4 Amazing Examples of Real Estate Email Marketing

I’ve discussed email marketing for realtors before.

In fact, I’ve covered plenty of industry-specific uses for this remarkable digital marketing technology. You’ll find information about email marketing in banking, higher education, publishing, and more on my blog. It’s the perfect way to amplify any marketing strategy, but its many benefits are not the topic of today’s post.

Instead, I want to focus on dissecting some realtor email marketing.

So, get your microscopes ready! We’re diving into the world of real estate marketing.

Look out for each example’s at-a-glance summary. This pocket-sized guide breaks each example into its constituent parts, detailing its use and function. It’s easy to spot, too! Just look for this list:

• Business: I’ll give a brief overview of the sender’s business to illustrate its place in the real estate market.
• Audience: Who is the email recipient? This point shows if an example is for past clients, potential buyers, or existing clients.
• Email Type: What type of email is this? Email marketing campaigns often follow a formula; real estate email campaigns are no different! This point clarifies the purpose of each example.
• Highlight: Finally, there’s the highlight of each example. Think of this as your “what to learn” section.

Now, with that in mind, it’s time to start the examinations!

1. The “Short and Sweet” Email Marketing Campaign

Few people open an email and expect to read a novel. (Unless you’re subscribed to Dracula Daily, I suppose…) An effective email marketing strategy understands and compensates for this. Some campaigns opt to engage consumers with an eye-catching header before leading them through a longer newsletter. Others — like my first example — deliver a bite-sized experience.

Remember, you usually have three seconds to make an impression. Even the best real estate professionals can’t avoid that fact. Your flashy email templates and prosaic newsletters won’t overpower modern information overload.

So, why fight it?

Instead, embrace it! Take the Trulia approach and keep those marketing emails short. And — speaking of short — here’s that at-a-glance summary I promised:

• Business: Real estate listings
• Audience: General
• Type: Engagement-driven
• Highlight: Engagement, Design

How Real Estate Agents Build Digital Relationships

I’ll start with the basics.

This automated email is all about the customer journey. It’s the sort of cutesy, inoffensive content that you might expect from BuzzFeed. “Where would you rather live?” the email asks. And, of course, there’s a handy call-to-action link.

This isn’t a conversion-driven campaign. As noted in the summary, this email aiums to drive website traffic. Here, marketers weren’t concerned about conversion rates or comparative market analysis. They wanted to form personal connections.

This may seem irrelevant, but it’s a massive draw when it’s time to announce that open house. Humans are creatures of habit. We stick to what we know, and the home-buying process is no different.

Summarily, you — as a real estate agent — are a brand, and it’s in your best interests to raise awareness of that brand. In doing so, you nuture a sense of familiarity within your community. You establish yourself within the local market and dominate the minds of prospective clients. At the end of the day, you want your buyer leads to think of your name, not someone else’s!

The Visual Composition of Effective Email Campaigns

I also want to point out the visual design of this email.

Yes, it’s a simple email. It’s a one-column layout with a massive header image and a single call-to-action link. However, that simplicity is its strength. Not only is it easy to understand, but it also guarantees the email displays correctly on mobile devices.

Furthermore, it aligns with other marketing efforts. Its extensive use of green emphasizes the Trulia brand, reminding readers of the email’s sender. It even includes social media links to promote other marketing channels.

The original campaign also included accessibility-boosting alternative text (commonly called “alt text”) to describe each image. This information loads in place of the image. In this specific example, the primary image — that of the modern home contrasted with the Frank Lloyd Wright-esque modern abode — was described simply, “Two houses side-by-side.”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with this alt text. It serves its purpose well and gives the subscriber a sense of the email’s purpose. However, it could be a bit more descriptive. A more wholistic summary of the photo would better entice users to engage with the email, boosting the click-through rate.

Consider, instead, something like, “Two houses side-by-side. The house on the left is a Craftsman; on the right is a modern home.” Just a few extra words can make a massive difference, so keep this in mind as you develop your real estate email marketing strategy!

2. How to Write a Welcome Email

Next, I want to examine a delightful little campaign from Willow Real Estate Technologies.

Again, this is a simple campaign. It’s the sort of no-frills nonsense real estate agents can use to boost their personal connections. Like any successful email marketing strategy, this example states its goal, delivers its content, and leaves its target audience to do the rest.

This three-step process is a great way to please potential clients without overstaying your welcome. Add a bit of personalization, and you’ll be delivering relevant content to high-quality leads with ease.

So, what’s there to learn from Willow’s campaign?

• Business: Rental real estate management
• Audience: New subscribers
• Email Type: Welcome email
• Highlight: Informational content

Using Automated Email Sequences to Create a Positive Customer Journey

Like Trulio, Willow takes advantage of a simplistic real estate email template. The header image is bold, large, and centered for the greatest impact. Notice, too, that there’s no massive subject line. The Willow app’s home screen is the header!

I know the text is tiny, so allow me to transcribe this campaign’s opening words:

Welcome to Willow real estate. Just a few more questions and you can start building your real estate portfolio!

As far as welcome emails go, this is your bread and butter. No frills, no fuss. It’s your run-of-the-mill constant contact drip campaign, designed to roll a positive customer experience into a bite-sized package. This is the perfect illustration of how engagement-driven marketing strategies work.

Note the lack of traditional deals or discounts, which would be expected in retail email marketing campaigns. At this point, Willow already has the customer’s contact details. There’s clear interest and intent. Offering the potential clients a discount is more than gauche; it’s downright confusing! Instead, this campaign aims to educate new subscribers.

Control the Flow of Information With Email Marketing Software

I’ll scroll down some more.

Now, Willow gives subscribers a three-step review of the signup process. On the surface, it’s a pleasant follow-up email to remind users to complete their profiles. However, it has an addition purpose: it reassures consumers of the application’s simplicity and functionality. The email campaign further emphasizes this point by mimicking the platform’s bare-bones usability in its structure.

As a whole, this is the ultimate example of a straightforward email marketing campaign. By controlling the narrative, Willow nurture client relationships with a gentle, subtle touch. There’s no need for exclusive video tours or fancy personalized emails. New clients only need three bits of information, and they’re ready to go!

3. Using Personalized Emails and Targeted Email Campaigns

Great!

You know that you can write a short email marketing campaign.

“But, Melanie,” you may be saying, “I have so much more to say! How can I possibly fit it all in a single follow-up email?”

Worry not, readers! There are successful examples of long-form email marketing efforts. Just look at my next example. And — of course — don’t forget the at-a-glance summary:

• Business: Real estate listings
• Audience: Individual
• Email Type: Personalized, Targeted
• Highlight: Personalization

The Power of a Good Email Marketing Platform

Yes, this example is from Zillow.

But don’t focus on the brand. Focus on the content!

At this point, Zillow has the user’s contact details. More importantly, they have a saved listing, and that information is fueling this unique individualized marketing strategy. With little more than a few blocks of dynamic content, this email has become something more than a pathway to lucrative landing pages. This is an email about one individual and their dream home, on 104 Ladson Street.

And here’s the biggest secret of all: This campaign uses a copy-and-paste template! The only information Zillow needed was a potential buyer’s saved home. From there, the right email marketing software takes over, filling out the content as needed.

Hooking the Potential Buyer

Of course, that’s not the end of the email!

There are also two little bars at the bottom. One displays new listings; the other, nearby homes.

Now, these additions may not close a deal. They may not even earn a decent click-through rate. That’s okay! They’re there to draw more buyer leads.

Maybe the subscriber knows someone looking for a home. Or, perhaps, they’re investing in multiple properties. Regardless of the recipient’s motives, the simple inclusion of suggested properties expands the email’s target audience.

That expansion is critical to real estate marketing.

Few people buy a new home every day. The real estate industry is — above all — a waiting game. Real estate agents know that ebb and flow like an old song. Clever real estate agents know how to play the song, to scratch profit and potential from a tried and true tune.

4. One Last Personalized Email for the Road

Finally, I want to show off a much longer example.

This is the sort of content any real estate agent could send, but its composition and specificity elevates its status. Again, I’m focusing on personalization.

And for our final example, I have one last at-a-glance summary:

• Business: Rental real estate listings
• Audience: Individualized
• Email Type: Welcome email
• Highlight: Content

The Perfect Welcome Email

This is the perfect welcome email. It is, indeed, longer than others. It’s an opportunistic campaign with plenty of landing pages. However, that extra length only increases click-through rates!

It begins like an informative blog post, revealing the scope of the platform’s search capabilities.

Then, there’s the personalization.

“We’ve picked these listings just for you!”

That personal touch goes a long way. It’s the difference between churning through clients and retaining previous clients.

Notably, these recommendations are placed before the final informational push.

By frontloading the recommendations, Zumper guarantees viewership. People are more likely to bounce away from excessively verbose email campaigns. Thus, placing important information at the beginning increases viewership.

Yes, this may seem like a basic email marketing template. However, it’s packed with strategic specificity.

Don’t Be Overwhelmed by Real Estate Marketing!

This may have felt like a lot of information.

At its core, real estate email marketing is about numbers. It’s a delicate balance of subject lines, customer service, and keeping up with other real estate agents. If nothing else, this blog post should showcase the complexities of the medium.

But that’s not to say you can’t succeed. You can! And you can amplify your impact by hiring a team of experts.

My hand-picked pros at The Email Marketers are always ready for a challenge, and we’ll happily tackle your real estate email needs. We’re a full-service email marketing company, capable of handling everything. Established real estate agents can enjoy streamlined creation and visualization, while newcomers will receive custom-made email templates, on-demand service, and fully realized email automation. We’ll even handle your email marketing software!

That means you have more time to please potential buyers and cultivate local relationships.

So, what are you waiting for? Schedule a free strategy session to see how a dedicated team of email marketing experts can take your real estate email marketing strategy to the next level!