7 Mistakes Real Estate Agents Make with Email Marketing

According to a recent survey conducted by BAM and ReminderMedia, more than 80% of agents don’t consistently send emails as part of their marketing strategy. More than a quarter of agents surveyed said they don’t use email at all, while another 52% said they use it either rarely or once a month.

Here are seven mistakes you might be making by ignoring email marketing — and how to make it work for your business.

1. You think social media will do the same job

While return on investment (ROI) figures vary depending on who’s crunching the numbers, the purposes of social media and email marketing channels are fundamentally different. Social media is great for discovery and brand awareness, and email marketing is ideally suited for nurturing and conversion. In other words, while people might find you on TikTok or Instagram, the longer conversation that leads to a buyer or seller transaction will be more effective over email.

In addition, while social media channels throttle your visibility with ever-changing algorithms, you own your email audience, and you set the parameters for engagement. That gives you far more control over when, where and how you show up for your audience.

2. You only email when you have a listing

If you’re only showing up when you have a home to sell, you’re trying to take without giving anything in return. By building trust with value-added content, market updates, case studies and more, you cultivate the know, like and trust relationship that results in warm leads, repeat clients and referrals.

3. You think of email as spam

If you don’t like email yourself, you’re likely to see it as an intrusion on your sphere of influence (SOI). But people who have opted in to your emails, and who stay in without unsubscribing, want to hear from you. Make sure that what you’re sending is useful, interesting and intentional. If you’re respectful of their time, they’re more likely to see and appreciate your effort and your message.

4. You use it with no strategy

If you’re sending random one-off email blasts, your audience is likely to be confused, at best, when they see your name in their email inbox. Replace that with an email marketing strategy that builds anticipation and rolls in reliably. For example, send weekly tips, monthly market updates, client spotlights and success stories, and other value-added content on a consistent schedule.

5. You don’t segment or personalize your audience

Don’t send the same message to everyone in your SOI. Skyrocket engagement by segmenting your audience with categories like:

• First-time buyers
• Downsizers and empty nesters
• Investors
• Buyers
• Sellers
• Hot leads
• Warm leads
• Cold leads

Make sure your CRM is consistently updated with the most complete information you can gather, and personalize your email sends with specifics whenever possible.

6. You don’t make the most of your CRM

Speaking of which, your CRM has plenty of built-in tools to help you communicate with your SOI on the go, yet you may not have taken the time to understand how to fully integrate and optimize these tools. Consider taking a training course through your CRM provider or ask your broker to have your sales rep coordinate a training for your whole team.

7. You don’t track your KPIs

You know the old saying: “What you measure improves.” This is especially true for email marketing. Track open rates, clicks and replies, as well as lead sources, to find out how effective your email marketing strategy is. Commit to a consistent email marketing schedule for at least six months to ensure you have enough data to determine what’s working, what’s not and what to adjust.

While everyone’s chasing the next shiny AI object, don’t forget about the tried and true workhorse tools that continue to work. Build relationships, earn trust and drive deals by being one of the 19% of agents who are putting email marketing to work in your business.