Branded Email
in the Real Estate Industry
By Jason DeVelvis
Branded Email in the Real Estate Industry
You’re in the real estate industry, and that
means you’ve got a brand. Chances are, you’ve spent
quite a bit of money to build that brand, whether it’s through franchising
fees, marketing, websites, business cards, other print materials, advertising,
yard signs, and/or through other means. And whoever answers your phones
probably answers it with your brand as well – “Good morning, thank you for
calling Your Brand Here Real Estate, how can I help you?” Your brand is out
there, getting you business, because people recognize and trust it. But what about your email? How much could it benefit you to
include your brand on each email you send every day?
I’m not talking about mass email campaigns. I’m
talking about branded email that transforms your everyday, plain text emails
into dynamic sales pieces. With a good email branding system, you can include
your logo, colors, your picture, and links to your website. Some solutions even
allow you to upload pictures of properties directly into the designs. Because
over 90% of all communication is visual, the power of having graphics in your
email is tremendous. Also because of this, branded email will soon become a
standard or even a “requirement” in the real estate industry, much like
business cards and websites.
A Quick Scenario
Lets look at this scenario – you are a prospective homebuyer
and you receive email from two real estate agents. One is a plain text email
that introduces the agent and directs you to his website for more information.
The second one you receive is branded with the brokerage logo, colors, and it
fits with all of the rest of their marketing material, so you instantly get a
great impression in your mind of her company. The agent introduces herself and
directs your attention to a picture of a newly listed property in your price
range, and tells you to click on it for more information. Are you more likely
to search the first agent’s website for a property, or click on the image to
look at that house and possibly similar houses?
Branded email also helps build a relationship
with your client. In the situation above, you received an email from the agent
with a link to a house in your price range that you may be interested in. It
was tailored to you, who would you go back to for more information or more
listings?
What Should I Look For?
Next, I want to give you a quick rundown of what
to look for when you’re considering a branded email system. First and foremost,
if the company has a free trial, take it. You don’t want to purchase something
and end up hating it. While you’re researching, here are some questions to ask
–
·
Do the emails get past spam filters? This question is rather
self-explanatory. If your emails don’t get to their recipients, the solution is
a waste of your money. Note that the body of the email also has a lot to do
with getting past a spam filter – if you’re using big, bold, red fonts, CLICK
HERE links, and/or the word free (or other flagged words) repeatedly, chances
are your email won’t get through.
·
What size are the branded emails? In this case, bigger is not
better. (If you’re using Microsoft Outlook to send email, it may be embedding
the images on its own. Ask your solution provider how to turn this off)
·
Is the product easy to use, or do you have to change the way you
currently send email?
·
Can the template be set up to contain links to different
pages/areas of your website? This is very big question, since being able to say
“Click on the Virtual Tours link above to check out our properties!” is much
better opportunity than “Hey, go check out my site at www.EmailAppeal.com and
click around until you find our tours.” As the old adage goes, on the Internet
you’re always 1 click away from losing a customer.
·
Can you easily change your contact information, picture (if the
system allows you to upload one) and any other sensitive information on your
template, or do you have to pay the solution provider to change them for you?
·
Do you have control over the aspects of the design, or can the
users change the design at will? Brand control and consistency is a big deal in
any business.
·
Does the system require you to send your email through a
different server or to a different email address? This is a security risk
whether they say so or not, as your emails are all being routed through a third
party server. A good system will work without requiring you send your email
through any third party.
What Kind of Pricing Should I Expect?
Most branded email solutions are very cost
effective, so your decision should boil down to features. Make sure you get the
answers to the questions above, and make sure those answers are in line with
your expectations of any software provider. If you do a little homework, find a
great product, and use it diligently, branded email will pay for itself with
increased sales over and over again.
Copyright 2005 Jason DeVelvis – www.EmailAppeal.com
|
About the Author: Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_DeVelvis |