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Does it matter where you are?

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Marte Cliff Copywriting

Does your location matter when you send an email?

Again today I had a real estate copywriting inquiry from an agent and Googled her area code to see Agent in hidingwhere she was.  I like to put that in my notes so that I won't inadvertently call too late in the day if they happen to be in the Eastern time zone.

I Googled it because while her email had a phone number, it didn't offer a location.

I got curious... 

Just out of curiosity I went back to 3 months of inquiries and checked to see if the agents had revealed their location. 71% did NOT. Some had their full name, their agency name, and a list with phone and fax numbers, but no city and state. Some had no signature block and only offered a first name or a first and last name.

These were the inquiries that did not go any farther. Many were "What do you charge for an agent bio?"  

Then I looked at emails from my current clients and found that 89% DO include their city and state in their email signature.

What a difference! But what does it mean?

Does that mean that letting everyone know your location leads to greater success – so you can afford to hire a writer? I have no idea, but I do know that I think including your location in your email signature is a good idea.

Think about these scenarios:

1. A person thinking of relocating to your general area gets captured by your web form and you write them back with an offer to provide more and better information. They were looking at 4 or 5 towns in your general area, but now have narrowed it down to 2. How do they know which town is "yours?"

2. A client asks for your advice on some topic and you write such a good answer that he or she forwards it on to a few friends. They forward it again – and this time it ends up with someone who is thinking of relocating your city. But since they aren't yet familiar with all the area codes, they have no idea that this smart agent is right there, willing to help them.

3. You come across a particularly moving poem, picture, or essay and you send it to a few clients. They forward it on and it ends up with a person or two who needs an agent in your city – but they have no idea that YOU should be that agent, because you've never revealed your location.

If you've got an email signature with all that other information, why not take a minute to add your city and state? It can't hurt and it might help.

And… if you have no email signature, it's time to create one. Even if you're only writing to current clients, having your phone number handy is a convenience for them.

Your goal in marketing yourself should always be to make it as easy as possible for clients and prospects to contact you, so take a few minutes and create a signature that attaches to every email you send. 

Comments (57)

Joanna Cohlan
Fresh Eyes For Your Home - Chappaqua, NY
Designing, Decorating & Staging Westchester Homes

You are right Marte, and it takes so little time to add this information - which in fact is vital so that the reader knows the market that the author is talking about!

Sep 27, 2015 11:12 PM
Bill Roberts
Brooks and Dunphy Real Estate - Oceanside, CA
"Baby Boomer" Retirement Planner

Marte Cliff So right, it is time I created one. Thanks for the nudge.

Bill Roberts

Sep 28, 2015 12:38 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Nina Hollander That's pretty silly, isn't it? Why bother to post? Years ago I used to write articles for EzineArticles.com and they'd be picked up by bloggers. It drove me crazy because they'd sometimes put them through "spinners" and leave my name on the disasterous result. But... one thing I noticed when I was trying to contact people to say "Take my name off!" was that those blogs gave no idication of ownership. They also had no call to action. They weren't selling anything. WHY did anyone bother to have them? 

Sep 28, 2015 02:31 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Joanna Cohlan Yes - as long as you're taking time to add everything else, why not that?

Bill Roberts "Nudging" is one of my best talents - although my husband calls it "nagging."

Sep 28, 2015 02:32 AM
Les & Sarah Oswald
Realty One Group - Eastvale, CA
Broker, Realtor and Investor

Oh boy...I am guilty as charged. Heading over to add the city to my signature.

Sep 28, 2015 02:59 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Good for you Les & Sarah Oswald

Sep 28, 2015 03:12 AM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

I have all of my contact information in the signature of emails and whatever else!  It can't hurt!

Sep 28, 2015 04:15 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Gary L. Waters, Broker Owner, Waters Realty of Brevard, LLC I agree. It can't hurt and it just might help. 

Sep 28, 2015 04:29 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

This is a very important topic. I see many blogs where there is no address or town in the automatic signature.

Sep 28, 2015 11:47 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Roy Kelley There are many like that - I think maybe people forget that they're not advertising in their home town newspaper! 

Sep 29, 2015 01:48 AM
Debbie Laity
Cedaredge Land Company - Cedaredge, CO
Your Real Estate Resource for Delta County, CO

Great post, Marte. I'm in the process of changing my blog signature. I'm putting your information to good use. 

Sep 29, 2015 09:14 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Debbie Laity Glad to be helpful! 

Sep 29, 2015 09:22 AM
Elyse Berman, PA
LoKation Real Estate - Boca Raton, FL
Boca Raton FL (561) 716-7824

Marte Cliff You are so right. I have mine included, but I think it works another way, as well.  Oftn when I get emails with phone numbers and no city or state, I always google to see what time zone they are in.   I may be working at 9:00 am but no one wants a call at 6:00 am on the west coast.

Sep 30, 2015 07:02 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Elyse Berman, Boca Raton, FL And even though my newsletter, website, etc. has my location, I still occasionally get those 5 or 6 a.m. calls from the East coast. 

Sep 30, 2015 11:24 PM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

It's all about building the audience/customers first and then marketing around it/them. Too many people market too generally.

Oct 03, 2015 03:42 PM
Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

I pretty much fully agree with everything you're saying and I would say keep it up. Keep your ears open and eyes peeled, and maybe those 5 AM people can be a blessing if we just it just the way we think about them.

Oct 03, 2015 03:44 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Thank you for the reminder. I have been thinking of having an email signature.

Oct 03, 2015 09:02 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Laura Cerrano I used to get up and answer the phone at 5 a.m. Now, as long as I know where my kids are, I let it go to voice mail. 

Gita Bantwal Good. Having a signature automatically attach to your emails is a real time-saver. 

Oct 04, 2015 02:39 AM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Thanks for the nudge Marte! Though my email signature has links to SM profiles and website, I did not have the city, I will now thanks to you!

Oct 11, 2015 04:52 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Always glad to provide a nudge Beth Atalay!

Oct 11, 2015 04:57 AM