have been pretty busy since returning and haven't had much time to work to work the blog and website.

You have a great blog, I am making a goal of doing something similar for the condos in my area and also for the subdivisions. Thank you for taking the time to show me your town and for sharing your marketing tips. I hope you make it to Hawaii, so I can return the hospitality.

Paul M. - It can be a great tool if not abused. Have a great weekend!

Joel - I see blogging like I see networking. There are enough benefits to it that I would still do it whether it made money directly or not. Fortunately they make money, so the question never comes up.

JoAnna S. - Thank you

James W. - One of our major franchises here has an unsubscribe button. I have hit a few times, yet the volume of e-mail seems to increase constantly.

Eileen H. - The first sentence and paragraph better be good.

Dena S. - I would love to see our Board take that position.

Kristen W. - It is real irritating.

Jason F. - I hope he gets the message and stops.

Marilyn K. - I am in the middle of the ocean. You have a better chance of showing them than I do. LOL

Gary W. - I will not be holding my breath.

Michele C. - I wish we had similar rules. That would make a dent and would be fair for everyone.

Tim M. - Plus the folks on Facebook want to see you message. You are shoving it down their throat.

Sonja A. - The only e-mails I do not mind are from a small select group of top agents that I deal with regularly in my area. They also do not bomb me tons of messages.

Shane O. - Unfortunately way too many agents keep sending them.

John W. - That is for sure. I have a friend who insists on sending me a three page message and then buries a question to me on the second page. I am sorry; I will not read it or catch it and have told him on numerous occasions to out the questions up front. I get way too many e-mails to read a chapter book.

Mara H. - That is a good idea. I think I will begin to send this to a few agents in my area who are the biggest offenders. I will just send them the link. After all it was one of the suggestions in the post. LOL

Joan W. - I am sure I send closer to 80% of the messages to the junk folder.

Esko - I have several mortgage brokers who not only do not honor the unsubscribe button, they use an e-mail service that changes the sending address so it will get through the spam filters. I find there particularly vulgar. They are also the folks who keep sending pie recipes.

Eric B. - The lost parking stall did create a great adventure. It was not all bad. LOL

DEC

Randy, I can never figure out why agents email me their flyers on their listings! First of all, most of them are from areas I don't service and would never have buyers in those areas. Secondly, I already know about their listing! I have access to the MLS, and if I had a buyer looking for their listing, I would already have found it in the MLS - duh!

Join my NEW group for professionals who work from their home office at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

Regina P. Brown
Allison James Estates & Homes
www.ReginaBrown.AllisonJamesInc.com

Allison - They do it because it is cheap.

This morning I hit unsubscribe to about 50 e-mail messages, many were real estate agents. Any bets on how many keep sending them anyway?

DEC

Randy,

Provide an unsubscribe button and honor it!!! When I don't find success hitting the "unsubscribe" button, I hit the "spam" button. That usually does the trick.

Mike in Tucson

I do the same, many of these folks use services that change the address they send from, just to beat your filters.

Randy this is good advice. I get spammed so much it takes hours sometimes to clean up by in-box. With that in mind when I see certain names I just hit the delete button. Yes it is important to put ourselves in the shoe of others.

Randy, There seems to be some agents who are now using a reverse prospect feature from their MLS site. They are emailing notices of a match, very annoying when the other agent is on the other side of the state. IMO: also Know who you are spamming in our own association.

Randy,

Great advice and I could not agree more. I am sure it wont be long before the government steps in with a strick do not email type law.

Jennifer - When I see those agents at meetings etc., I have a different level of respect also.

Mary - I do not understand these spams going to other parts of the state or other state for that matter.

Richard - The government had prosecuted a few with previously passed laws. It hasn't seemed to slow them down.

Randy - This post hits home. I had a terrible experience recently with a mortgage rep who had an awful email tone to him when communicating with my client. At one point, I though it was so offensive that she would take her business elsewhere. I wouldn't have blamed her if she did. But in an effort to expedite things she stuck it out.

DEC

Carol - I have dealt with a few agents and loan officer who's e-mail messages made me scratch my head.

DEC

Randy,

I agree, I am getting so much email from other agents showing their listings. Most are in areas where I don't work!

I just unsubscribe & delete.... unsubscribe & delete. It's just part of my day! Recently I changed my email address. My old emails go to my desktop... I set my laptop (I use this more) up with the new address. Life is good again!

And I'm still too young to have any need for Viagra, and much too rich to care about whether I have won the British lottery, or whether Bill Gates wants to give me $250 for forwarding the email to ten of my friends, or whether some poor widow in Nigeria wants a business partner -- LOL.

DEC

Randy-

Ok I'm confussed, so don't send an 12 page copy and pasted doc file of 5mb's with tons of useless graphics thats already been passed around a million times on the internet while not providing an unsubscribe button? Oh wait, you mean don't use the realtor cd to do a select all and drop it in the TO: box so I can send it to a ton of people I don't know in states I don't work in...and don't do this four times a week? This is not good marketing? LOL

Yep, sadly enough the lazy way of working is the common way. It takes time and energy to monitor the unsubscribed ones and recompile new lists. As a rule of thumb, no scrolling. The average person clicking on an email has it in a four inch reading pane. I personally stick with the two paragraphs/a link/unsubscribe button/signature format. If you've got a lot more to say then hey, that's what the link is for.

Very good post Randy, although I doubt the ones with the problem will be reading these simple solutions to a better marketing approach. I would assume becoming spam is bad for business. LOL

Mary P. - I guess it costs the same to annoy people from everywhere. LOL

Collen C. - I spent about a week so far hitting unsubscribe. The number of spams has increased.

Russel R. - I sure get all of those and I am getting sick of the As Seen on TV. I am getting those sent to all of my e-mail addresses.

Doug J. - I guess they are playing the game of numbers. They are hoping to pick up some business before they alienate everyone.

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