Have you ever thought, “Boy, I sure wish I received more emails”? It’s highly unlikely.
It should come as no surprise that 75 per cent or more marketing emails remain unopened, deleted or relegated to the trash.
We all receive so many emails every day, how do you make yours stand out and get some attention? Here are some tips.
1. A compelling subject line:
“August Newsletter” or “Market News” is uninspiring and simply won’t cut it. Once you’ve prepared your email, think about what piece of content will be the most interesting to your readers. Is it a spectacular new listing, a local food festival, some fantastic gardening ideas? Once you know that, write an engaging subject line that’s a maximum six to 10 words long that will motivate people to open your email.
2. Think about the timing:
If you’re preparing your email on a Sunday night, are people likely to be in front of their phone or computer to read it? And even if they are, is it the best time to send it?
The objective when you send out an email is for people to take an action such as clicking to your website or calling you about a new listing. Think about the actions you want people to take and schedule your email to go out when they are most likely to take them. Any professional email software will be able to tell you when people opened your email and when they clicked on one of your links. This is great information and allows you to increase the number of clickers moving forward. More clicks = more conversations = more sales.
3. Share your email on social media:
On average, 22 to 25 per cent of people on your list will open your email. Some of them may be following you on Facebook, LinkedIn or another social media channel. Post a link to your newsletter there. The average adult on Facebook has more than 155 friends. If just one of those people shares your email, your potential reach has just expanded by 155 – and it didn’t cost you anything.
Here’s how it works: one of my clients has 2,500 people in his database. With an open rate of 25 per cent, 625 people see his newsletter each month. He shares it on his Facebook page, which has over 1,000 followers, on LinkedIn where he’s connected with over 800 people and on Twitter where he has just about 4,000 followers. By sharing his newsletter on social media, his reach more than doubles.
If you’re marketing by email and you find your open rates isn’t as high as you’d like, shake it up a little, try these tips and see what happens!
Mark Brodsky has been working with Realtors since 2008, producing monthly newsletters and social media management. Send him an email or visit his website.
