Real estate is a dynamic industry, with trends shifting as new marketing and tracking technologies emerge and investment opportunities explode.

Home prices are rising and there’s a healthy smattering of new construction to keep things moving.

Add to that the fact that millennials are joining the house-hunting market in record numbers and you have a recipe for real financial success—if you can get your marketing on target.

This article is full of real estate marketing ideas to help you capture your share of the real estate boom and grow a strong customer base that will continue to benefit your bottom line in the future.

6 real estate marketing ideas for a strong email campaign

Real estate and email marketing are a match made in heaven—as long as you make sure you’re sending the right kind of emails to your clients at the proper time in their journey toward a sale.

In fact, 63% of email marketing campaigns in the real estate industry received positive engagement.

Let’s take a look at the varieties of email marketing techniques real estate agents can use to convert leads, nurture prospects, and earn continued business from former clients.

1. Start with an actionable welcome.

Let’s start with the first, and most important, email—the welcome email.

A welcome email is a great way to introduce both cold and warm leads to your services. Your customer may have opted in at an open house or your website, or they may be someone you’ve gotten through a referral.

You could also send a welcome email after your first contact with your prospects. This could be after the first day of house-hunting or following an initial consultation about selling their home.

At any rate, a welcome email will thank subscribers for opting-in and give them two critical pieces of information:

• What kinds of emails to expect from you in the future
• Why you’re the best agent to help them buy or sell their home.

Competition is fierce among realtors, so this is your way of getting the jump on the competition and positioning your brand for success.

No matter how you design your welcome email, make sure it’s clear and actionable.

That means there should be a prominent call-to-action (CTA) to schedule a phone call or meeting, connect on social media, or even a request to be “white-listed” so that your emails don’t end up in the spam folder.

Here’s a quick template you can use with buyers that have contacted you via a listing service or even through an open house.

Image: Premier Agent

Here’s another that includes email frequency information:

Image: FitSmallBusiness

You can modify these to fit the circumstances of your connection and the way you’ll move forward with communication.

2. Add value with a newsletter full of relevant, interesting content.

Your prospects want to know that you’re an expert in the local market. There’s no better way to convey your expertise than in an email newsletter packed full of relevant, helpful information.

Not only do newsletters feature your own realty services, but they also keep you at the forefront of the prospects’ minds while they’re deciding how to proceed.

Newsletters can also keep you connected with former clients—especially the ones that might refer you to their friends. 

Provide interesting, relevant content like the articles and tips found in newsletters, can be incredibly effective for your real estate business. Your newsletters should be short, skimmable documents with content that’s engaging and shareable.

Here’s a sample of one that also includes a video and visual graphics for those that want to skim for important information. 

Image: BestPalosVerdesHomes

Be careful with your newsletters, though. Don’t ever send one without the permission or expectation of your prospect.

Sending newsletters to a brand-new lead can impact your chance of conversion. Here are some of the things you can include in your newsletter to educate and entertain:

• Recent or upcoming events
• Focus on local restaurants or businesses
• New homes listed or sold
• Open houses
• Mortgage news/advice

Here’s an example of a variety of newsletter topics sent out by an agent:

Image: BestPalosVerdesHomes

Finally, your email newsletter is a marketing device, so it’s okay to softly sell your services through those homes bought/sold announcements or through invites to open houses.

Just don’t make it the focus of your newsletter.

3. Nurture your buyers' decision-making. 

Make sure you’re connecting with potential buyers by keeping them updated with the most recent listings through weekly, or more frequent, email blasts.

Even if they have signed up to receive alerts for new listings through your website, follow up personally to see if they’ve found anything interesting.

Here’s an email template that helps you stay in touch and periodically checks in with buyers and their current needs. 

Image: The Close

Buying a house is a serious undertaking, and you may have to nurture your leads for some time before they’re ready to make a purchase.

4. Captivate interested sellers with emails. 

Sellers want to know what their home is worth and whether or not you’re the right person to trust with its sale. 

Answering both questions is important, so keep in touch with them via email to prompt them to action.

Your end goal is to meet your client in person to discuss their needs in-depth, so all emails should prompt a CTA to a meeting, or at least a phone call.  

This is critical since 70% of home sellers interview just one agent before signing a contract, and only 4% of them get in touch with that agent through a website. Here’s a simple email that can get the job done:

Image: The Close

Standing out from the crowd and forming that relationship is predicated on a face-to-face meeting, so offer a comparative market analysis of their home after an in-home assessment.

Here’s another example of how to engage a reluctant seller:

Image: The Close

One of the best real estate marketing ideas is what this agent has done at the bottom of the email, including a CTA that offers a free guide that helps clients get more money for their homes.

5. Special care for former clients to promote lead generation

Referrals are the mainstay of a real estate agent’s business. The NAR states that 40% of buyers and 38% of home sellers choose realtors that have been referred to them by a neighbor, friend, or relative.

You need to plan carefully when marketing to former customers. They probably know all they need to know about the current real estate market, so include newsletters that focus on home and garden tips or local events instead.

Another approach is to forego newsletters and send personalized emails that are less frequent.

You can use the anniversary of their move to touch base with them or send holiday greetings to keep your name in the forefront of their minds. Personal greetings also let them know you value your relationship with them.

Here’s an email invite to a holiday party—a great way to get up close and personal with former clients:

Image: Keller Williams Beach Cities

If you’re an independent agent, don’t worry—you don’t have to throw a party to maintain relationships. Sending a card is just fine. The goal is to stay in touch and build trust.

6. Maintain the connection using automation. 

You should put an automated email system in place to send transactional emails that are triggered by customer behavior.

If a prospect opts-in to your email newsletter, requests information online, or takes some other action on your website, send them an email.

Make it personal, because personalization is the key to more conversions and can increase the ROI of your email marketing campaign.

Wrap up

We’ve looked at a number of real estate marketing ideas that will boost your profile among your competitors and help you stand out in a crowded industry.

Supplying your customers with unique, relevant content and staying in touch with them every step of their buying or selling journey is critical for converting leads into clients.

And in real estate, keeping former clients connected and feeling valued is essential for earning the high volumes of referrals that are necessary for real estate success.