Email marketing is such an underrated form of communication that can really do wonders for keeping you top of mind with your sphere of influence and beyond. It's also a great space to re-purpose social media content, as well as showcase your expertise, and generate more referral business.
Here's How You Can Tackle It:
Step 1: Choose an "ESP" aka Email Service Provider.
We love options like Constant Contact & Mailchimp since they're super user-friendly and often have cost effective options – including free!*
PRO TIP: If you're already using a CRM like Lions Desk, KvCore, or i-Exact Contact - you've already got email marketing built in to your system. Utilize it instead of paying for a separate service!
Step 2: Import Your List of Contacts.
You're going to want to make sure you upload your list of contacts. For a most email marketing platforms you can create a simple spreadsheet with one column dedicated to first names and another column dedicated to email addresses. Make sure you're at least including all first names. This will come in handy later if you want to personalize your email marketing with tools like "merge tags."
PRO TIP: If you have the ability to categorize your list into separate "micro-lists" that will help you wonders in the long run. For example, labeling/tagging the names/emails on your list that are Buyers vs Sellers; Investors vs Lenders; etc.
Step 3: Decide How Often You'll Email Your List.
We recommend emailing your list at least once a week in order to keep your list engaged. This will also get your list accustomed to being contacted by you, and lead to higher open rates. The better your email open rate is, the less often your emails will wind up in the "spam" or "promotions" section of email inboxes.
Step 4: Decide What You'll Email Your List About.
Similar to the email you may have read that led to this blog post, you can create multiple topics each week, or stick to just one topic per week on a rotating basis.
Email Schedule Option #1:
- Once a Week
- One Email featuring 3 Topics: Local Events, Just Listed, Food Recipe.
Email Schedule Option #2:
- Once a Week
- One Email featuring 3 Topics: Just Listed, Local Events, Market Data.
Email Schedule Option #3:
- Once a Week
- One Email featuring 3 Topics: Just Listed, Local Events, Buyer/Seller Tip.
Email Schedule Option #4:
- Once a Week with alternating Topics.
- Week #1 of the Month: Market Data + Local Events
- Week #2 of the Month: Buyer/Seller Advice + Just Listed/Just Sold
- Week #3 of the Month: Business Spotlight + Just Listed/Just Sold
- Week #4 of the Month: Listing of the Month
The options for how you can format and schedule your email marketing are endless. The only way to be successful though, is to just pick one and get started!
Question: That's too much content, is there an easier way?
Answer: Sure! Shorten the amount of content you send. It's not about the amount of content as much as it is about the CONSISTENCY of content.
Do you have ideas for email marketing agents and brokers could use? Comment below!