If you haven’t started using email automation yet, consider this statistic – it may change your mind. Companies can save around 80% of their direct mail budget using an automated, event-triggered email approach.
But let’s take a step back first. What is email marketing automation, and how do you use it in your business?
We have the answers right here. To grow your realtors’ email list and discover the most efficient way to use email marketing, read on to learn about automating your email campaigns.
What Is Email Automation?
The traditional way of selling via email was to send a single email to a prospect. Email automation is the more modern approach. It uses technology to send bulk or automated emails to a pre-defined list of prospects.
It works using workflows or triggers.
For example, you can send an automated welcome message if someone signs up for your list. Or, if you have a special promotion, you can send a bulk email to anyone interested in that product or service.
With email automation, you have everything in one tool. That tool will capture the email addresses of new prospects, send the emails, and provide you with reports.
Some also offer personalization, such as only sending an offer to those who clicked on a specific link.
Why Use Email Automation?
Email automation has many benefits. The most obvious one is that it’s more efficient.
As your business grows, you may have an email list of hundreds or even thousands of prospects. You don’t want the time-consuming job of sending individual emails to everyone on that list.
Secondly, it helps you schedule your email marketing. You can set dates and times for future emails. If you’re away on vacation, you can have your email marketing working for your business as usual.
Automation is also the best way to personalize your marketing. For example, you may want to create a custom offer for realtors based on where they’re from, and with automation, you could send a different email by state.
Email automation also provides you with valuable data and reports. You can see which emails got the best response and which didn’t. That helps you tweak and fine-tune your future marketing efforts.
How to Choose an Email Automation Platform
Before you can start using email automation, you’ll need a tool. Some email automation tools are free, and you’ll pay a monthly subscription for others. To help you choose the right one, here are some features to check:
User friendly
It should be easy and intuitive to use. You should also look for one that offers tutorials to help you get started.
Workflows
You’ll want one that offers custom workflows and triggers. These will fire off emails once your conditions have been met. It provides you with more flexibility about how you automate your email marketing.
Integrations
You may want to integrate it with other tools. For example, some platforms offer landing page builders. Yet if you have WordPress or Wix, you want one you can integrate with your existing website.
Analytics
Most platforms offer analytics and reporting. Think about what data you want to review for your emails. For example, you may want to see how many subscribers clicked on an email offer.
Customer Service
If you get stuck or find a bug, you need a responsive email company to resolve the issue swiftly. Look at customer reviews and testimonials to get a feel for the customer service.
Importing an Existing Realtor Email List
You may already have an existing email list of real estate agents, such as one of our lists. In that case, you’ll need to import this list into your automation platform before you run a campaign.
It’s essential you choose a platform that offers seamless import options and that they’re easy to use. If you have issues, always contact the customer support team for your automation tool, as they can often help.
Setting Up Your Automation
You must create workflow sequences and triggers to build your email automation. Some tools will offer templates to help you do this, with some common automation sequences ready.
Start by segmenting your audience and brainstorming ideas about content they’ll like. You should think about a balance of valuable, informative content and occasional promotion.
Next, think about what you want to happen next in the sequence. For example, if you send an offer and someone clicks on it, you could send a follow-up a day later as a reminder.
If someone doesn’t click on your offer, you could send them an alternative promotion that might be of more interest.
Getting automation right will often come down to experimenting and seeing what works. Don’t be afraid to test an idea.
A/B Testing Your Ideas
One specific test you can run is an A/B test. This will help you optimize your email automation. In an A/B test, you try one email approach with some of your audience and a different idea with the other part of your audience.
For example, you could test two subject lines for your email to see which one gets the highest open rate. It’s a helpful way of improving your email marketing over time.
Many automation platforms offer this type of test, making it easy to set up. The platform will handle where the traffic goes, and you only need to set up the kind of test you want to run.
Automating Your Realtors’ Email List
An email list is an investment. It gives you a vast list of potential clients at your fingertips.
So getting the most from this list is essential. Automating your realtors’ email list will ensure you get more done quickly and see better results from your marketing efforts.
If you haven’t started building your realtor list, head here to see our existing lists.
