You probably have a email marketing plan in place. And, the key to your email success is to make sure you’re keeping your message relevant to your audience, tracking your success through analysis (open rates, etc.) and managing your content and reputation that is portrayed through your email.

As you continue to refine and test your email marketing campaigns, you’re probably weighing the benefits of trying out some new electronic marketing methods. Mobile marketing is moving in strong with opportunities arising through text messaging, new websites and apps for phones. Rich media channels include video, podcasting and gaming. And, of course, social media continues to beckon with microblogging, social networks and user-generated content.

As you research these new marketing methods, be sure you understand how they work, what the true audience size is, ways to track and analysis the success as well as methods to integrate new marketing in with your existing marketing plan and budget.

Marketing opportunities will continue to expand, allowing you a chance to reach more home buyers and sellers effectively and efficiently.

What new electronic marketing are you using or testing?

And, when it comes to real estate, they want someone who is going to help them achieve all these goals…and then some.

The way that home buyers and sellers are looking at real estate transactions has evolved over the past year or so. These buyers and sellers are not likely to return to the previous purchasing and selling methods — both by choice and by the industry (tougher lending requirements, buyers wanting more for their money, etc.).

Where do you stack up?

One place that these consumers flock to is the web for reviews, comparisons, to simply check out services and compare different professionals to find one that answers their questions and concerns. They can’t compare you with other real estate professionals easily on price, but they can on how you present yourself and what you give to buyers and sellers — on value.

One way to make home buyers and sellers stay on your site and earn their trust is to pack it with relevant content that services their real estate needs. Guides to how to buy a home, how to sell a home, how to save money doing either, etc. are the type of information these consumers (your clients) are looking for when they land on your website. They want answers to their questions quickly, easily and completely.

You often can’t compete on price as you’re not selling a product. But, you can compete on service and how well you communicate, educate and inform buyers and sellers who are searching for a real estate professional to help them buy or sell a home.

Where do you fall during these consumer-directed searches?

Avoid using “lingo” or jargon in your forms that prospects might not understand. Doing so makes prospects feel as though you’re not really interested in talking to them—and will close your forms like a Pandora’s box. For example, real estate professionals often assume prospects are familiar with abbreviations such as CMA, MLS, ILD (formerly IDX), VOW, FSBO, REO, SF and so on—they’re a mystery to many.

When in doubt, spell it out. “Insiderspeak” only works with insiders; don’t make your prospect feel like an outsider.

Let us know how you avoid abbreviations or use the opportunity to educate about them on your web forms. 

With forms programmed to validate data, if the prospect doesn’t complete a “required” field, have a gentle and clear message ready about why the form is incomplete. It may be a typo problem (no @ in e-mail, no dot in dot.com) or a simple oversight. Whatever the error, an annoying “error” message is just that—annoying.

Consider using a friendly lead-in, such as: “Oops. Please recheck your answers. Some required information may have been skipped.”

Review your form to make sure that required info is not every field. Too much required info and the prospect will skip out.

Let us know how you talk to prospects when there is a problem filling out their web forms. We’d love to see your examples!

After the form is complete, display a “Thank You” message page that shows their request has been sent to you and you will be responding
shortly. Make it clear how to close the Thank You page. Be sure to keep the prospect on the same page they were on when they opened the form—do not redirect them to another page, even the home page. Let them go to the next place they want to go to on their own.

Some forms not only say thank you, but also send an e-mail copy of submitted answers back to prospects as a confirmation (people often forget how they completed a form). Include a link to your privacy policy on the e-mail copy sent to your prospects for their reference.

Let us know how good manners have built your business.  Share your best practices and leave a comment.  Thank you!

Always, always, always treat prospects’ privacy as sacred.

Let your prospects know:

• You keep all conversations in complete confidence.
• You do not share contact’s information with anyone else.
• You do not sell contact’s information to anyone else.
• You do not spam.
• You provide unsubscribe options on every email you send, putting the recipient in control of emails received.
• You respect your contact’s privacy and will uphold their trust in you.
• You will only send them information that they request.

Outlining your privacy policy showcases your trustworthiness and makes you the professional that you are.

Consider a link to a privacy policy that outlines your data collection practices in detail and meets your state regulations (if any).  Many online advertisers require a privacy policy be in place on your website before you can advertise with them.  Simply search on “privacy policies for websites” to find a myriad of sources for these auto privacy policy generators.

Let us know how you handle privacy issues with your contact forms.

Use a friendly, casual, comfortable tone.  Stiff and formal comes off as unfriendly.  Craft your forms to read like a real conversation, a real exchange.

Short two-word sentences or single-word asides give forms an appealing personality.  For example, close with “Nice job!” or “That was fast!” or “Please register by completing the form. But if you don’t, that’s okay. Signing in is entirely optional.”

Use the words prospects use and you’ll be talking their language.  Think about the forms you use and where you market (especially when using targeted microsites).  Different prospects at different life stages use different phrases and expect different responses.  If in question, ask someone from that age bracket for the honest truth about how your form terminology sounds and make appropriate changes as suggested.

Be careful using abbreviations and language that first-time home buyers and sellers may not be familiar with.  When in doubt, spell out everything including the abbreviation in parenthesis after the word so that you may educate as you explain.

Depending upon your market, consider adding form options in another language (Spanish, French, etc.).  You might add a single line in the form inviting other language speakers to fill out the form in their native tongue.  Beware – you need to be fluent in that language to do this correctly and be able to respond appropriately to those inquiries in that language!

Don’t look too hip though.  Texting abbreviations (LMK=let me know, BTW=by the way, etc.) might be cool to use, but are likely to confuse another whole segment of prospects — if you are attracting a wide age range of prospects.  Know your audience before you go too trendy with your conversation.

Share your experience in what type of wording you use on your web forms and response pages.  What works best and connects well with your readers?

Motivating them to respond to you requires a comprehensive, carefully designed plan. It must offer prospects something they want, make them feel comfortable about trading information to get it, and make the whole exchange as easy as possible. Remember, if prospects don’t complete your web forms, you will capture no prospects!

Maximize Results By Minimizing “Required” Fields

Try fewer radio buttons or pull downs and more open text fields where prospects can answer in their own words. You’ll be surprised how the answers you get are not the questions you thought you asked. Remember you can validate data later—and qualify the prospect—with follow-up or a sales call.

Multiple-choice answers, however, actually help some prospects answer correctly. For example, “When do you plan to move?” without specific qualifying time periods could get an answer such as “when my spouse makes up his mind” or “after our youngest graduates.” Sometimes ready answers are best.

Let us know how you customize your forms to increase lead capture on your website.

Impatient prospects.  Impatient means every home buyer and seller.  Everyone wants information yesterday.  If not that quickly, they’ll settle for instantly.  Everyone’s time is valuable and everyone is multi-tasking, so you have a short amount of time to get and keep someone’s attention and get them to relinquish their contact info to you.

Take a step back and look at your marketing in terms of its wording, style and design to assess its effectiveness.

At a quick glance will a reader (your prospect)…

…know what they receive if they give you their info?

…understand how to respond to your offer without frustration?

…feel confident that you explain your privacy policy clearly?

…be able to locate your contact info easily if they want to phone you or visit you instead?

Here’s how to capture impatient prospects:

• Ask for a minimum amount of information.
• Don’t confuse the prospect.  (They’ll leave.)
• Design cleanly and clearly using simple language, descriptive labels and color coding.
• For online forms, minimize the amount of typing necessary by using pull-down menus, check boxes and buttons to select common response options.
• Include a link explaining your privacy policy.
• Make sure your communication includes an unsubscribe link. (Make sure it works too!)

No matter what you do, it’s best to review your marketing regularly and objectively.  How do you reach and capture impatient home buyers and sellers?