The Complete Guide To Email Marketing

Written by Erin McFarlane | Mar 22, 2024 6:03:07 PM

“Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches – at scale.” – David Newman

With 4 billion active daily email users, it’s no wonder why every marketing and sales professional is clamoring for a foolproof email marketing strategy to engage the greater majority of the world’s population that sits behind the screen.

As digital communication across the World Wide Web is quickly becoming the method to attract, retain, and convert new customers, there is a pressing need to discover how to break through the noise and effectively climb to the top of an unread inbox with urgency and demand to be read.

However, in a society where over 347 billion emails are sent per day on average, and the average individual receives over 100 emails per day, it can be increasingly difficult to make your messaging stand out from a sea of competitive businesses, advertisements, and well wishes.

And in an incredibly turbulent and fast-moving housing market, time is of the essence.

It’s all about being the first. The first to reach out. The first offer.

So, if your email gets lost in the infinite inbox void? You may not get a second chance to make an impression.

Therefore, let’s take the opportunity to break down email marketing as an outbound tactic you need to expand your list of prospective leads and analyze how to improve your approach, avoid the spam folder, and make the most of your digital messaging.

You need email marketing to succeed, and we’re here to make it happen.

In this complete guide, we'll cover:

What Is Cold Email Marketing?
How To Improve Deliverability
Perfect Your Messaging
Improving Response Rates
Using Public Record Data To Win At Email Marketing

What Is Cold Email Marketing?

Not one to need a formal introduction, cold email marketing refers to the practice of reaching out to a prospect via email without prior interaction.

Think of it as the digital messaging iteration of cold calling.

Now, if you aren’t a fan of cold calling and are wondering why we’re suggesting you double, triple, or quadruple your efforts by switching over to work from your digital inbox – don’t sweat the thought of speaking until your voice gives out.

We’re simply stating that email marketing does what cold calling cannot.

Reach by scale.

Not to mention, it’s a heck of a lot less intrusive to the consumer behind the pixels, which may just up your chances of success all on its own.

And with cold calling only boasting an average success rate of 2% – your outbound marketing needs this elevated approach in the modern era.

Landlines are out. Red bubbles above your email inbox? Definitely in.

The Pros of Cold Email Marketing

Now that you know what cold email marketing is, let’s examine what makes it a great (and necessary) strategy for your hyperlocal lead generation.

It’s cost-effective. With targeted forms of inbound marketing, such as pay-per-click and SEO, it’s impossible to beat big business spend. They will simply overbid you every single time. You could throw dollars upon dollars into this space – but let’s be real – you don’t have a big business corporate bank account, and the cash you’re dishing out will be lost to an ineffective void because you won’t end up on top. With email (along with other targeted outbound methods), you can’t be outbid.
It allows you to reach bigger audiences. The capacity drain of one twenty-minute cold call is a lot different than clicking one button and sending hundreds (if not thousands) of emails to potential customers. You can simply reach more individuals in less time over email.
It’s convenient – for both sides. Let’s face it. No one wants to receive cold calls all day long, and you don’t want to be dialing up strangers for the better part of your day. While some success does come from phone marketing, sending an email is an asynchronous, non-intrusive way to get your pitch to the right person – all within the digital spaces where potential clients spend the most time.
It puts your best foot forward. Nervous talker? Unable to get your points across before the line clicks dead on the other end? With email marketing, you can customize your messaging, beautify with templates, and refine your editorial until it’s just right. Another bonus? Send images, GIFs, videos, links, infographics, and proof that what you’re pitching has a positive end result.
It comes with serious data. Check who’s opened and read your outreach so you know who to follow up with, as well as what messaging may or may not be working with your potential client base. Double down on what’s successful and make changes within active campaigns and drafts easily to always send out your best.
It boasts high visibility. Have you ever heard of impressions = trust? The more visible you are to customers, the more they will feel as if they know you and trust you. A consistent, well-informed, and neighborly presence in their inboxes (in combination with other effective outbound marketing methods) could be the key to doing just that.

The Cons of Cold Email Marketing

No marketing method is perfect. So, as you’re analyzing which methods to use to reach your prospective leads, consider these drawbacks as well.

Rules and regulations. Have you heard of the new email marketing restrictions introduced by Google and Yahoo Mail? They are meant to protect consumers from phishing scams, spam, and email spoofing. While this doesn’t make email marketing impossible, it does add a distinct layer of difficulty you’ll need to navigate. Make sure to stay informed of developments within these laws, as well as read up on what requirements you and your marketing efforts must meet to abide by.
Spam folders. As part of the above restrictions, your spam complaints must stay below .03%. Even beyond these new requirements, utilizing messaging or emailing techniques that feel aggressive, generic, or non-personalized always comes with a high risk of being sent to spam. Not only may that impact your businesses’ good standing and sendability, but it can also mean your messaging is simply not being seen and is not effective.
Easy to ignore. Hanging up the phone and deciding not to call an unknown number back is easy. Want to know what’s even easier? Deleting an email. Selecting and removing it from your inbox and brain space forever. You need to take extra measures to ensure your email is worthy of being read and saved. It takes practice (but we believe you can do it).

How To Improve Cold Emailing Deliverability

Yes, we trust you to get your email successfully into the inbox of your prospect…but will they open it? Will they read it? Will they mark it as spam? Those are the bigger concerns here.

So, let’s break down just how to improve the overall deliverability of your cold email marketing and the vital components you have to keep in mind to nail this strategy.

Personalization Doesn’t Take A Vacation

Let’s be honest here. How often have you opened up a clearly generic email with messaging not specific to you? It’s probably pretty rare, right?

Why would that be different for your prospects?

To appeal to them, you have to personalize to them.

Wondering how to make it happen? Check out a few of our favorite tips below:

Personalize your subject lines. Did you know this practice bumps up the likelihood that your email will be opened by 26%? Yes, you can be this targeted and personal. This immediately applies your messaging directly to the customer you’re trying to reach and shows you went the extra mile to get their eyes on your communication.
Personalize your greeting. If you’re sending emails at scale to hundreds (or thousands) of recipients, you’re most likely leveraging third-party software to do it. Often, these platforms allow you to personalize your greeting with mail merge fields to reference the of the individual you’re trying to reach, naturally changing that for each unique email address.Tip: If you’re leveraging PropertyRadar for your prospect lead lists, you can easily integrate with over 4,000+ apps and services, so the contact information you retrieve from us can seamlessly blend into your email distribution services – making this step a breeze.
Target their specific problem. While you may feel tempted to talk about yourself and what you can offer, if you haven’t interacted with this prospect before, they likely won’t have interest or need in learning about you without a clear tie to themselves and the unique problems they are facing. So. why not turn the tables? Pivot the focus of your messaging to them and their needs.What this could look like: Hi Kate, I understand the market is especially tough right now and that you may be looking for the right opportunity to sell. I’d love to help you. I’m happy to break down different options I can offer - unique to the Magnolia area - so we can find the right path forward.

Ensuring Your Sending Inbox Stays In Compliance

As we mentioned, there are new rules and regulations in town to protect the inboxes of consumers.

This means you’ll need to take necessary and specific steps to stay in compliance and ensure your deliverability doesn’t take a severe hit.

What does that mean?

1. Any senders sending emails to personal Gmail accounts, in particular those sending over 5,000 emails in a 24-hour window, are required to have rigid authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in place.

2. Email senders will need to implement user-friendly practices into their emails, including one-click unsubscribe links. Google has stated that this must be in place by June 1st, 2024.

3. Spam rates must stay between 0.1% to 0.3%.

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. We’ll take you through each step-by-step so you know every action you need to take to stay on Google’s good side.

Read on for What Google and Yahoo’s Email Marketing Updates Mean For You.

Perfect Your Messaging, Or Risk Missed Opportunity

71% of buyers are open to emails when researching new solutions.

That means your cold outreach could be met with open arms…if you play your cards right and hyperfocus on standing out and getting your messaging just right.

We already chatted about the power of personalization, so let’s dig deeper.

Key Components For Creating Connection

Leverage icebreakers. While this may not be the answer when sending emails at scale, for those prospective clients you’re really looking to connect with, go the extra mile by identifying and calling out connectors. This common ground suddenly makes you appear less like a stranger and more like a friendly acquaintance looking to help. After your personalized greeting, lay the groundwork. Have you both worked for the same company? Did you grow up in the same city? Root for the same sports teams? Have you read their published work or seen them present recently?
Don’t ask for their time. At least not without proposing your specific solutions first. Vague introductions and a hurried request to meet don’t have a lot of upside to the client. Why should they take time out of their day for you? They don’t even know what they’re getting! Instead, take the valuable email space to identify their problem and propose a solution. Once you’ve shown how you can help, you can move ahead to encouraging their reply.
Go casual or go home. Stuffy, overly formal emails are well beyond professional. Nowadays, this kind of language can feel like spam – and may be marked as such in your clients’ inboxes. Aim for a lighthearted conversational tone. Remember, you’re looking to create a connection – not make a sales pitch.

Use TORN To Ensure Your Messaging Doesn’t Feel Targeted

You know what else creates connection? Being hyperlocal. There’s nothing like shared zip codes and favorite community spots to bridge differences and eliminate the “cold” from “cold emails."

But hyperlocal lead generation and creating impactful community connections mean more than simply being located in the same region as your prospects. It means going above and beyond to do more, be more, and help more.

And to do that…your messaging has to be on-point.

Want to learn how? Read our step-by-step guide.

If you’re looking for a helpful abbreviated reminder, don’t forget the acronym: T…O…R…N.

T – Targeted. Targeted is all about finding the right people for your message, being hyper-selective about who you are trying to reach, and ensuring your communication is especially personalized. When initially selecting your prospects, it’s vital to be intentional and granular. Tip: When composing your lead lists, it’s helpful to leverage platforms and services that can assist you in getting just that specific. It’s why PropertyRadar has more filtering criteria than anyone else. We believe in finding the right potential clients for your message. Creating messaging specific to your audience is how you’ll get ahead.

O – Outbound. Outbound is about using the right methods to reach your people in the right places. It’s a multi-channel approach meant to raise your visibility, enhance community trust in yourself as an expert, and allow you to tap into multiple effective facets of communication, meeting your prospective clients where they are at (i.e., in their inbox, across digital spaces, over the phone, at their mailbox, etc.) Targeted outbound approaches are the most cost-effective, most predictable, and the most profitable with the right leads and the right personalized approaches.

R – Relevant. Relevant emphasizes the power of the right message. The average person sees 10,000 ads per day. Your outbound methods mean nothing if your messaging isn’t personalized and your leads aren’t targeted. You need to be consistent, and you need the power of multiple channels to ensure your messaging is seen and absorbed. Remember, it’s not about you – it’s about them. Your messaging should speak to the issues they are facing while educating or entertaining. But most importantly, your messaging needs to break through the noise and start a conversation.

N – Neighborly. To make your messaging stand out, it’s about doing what’s right. Make yourself shine brighter by being empathetic and neighborly to your potential clients. Not the most aggressive. Not the most intrusive. Scaring them into calling you isn’t effective. Being who they need is. Tip: Looking for a checklist to help you get it right? Check out our Good Neighbor Marketing Pledge, complete with guidance on how to make sure your messaging provides the right support.

Still, feeling stuck on what to send? Browse 7 Real Estate Email Marketing Templates.

Improving Cold Email Response Rates

Let’s say you’ve already started your cold email marketing campaign – and you're not getting the results you want. What do you do? How do you pivot?

Don’t worry – let’s break down your next steps together.

Consider Social Proof

Your prospective client shouldn’t need to reach out to understand why you’re the solution to their problem – your messaging should solidify this all on its own.

If you’re not seeing the results you want, consider adding social proof.

What does this mean? Add success metrics to your messaging and outline recent deals that have helped others in similar situations; you can even provide quotes or testimonials from those within your community. Those all bolster your outreach with additional credibility.

Condense Your Messaging

You may have a knack for beautiful, long-form editorials – but that’s not going to help you here.

Your potential clients are busy. They don’t have time to read through a lengthy outreach – especially from someone they don’t know!

Do yourself a serious favor and cut some wording. Keep it conversational and keep your focus on their specific problem. You may have helped a diverse range of customers (congrats!), but this specific client doesn’t need all of that background.

Reexamine Your Intent and CTAs

You may provide great context and powerful metrics and create an authentic connection – all of which are necessary. However, if you don’t make your next steps clear…the customer is wondering what to do next.

And take it from us – they won’t look far.

Make your intentions very clear. What are you going to do next? What do you want them to do next? Whether you need a reply, whether they should expect a follow up, whether their window of opportunity is closing and they have one day to walk into your office – you need to make this all crystal clear.

Uplevel Your Offer

Some of your emails will be ignored simply because your personalized offer isn’t enticing.

Use this as a queue to look over what you’re able to offer your clients (whether in regard to support, rate, product, etc.) and see what wiggle room you have.

If you’re deadlocked in certain areas, consider where else you may be flexible. Can you offer a complimentary consultation? Give a neighborhood discount?

Follow Up

Don’t get a reply to your initial outreach? Don’t take it too personally.

The key is to leverage the data at your fingertips to track interest (i.e., did your customer open that email? How many times?) and follow up where appropriate.

Don’t be aggressive, and make sure to limit your check-ins, but don’t take initial silence as a hard line in the sand. Give it a few days and try once more.

Use PropertyRadar To Win At Email Marketing

To succeed at email marketing, you need to start at the beginning – your targeted leads.

To reach the right people, you need to find the right people. And there’s no better (or more accurate) way to tackle this than to tap into the cosmic power of public record data.

Uncover the latest community, demographic, homeowner, and property data by leveraging the databases that house our nation’s most necessary information.

Sound exhausting? It’s not.

Because you have the power of PropertyRadar.

A mandatory resource for data-driven real estate professionals, PropertyRadar pairs extensive public record data with an innovative, accessible, technology-first interface, allowing any user to seamlessly learn more about the people and properties around them – all from the comfort of their desktop computer or mobile phone.

PropertyRadar has over 150 million properties, over 250 million people, and over 1 billion client phones and emails available.

Amazed? We’re just getting started.

Once you have the prospective leads you want, you can effortlessly leverage PropertyRadar to contact these individuals in a variety of different ways.

By phone? Yep.

By social media? Of course.

By digital ads? Obviously.

By direct mail? Sure thing.

By email? Absolutely.

That’s right. PropertyRadar is your one-stop shop for effective end-to-end email marketing campaigns.

Not convinced?

Read on for the 10 Reasons Why PropertyRadar Needs To Be Your Next Real Estate Lead Gen Tool.

And while you're at it...

Get started now with a free PropertyRadar trial, and launch your next email marketing campaign today.

References:

Emma by Marigold, 9 Actionable Email Marketing Quotes To Inspire Your Strategy