A strong email marketing strategy continues to play an important role in an agent’s success.

It’s important to understand that email optimization is a practice that requires continued experimentation. As digital trends evolve over time, so will your email campaigns. Creating a solid email marketing strategy from scratch is tough, but we’re here to help!

Let’s take a look at some tips and techniques to turn you into an email marketing rockstar:

Build a valuable email list

There is no point in sending emails out to thousands of people that have no interest in real estate or buying/selling a home. It is best for your metrics, and for your ego, to not purchase email lists. Inbound experts, like Hubspot, will say that “practicing good inbound marketing means sending emails to people who actually want to hear from you.”

A great way to grow your email list is by placing form submissions and opt-ins on your website. Offer your website users a free resource if they enter their email. This method offers subscribers value and gives you a relevant audience.

Another option to increase your email list numbers is to leverage the valuable audience you have and build up from there. Encourage your current subscribers to share and forward your emails. In these emails, include a “subscribe” call to action button, which allows recipients of the forwarded email to join your list!  

Nail that subject line

Writing a compelling subject line that stays relevant to the content of the email is a promising way to stand out in your recipient’s inbox. Think about it, your email is competing with dozens of unread emails. First impressions are everything.

The great news is, there are a number of avenues to explore when it comes to compelling subjects lines. You can ask a question, personalize it with the recipient’s name, or create a sense of urgency when the timing is right. Check out some examples here.

Send relevant content

You built your email list and you created some intriguing subject lines. Now you need to make sure the content is interesting and relevant. Why is your audience reading it? What value are you providing them?

You want to validate yourself to your audience as the real estate thought leader that you are! Share industry news and insider information about the neighborhoods your target market is interested in.

Once you’ve established what content to produce, you need to add a clear call-to-action button. Having a visible link or button to guide your reader to the next step is crucial. This can be a link to a feedback survey, an open house flyer, or an image slideshow of a new listing.

Test the timing….and then test it again

As you build your audience, you will begin to see what timing gets you better open rates (OR) and click-through-rates (CTR). You can try sending an email blast on a Tuesday before working hours, or maybe send one on a Sunday evening. Tweaking this will take time (no pun intended).

You may even find that the timing and days vary depending on the specific email topic.

Monitor your metrics

You may think you are creating amazing, relevant content and sending it to your audience at the perfect time, but the true determinant of this lies in your metrics. Make sure that you are monitoring your ORs and CTRs. According to an Email Marketing Benchmark Report by GetResponse, the average open rate for real estate industry emails is 27.66% while the average click-through rate is 3.24%.

Continue to develop your strategy

A good email marketing strategy has a solid foundation but evolves as techniques and trends change over time. Optimizing your email marketing strategy is not a one-time event. You should continue to stay informed and knowledgeable about email marketing as you build your audience and your business.