Turn Clicks Into Clients: The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Email Marketing
Running a real estate business can be challenging, especially if you don’t employ suitable marketing strategies properly. Imagine a potential client clicking on one of your stunning property listings. They’re interested, but then it’s just — silence. Frustrating, right?
But you can turn this around using interesting and valuable content tailored to each client’s needs. Real estate email marketing can be a powerful tool for connecting with potential customers, nurturing leads, and promoting listings.
In this ultimate guide on email marketing in the real estate industry, we’ll show you the steps you need to take, from building your email list to deploying marketing tools and converting clicks to happy homeowners (and a happy you!).
Why Should You Use Real Estate Email Marketing?
Merely being online in the real estate industry won’t help — you need a fitting email marketing plan to reach your subscribers where they are the most active.
Email marketing can be a valuable tool for your business. Here’s why:
- It’s cost-effective: Email marketing is inexpensive compared to traditional marketing methods such as print ads or direct mail.
- It allows for precise targeting: The audiences are narrowed down to specific segments for a more customized approach and higher conversions.
- It helps build relationships: With email marketing, you can provide valuable content, offer assistance, and build trust with audiences.
- It helps with promotions: Whether you have a new listing or updated an old one, email messages help convey them to potential clients.
- It creates brand awareness: Consistent email communication keeps your brand fresh in customers’ minds, even those not ready to buy or sell properties now.
- It makes it easier to measure results: With reliable email marketing platforms, you can track analytics and gain insights into your email campaign performance in real time.
- It enhances customer service: Emails make it convenient for clients to ask questions, provide feedback, and stay in regular touch if anything comes up.
- It helps automate tasks: Automation allows you to send drip campaigns, set up autoresponders, and personalize content according to specific customer needs.
To help you get these definitions right, we’ve compiled a glossary of the important terms in email marketing.
Important Email Marketing Terms For the Real Estate Sector
We’ll be using many of these terms, sometimes simultaneously. It’s best to keep this section handy as you move forward in this guide.
| Email Marketing Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Subscribers | People who have opted-in to receive marketing emails from you |
| Email list | Your list of email subscribers |
| Lead | A potential client who has shown interest in buying, selling, or renting a property |
| Drip campaign | A series of automated emails sent to leads over time to nurture and guide them through the sales funnel |
| Open rate | The percentage of recipients who open your emails |
| Click-through rate | The percentage of recipients who click on a link in your emails |
| Conversion rate | The percentage of people who complete a desired action such as scheduling a consultation or purchasing a property |
| Email campaign | A series of emails sent to achieve a specific goal |
| Landing page | A dedicated webpage designed to capture leads’ information or encourage an action, often linked from an email |
| Automated workflow | A series of predefined actions and emails triggered by specific customer behavior such as signing up for a newsletter or downloading a guide |
| Opt-in | The process where recipients give explicit consent to receive email communication from you |
| Segmentation | Dividing your subscribers based on specific interests and preferences |
The first step in email marketing is to build an email list of interested audiences.
Building Your Email List: The Foundation
Real Estate is a competitive landscape, so where do you find the email addresses of potential clients? If you’ve heard that it’s possible to buy an email list and are considering it as a faster route — let us stop you right there.
Purchasing an email list in the hopes of reaching more people will do more harm than good. It will damage your sender reputation score and, eventually, decrease your email deliverability rates.
Note: Campaign Refinery prohibits cold emailing or purchasing email lists — only clean sending practices are allowed. Clients found to follow malicious sending practices are immediately terminated from the platform.
Don’t be a spam sender! Instead, use these tips below to create a high-quality email list.
Opt-in Strategies
Whether it’s your social media channel or website, you can include a form where people can opt-in to receive email messages.
Let us present with 6 actionable strategies you can use:
- Offer valuable and relevant content: Consistently populate your blog with industry news, definitions, and case studies. For example, you can write a report on the current costs of renting a house in a particular locality.
- Provide virtual tours and exclusive previews: Showcase upcoming property listings or offer early access to entice visitors to subscribe to your email list.
- Offer free consultations or valuations: Although it sounds counter-intuitive, offering free consultations will help you showcase your expertise and land a qualified lead.
- Use popups: Employ exit popups that allow website visitors to sign up if they wish to stay updated with your content.
- Create interactive real estate tools: Develop mortgage calculators or similar applications to increase engagement.
- Offer lead magnets: Give people something in return for their email addresses, such as a guide to real estate investing or a PDF about the latest rentals in an area. This helps build trust while offering immediate value.
Segmentation Techniques
Segmentation is the process of dividing subscribers based on demographics, preferences, and past interactions. For example, if you operate in a specific area with diverse neighborhoods and property markets, segregate subscribers based on geographic preferences to ensure they receive relevant emails.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to implementing the segmentation process:
- Identify subscriber needs: Using the information collected from subscribers, gather them into specific target groups such as “Interested in Downtown area” or “Interested in waterfront communities.”
- Customize email content: Based on the recipient’s stage in the email marketing funnel, tailor the email content according to their specific needs.
- Implement personalization: Use dynamic fields to automatically add the recipient’s name or refer to a past interaction.
Building a Permission-based Email List
Nurturing leads in the real estate industry is a long game. You want to position your brand as the go-to solution in the market and gain the trust of your existing and potential customers.
That’s why it’s important to use clear opt-in processes and follow email marketing regulations. This means using double opt-in procedures and complying with CAN-SPAM and GDPR regulations.
Let’s review ways to create a high-quality email list, maintain transparency, and build a loyal following.
3 Basic Steps to Grow Your Real Estate Email List
Growing your subscriber base can be time-consuming, but the results you will get will be much better because you’ll be sending pertinent emails with the help of right email list management strategies.
Follow these 3 essential methods to build your email list from scratch.
1. Offer Valuable Lead Magnets
People sign up for an email list most likely because they want to stay up-to-date on the industry news or be associated with the brand in the future. But they’re not going to drop in their email addresses for free. You must provide something of value in return for their email addresses.
In exchange the following content, you can give them:
- Downloadable market reports that provide insights into local trends and pricing.
- Area guides that highlight unique features of a neighborhood.
- A step-by-step guide to navigating the real estate process.
- Give early access to hot properties before they hit the market.
If you’re just starting out and you’re confused about getting people to sign up, download our Lead Magnet Multiplier Course to learn how to start strong with a high lead magnet open and click rates. Our clients have seen their lead magnet consumption grow by up to 756% more clicks after employing what they’ve learned!
2. Craft Compelling Sign-up Forms
Provide a clear sign-up form with the following:
- Your brand uniqueness and value proposition.
- Brand elements.
- A compelling CTA.
- Link to a downloadable resource if applicable.
3. Strategically Place Sign-up Forms
Seamlessly integrate the signup forms with other marketing channels, such as:
- The website — place the signup form on the homepage, property listings, and blogs.
- Create dedicated landing pages that signify the value of working with you.
- Include sign up links on social media bios and posts, if applicable.
- Feature QR codes in your business cards for a more straightforward signup process.
You can also use website cookies to track user behavior and offer relevant pop-ups or request to add past clients to your email list.
Once you’ve mastered your strategies, you’ll need to create compelling real estate emails to capture the audience’s attention and keep your brand top of mind.
Let’s explore the different types of emails alongside examples to give you a clearer picture.
Note: These can be single emails or automated sequences based on your user behavior.
Types of Real Estate Emails With Examples
Real estate emails can be broadly categorized into ‘Transactional’ and ‘Nurturing’ emails. Transactional emails are triggered by specific user actions while nurturing emails are sent based on the customer journey.
Here’s an overview of the email types and their purpose.
| Email Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Welcome Email | To introduce your company and thank subscribers for joining you |
| Market Update | To share insights into local market trends and pricing |
| Property Listing | To highlight a featured property or showcase a new listing |
| Open House Invitation | To generate interest and attendance for upcoming open houses |
| Client Nurturing | To stay connected with past clients by providing valuable content |
| Client Feedback Request | Requests feedback on a recent transaction or project completion |
| Event Invitation | Promotes workshops or networking events |
| Re-engagement Email | Reconnects with inactive subscribers through incentives or exclusive access to future listings |
| Seasonal or Holiday Email | To send a festive message to reignite brand interest |
Transactional Real Estate Emails
Transactional emails provide critical messages, such as information related to a property or buying/selling process.
Let’s get into the specifics of these two types of emails and check out examples from businesses like yours.
1. Welcome Email
Welcome emails are sent to subscribers to thank them for joining your email list and set expectations for the future. They contain information about your brand, its value proposition, the type and frequency of emails, and CTA. You may also include social media links or testimonials if relevant.
2. New Listing Alert
This email informs subscribers of new listings that match their search criteria. You must include high-quality photos, property details and descriptions, a link to the property, and a CTA.
3. Closing Congratulations
It celebrates the successful closing of a deal and includes additional details such as acknowledgment of the transaction, appreciation message, highlights of key events, and request for feedback or testimonials.
Real Estate Nurturing Emails
Nurturing emails aim to build a positive relationship with your potential clients and keep them engaged with your brand.
1. Newsletter – Market Updates Emails
Marketing newsletters are a great opportunity to keep in touch with customers over a defined period. You can send newsletters about listings, new product features, brand updates, industry news, or anything relevant to your subscribers’ interests.
Market update emails are the most common newsletter type and contains information about the local market trends, price fluctuations, and economic factors affecting the real estate landscape.
2. Home Buyer/Seller Tips Emails
This email shares crucial information to navigate the real estate buying and selling process, including pre-approval, inspection, and negotiations.
3. Client/Real Estate Testimonial Emails
Testimonial emails aim to induce a positive impact on potential clients by showcasing reviews from past and present clients.
The How-to Guide For Real Estate Marketing Email
Writing a compelling real estate email requires you to understand your audience and focus on providing value.
Here’s a guideline to get you started on writing a marketing real estate email.
1. Define Your Goal and Audience
Identify your goals for each email — are you targeting the buyers, sellers, or both? This will help you create relevant content and tailor messages to their specific needs.
Next, check the stage your clients are in — new buyers usually require different information than experienced investors.
2. Segment Your Audience
Segmentation is the process of dividing subscribers into smaller and more specific groups based on their behavior and interests.
A first-time buyer will need completely different information, such as how to buy and rent properties. Whereas the experienced group will need market updates and neighborhood listings. This is where segmentation plays a vital role — tailor your email content according to subscribers’ buying and selling status, engagement levels, and lifecycle stage.
3. Craft an Eye-catching Subject Line
Subject lines help recipients understand the importance of your email at a glimpse. Personalize them and use segmentation data to increase relevance.
Here are additional tips to consider:
- Keep the subject lines under 50 characters.
- Steer clear of exclamation marks or salesy language.
- Highlight the benefit and create a sense of urgency.
- Personalize the subject lines whenever possible.
4. Personalize the Greeting and Introduction
Personalizing greetings is one way to show that you value the recipient’s time and loyalty to your business. Use the list segmentation and include subscriber names or dynamic fields to automatically include relevant information.
5. Communicate Your Brand Value and Benefits
Tell your subscribers how your brand can help them achieve their goals. Whether it’s property listings or market updates, include a brief description of your brand proposition and emphasize how it meets the recipient’s needs and expectations.
6. Highlight Key Features
Use descriptive language and highlight key selling points in each email. For example, stress the importance of amenities and local culture in a listings promotion email. Additionally, use high-quality and engaging pictures of the properties to increase relevance and interest in your audience.
7. Include a Clear Call-to-Action
Include action-oriented CTAs to tell recipients what they must do next. For example, “Subscribe to the blog for market updates” or “Schedule a consultation.”
Keep your CTAs short and to the point. You can further divide your audiences based on their interests, such as “buyers, sellers, active seekers, new to town, prospective buyers, etc.
8. Include Social Proof
Client testimonials, success stories, and reviews show potential clients you’re trustworthy and reliable. Place these elements in prominent places in your emails without overwhelming recipients.
9. Use Drip Campaigns
Drip campaigns are a series of emails sent with a single goal. For example, you can send a welcome email followed by market updates and homebuyer tips. These campaigns help you send useful information while gently nudging the subscriber to move through the marketing funnel.
10. Track and Analyze Performance
Regularly track email metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes. This will help you understand what resonates with your audience and tailor your email marketing strategy accordingly.
To see success with your emails, it’s important to meet customers at whatever stage they are in. That’s why we’ve put together the campaign strategies to help you land and close more deals.
Real Estate Email Campaign Strategies For Every Stage of The Funnel
Your emails must shift focus as customers move through the marketing funnel. Here are the strategies for each stage.
| Funnel Stage | Goal | Email Type |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Attract new leads and build brand awareness | ‣ Welcome email ‣ Blog posts ‣ Market updates |
| Interest | Nurture leads and educate them about the real estate market | ‣ Home buyer/seller tips ‣ Mortgage rate updates ‣ Neighborhood guides |
| Decision | Address pain points and specific needs to convert leads | ‣ Open house invitations ‣ Property comparisons ‣ New listing alerts |
| Action | Guide leads through the transaction process | ‣ Offer accepted/rejected emails ‣ Closing congratulations ‣ Post-closing resources |
Being in the real estate business could mean little time to spare to send emails and follow up with subscribers. Email automation can help you send emails to the right audience at the right time while eliminating errors. It can also help you save time by automating responses and streamlining your workflow.
Aside from an automation tool, a CRM, landing page builder, lead generation software, etc., is helpful for a comprehensive email marketing approach.
We’ll walk you through a selection of email marketing solutions to help you establish a robust real estate email marketing foundation.
Best Tools to Streamline Your Real Estate Emails
If you want to spend less time scheduling emails and maximize your marketing results, consider these tools.
| Type of Tool | Marketing Tool | Uniqueness |
|---|---|---|
| Email Marketing Platform | Campaign Refinery | ‣ Offers the highest email deliverability rate on the market ‣ User-friendly tools and features ‣ Transparent pricing system ‣ Powerful segmentation and automation functionality ‣ Exclusive features such as ‘Engagement Gamification’ and ‘Evergreen Flash Sales’ ‣ Mandatory domain authentication to guard sender reputation and improve email deliverability rates ‣ Detailed analytics from a single-view dashboard |
| Mailchimp | ‣ Offers user-friendly email marketing tools for beginners ‣ Offers detailed analytics and automation | |
| ConvertKit | ‣ Designed for bloggers, creators, and freelancers ‣ Focuses more on newsletter creation with a subscription model | |
| CRM Software | HubSpot CRM | ‣ Offers email marketing, automation features with CRM capabilities |
| Salesforce | ‣ Provides a comprehensive CRM platform with email marketing automation | |
| Zoho CRM | ‣ Offers lead management, automation workflows, and integration with other Zoho apps | |
| Lead Generation and Capture | OptinMonster | ‣ Helps capture leads with customizable pop-ups and sign-up forms |
| Sumo | ‣ Offers scroll-triggered boxes alongside other lead-generation tools | |
| LeadPages | ‣ Allows you to create high-converting landing pages with built-in opt-in forms |
Some of the CRM and lead generation platforms offer built-in email marketing tools. However, if you need an all-in-one solution with the highest deliverability rate, Campaign Refinery is the place to be.
Mastering the Art of Email Delivery With Campaign Refinery
You spend hours creating the perfect real estate email, only to discover it never reached your subscribers. This affects your sender reputation and puts your inbox placement rates at risk.
Campaign Refinery prioritizes email deliverability through clean-sending practices and a strict vetting process. Our clients are part of an elite sending community with access to premium tools and features.
This means as our client, you can use robust analytics, built-in campaign templates, automation, and integration systems to seamlessly create email campaigns and connect your favorite marketing tools under one roof.
Become a top email sender in the real estate industry with Campaign Refinery and get your messages delivered to subscriber inboxes — apply to become our client now!
