Open Rate is an interesting metric in the real estate email marketing world. Agents want as high an open rate as possible. While I tend to agree with that idea I also feel like just as much attention should be paid to conversion and lead generation with email marketing for realtors. Truth be told though you can’t get conversions and leads without opens. If nobody is reading then they can’t be converting. So I thought a list of things you can do to increase your email marketing open rate was in order:
Use a recognizable From Name
- This may seem like a small thing but use the from name as something that your list subscribers are going to recognize. If you use something like Info, Admin, No-Reply, or Newsletter then people are less likely to realize it is you.
Use a relevant and interesting Subject Line
- Your subject line is extremely important. It gives the subscriber a first peek at what the email is about. If your subject line isn’t interesting or relevant to your content then your open rates are going to dwindle. It is also required by CAN-SPAM laws to be a representation of what is in the email.
Segment your Real Estate Email Marketing Lists
- Create different spheres that logically divide your subscribers into groups and send emails to those segments. Sure you can send this “Open House” email to everyone in your list but are your subscribers that just bought a home going to care? Most likely not and over time they may start ignoring your emails altogether if there is never anything relevant to them. Whereas segmenting your lists and sending only relevant information to select spheres will help keep your list healthy and open rates up.
Balance your Send Frequency
- Send frequency is a balancing act. It all depends on the type of content you are sending and the expectation of your subscribers. Send too many in a given period of time and your open rate will drop as people start to ignore your emails. Send too few and people forget about you, wonder how they got on your list and opt-out. How can you tell when frequency is impacting your open rate? If your Open Rate is lower than your industry average and your subject lines are strong then you need to look at your frequency.
