a la mode
news & marketing tips — December
8,
2005
Season's Greetings:
Getting prospects to read your e-mails
During the holidays
your prospects' e-mail inboxes are bombarded with seasonal deals and
coupons from retailers and you may be wondering how effective your
e-mail marketing is this time of year. The rule of thumb used to be
to avoid sending email marketing at all during the holiday season —
roughly November through the first week of January. But to assure you
have plenty of business in the New Year, you need to constantly stay
in front of your prospects. By following a few guidelines, you can
assure your e-mails get read and, more importantly, generate business.
Make sure your
messages target the recipient.
Because you're competing with every other e-mail in your prospect's
inbox, you need to make sure your e-mail speaks to him or her
directly. If you know the type of home they're looking for or the
neighborhood, make sure your marketing message reflects that. And
while a “Happy Holidays” e-mail is acceptable for past and current
clients - don't send one to leads you're hoping to convert into new
clients. Their eyes may glaze right past it when scanning their
inboxes.
Personalize the
subject line.
You have a leg up
on many of those retailers vying for your prospects' attention
— you know their name! Use it in the subject
line as well as in the body of your e-mail. And if you know they go
by a nickname, be sure to use that instead of their full name. The
more personalized the e-mail, the more likely it will get read.
Send timely
e-mails.
There's no hard and fast rule for the proper time to send out e-mail
during the holidays, however, keep in mind that weekends for your
prospects may be filled with shopping and holiday parties. Sending
out your e-mails early in the week may give you a better chance of
meeting with them on a weeknight.
Provide an
incentive.
Take a cue from the
retail e-mail marketers out there and give your prospects something of
value if they contact you. You may not be able to give them a 20
percent off coupon on a new house, but you can offer them a free home
value report using the Home Price Index (HPI) feature on your XSite.
With the HPI feature, prospects can also opt-in to receive quarterly
updates, allowing you to stay in front of your clients continually.
Remember,
XSellerate manages all of your marketing so you can get ready
for the holidays too! Your customized messages will be going to
all of your contacts while you’re standing in line at the mall! And, like all of our
products, XSellerate is backed by our 100 day money back guarantee. Buy
XSellerate today!
Holiday guerrilla
marketing tactics
Guerrilla marketing
is loosely defined as any unconventional or creative way that small
businesses market their services. The concept, which was popularized
by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing, was
originally used by small businesses operating on tight budgets. But
today most businesses — big and small — incorporate some kind of
guerilla marketing tactics into their marketing plans.
Because the end of
the year tends to be slow for anyone in the real estate business, now
may be a good time to incorporate some guerilla marketing tactics so
you can turn prospects into new clients in the New Year. Here are
some ideas you can use this holiday season:
-
Sending out
holiday cards to clients may seem like a no-brainer, but make it
more personal by handwriting a note thanking them for their business
or for their referral. In today's digital world, people will be
appreciative that you took the time to jot down a few personal lines
and even if they don't need an agent right now, they may be more
likely to contact you in the future.
-
Organize a group
to Christmas carol in your market area. Be sure to leave behind a
Happy Holidays card from your business.
-
When you donate
to holiday charities, use your realty's name instead of your own.
-
Send your past
clients news articles on shopping tips or saving money during the
holidays and encourage them to pass them on to a friend.
-
Host a blood
drive. Encourage people in your community to give the gift of life
this holiday season. Learn how to organize a blood drive
here. You can try the same approach with many other charitable
acts and get the same result — you'll be doing yourself and your
community a favor!
-
Send out e-mail
ads for obscure holidays that fall within the big ones. For
instance, send out e-mails wishing clients a "Happy Winter Solstice"
(Dec. 21) and remind them that while it's the shortest day of the
year, you'll work as long as it takes to find them the perfect home. XSellerate
comes with plenty of eye-catching pre-built ads for
nearly every holiday on the calendar. You can also create your own
custom ads using your own images or the ones we provide you in XSellerate's clip art gallery.
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