One of the most powerful digital marketing methods in the modern era is email marketing. Email marketing has helped many real estate agents stay connected to prospects and clients simply by staying in touch with them on a regular basis.
Email is no longer limited to desktop and laptop usage; most people today check their email several times per day right from their mobile devices. Therefore, email is the perfect way to put your business in front of your target audience.
Over the years, some misconceptions about this trusty way for agents to communicate with their clients have emerged. This has turned a lot of agents away because they think they don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to running an effective email marketing campaign.
Not only that, but many of them don’t believe that email marketing can help them bring in additional transactions. However, millions of consumers use email today and it’s not expected to go away any time soon. Therefore, it is not too late for agents to utilize this tool to generate more sales and profits.
Here are 10 of the most common misconceptions that many agents have about email marketing, along with clarifications to help you get a better understanding:
Misconception #1: Email Marketing is Not Profitable
Did you know that email marketing returns upwards of $30+ for every dollar spent? This number alone proves that email marketing can be extremely profitable when done right.
Email marketing does not require a hefty investment. However, due to the fact that you are reaching your audience on a personal level right in their own email inbox, it can produce huge profits.
The cost to send out direct mail letters to your customers and potential customers could cost thousands of dollars due to design, printing, and postage costs.
In our busy world, most people can’t be bothered to actually read the marketing materials you direct mail to them before tossing them into the recycling bin. Just imagine how many times this happens with each bulk mail marketing campaign.
With email marketing, people are more likely to read your marketing message since they’re constantly in their email accounts throughout any given day.
Reaching them requires simply writing a short email, clicking the send button, and tracking the results.
Misconception #2: Your Subscribers Don’t Want to Hear From You
In most cases, if your subscribers didn’t want to hear from you, then they wouldn’t have signed up in the first place. Email marketing is permission based, which means subscribers actually opt-in to receive your emails.
This means they signed-up for the list knowing that they would receive special offers and valuable information from the agent.
As long as you have an easy way for your subscribers to opt-out of your email list, there is nothing to worry about. Besides, you only want to send email to those who are likely to make a purchase from you; so if they don’t want to be on your list, make it easy for them to leave.
Misconception #3: Email Messages Must Have Time-Consuming Designs
When you pile all of your bells and whistles into one fluorescent colored, overwhelming email, you could turn-off your readers.
Choose a simple layout with classic text formatting and a few high impact images. Clearly present your message and be done with it. Your readers’ eyes will thank you for cutting to the chase.
As a matter of fact, plain text emails without designs could be all you need to get results. Depending on the type of business you have and the goal of your email marketing campaigns, sending out regular emails without any designs can be extremely effective.
Many agents have tested and found that plain text emails generated more of a response than designed emails. So it’s best to test both ways if you’re not sure which way your company should go.
Misconception #4: You Should Sell Something with Every Email
Email subscribers do not like to be sold to in every email they receive. The amount of selling will vary, but make sure every email is not a sales pitch if you want to get results.
It is important to include emails that only contain helpful information, such as tips, product demonstrations, or happenings with your company. In fact, just updating your customer base with recent news related to real estate can be enough to keep them interested.
A lot of agents today have blogs that they frequently update with new content. Sharing posts as they are published is a great way to stay fresh in your customers’ minds and also doesn’t come across as too pushy or sales driven.
The purpose of email is to build relationships with your list; this builds trust, which ultimately leads to sales.
Misconception #5: You Need a Massive Email List to Make Money
When it comes to your email list, think small when first starting off. If your list-building efforts are targeted, it doesn’t take thousands of subscribers to generate additional sales.
You can categorize your list by demographic, customer purchases, inquiries or any other categories that you can come up with; doing so will allow you to easily plan profitable future email marketing campaigns.
As long as you keep growing your list over time, the sales will grow as well.
Misconception #6: You Need to Buy a List of Email Addresses
Why waste your money? Emailing total strangers is not the way to go if you want a sustainable, long-term email campaign.
Not only will this cause you to get a lot of spam complaints and ultimately decrease your emails’ deliverability, but it could hurt your reputation. Furthermore, many of them will not buy anything from you.
Instead, focus on building an organic list by getting people to opt-in. This way, they’re agreeing to receive emails from you and your chance of converting them into sales is much higher.
Many agents are in a rush to build a huge list, but buying the list is not the answer. Again, you only want people on your email list who want to be there, so focus on getting your target audience to subscribe.
Misconception #7: You Have to Bombard Your Customers to Get Sales
One of the biggest mistakes agents make when running their email marketing campaigns is emailing too frequently. No one wants to receive multiple email messages per day from the same company.
Some people even consider weekly emails to be too much; however, you can’t please everybody so come up with a plan that works well for you.
Just be sure to monitor the results as you go along to see if you’re getting a lot of unsubscribes. Although this could be due to many different reasons, the frequency of your emails could be a main contributor.
On the flip side, don’t spread your emails out too much. You don’t want your list to forget who you are or wonder why you’re sending them an email.
Misconception #8: Your Emails Need to be Long and Wordy
Ever heard that old saying “quality over quantity?” Well that saying applies here.
Some people think the more information they pack into an email, the better. However, the opposite is true.
Did you know that most people simply skim over whatever they are reading instead of actually reading everything in its entirety?
Therefore, too much information could lead to overload, which could cause people to delete your messages or unsubscribe. Keep your emails short, sweet and to the point.
If you have a lot to say in an email, include a link to a longer blog post or video going into more detail.
Misconception #9: Your Email Subject Lines Need to Be Loud
One cannot stress enough how unprofessional a subject line written in all caps is to the average reader. Seeing something like “OPEN THIS NOW,” “READ ME,” or “CHECK THIS OUT!!! is a huge turn-off for most email recipients.
Some agents make the mistake of using all caps and special characters in their subject lines to get attention, but it has the opposite effect.
So instead of going that route, simply come up with clean subject lines that truly reflect what’s inside the email.
Misconception #10: Email Marketing Will Generate Thousands of Dollars Instantly
Is this ever true for any type of marketing? Usually not. However, some agents make the mistake of thinking that first email they send will send ground-breaking sales their way.
As with any type of marketing, generating thousands of dollars in sales takes time, patience and persistence. However, if you stick with a well thought-out and executed email marketing plan, you will see an increase in profits.
Hopefully, this this post clears up some of the most common misconceptions regarding email marketing. Do not be afraid to embrace this useful marketing tool to grow your business.
Groom your plan, stick with it, and wait for results. Agents all across the globe have seen great profit increases by using the power of email.
