 | | SALES MEETING TOOL KIT: USING E-MAIL EFFECTIVELY | |||||
|  Component 1: Facilitator talking points Component 2: E-mail agenda Component 3: Action Plan worksheet Component 4: Story of business e-mail success Component 5: Activity 1: E-mail Quiz (handout) Component 6: Activity 1 answers Component 7: Appropriate uses of e-mail (handout) Component 8: E-mail etiquette (handout) Component 9: E-mail marketing tips (handout) Component 10: Making personal contact More Resources | Component 9: E-mail Marketing Tips E-mail can be used to initiate communication, maintain business relationships, and close a deal. Here’s how to use it as a marketing tool: 1. Use various electronic communication vehicles . Listserves are electronic mailing lists. Perhaps you maintain routinely updated reports or information—school stats, restaurant reviews, or price changes—at your site that visitors can sign up to receive weekly or monthly. Because visitors take the initiative to subscribe, you’re not spamming them. And listserves let you target a specific audience who want that information. Contact management databases let you keep preference and contact information, including e-mail addresses, on clients and customers. Provided those contacts have indicated that they’re willing to receive e-mail from you, you can segment your database and send marketing messages and information appropriate to different groups. Electronic newsletters—weekly, monthly, quarterly—can be a nonpromontial way to reach prospects, clients, and customers. It keeps your name in their minds and should offer practical real estate information, such as buying and selling tips. Remember to include a link to your e-mail as well as instructions on how to unsubscribe from the newsletter. Web sites give prospective clients and customers a pressure-free way to evaluate you and your company. Include your contact info and e-mail address prominently, along with a link to subscribe to your electronic newsletter. Make sure your Web site address is on all your print marketing materials. Online discussion groups help you spread the word about yourself. Join a group that discusses a topic you’re interested in or a topic that relates to the niche market you specialize in. Your profession will naturally become part of the discussion, which may net prospects. 2. Grab attention in the e-mail subject line. Subject lines in messages afford precious little space—just a few words—to grab recipients’ attention. Follow these do’s and don’ts:
The do’s and don’ts will also help your message stand out from the junk e-mails that people receive as well as elude spam filters—software that blocks suspect e-mail based on characteristics in the subject line. 3. Include links in all of your electronic correspondence. All e-mail correspondence should contain links to relevant information. If you’re trying to sell a specific house, include a link that takes the recipient to a graphic file or Web site page with a picture and property stats. Also include links to your company Web site, your personal site, your electronic newsletter sign up, and your e-mail address. 4. Ask recipients to forward your e-mails. Referrals are a great way to get new business. Don't hesitate to ask recipients to pass on your information to friends, family, and colleagues who may be interested. 5. Include a privacy policy. Your Web site should contain a statement explaining that all the personal information—name, address, financial—recipients send you is confidential and won’t be sold or passed on to third parties. Your e-mail privacy policy should be part of your overall Web site privacy policy. 6. Research existing marketing materials. Before creating an electronic newsletter or e-mail promotion from scratch, check out the companies—Realty Times-Realtormag.com Newsletter Plus; Sane Marketing for Real Estate Professionals are two—that sell templates for generating such communications. Component 10, next page > |