3 tips for creating emails that your sphere will actually want to read

We live in an age where people are bombarded by messages.  Just checking your email can be an anxiety producing activity!

When I open my email, the first thing I do is skim through and delete the emails that I know are advertisements or that don’t look relevant, important or interesting to me.  What about you?

You likely have your own version of this.  And if I’m doing it and you’re doing it, then your clients are doing it too.

How can you make sure that the emails you’re sending to your database are actually getting read and not deleted?  And more importantly, how can they become a catalyst to drive greater repeat and referral business? 

Here are 3 tips to help.

#1 – Be personal and relevant.  If your messaging isn’t relevant to me as a consumer today, I’m not opening it.  I don’t have time.  But when something comes through that IS relevant or that taps into an interest or hobby of mine, I’m in.  As a real estate agent today, you need to know more about your clients than ever before.  Names, emails, birthdays and purchase anniversaries aren’t enough.  To create that personal connection, be intentional and REALLY learn about them.  Ask. Listen.  Does this person like dogs or cats?  Do they like beer or wine?  Coffee or tea?  The Denver Broncos or Colorado Rockies?  The more you know about them, the more you can tailor your messaging (and gifts!) to become more personal, relevant and memorable – and much less delete-able!

#2 – Master your Database.  You obviously can’t remember all this information.  That is where your CRM (customer relationship manager) comes in.  Do you have a database or CRM?  Do you actually use it?  It’s time to dust that bad boy off and clean it up, my friend!  Properly leveraging a CRM is like adding rocket fuel to your business engine.  It can 10X your efforts, in addition to keeping you focused and organized.  Store all the great info that you’re learning about your clients in your CRM and start using that info to drive your messaging.  (Need CRM recommendations? Please reach out at lsuazo@poweredbywest.com –  I’m happy to share!)

#3 – Use tags and list segmentation.  The easiest way to create organization in your CRM and/or ESP (email service provider) and make it easy to retrieve contacts that have certain likes and interests is through using tags.  Tagging lets you easily sort, filter, and segment contacts so you can create emails and campaigns designed around a specific interest or action. You can tag someone as a dog lover, cat lover, foodie, etc. Then when you have an email that you’re sending about the Best Dog Parks in Denver or your staff’s Top Summer Restaurant Picks, you can easily find the contacts with those tags and send to them.  Email list segmentation allows you to create more targeted messaging to a certain segment of your database – perhaps the people in a specific neighborhood, past clients, or your vendor partners.

By creating more relevant, personalized messages by leveraging your CRM and tags effectively, you’ll watch your open rates climb.  Using this technique, Jason Farris, Broker and Founder of FresYes! Realty in Fresno, CA achieved an average open rate of 86% for his emails when the industry average comes in around 18%.

The digital age has created a paradox.  People are more connected through technology, yet feel more disconnected than ever before.  Communicate with your people in a more personalized, thoughtful way and watch your business grow.