How to create a
NEWSLETTER
WHY…HOW…WHAT…WHEN… & WHO… Things to consider when creating a Newsletter
By Tom Tezak
Why create a newsletter There are several reasons to create that a newsletter 1.) As a consumer our email addresses are a valuable and protected commodity…a newsletter offers a value exchange for a consumer's email address. When you meet a consumer, having the ability to offer to keep them up to date on the RE market, current events and the community with your newsletter is an equitable exchange for their email and the right to reach out to them 2.) To keep your name in front of your past clients, provide them value, and to keep you top of mind when they think of real estate in your market area
3.) By creating a newsletter you become aware of what the best deals are in the market as you do your research, so when you meet someone and start a real estate conversation you have relevant and up to date information. 4.) It is one of the least expensive and fastest ways to touch your clients on a regular basis. 5.) An ideal way to know which of your clients are actively or passively in the market by utilizing your newsletter analytics
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How to create a newsletter
The first step is to be a consumer… explore different newsletters that are sent to you from other realtors, other vendors, other industries. As you look at the newsletters assess how they look. If they are easy to read, if you scan all the way through them, do you click on the links? What color scheme do you like? Are they hard to look at? Are they easy to navigate, do they load quickly, are there too many photos or not enough? Video or no video, do you like the graphics, what feeling do they convey? Elegance, whimsey, fun, carefree, professional? What feeling do you want your newsletter to convey, do they have a call to action? Were they fun to read? All things to consider as you design your newsletter. Now that you are a newsletter expert, start with a content outline that you lay out and fill in the articles/Listings that you will use every time you create your newsletter. A content outline is a simple format where you identify each component of your newsletter. Many agents struggle with not knowing what to put in their newsletter, this outline makes it simple to gather everything you need every time you do your newsletter. Here is an example of what it might look like.
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Cover Photo w/logo Opening Comments/welcome short and sweet Best new condo listing this week (include link to listing on your website) Current event in the area Best new home listing or your new listing (include link to listing on your website) Fun activity to do in the area FAQ Video (include link to listing on your website or youtube) Best new luxury listing (include link to listing on your website) Current Real Estate Statistics (Link to the stats) New/featured business in the area (include link to there website) send NL to Business Call to action Invite them to share Newsletter with a friend Closing image with contact info, names , company and license number
This is just an idea, create the format the way you like it and it is meaningful to you. You might want to mention statistics, fundraisers, concerts, surf competitions, recipes, and golf courses- whatever resonates with you and YOUR clients. Adapt and adjust as your newsletter evolves, do not be afraid to change it up if something special is going on or for a holiday. This is just a guideline not an absolute. Now that you have the format, now you need to select the way to send your email, there are several options…
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You can send from your Gmail, outlook or standard email account. It will get delivered to the most people but you risk having your email flagged for spamming and that can be a problem, you can only send in small batches. You can send from your CRM which is a good option to keep all of your contacts and communication in one place. It depends how robust your CRM is and what features it offers. It is better to send from your ESS- Email Sending Service These are platforms like Constant Contact, where you create your newsletter on their website and load your database into their system. It sends from their server with your email address. They offer analytics that show who receives the email, who opens it, what links they click on (great to see who is looking at real estate on your mailing list and what price range) it records the bad emails and merges duplicates, and allows you to group. It is important to have a good list and consumers that want to receive your email, if you have consumers that mark your email as SPAM that will negatively affect your ability to send emails. I would encourage you to research the companies and the services and fees associated with them. Some offer free options for smaller accounts, some charge by the address and some charge by the email.
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Here are some to check out ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Constant Contact MadMimi MailChimp A Weber Sendinblue MailerLite Benchmark BombBomb (Video email service) Omnisend Sender
Each of these companies offers an array of services to enhance the email sending opportunities and lead capture.
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Now that you have your layout & your sending service, let's put it on your calendar. Time block your newsletter creation time. I recommend picking a 2 hour block (that should be plenty of time once you have the system and process in place) on a day that you are typically not very busy, a morning or evening before the day starts or once it winds down. By planning a time and blocking it out you will get in the habit of creating and sending your email. I would make it easy and do your newsletter 2X a month and pick the 1st and 3rd Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday (or whichever day fits your schedule) of the month and put it on your calendar for the year. You will then also be able to schedule the day and time you send it. These are important decisions depending on where the bulk of your clients are located in your area, out of your area, or in a different time zone. Once you start sending and see the responses and open rate you will be motivated to continue the process. Keep in mind this is not a get rich quick scheme, it is the long game. Last but not least when creating your Newsletter crafting the perfect Subject Line is so important. Keep in mind your email may get deleted over and over again but the
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customers will not opt out. HMMM what does that mean? While your customers might not be in the mood or have the time to read your newsletter but they know at some point they will be interested again. Possibly when they are planning a trip back out, or possibly when they are coming into some money to invest. They may need to resize their property or they may be getting frustrated with their property and may become a seller. So know the subject line may be the only thing they see so be sure to include some important details in that line. First be sure to include Your Name, then be sure to include your Market Area then include The Hook to get the customer to open your newsletter. Make the hook compelling and as short as possible. “Maui Update by Tom Tezak- Will prices continue Upward” as you can see there are two parts to the subject line, your name and market area and the hook. It is important to include them both because if the customer is not interested “at the Moment'' they will still see your name and where you are from 2x a month and that in and of itself builds your brand awareness. The hook will be important if they are “in the mood” to read and you can motivate them to open up your newsletter and get them to engage. Some of the newsletter senders will allow you to resend your email to everyone in your database that did not open it on the first send a day or two after the original send date. The cool part about this is they will also allow you to change the subject line, this is a great opportunity to try A/B testing and use a different hook to appeal to a different segment of your audience and increase your open rate and engagement.
What to put in your Newsletter
Let's dig deeper into What to put in your newsletter and why. Earlier in the outline section we mentioned a bunch of items to consider putting in your newsletter. In this section let's discuss why we pick particular topics and where we get the information.
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From my perspective if it is all real estate it may not keep your inactive buying/selling clients engaged. If it is all community events your active buyers and sellers will find no value. So by including some of each you will create a newsletter that will retain your clients interest and stop them from opting out of your database. Pick some listing price ranges to feature “Your Favorite New Listings“ in both homes and condos. It is important to include links to each one of the listings, and in a perfect world it will be a link that sends the reader to your website. This will help build your SEO as they link into the site and it will also keep them in your domain. Keep in mind they do not need to be your listings, just the best listing in your opinion, just be sure that the listing broker is mentioned somewhere so you stay compliant. I mentioned a bunch of other content options such as statistics, fundraisers, concerts, surf competitions, golf courses, current events, fun activities, or your favorite things to do. Highlight a new or favorite business, FAQ’s answer a frequently asked question, or whatever you are passionate about. Be yourself, you will find your tribe and attract clients who like the same things as you. Ask a question or try doing a contest to create participation from your readers. The goal is to stimulate engagement.
Where/How to find your newsletter content for real estate is easy, just go to the hot sheet and look at the new listings for the week and pick the best deals that fit the categories you cover…or feature your new listings…Done. For local info just google “what's happening on Maui or whatever area you are focusing on. Also pay attention to any late breaking news about things that will affect visitors to the area and incorporate that. Once you select the content be sure to include a link to the original story or event so that your readers can get more info. Also if they have an email address for the event or company be sure to send a copy of your newsletter letting them know you are promoting them. If they know you are their fan, they may just become your fan and send clients your way or post your content on their feed.
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When to send your Newsletter
A lot of studies have been done as to when is the best time to send emails for the best open rate, a good rule of thumb is mid-day and mid-week, However if your database is all over the world in various time zones, pick the time that works for the bulk of your list. It seems early in the day recipients are inundated with all the emails in their inbox and are more likely to SPEED DELETE. Think about how you go through your emails and base your timing on getting into the inbox at the most ideal time.Think about when your readers have an extra few minutes to spend some time checking out what you have to say. If you are just starting and you can segregate your database by time zone you could do multiple sends which would be ideal but a bit more work.
Who to Send it to and for how long. Who do you send it to …Everyone that wants it and then some…Be careful not to spam people but do add as many people to your list as possible, When you are at an open house, working Floor duty, real estate events ask the guests if they would like to be updated on Maui activities and the market, when you meet friends out and about let them know you have a newsletter and would like to add them to the list. If you have online lead sources add them to the list as they sign up for information. Go to your google or outlook contacts list and add all the people you already know and love including your friends and family (you can easily export these lists into your mail program).
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By putting your email in their inbox you stay top of mind for your Sphere of Influence and Clients and continue to reinforce that you are a Realtor and the next time they are talking with someone that mentions real estate they just may be a great Referral source. They will perceive you as a professional because you continue to add value to them in the market. So your newsletter is just not for active buyers and sellers but everyone in your sphere. Also do not forget your vendors, favorite restaurants and any other people in your “SOI” Sphere of Influence. You would be surprised how many people you most likely already have that would benefit from receiving your email.
I regularly get asked when you should clean up your list and delete people that do not respond and the answer is NEVER! If they no longer wish to receive your emails they will opt out. All of the email servers have an unsubscribe button. Don’t take offense, just keep focused on the people that still want your information. My personal record is 11 years of sending newsletters with no contact and then- Boom! A $4M sale. Be sure to check the back cover of this book for words to avoid in your subject line.
I hope all this makes sense and helps you to be successful in keeping connected with your clients and your SOI. Consistency and content are the keys to a great newsletter. Get in the habit and you will reap the rewards for years to come. Tom Tezak
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Words To Avoid In Your Subject Line One of the first things spam filters look at is your email message’s subject line. Specifically, they’re looking for words that spammers often use to lure the unsuspecting reader into opening their message. Now, we know many of these will seem enticing and even true as far as your campaign is concerned. But believe us, avoiding the following words in the email message subject of your campaign will increase the chance that it’ll land in your clients’ inbox:
1. 100% Satisfied
11. Discount
21. Offer
2. 50% Off
12. Easy Terms
22. One time/ One-time
3. Affordable
13. For You/Your Family
23. Only
4. Amazing
14. Friend
24. Open
5. Avoid
15. Get
25. Price
6. Best Price
16. Guarantee
26. Remove/Removes
7. Collect
17. Herbal
27. Save $
8. Cost/ No Cost
18. Hidden
28. Stop
9. Compare
19. Limited Time Offer
29. Teen
10. Credit
20. Lose
30. Win/Winner
Some additional tips: ·
Never start a subject line with a “$” symbol or end it with a number
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Use sentence case or have each word begin with a capital — don’t USE ALL CAPS, SINCE
THAT’LL LOOK LIKE YOU’RE SHOUTING. LIKE SPAMMERS DO. ·
Don’t use goofy p.u.n.c.t.u.a.t.i.o.n or g a p s i n y o u r t e x t — it all looks suspicious.
Many spam filters are getting smart about analyzing the content of your message in addition to the subject line to see that your offer/email is actually legit – but many internet service providers aren’t there yet. Using the above guidelines will help you get a better return out of your campaigns. Happy marketing.
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