Creating Auto-Responders that Drive Engagement

The Problem:

You know what you want to say, and when you want to say it--but you just don't have the time to actually say it! Seriously, who has the time to follow-up immediately with every single newsletter sign-up or market report request when you are out in the field day in and day out?

The Solution:

Auto-responders! What is an auto-responder, you ask? Essentially, they are personalized email (or text) messages that are triggered by specific actions that your leads and prospects take with your website, landing page, online forms, or another email. Auto-responders are a great way to immediately reach and maintain the attention of a lead, continuing to build relationships even when you can't be at the computer.

​Creating auto-responders doesn't have to be overwhelming. Here are some ideas for auto-responders you can easily implement for lead nurturing. What are you waiting for?

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The Welcome Email

This one is super simple. Have a welcome email that is automatically sent after someone new visits your website or uses a sign-up form to receive more information from you (whether newsletters, recruitment, listings, or reports). According to Prowly Magazine, subscribers who receive a welcome email are 33 percent more engaged with that brand—which in real estate is you!

• ​Tip: Make sure to have the welcome auto-responder triggered for every new lead you receive. As an added bonus, make sure the program you use can personalize the welcome greeting based on the lead's information to drive higher engagement.

Market Reports

A market report is a great piece of content to share with leads and get them engaged. You can put it behind a sign-up / lead capture form or provide a button to request a report in your current newsletter or other email campaigns. Once a lead submits their market report request, you've not only captured their information, you can also ensure that they receive their report immediately. This provides actionable information to them within seconds.

• ​Tip: While some folks love the raw data, provide your professional advice in the email as well for those of us who aren't as good with charts and graphs. If you don't have access to automatically send a market report, you can capture the lead's information and send them an auto-responder letting them know that you'll reach out ASAP to finalize details before sending. This is a great way to get a conversation started!

Listing Information

Seemingly complicated auto-responders can be made easier through tools like an IDX feed on your website that can provide additional information about listings whenever a someone requests it through a form. Conversely, if you are sharing a listing via email to current leads, have a follow-up auto-responder ready to send out as soon as a lead clicks your call-to-action to request more information.

• Tip: Make sure auto-responders associated with listing information are as specific as possible to the data you've received. This may require creating multiple if/then steps. Or you can keep it simple by sharing relevant articles and information related to staging (for sellers), financing (for buyers), etc.

Thank You Emails

Confirmation and affirmation on actions taken are like a big giant virtual hug. All you have to do is thank someone for doing the very thing you asked of them! For example, say you send an email invitation for an upcoming open house. Make sure that if a lead clicks and RSVPs for the open house, you have a Thank You email that is sent to them with directions, parking instructions or other helpful information. The extra effort goes a long way.

Relationship Builders

One easily overlooked (but easy to implement) auto-responder is the birthday/anniversary email. It is super simple to create a "Happy Birthday," "Happy Anniversary," or "Happy Move-In-Anniversary" email, then set it to be sent out to each lead as the special date(s) comes around. It might not seem like much, but something as simple as a personal birthday or anniversary email will help to maintain those relationships, and is a great way to re-engage in conversation and referral activity.

​​Remember: Engagement is a two-way street, and the more value you can provide to your leads through personalized engagement and content, the more engaged they will be with you and your brand. Auto-responders are an easy, yet effective, way to both engage your leads and provide them with great content.

To view the original article, visit the eMerge blog.