Research shows that one of the most important elements in getting your email read is the text in the “from” line of your message. According to Bredin Business Information (2007) “64% of small businesses execs said they decide whether or not to open the (email) newsletter based on who (sic) it’s from.”

Readers need to see someone familiar in the “from” line, and that might not be your name. The decision to open an email is made in a split second, and you want to do everything possible to make them “click”. Unless your name is well known, you might be better off using your broker’s business name. So instead of using “Bob Realtor” in the from line you would use “Excellent Realty”.

The only way to know for sure is to test it. Send one group of emails using your name and another using your company name. Then monitor the number of “opens” through your email service. You’ll quickly know whether your name or your company’s name is most effective.

Like Craig, I believe in using Marketing Systems to grow any business. Why? Because Marketing Systems work to attract new clients without your “manual” effort – hence you’re leveraging your ability to make money.

Here’s an opportunity to capture business, and it’s right under your nose. Get it right, and it can be another spoke in your “prospecting systems” wheel: It’s your Auto-Responder Message with your email.

Most agents miss a big opportunity to generate leads, clients and referrals from their Auto-Responder message. So here are some simple “Dos” and “Don’ts,” AND a ready-to-use example so you can grab every single lead that hits your email inbox.

DO—Create a “Lead Generation Magnet”. Place multiple OFFERS for information your recipient will find valuable. Give them access to your special reports and other helpful consumer information by providing links to your online report. And don’t forget to leave your cell phone number or pager, or your assistant’s contact info.

DO—Drive them to your site. Always include your web site in your email.

DO—Be conversational and approachable. Make them feel comfortable by using familiar, every day language.

DO—Thank them for contacting you.

DO—Go easy on their eyes. Use a sans serif font. Studies show that fonts like Arial are easier to read on a computer screen.

DON’T—Clutter up your email with your life story. They want you to help solve their problem. “Hello, sorry I can’t respond personally, but my dog is a finalist in the state poodle championships and I will be out of town.” They don’t care!

DON’T—Choose an email address that looks like spam. They will get trapped in your client’s spam or “bulk mail” filters and the client will never see them. “Spammy” addresses are those with unusual punctuation, lots of colors and words like “investment” and “sale” in them. Take a look at the emails trapped in your own spam filter for more examples.

DON’T—Load a huge .jpg file on your email reply. Some computers/servers can’t handle them, or the message will load too slowly for an impatient client. A small (in megabytes) picture of you or your logo is okay.

DON’T—Make them guess whether they got the right agent. Identify yourself! One auto responder I saw had absolutely no copy in the body of the email. No name, no address, no nothing. Just the agent’s name in the “from” field.

DON’T—Make them open an attachment to read your message. One auto-responder I got recently had a Word attachment called “message.doc.” When I opened it, it simply said, “I’m out of the office.” Sheesh!

Sample auto responder message:

(If you are out of the office)

Hi, and thanks for your email. I’m out of my office today, but don’t hesitate to call me on my cell at 555-666-7777 [or my assistant at (number)].

(If you are out of town)

Thanks for contacting me. I’m out of town until August 23, but I want to help you immediately. Please call Agent Sally Johnson for immediate assistance at 777-888-9999.

In the mean time, you can search for homes, or receive helpful consumer information when buying or selling by viewing my website at www.MyCompany.com [link to your website].

And don’t forget to click on our helpful Consumer Guides and Resources below.

Thank you for choosing “My Company” for your Real Estate needs.

John J. Smith,

REALTOR^®

“My Company”

Office: 222-333-4444

Cell: 555-666-7777

FREE Seller Reports-Sell Your Home Fast And For Top Dollar

www.report1.com [link to your special report1]

FREE Buyer Reports-Get The Most Home For Your Money

www.report2.com [link to your special report1]

FREE Neighborhood and School Reports

www.report3.com [link to your special report1]

I sign up each and every one in my SOI (sphere of influence) for automatic updates for properties in their neighborhood. I taught this trick to a new agent in my company. She went from an SOI of 38 people to over 100 in just 5 months just from sending updates. She is still working that list and things are growing like crazy for her.

Here’s how I do it.

My MLS allows me to hot sheet each person and will automatically email whenever a property matching the criteria I enter pops up in their area.

For example Jane lives on Center street and Main. I set the computer to search from 800 W to 800 E and 800 N to 800 S (approx 1 mile in any direction) I (the computer) look for new listings, new under contract, and new sold properties each day and emails Jane every day at 10 am.

Jane thinks I search every day and keep her posted. She knows everything in her neighborhood before everybody else, and knows I am on top of the market every day. I come across as the expert and I seem super busy (and able to handle it) all the time.

In my 14 yrs experience, I have found that people like to deal with people who appear successful and stay approachable. Set it and forget it! Why would she buy or sell with anyone else?

By the way, I only spend about 3 minutes per client entering the data into the computer and it works forever. I suggest entering 10 per day until you have everybody entered. Then add new people as you meet them.

The best part of my system?

When Jane gets my email, the message tells her that if she has friends, family, neighbors, or co workers who might be interested in getting emails for their neighborhood, I can add them- no problem. It’s a built-in way to build my client base.

The people who don’t have email get a postcard. It takes less than 10 min a day to send all the postcards. I simply write the information on a preformatted postcard -Address, price, activity (new listing, under contract, sold) and some basic info (bed, baths, garage, remodeled, 100% finished, hot tub, etc.).

I’m not violating any rules about advertising other agent’s listings because I send a client report that lets them know I am providing the data at their request with verbiage from my MLS, similar to when you provide a list of homes or CMA.

Do you have an email list of clients, friends and acquaintances with whom you make contact on a regular basis?

One of the most effective ways to increase sales is to build an email list and have a regular, value-oriented contact program. How profitable can an email (or even offline database) be for you?

Do the simple math: If you grew a list of 300 homeowners who, on average, own their homes for 6 years each, then 50 transacations will come from that group each and every year – not including referrals they could send you.

Question: Who will get those 50 transactions?

Answer: The agent who’s made regular, welcomed contact with informaion they’ll value and use… the agent who’s demonstrated their professionalism, competence and follow-through… the agent who’s built the deepest relationship.

In my Free course, “The Ultimate Real Estate Success Secret™” (enroll for free at www.ServiceForLife.com) I call this your “Personal Market Share™”.

So how do you build an email list? Same way you eat an elephant… one bite at a time. Here are 10 easy ways to get you started…

1. Design Your Site or Landing Pages Around Capturing Visitor Contact Information. First and foremost, if your site isn’t designed to motivate visitors to volunteer their contact information, all other efforts will be in vain. How do you get people to give you their information? By offering them access to something of value in their eyes… something that appeals to their self-interests. You can start with a simple “sign-in” book. Or better yet, offer access to special consumer reports revealing helpful tips on buying, selling and financing. Or you could offer to send them your Free Service For Life!™ newsletter each month (www.ServiceForLife.com). Or you could even create a “squeeze page” where a visitor must give you their contact information to receive their information or make a public search on MLS.

Important Note: Remember, if you don’t have (at minimum) a monthly contact program – with contact that’s helpful and welcomed by them – chances are they’ll forget about you, and your list will be worthless. There’s a marketing axiom that says, “for every month that you neglect to contact your list, you lose 10% of them”. Ten months of no contact, and you’re starting from scratch.

2. Get The Organic SEO Basics Down. The most valuable way to drive traffic to your site (and thus capture visitor information) is by having a high ranking with your “preferred words” with major search engines. This includes focusing on your page title, meta tags, key words in your header language, 1st paragraph key words, and putting raw informational content on your site. Your site(s) and any content you create on them should be regularly submitted to the major search engines and key directories. Some agents can handle this task themselves, while others hire specialized SEO companies to do the work for them. Search your local online directories for SEO companies in your area.

3. Make Sure Your Website Address is Everywhere. Put it on your letterhead, advertising, listing signs, listing info tube flyers,stationery, listing sign-in area and around your open houses, business cards, home and personal brochures, your car sign (if you use one), the return address of every email and on everything you pass out to clients (coffee mugs, key chains, free reports, etc.).

4. Give People a REASON to Visit Your Site – If you simply put your web URL everywhere, don’t be surprised if no one visits. No one acts without a self-serving reason, and no one will visit your site without a meaningful reason for doing so. Reveal the benefit of visiting your site along with your web address. Want some examples? OK, how about: “Find Your Perfect Home by Searching The MLS at [www.YourWebSite.com]. Or, “Free Home Seller Consumer Reports at [www.YourWebSite.com]. Or, “Learn 40 Ways to Get Top Dollar For Your Home at [www.YourWebSite.com].” When they get to your site, you can then capture their contact information.

5. Use a Benefit-Rich URL, or Special URL for Each Listing You Take. Benefit-rich URL’s do 2 things: 1) they imply a reason why someone may want to visit, and 2) they are generally easier to remember. Want a few examples? How about: [www.HomeSellingSecrets.com], [www.BuyMoreHomeForLess.com], and [www.PreferredBuyerFinancing.com] (NOTE: These URL’s are examples only). Some agents actually register their listing home address as the URL (for example, [www.123MainStreet.com]). The site is dedicated to giving specific information about the listing, but also offers special reports and MLS access once a visitor registers and provides contact info.

6. Submit Articles about Real Estate to Local Publications. What most agents don’t understand is this: Media publications and outlets are starving for content. You’re an expert in real estate, aren’t you? Then it would be a snap to create simple 250 or 500 word articles about buying or selling and submit them to local publications: community magazines, newspapers and news outlets. Make sure your web site is on everything, including your author bio.

7. Place a Promotional Signature on All Your Emails. Every email you send should have signature language that drives people to your site (or, better yet, a link to your site). List out all the reasons why someone should visit your site, then craft a simple, short paragraph for your email signature. Here’s sample language you could use: “Helpful Resources For Buyers and Sellers: Get Free consumer reports on buying, selling and financing, search the MLS, get a Free valuation of Your Home and More at [www.YourWebSite.com].

8. Create Reciprocal Promotions with Compatible Businesses. One of the most powerful ways to generate traffic to your site, and create a strong client surge, is to create promotions through suppliers and compatible businesses. Simply ask yourself, “what suppliers do I know who already have a strong relationship with clients who could be mine?” List those suppliers/contacts, then approach them with a proposal to promote each other’s business. For example, you may find a remodeler who sends a simple email to his/her list that offers resources from your site, and vice versa. You can even create reciprocal links to each other’s sites. It’s very easy to do once you get started.

9. Submit Online and Offline Press Releases. Anytime the news reports a trend or event in real estate, you have an opportunity to generate huge publicity and traffic to your site. Simply tie a selection of resources at your site (such as consumer reports) as news to your press release, or write a brief article tied to the current news trend, and include your web site URL.

10. Buy a Banner or Text Ad in a Community Email Publication. More and more local publications are now offering their news and content online. And if the audience they target is the same as yours, you now have an opportunity to create targeted banner and text ads in those publications. Simply create a short banner or text ad (with a valuable offer), then have a link that terminates to your site. It’s that simple.

Next Article: A New Hook on Successful Prospecting