How To Build Your Email Database Part 1

June 26, 2009

Many real estate professionals have a common problem.  They have prospects visiting their websites, but few (if any) of them sign up to receive their email newsletter or other updates from them.  Building your email database is really the #1 reason you have a website.  So here are some tips for getting prospects to sign up for your email database:

Provide What They Ask For … And Offer More Of It

Before the internet changed the way we do real estate, it was the norm to qualify your prospects first.  However, it’s inappropriate to qualify prospects like this anymore because real estate professionals no longer hold all the keys to the real estate information vault.  The internet has empowered consumers with all types of information in a big way, and most people want it that way.  So you shouldn’t try wresting control back from your prospects by asking old model qualifying questions or you’ll stand little chance of building a relationship with them. 

So when you get a prospect contacting you via email, just answer their questions, don’t qualify them.  The first thing you want to determine is whether they’re looking to buy now or not.  If they aren’t ready to buy just yet, find out what their interests and information needs are through your questions, and offer to send them more of the same by adding them to your mailing list.

You need to remember the internet has empowered consumers to find a lot of information they used to rely totally on the real estate professional for in times past, but they can’t find everything.  It’s up to you to demonstrate your real estate expertise to prospects so they’ll view you as a sort of guide to quickly finding what they’re looking for.  So don’t offer to email them something general like “updates on the Toronto real estate market”.  Offer them something more insightful and niche like “Market Watch for the downtown Toronto luxury condo market”. 

Email Them Listings

The National Association of Realtors says the biggest reason consumers go to a real estate professional’s website is seeing pictures of homes for sale.  So make listings (whether your own or from others) the  main thing you email to your database.  Some real estate reps still resist the notion of putting others’ listings on their website, thinking “why would I promote someone else’s listings?  I should only promote my own.”.  But the more listings people find on your website, the more interesting it will be, and the more they’ll want to sign up for your mailing list.

Having my Moneymaker website lets you have choose from thousands of listings to have on your site.  This greatly increases the likelyhood people visiting your website will sign up for your mailing list.  Try a Moneymaker website free for 30 days and see the difference!

Filed under: Attracting Buyers/Sellers With Email,Realtor Websites - Best Practices

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