Let’s start with WHY you should start an email list for your real estate business.
Maybe you’re thinking “I don’t have time to do something like this! How will this help my business grow anyways?”
What if I told you that whether you sell houses, seasonal holiday merch, skincare, or an online course for getting babies to sleep through the night, that starting an email list makes sense for you (aka if you have a business, you can benefit from having an email list).
Here are 4 reasons to start an email list for your real estate business:
1 – It allows you to connect with and stay top of mind with your people (aka get more referrals) on a consistent basis.
2 – It provides a destination for people to connect with you beyond social media so that social media is never a dead end marketing strategy (plus we all know that our followers don’t see everything we post).
3 – It creates an opportunity for you to build a pipeline of cool, warm and hot buyer and seller leads (hello trackable business growth)!
4 – You own your email list (unlike your Instagram followers or TikTok fans). If Instagram shuts down tomorrow, your followers will disappear as fast as the buyers at the open house when you ask them to sign in. But your email list? That’s yours!
Having an email list for your business ultimately helps you run your business like an actual business. It puts you in the driver’s seat for staying connected with your sphere, your past clients and even people in your community. It gives you control over how often someone is seeing your name and remembering that you sell real estate (the real goal)!
These are just a few of the reasons why I have an email list, and why I think you should have one too! Now you’re probably thinking, “Okay, that sounds great Chelsea! But how do I start my email list? And how do I get people to join my email list?”
Let’s start with your first question: “How do I start an email list?”
Starting your email list is easier than you think!
Here’s how to do it in 3 steps:
- First, you need to choose an email software that you’re in control of (I don’t recommend your broker’s CRM) where you can store your database contacts and have the ability to email all of them from one place. You don’t want to send one off emails from gmail, you want to have a system for this! Flodesk is super easy to use and is filled with templates to help you send aesthetically pleasing emails to your list (click here for 50% off your first year of Flodesk). This is where your email contacts will live.
- Next, you need PEOPLE on your list. My go to strategy for growing my list is to create and promote a valuable, free resource (what people like to call “freebies” in the online space) that your target audience would be interested in. In order for someone to receive it for free, they just have to provide you with their email address. The free resource could be something designed specifically for your target client like a first time home buyer guide or something more broad like a guide to your local city. Or you can promote both options.The purpose of your email list isn’t just to “sell” to them, it’s to continue providing value and to stay top of mind so that people remember that you sell real estate. More eyeballs on your business!
- Send consistent, valuable emails to your list. This step is super important. We don’t want to start searching for an automated program that sends monthly or weekly junk emails or generic market updates that only make sense to people who are actually in the real estate industry. You want to be intentional (but we’ll save that topic for another day)! All you need to do right now is decide how often you want to email your list and what you want to share with them.
Getting started is a lot less daunting than you might have thought!
And getting people to join your email list is just as easy when you have valuable, free resources that people actually want (more on that below).
To start your email list here’s what you need:
Freebie – A valuable, free resource (like a Home Buyer / Home Seller Bootcamp, Local Guide, or Local Holiday Guide) to promote on your social media, that you can send to people via email to get them on your list.
Promo Content – The social media content you’ll use to promote and spark interest (and conversations) around your free resource. For example, let’s say you want to promote your first time home buyer bootcamp freebie. Your promo content might look like a reel where you share 5 things someone will learn after they get their hands on your buyer bootcamp guide. Use a call to action in the reel or in the caption letting people know how they can get a copy.
Delivery & Intro Emails – The first emails you send to provide the freebie the person requested + an introduction to you! This is your first opportunity to connect and start relationship building so they know you’re a real human and not just someone who’s going to text them every week asking if they’re ready to sell their house.
Regular Emails – The good stuff – regular emails infused with your personality that are going to keep them on your list and remembering YOU! This is like your monthly newsletter (but not a generic newsletter that people automatically delete). Instead, you’re going to send emails that feel like they’re from a friend. Bonus Tip: Add a picture of YOU to your monthly email to make it personal (you at a favorite local coffee shop, a picture of your family, your recent vacation, behind the scenes of your business, mix it up and infuse a story about that photo into the email).
Okay it seems like a lot, but IT’S NOT!
At Modern Agent Social Club, our members get ALL OF THESE pieces of content (and lots more) delivered to them with the membership each month.
A few examples of our value packed freebies include (there are currently 26 to choose from):
Home Buyer Bootcamp
Home Seller Bootcamp
12 Days of Christmas
12 Month Homeowner Checklist
Your City Name Local Guide
12 Month Homeowner Checklist
Take a tour of Modern Agent Social Club to see all of the amazing freebies (and ALL the other content) we have inside the membership!
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