Matthew Collis recently wrote an interesting article on E-Newsletters on AG Beat and some best practices to consider when putting together the "perfect" e-newsletter, to market yourself or your business. The article is very informative, and reinforces many of the "building blocks" we teach our clients, when helping them plan and deploy successful marketing campaigns.

E-Newsletters and email marketing in general are not as "sexy" as they used to be, but we feel they are something that has been overlooked recently, mainly given the rise of social media. When one though considers the amount of "noise" in the social media universe, and how many people's messages can be overlooked, or completely missed, e-newsletters offer Real Estate agents a way to engage with their clients and prospects in a direct, one on one interaction that is much less likely to be missed or ignored.

Here are Matthew's three best practice tips when building an e-newsletter, and our opinions as to how these are important to you as a Realtor®, and should directly influence your Real Estate Marketing Plans, when crafting this portion of your multi-channel marketing approach:

1) HELPFUL INFORMATION

If I had a dollar for every time we explain this tip to Real Estate agents, I'd be retired, living on an island somewhere by this point.

FACT: Nobody cares if you are the Top 1%, in the Presidents Circle, Diamond society, or anything else.

People don't need an endless sales pitch. By nature, humans are all somewhat selfish. You need to give them the answer to "What's in it for me?". Telling them that you are the best does not give them that answer. What does give them that answer is giving them information that is pertinent to them, right now, in their life situation.

The most popular thing we suggest Realtors use is LOCAL (translation: Not national) sales statistics and area information. Don't just paste a stats chart in your e-newsletter. Translate it for them. Tell them how those numbers may affect them. Give your input as to whether or not you believe what the analysts are saying. In other words, show them you are a true professional that has a deep knowledge of the local real estate market.