Key takeaways
- Email marketing is essential for real estate: 92% of home buyers use digital sources, 76% buy after learning online and 43% first learn via online channels.
- Follow an 80/20 content rule: at least 80% useful information (listings, buying best practices) and no more than 20% promotional material about your agency.
- Use strong visuals (images or video) and place the main visual above the fold so it appears in preview panes and grabs attention.
- Avoid buying premade lists, these ‘get rich quick’ options are often inactive or irrelevant. Build your list organically with proven tactics such as quality content and visuals.
- Dated methods like neighbourhood fliers and phonebook listings no longer cut it. Shift quickly to active email operations to stay competitive.
- Comply with email legislation (for example, CASL in Canada). Non‑compliance risks fines, penalties and damage to your reputation, so consult someone who understands the rules if needed.
Introduction
Saying that it pays to have a strong connection with your clients as a real estate agent is like saying that the sun can get a little bright from time to time if you look directly at it. Understatements and analogies aside, the reality of the situation is clear – without a way to stay in touch your clientele keeping your business on track becomes near impossible.
The only problem with all of this is that dated practices, like neighborhood fliers and phonebook listings, simply don’t cut it anymore. If you want to be at the forefront of the real estate discussion in your region, it’s time to get your email marketing operations into high gear and off the ground in a hurry. With this in mind, let’s spend a few minutes covering some key tactics that are sure to set your agency’s campaign apart in the inbox.
Understand the Impact of Email Operations
Perhaps the best place to kick off the discussion is with a quick overview of the importance of being active via email marketing. This way, you won’t face any lingering questions regarding the necessity of the email approach. As the National Association of Realtors explains in its field guide review, an astounding 92 percent of home buyers currently look to digital sources as part of the purchasing process. Additionally, 76 percent end up acquiring a home after learning about it online, with 43 percent using this method of learning about homes as the gateway to their first purchase. To put it bluntly, if you were on the fence about reaching out with a strong digital presence, you’re letting countless sales slip through the cracks by sitting on the sidelines.
Quality Comes First
Now that we’ve established how vital being active online is, let’s talk about what goes into maximizing your position within the inbox and capturing even more leads. According to Kathryn Royster of Inman, succeeding on this front starts with quality content. While taking the easy way out and spamming your contact list with a bunch of messages that are low on quality and high on filler might seem fine at first, the truth of the matter is that the inbox is a highly competitive place, so this substandard approach won’t get you very far. A good rule of thumb that can keep you on track with this ideal is for each message to contain at least 80 percent useful content, such as information regarding homes and purchasing best practices, and no more than 20 percent promotional material regarding your brand or agency.
Being Visual Goes a Long Way
Additionally, Royster also suggests getting visual with your emails. Listing off housing information alone in the body of a message can come off dry or boring, so why not incorporate a few images or other striking visuals as a means of enhancing your content? If possible, keep your centerpiece image or video “above the fold” – the area of the message that shows up in the preview pane of Outlook, Gmail, etc. Doing this ensures that your high impact visual content doesn’t get lost in the fray and stands out as viewers browse through their new and saved messages.
Avoid the “Get Rich Quick” Approach
On the subject of accelerating the growth of your mailing list, Vinny La Barbera of the Real Estate Marketing Blog recommends forgoing the “get rich quick” options. As enticing as it may be to purchase a premade list of addresses or other similar product, the odds of these accounts being both active and relevant are rather marginal. That’s not to say that no such product exists or wouldn’t be able to offer up some sort of value to your agency, just that you’re much better off building your reach and influence in the inbox via organic, proven methods, like the ones listed above.
Play by the Rules
Of course, none of these tips regarding how you connect with customers matter if you’re caught breaking the stringent rules and regulations that govern the world of email marketing. Naturally, what constitutes an offense can vary from region to region, but digging into the CASL here in Canada or any other relevant laws and legislation, can go a long way toward protecting your organization. Considering that massive fines, penalties, and the ill-will of your prospective audience is at stake, taking the time to become well-versed on these matters – or working with someone who knows how to navigate these rulings – could mean the difference between succeeding in the inbox or watching your brand’s dreams go up in smoke.
FAQ
Digital sources drive homebuying decisions: 92% of buyers use digital sources, 76% go on to acquire a home after learning about it online and 43% use online discovery as the gateway to their first purchase. Staying active in the inbox captures those opportunities.
Use the 80/20 rule: make at least 80% of each message useful content (property details, buying best practices) and keep promotional content to 20% or less about your brand or agency.
Include striking visuals (images or videos) and place the main image or video above the fold so it appears in preview panes (Outlook, Gmail, etc.). Visuals make listing information less dry and help messages stand out.
No. Avoid the ‘get rich quick’ approach of purchasing premade lists. Such accounts are often inactive or irrelevant. Instead, build your reach organically through proven methods like the quality content and visual tactics outlined above.
Prioritize high‑quality content so messages aren’t filler, include strong visuals placed above the fold and limit overt promotion to keep recipients engaged rather than turned off.
Follow applicable email laws such as CASL in Canada. Non‑compliance can lead to large fines, penalties and ill‑will from prospective clients. Dig into the legislation or work with someone who knows how to navigate the rules.
They no longer cut it. Dated practices like neighbourhood fliers and phonebook listings aren’t enough. You should prioritize active email operations and a strong digital presence to stay competitive.
