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How to Build Email Contact Lists

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with RealSupport Inc.

Inman News posted an excellent article about how email campaigns dramatically outperform Facebook and Twitter when it comes to online marketing. Email open rates can average 20%, while Facebook and Twitter's organic reach is a small fraction of your audience, landing in the single digits. Here are some tips from the article, with our own advice added in!

For effective email marketing, you must have a good contact list. While you can buy email addresses from third parties, such lists are generally poor quality. It's well worth your time to create your own contact list, and there are easy ways to do it.

Online forms. Your lead generation page of your website should be supplying you with email addresses to add to your database. Make sure your prospects are offered something of value in exchange for providing their contact information, such as a free comparative market analysis, or personal home buying consultation.

But don't stop there! You can try an array of different offerings, to keep your website fresh, and attract new email signups. Here are some other ideas:

Newsletter opt-ins. Offer local market statistics to email subscribers.

E-books. Offer guides via download on home staging, mortgages, home inspections, and so on.

New listing alerts. Offer automated email alerts when new listings arrive on the market, and offer personal home search assistance. 

Webinars. Host an online seminar for home buyers or sellers on Google Hangouts, or through the service of your choice.

Contests. Offer a free weekly contest that features a small prize, like movie tickets. Ask contest questions that are based on local history, trivia, or landmarks.

Birthday club. This is a popular restaurant tactic, but there's no reason you can't use it in real estate. Offer to send birthday wishes and a free gift to subscribers, who will also receive your newsletter or other mailings. Be sure to calendar these dates and follow through!

Podcasts. If you're not a writer, podcasts might be a good option. Offer your insights on market conditions in a free, downloadable audio file that is available to email subscribers.

Neighborhood sales report. Offer a monthly list of recent home sales in local markets.

Foreclosure listings and fixer-uppers. Investors are still combing the market - offer them listing alerts that meet their criteria!

No matter your offering, remember that your purpose is to use the email addresses you've collected to market your services. Be sure to use a good real estate CRM and make regular contact with your subscribers! Also have patience; real estate leads may take several weeks or months to incubate. Staying top-of-mind requires staying in their inbox!

Need help setting up a lead generation page, creating content, or running an email campaign? RealSupport is here to help you! Contact us today for email marketing solutions!

Bonita Breit

Copywriting & Marketing Specialist

RealSupport, Inc.

Comments (4)

Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

There needs to be kind of a interconnection between disciplines and that everything flows together

Aug 17, 2015 04:40 PM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

The statistics on Email, Facebook and Twitter are interesting.  You have provided us with some great tips for consideration.

Aug 17, 2015 04:48 PM
Patrick White
Home Driven Realty, Inc - Baldwin, NY
Driven to bring New Yorkers home

Good morning. Thanks for the excellent marketing information. Have a great week.

Aug 17, 2015 08:10 PM
Michael J. Perry
KW Elite - Lancaster, PA
Lancaster, PA Relo Specialist

Like your tips on building an Organic List of potential prospects !!!

Jun 20, 2016 11:52 PM