We’ll Be In Touch…

One of the best things about email marketing is that it’s completely measurable.When you put an ad in the paper…who knows how many people actually turned to your page and saw it? Sending out direct mail? Do you have any way of determining how many people just tossed it in the trash?

But with email, we know it all…how many subscribers opened your message, how many clicked on a link to visit your web site, how many unsubscribed from future mailings. Sometimes we even know how many forwarded your message to a friend.

Best of all, we can tell you the specific names and email addresses of the people who did each of these things, so you can follow up with additional messages specifically tailored to them.

So before you choose to delete the next edition of MAILbytes…beware. I’ll know.

But if you’ve been doing email marketing for a while (and if you’re not, I can recommend a great company that can help you start), you already know this. You want to make the most of this information! You’d like to see your campaign statistics go through the roof, right?

Here’s how. Use email to advertise products that are not yet available for sale.

In real estate, effective email communication is critical – and extremely effective – before a new development opens for sales. As soon as information becomes available, post it on your web site and invite interested prospects to sign up for your “VIP List”, “Priority List”, etc. But you can’t just forget about these “VIPs” until you’re ready to open for sales.

Stay in touch with them via a planned series of email blasts. Let them know about the surrounding area. The schools their children will attend. The home designs to be built in the community. Any planned amenities. When you expect to open for sales.

Your efforts will pay off. This past week, one of my clients sent out an e-blast for an upcoming community. 65% of recipients opened the email.

That’s an incredible statistic. Why was it so high? Think about it: at this point, there’s no sales office to visit. There’s no salesperson to call. Details on the web site are pretty sketchy. They haven’t seen the floorplans, site plan or standard features list. But they want to know more.

So when they receive an email blast from you, they’re actually excited to open it!

I’ve seen this time and time again. You have a much greater chance of getting through to your recipients if you send them the kind of relevant information they crave. They’re not just allowing you to sell to them…they’re encouraging you.

One builder I’ve worked with utilized a systematic approach to pre-opening communications. Approximately three months prior to opening, they would send an e-blast describing the surrounding area: schools, shopping, recreation, points of interest, etc. About two months before opening, an e-blast would describe the amenities of the community (if applicable): clubhouse, pool, playground, natural surroundings and the like. One month before opening, a description of the home designs. Finally, about two weeks in advance, they would send out an invitation to the official grand opening.

Each campaign performed very well, exciting and motivating potential customers who simply couldn’t wait to sign on the dotted line and buy a home.

Of course, this is no substitute for the kinds of emails you would send following your grand opening (e.g. event invitations, grand openings, information on inventory homes, special incentives, etc.). But many of us tend to focus less effort on marketing our communities in planning. A few simple communications can pay off with a highly successful grand opening – and email is the best way to stay in touch.

Tags: email marketing, home building, real estate