If you're having trouble getting started in your E-mail farming, or even if you've begun and want to expand your scope, here are seven valuable tips to help build your E-mail database. Remember, the best E-mail databases are comprised of people from a geographical area within your farm area, and that's why building your own database, while time-consuming, is preferable to simply buying a list.
- Offer A Trade
Send a PowerKard message to your farm area via U.S. mail offering a trade: in return for their E-mail address, you'll provide them with free local real estate information — what homes are being sold for, what's on the market, etc — delivered directly to their computer. Make sure you make your ad sound like they'll be missing out if they don't take advantage of this offer. Simply instruct them to send an E-mail to your address with "Free E-mail info" in the title box.
- Conduct A Survey and Offer A Prize
Mail a survey to all your past clients, sphere of influence and other names in your database, offering a prize (such as Dinner for Two At A Popular Local Restaurant) to a chosen winner. On the survey, ask for the name, street address, phone number and E-mail address of each contestant. When executed correctly, this can easily add 100 addresses to your E-mail database.
- Increase Traffic On Your Web Site
This you should be doing regardless: Include your Web site address on all your marketing materials! Once at your site, you can entice visitors to submit their E-mail addresses by offering free special reports and other valuable information.
- Step Up Public Relations
Get the word out! Write a press release (on your personal letterhead) to be distributed via the mass media touting your Internet-savvy real estate practices and free offers available on-line. Describe how you're using the Internet to change the way real estate is conducted. If printed by the press, not only will this technique generate many visitors to your Web site, it will lend a great deal of credibility to you.
- Ask Everyone You Meet
That's simple enough, isn't it? You often ask people for phone numbers — why not ask for their E-mail at the same time? Although people may not yet be accustomed to being asked in this fashion, there's no question E-mail is the wave of the future and asking now will indicate you are technologically advanced.
- Door Knocking
Although it's time consuming and not all that glamorous, actually walking the streets, introducing yourself to your farm area and asking for e-mail addresses is a legitimate way for you to not only introduce yourself to prospective clients, but discuss your Net-savvy approach to real estate face-to-face.
- Buy A List
If all else fails, buy a list. The reason this is the last option is because you often don't know what you'll get, and the chances of sending unsolicited e-mail increases. However, as e-mail farming becomes more and more common, look for the list providers to improve their services and provide more narrowly defined lists in the future.
Published: March 12, 2004
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