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.