Have you ever been around a couple and you wonder what one person in that couple likes about the other? Maybe you think they could do better in the looks department, or in personality, or in cleverness. Whatever it is that makes them feel mismatched, you can’t deny the fact that the are crazy about each other.
Whether we’re talking couples or product/service and consumer, in those situations the people involved are getting something out of the relationship. It may seem mismatched but that other half is offering something else that they find irresistible.
I want to tell you the story of two real estate professionals. They operate in different states and both send out newsletters to clients and prospective clients. This is a great idea because real estate is a slow sell. You may not be in the market now but eventually, you will be or will know someone who will be. So staying top of mind is important to the realty business.
One agent’s newsletter has good content in it. Sometimes the featured article is about staging your home, sometimes spring cleaning ideas, but always helpful tips on how you can be more prepared, make more money on your sale, get a better price on a house, or make the home buying/selling process easier.
Good stuff, right?
The other real estate agent uses software to pull comps and estimates the value of the recipients’ home then inserts it as a mail merge/field automatically. He adds a quick blurb about his services and a call-to-action to contact him when you’re ready to sell. It probably takes him less time to do his newsletter each month than it does the real estate agent with great content but his open rate is exponentially higher.
The One Thing You Need for a Great Business Newsletter
Great content is important. I’m not bashing it. So is a great subject line and a good reputation. No one wants to open an email from someone they don’t want to hear from.
But what will ensure an open each and every time is sharing something you know your audience cares about. For the first real estate agent, he may have hit on good content that gets people excited. But then again, he could be sending out something about staging to someone who doesn’t even own a house. Hopefully not, but unless he has his list segmented with buyers versus sellers vs potentials, he may be creating content that no one is interested in.
The second real estate agent, on the other hand, understands that a good portion of Florida homeowners are underwater and they’re playing the waiting game before they can sell. Granted he can’t use this approach with everyone, but for those he’s had contact with in the past, it’s a solid idea.
What’s the one thing your customers or future customers are interested in? What worries them? What number is important?
If you can answer any of these questions and serve them up in newsletter fashion, you’re guaranteed they’ll open it.
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