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Do you have a lead leak?
The solution may not have anything to do with working harder to get more leads and prevent further losses.
Instead, it may be time to re-evaluate your lead nurture strategies. Lead generation is important, of course. But developing relationships with them is ultimately what allows you to reach your transaction goals.
This article will show you how to maximize every lead engagement opportunity you have so you can avoid the dreaded boom and bust cycle.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Is a Real Estate Drip Campaign?
7 Tips for Implementing Your Drip Campaigns Effectively
Additional Guidance Related to Print Campaigns
8 Content Ideas
FAQ
What Is a Drip Campaign In Real Estate?
Real estate drip campaigns are strategically planned series of automated messages – print, email, or texts – which an agent sends to potential clients over the course of a specific timeframe.
The purpose is to nurture and engage leads with relevant information that they would consider to be valuable so you can build trust and remain top of mind. The content might include property listings, market updates, or home improvement tips, for example.
Probably the biggest benefit of drip campaigns for real estate agents is that, if done right, it is hands-off marketing. Sure, they require time and effort on the front end – determining what your goals are, planning the drip campaign, writing the content, establishing a send schedule, etc.
But from there, it can be completely automated. Meanwhile you can spend time on more important tasks.
The best real estate drip campaigns also reduce sales funnel leakage. A certain percentage of the leads you stuff into the top of the funnel will leak out at some point as they move down, but a campaign of consistent contact reduces that number significantly. It may even prompt some to leak out earlier rather than later.
Here are some tips for implementing the best real estate drip campaigns.
7 Tips for Implementing Real Estate Drip Campaigns Effectively
1. Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System
Using a real estate CRM is no longer a luxury. It’s essential. You can’t do real estate drip campaigns effectively without one.
The best systems have it all – including marketing automation tools, automated text and email alerts, website behavior tracking, automated listing alerts, and advanced filtering options.
Learn more about what to look for as you shop for the best real estate CRM.
2. Segment Your Audience Strategically
It’s crucial to send the right messages to the right person at the right time. To ensure your drip campaigns resonate with your recipients, it’s essential to segment your audience based on relevant criteria such as location, demographics, and preferences so you can deliver personalized content.
Proper segmentation results in a win-win. Not only does this make for a positive engagement journey and customer experience, but it also increases the likelihood that your leads will become clients.
3. Add Value
From consumers’ perspective, real estate drip campaigns can either be helpful and much appreciated. Or they can be overbearing and annoying.
What makes the difference? Personalization. The former are packed with high-quality content that aligns with their interests and pain points. The latter are irrelevant, unhelpful, and therefore uninteresting.
So make your campaigns valuable from your intended audience’s perspective, not yours. Focus on providing value through informative articles, expert tips, market updates, and exclusive offers, for example. Incorporate storytelling techniques to captivate readers and foster a sense of connection and trust.
4. Write Compelling Subject Lines
Without a strong subject line, even the best-written emails are pointless. So before you hit send, it’s crucial to gain an understanding of how to write subject lines that maximize open rates so you can convert more leads into clients. Here are four quick tips.
- Be specific – For example, “Your Request Information about 4325 Maple St.” is better than something generic like “RE: Your Listing Inquiry.”
- Stick to the point – Your subject line should be directly related to the content of the email. For example, instead of “My $1,000,000 Homeselling Secret,” the subject line for a seller lead follow-up email could say, “Discover the value of your home.”
- Make it personal – Generic subject lines tend not to perform as well as personalized ones. Something as small as using their first name (e.g., “John, thank you for contacting me!”) or mentioning the name of the relevant area (e.g., “Top things to know about Denver”) can make a big difference.
- Pique interest – For example: ask a question, tease, share surprising information, or promise something.
5. Track and Analyze Metrics
Drip email campaigns shouldn’t remain static. Don’t set it and forget it. Instead – test, test, test!
Play with your subject text, format, and content until you reach your open rates, click-through rates, and most importantly, your lead-to-client conversion rates.
Analyzing this data will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaigns, enabling you to make data-driven decisions about how to optimize your messages for better results as you go.
6. Craft Compelling Calls to Action
Instead of hoping your recipients take the desired action, tell them what it is you want them to do. Put another way, provide a clear, concise call to action (CTA) at the end of each message in the series that corresponds with the goals you have for the particular drip campaign.
Remember, your message should compel your prospect to do something about what they’ve just learned. And it should be obvious what that something is.
Do you want them to visit your website? Give you a call? Schedule an appointment?
Whatever your CTA is, make it brief, action-oriented (e.g., “Schedule,” “Sign Up,” “Check Out”), and time-sensitive (e.g., “Today,” “Now,” “Before…”).
7. Use ChatGPT To Help You Create Real Estate Drip Campaigns Faster
In case you’re totally out of the loop, ChatGPT is “an AI-powered conversational agent that can understand and generate human-like responses to text-based prompts or questions.” All the hype around this relatively new technology is warranted. It can definitely make creating drip campaigns easier for real estate agents.
ChatGPT starts by analyzing your target audience, using the information and context you provide in your prompt. Based on what the AI finds, it can suggest effective subject line ideas, write compelling email content and calls to action, and even offer tips for increasing open and click-through rates.
Prompt Example: “Write a personalized, compelling email series to check in with old leads who I haven’t spoken to in a while. It should sound fun, spunky, and welcoming. Offer a free home buyer’s checklist.”
Discover the ChatGPT lead generation secrets!
Here Are Some Additional Pointers for Print Campaigns
Make Sure Your Designs Are Eye-Catching
Real estate direct mail marketing is still an effective way to generate leads. But your piece can easily end up in the trash with the rest of the junk mail your prospects get if you don’t nail the design, layout, imagery, and overall aesthetic appeal.
Ensure your print materials (such as postcards or brochures) stand out with attractive design elements, compelling visuals, and concise messaging that communicates your unique value proposition.
Monitor Your Progress
Although print campaigns can’t be tracked with the same precision as digital campaigns, you can still use unique URLs, QR codes, or dedicated phone numbers to monitor the response rates and effectiveness of your print materials. This will help you gauge the success of your campaigns and refine your strategies accordingly.
Be sure to track and analyze the results of each direct mail campaign. Develop a system for noting what worked well, what didn’t, and specific ways you could improve. Collecting that kind of data makes goal-setting (and goal-crushing) possible. Without it, there’s nothing to build on, which means each new campaign will start from scratch, forcing you to rely on good guesses and a bit of luck.
Follow Up (Quickly!)
Did you get any responses?
If you didn’t get a response, don’t despair. Persistence is key. The first rule of direct mail marketing in real estate is to keep hitting your leads with mailers – you’ll stay top of mind, and therefore be the person they reach out to when they decide it’s time to buy or sell.
If you did get a response, congratulations! Anyone who responded is now a lead. Whenever you get leads – whether they come from your direct mail efforts or any other channel – you must respond quickly and prove your value as soon as you can. Here are 10 tips for successfully responding to leads of any kind.
Last Tip: Use An All-In-One System So You Can Work Smarter
Having real estate marketing automation tools is a must.
Look for software that’s both easy to use and comprehensive. It should be a system that allows you to combine campaigns so you can integrate your email drip email campaign with your direct mail campaign, for example.
Just like giant companies which create omni-channel brand experiences, agents can leverage combining multiple channels to increase their reach – and revenue.
With Market Leader Professional, for example, you can get the following…
- Fully integrated marketing design center (with 1,000+ templates for print and email)
- Automated, multi-channel print and email drip campaigns
- Auto-assign functionality to add new leads to a campaign and connect one campaign to the next
- Robust CRM system
- customizable IDX website
8 Content Ideas for Real Estate Drip Campaigns
Re-engage Cold Leads
Write a personalized, compelling email (or a series of emails) to “check in” and reconnect with those in your database who seem to have lost interest. Alternatively, you could write an email that drives them back to your site to read a blog post or simply invite them to call you for more information.
Email Clients To Ask for Referrals
Create what you could call your “referral program.” The email would encourage current and past clients to refer their friends and family to you by offering (a clear) incentive, such as a discount for a service you provide.
Set Up an Email Series Potential Leads Can Subscribe To
Sometimes agents’ websites receive a decent amount of traffic from potential leads who find them via a search engine, but they aren’t converting those visitors into leads. If that’s the case for you, consider crafting a welcome series your website visitors could subscribe to, for example, that would offer value and invite them to contact you.
Home Buying Tips
Provide valuable insights and guidance for first-time homebuyers, addressing topics such as mortgage pre-approval, house hunting tips, negotiating offers, and the closing process.
Market Updates
Keep your audience informed about the local real estate market trends, including changes in property prices, market inventory, interest rates, and emerging neighborhoods.
Home Staging Tips
Share practical advice on staging properties to maximize their appeal, increase sale potential, and generate higher offers.
Seller’s Guides
Create comprehensive guides that walk sellers through the process of preparing, listing, and selling their homes. Cover topics such as curb appeal, home inspections, pricing strategies, and effective marketing techniques.
Neighborhood Spotlights
Highlight specific neighborhoods or communities in your area, providing insights into amenities, schools, local events, and attractions. This kind of content showcases your expertise and helps buyers make informed decisions.
FAQ
What Is a Real Estate Drip Campaign?
Real estate drip campaigns are your go-to for keeping leads warm without spending a big chunk of your time doing it manually. Think of it as setting up a series of messages—emails, texts, even snail mail—that roll out on autopilot.
The idea is to deliver gold nuggets of information your potential clients find valuable. Whether it’s the insider lowdown on the latest listings, market trends, or helpful home improvement hacks, the goal is to make sure you’re the first name that pops into their heads when they think real estate.
The nice thing is, once you’ve got the ball rolling, these campaigns practically run themselves, freeing you up to focus on all of your other many tasks. By keeping the relationship alive, you’re lessening the chances of leads (and past clients) slipping through the cracks.
What Is a Drip System in Real Estate?
It’s not about irrigation. It’s about information. This is where you get strategic, sending out a sequence of tailored messages to your leads as well as your current and past clients. We’re talking emails, texts, or even good old-fashioned mail, all designed to keep you on their radar.
The “secret” to success is to focus on personalization and timing. The purpose is to help you stay top of mind effortlessly, while also delivering content that they want to receive when they want to receive it. It should be a win-win that builds trust, nurtures those all-important relationships, and keeps your pipeline flowing smoothly.
What Is an Example of Drip Marketing?
Of course, there are many (many!) different strategies you could implement, depending on whether you’re setting up the real estate drip campaign for a buyer or seller or whether they’re a lead, client, or neither. But seeing a quick example might be helpful to give you the basic idea.
Imagine you’ve got a lead—let’s call him Alex—who’s just dipped a toe into the home-buying waters. Alex is interested but not quite ready to jump in. This is where your drip marketing mastery comes into play.
Email 1: The Warm Welcome. Kick things off with a personalized email to Alex. “Welcome to the journey of finding your dream home!” Offer a glimpse into how you can guide him through the process, making it as smooth as peanut butter.
Email 2: The Mortgage Decoder. A week later, Alex gets another gem in their inbox. This one breaks down the mysteries of mortgage pre-approval. Simple steps, what to expect, and how to get the best rates. It’s like giving Alex a flashlight in the murky world of home financing.
Email 3: The Neighborhood Guide. Now that Alex is getting the hang of this, it’s time to explore. Send over an email highlighting top neighborhoods that fit his criteria. Include a mix of stats and fun facts—make those areas come alive right off the screen.
Email 4: Open Houses and You. Alex is inching closer to taking action. This email is all about making the most of open houses. Tips on what to look for, questions to ask, and how to spot a hidden gem or a money pit.
Email 5: The Nudge. By now, Alex is armed with information and likely feeling more confident. Your final email is a gentle nudge towards taking that next step. Offer to set up viewings or have a one-on-one to discuss what he’s discovered.
Through this series, you’ve not only educated Alex but you’ve also built a relationship with him. You’re no longer just another agent in a sea of other agents. You’re the guide who’s been there through every click and scroll. That’s drip marketing at its finest—practical, personal, and perfectly timed.
