Mass E-mailing Clients: What to Send and Why?

Everyday you interact with dozens, maybe hundreds of people via e-mail. Thanks to its ease-of-use, and relative worldwide accessibility, there are very few limits to what you can communicate in an e-mail, or to whom. In this day and age, the capabilities of e-mail have grown in leaps and bounds. No longer is it just the online variant of a handwritten letter, but a new and complete form of communication with enhancements that the once-timeless and thought irreplaceable “regular mail” will never be able to offer. The ability to readily and instantly communicate with the masses, to attach files such as videos and images, or even to link to resources available on the Internet are benefits that help make e-mail an indispensible method of communication. Now most of you are probably familiar with the fundamentals of e-mailing and why it is useful on the most basic of levels, however it may be helpful to take an introspective look at its application toward business… more specifically, YOUR business – Real Estate.

Now let’s look at some common e-mails that you should be sending to your clients on a frequent basis:

1. New Listings – how else are you going to get that property sold? Get the word out! Use any of the automated e-mail templates, or if you’re so inclined, make a copy and edit it to your specific branding or marketing style; or exercise complete creative control by crafting a template from the ground up.
   
2. Open House Invites – this topic works well in conjunction with #1. Now that you’ve got the word out about the newest property to hit the market, you need to get people coming over to view it. Sending out invitations to any upcoming open houses will help increase traffic to them.
   
3. Open House Thank-you Notes – especially for those who took the time to visit your open house.  Many home shoppers go to several open houses in a day.  Thanking them for attending your open house could be the difference between them contacting you or someone else when they decide to work with an agent (if they aren’t already).  It will also immediately weed out those who have entered a bogus email address on the guest registration form.
   
4. Monthly Newsletters – become a purveyor of information on a monthly basis! Craft a newsletter on the highlights of the past month, share insight on listings and upcoming events. Discuss the latest real estate trends. Develop a template for your newsletters, so that they look familiar and gradually become quickly recognizable to your contacts when they sift through their unread messages. Over time, by having a recognizable style and by regularly e-mailing new content that people will find useful and informative, the chances of people noticing your newsletters, regarding them favourably and deciding to read them are considerably higher.
   
5. Community Events – an easy way to keep in touch! Scout the news and public bulletins to find out about upcoming events. See how you can contribute – even if it just means attending – and then let your clients know why they should attend, and when and where it is. Invite them to personally come see you at the event! People are more prone to attending events at which they know someone, so take the extra step and be that “known somebody”.
   
6. Holiday Cards – who doesn’t appreciate a friendly salutation on their preferred holidays? Make note of your clients’ holidays, be it religious or national, and send them out an e-card on those dates. It may not seem like much to you, but it shows that you want to stay in contact, and that open channel of communication is vital to the success of repeat and referral business. Other good celebratory days on which to send your contacts an e-mail is for their wedding anniversary or birthday. Offering congratulations and well wishes can go a long way in fostering a closer bond with people that could be the reason for your next client’s decision to work with you.
   
7. Promotions – simply put, who doesn’t love a good promotion? Have an offer for those buying or selling? Is your brokerage offering a free island getaway? Let your contacts know! People love the chance to win something, even if it means they have to give something in return (agreeing to list with you for example). This is an excellent way to help drive traffic to a page on your website, with contest details and listing links to newly marketed properties.
   
8. New Blog Entries – an increasingly popular read. Post your thoughts on the web, and then share them with a quick e-mail to your contacts. Keep them informed with new information on real estate, so they’ll stay informed about YOU when it comes time for them to start asking questions about real estate!
   
9. Drip Campaigns – establish a bi-weekly or monthly campaign whereby you’re constantly sending out new material to your clients. Good campaigns will have an end goal such as building customer loyalty or developing an ongoing lead and each step of the campaign will help build toward reaching that goal.
   
10. Closing Anniversary Well Wishes – another easy way to remind your clients that you’re there and that you care. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes to set up a closing anniversary e-mail, schedule it for the date in question and the rest is done automatically. Your clients will receive a pleasant surprise next year, and will remember you better for it! Be sure to include the “Unsubscribe” link in all mass emails so people can automatically opt out if they so choose.  This follows email laws and etiquette and prevents undue angst for those who are not so welcoming of your emails...
    
    Oh... and speaking of email etiquette, it is not advisable to WRITE YOUR EMAIL ALL IN CAPITALS.  (It is considered shouting and is harder on the eyes than standard upper / lower case.