The Importance of Email List Building For Estate Agents.
Any internet marketing “Guru” will tell you that “The Money Is In The List!”. What they mean by this, is that if you are doing any sort of sales online then you should be growing your email list.
So how is this relevant to you as an Estate Agent?
Well, as I’m sure you are aware a very high percentage of your customers start their search for properties online. Many Vendors also do a fair bit of online research before calling agents in to value their properties. This is an excellent opportunity to begin your relationship with them.
However, most of the the Estate Agency websites I visit are not making any effort whatsoever to capture this essential lead data. Websites have become simple browsing tools for potential buyers & tenants (who are using the portals anyway) coupled with some generic info about the company.
This is almost CRIMINAL!
Your website should be your lead magnet, you should be driving people to it and then pushing them through a sales funnel to generate good quality leads. These leads will already have an interest in your company and therefore you will have a massive edge over your competition when the time comes for them to sell or let. Doing this gives you an opportunity to create a lasting relationship sometimes long before they are ready to commit.
An example from our site
As it stands, if you simply rely on the portals to generate your internet leads for you, then don’t complain when vendors fail to understand how “different” you are to your competitors and find it hard to choose on anything but the cheapest fee. The fact is their journey with you and their relationship with your company is likely to be almost identical to that of your competitors, albeit with some minor differences (yes your suit was a better fit but they had shinier shoes). Anyway I digress, this is a whole other blog post.
I would highly recommend having a subscription form on your website so that you can collect even more addresses. Remember many vendors will research your website before calling you in, so this is a great way to communicate with them and create a relationship before they call. Remember to use an “Email Magnet” like a helpful free guide, to give your vendors a reason to leave you their email address.
Once you have their email address, you can send them an email every now and then. This will help keep your brand in the minds of any potential vendors until the point need they need your services and ensures that you are on their contact list when they are ready to move.
Emails with lists of properties or promotions on how great you are is not really the kind of content we are talking about here. Try sending local market news, community events or even guides on how to get the best price, how a pretty garden helps to sell etc. Just try to keep it relevant and interesting and remember it’s not about you, it’s about them. Get this right and you will most certainly be a step ahead of the competition and massively increase your chances winning more instructions.
If you need help with the email content I’d recommend having a chat to Christopher Watkin who is great at writing bespoke content for local markets.
We can design and implement the subscription form along with setting up and managing your email service for you. Just let me know if you need any help.
As always good luck with the next instruction, and comments welcome!