Email Marketing Tips for Builders & Developers

Email marketing is an important component to a residential real estate marketing strategy. Lasso software has email marketing built right into the software eliminating any need for third party suppliers. Sending an email is easy but effective email marketing takes some time. Follow these tips and you’ll see your deliver ability improve along with your open and click rates.

We add email marketing tips weekly. Do you have a tip to add? Let us know.

Tip #1: Always start with a table.

Your recipients will thank you! The email will look nicer and more professional. Keep your table to no wider than 600 pixels (that’s about the size of a preview pane).

Tip #2: Customize your content.

Try to avoid sending everything to everyone. Instead segment your lists and modify the content based on your registrants’ preferences.

Tip #3: Keep it simple!

When deciding on the design of your email, keep it simple. A complex design might leave you with more issues when rendering it across multiple platforms (Outlook, web-based interfaces, etc). Don’t sacrifice your message for fancy designs!

Tip #4: Use Alt Tags for images.

By default, most email recipients have images turned off. Don’t assume everyone is going to see the images in your email. Providing a brief description of the image in the “alt tag”, will give your recipients an idea of what the image is.

Tip #5: Use Web-Friendly fonts.

When creating an email template, it’s tempting to use one of the fancy fonts available in applications like Word, but it’s likely that the recipients’ email provider will remove the fancy font and replace it with Times Roman.

Tip #6: Review your reports!

Your mass mail reports will give you a lot of valuable information: Who is opening your email, who is clicking on links, and which email addresses are bouncing or invalid?

Tip #7: Design above the fold.

When creating email templates, think about your recipients’ preview pane and make sure there is a clear call to action in the first part of the email (above the fold) without having to scroll down.

Tip #8: Use a Recognizable Sender Name.

Use a project or corporate domain email address that your recipients will recognize when sending mass email.

Tip #9: Know your competition.

Sign up to receive information from other real estate projects as well as other products and services. Doing this can give you some great ideas for your own campaigns.

Tip #10: Test before sending.

When you’ve finished creating the email template, don’t forget to test it by sending it to different ISPs (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo!, etc.) to confirm it renders the way you want.

Tip #11: Organic is good for your environment.

Growing your email lists organically will produce better results than trying to purchase lists or blasting to people who haven’t opted-in to receive email.

Tip #12: What you have to say is important…just keep it short.

Most email recipients will not read your entire message. Be concise and use links to direct to more information on your website.

Tip #13: What action do you want your email recipients to take?

Emails should have a clear call-to-action. Do you want them to RSVP for an event? Have a look at floorplans? Become a fan on Facebook? Whatever it is, make sure it’s clear.

Tip #14: Be creative with your pre-header message.

The line at the top often directing recipients to an online version of the email can be used for other important notifications and links.