So you’ve got a newsletter. Maybe you’re sending it out yourself, you have an assistant who writes it, or you are using Avenue’s customized newsletter service.
But without subscribers, nobody is reading this newsletter that you might have laboured over. We’re here to give you some simple, actionable advice to change this.
Why bother with an online newsletter?
Simply put, an online newsletter is one of the most cost effective and useful ways to nurture your network. It reminds your extended network of friends, prior clients and people you have met that you are still in business, can help them buy or sell their home, or to refer you to people they know.
In sales, most leads require a number of touch points (generally five to seven!) before they become a client. Studies also suggest that over 90% of people check their emails daily. An online newsletter is a great touchpoint in the customer journey, providing friendly, useful advice to potential buyers and sellers. A great newsletter contains plenty of content that links back to your website, to lead people to your listings and ultimately, become your clients.
How to get your first subscribers
If you’re new to real estate, or just new to a newsletter. The first step should be to take a list of your friends and family and any people who you think would be interested in your receiving your newsletter. Aim to get a list of 20 people from your direct network that you have the email address of and would be happy to hear from you.
Then, take a list of previous clients you have worked with and add them to your list. If you aren’t already compiling a list of previous clients' contact info, we suggest starting that now! You can easily add these to a spreadsheet to keep updated, or you can use Contacts within the Avenue App if you are an Avenue customer.
How to grow your subscriber list
Once you’ve got the basics down, and have a small but compact subscriber list, you can add to this by collecting email addresses throughout your interactions with potential buyers and sellers. (Make sure you include an opt-in so that people know they are being added to your subscriber list to abide by email marketing regulations.)
Here are some suggestions to grow your email list:
– Add a signup sheet to your open houses (including name and email.) You can do this on ol' fashioned pen and paper, or by using an iPad sign-up station.
– Add a newsletter sign-up link to your email signature. Every time you send an email, people will have the opportunity to sign-up. This is such a simple, free and effective way to grow your list.
– Add leads from your online advertising to your subscriber list (here’s a video of how to do that for Avenue clients!)
– Add a ‘sign-up to my newsletter’ link to your website. This can be at the bottom of pages, in the footer or sidebar, or as a separate landing page.
– Include a pop-up prompt on your website, this can include a special deal, exclusive content or a promotion to encourage people to sign up to your newsletter.
– Add a newsletter link to your social media pages, and post your monthly newsletter on your Facebook page.
– Include a newsletter sign-up as a CTA (call-to-action) on any blog content you create.
Remember to keep your content fresh for your subscribers. You can send out custom content throughout the year, like referral bonuses, Christmas cards and seasonal offers to keep things interesting. Read our article on what makes a great real estate newsletter for more ideas.
Make sure to always ask permission to add them to your list (via an opt-in option) and keep working on building your network of subscribers. Not everyone is at the point of buying or selling a home right now, which is why nurturing and staying front of mind is key. Each of your network can become new clients, repeat custom, or referrers at some point in their home buying lifecycle.
