​​Are Real Estate Newsletters Effective? Strategies for 2022

, Aug 3, 2022

As you create a marketing plan for your real estate business, you may wonder if adding newsletters to your marketing strategy is worthwhile. While it is true creating a newsletter will take a bit of upfront work, the reality is the time and money you put into developing a newsletter campaign is worth the effort. Nucleus Research found newsletters increase sales by 14.5% while decreasing marketing overhead by 12.2% for businesses that engage in a campaign. So, what exactly does a real estate newsletter involve and how can you ensure it is a success? By implementing these five strategies, you will see just how valuable a newsletter can be.

Strategy #1: Choose Your Newsletter App Wisely

The first step toward building an effective newsletter is to choose the right application to suit your needs. Luckily, there are many newsletter applications from which you can select. Some of the options available include:
  • ActiveCampaign

    ActiveCampaign is a top-rated option for businesses of all sizes. It offers over 800 pre-built automations, free customer support via live chat and phone, customized scheduling features, and complimentary data migration. This application also combines marketing automation, email marketing, and CRM. You can also choose from nearly 900 integrations, with some popular options being Facebook, WordPress, and Zapier. The options really are endless.

  • Constant Contact

    Constant Contact is a great option for small to large businesses. It offers easy-to-use features and a multi-channel support system, allowing you to quickly start to your newsletter campaign and get assistance with most issues. The email builder combined with hundreds of template options make it possible for you to craft a newsletter aligned with your branding. This application does not, however, offer robust automation features or workflows.

  • Mailchimp

    Mailchimp is best suited for for small to medium businesses that are just getting started with email marketing. Features include a free email marketing service for a limited number of subscribers, a large selection of templates to choose from, and an easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder. This application does not have powerful automation or segmenting features, making it ill-fit for scaling teams.

Another option is to use Sendgrid, which is a cloud-based SMTP provider. This system allows you to send emails without needing to maintain email servers. Instead, this campaign system manages all of the technical details of the marketing campaign, including scaling the infrastructure to ISP outreach and completing real time analytics. All you need to do is create an email address, choose your newsletter recipients, and schedule your campaign. SendGrid will do the rest. Ultimately, combining CRM with batch emailing will provide the greatest results with an email marketing campaign. CRM, or customer relationship management, is a system used to manage all of your company’s interactions with past, current, and potential clients. Meanwhile, batch emailing allows you to reach your clients in a quick and cost-effective manner. These go hand-in-hand, as the email campaign feeds into your CRM, as well as any marketing automation software you may be using. Using a native CRM batch email strategy often offers better delivery, with more emails landing in your recipients' Inbox rather than the Promotions box. The aforementioned ActiveCampaign is unique in that it started as a marketing automation platform, but evolved to include true CRM functionality. Ultimately, you should choose a newsletter application that is in your budget and aligns with your business needs.

Strategy #2: Use a Great Email List

After you have selected the software and method you want to use for your newsletter campaign, you will need to create an email list for your campaign. As you build this list, you should utilize an email verification tool. This tool will scan your email list and remove invalid or potentially dangerous email addresses. Not only will this increase your delivery rate, but it will help protect the reputation of your server. Some email verification tools you might want to consider include:
  • Clearout
  • EmailListVerify
  • MailerCheck
  • NeverBounce
  • Email Checker
  • Hunter
  • Mailfloss
  • ZeroBounce

Once you have put together a list of high-quality email addresses, you should determine how you want to segment it. Segmenting your email list simply means breaking it down into groups according to certain categories. These categories should be based on common factors and descriptors. Some suggestions for broad methods of grouping include:

  • Demographics
  • Preferences
  • Services
  • Interests
  • Products

When determining how you want to segment your email list, consider the type of content you will be providing and how it can be presented to different groups of people. This will ensure the newsletter is relevant and interesting to the recipients, which will make your newsletter campaign more effective. For example, you may group your emails according to the types of properties your buyers are interested in. In this way, one group may receive newsletters focused on lakeside homes while another may receive newsletters focused on golf course communities.


Strategy #3: Use Lots of Images

Now that you have your newsletter campaign strategy and email list ready to go, it's time to make your newsletter as appealing as possible to the reader. You of course want to offer high-quality content, but you also want to draw the reader in with visually appealing images. There are several types of images you can include in your newsletter, such as:
  • Graphs and Charts

    Graphs and charts are a great way to share information quickly, easily, and in an appealing manner. They should be relevant to your newsletter and contain the most recent data, to ensure efficient reading and establish your credibility. You may want to share graphs and charts that have been disseminated by professional organizations, such as the National Association of REALTORS. For the maximum effect, however, you may also want to consider creating graphs and charts that align with your brand identity. Graphs and charts are relatively easy to create with spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, and Smartsheet.

  • Infographics

    Infographics are graphic images that offer a visual representation of data in a way that is different from graphs and charts, although graphs and charts can be added to your infographic. There are seven basic types of infographics: list-based, comparison, visual article, interactive, data visualization, timeline, and visual resume. There are many different software programs available for creating infographics. Some of these include: Piktochart, Snappa, Infogram and Freepik.

  • Relevant Photos

    Relevant photos can further illustrate the concepts you are trying to convey in your newsletter. They also add a human touch by showing people engaging in activities relevant to the content of your newsletter. There are many services available that offer stock photos for you to use without the need for obtaining licensing. Some examples include Deposit Photos, Shutterstock and Adobe Stock. When selecting stock photos for your newsletters, be careful not to select photos that look like stock photos. Readers don't care for images that look fake or overly staged.


Strategy #4: Consider Including Video

For added effect, you might also want to consider including videos in your newsletter. You can easily make videos of your own with applications such as Bombbomb, Jumpshare, Loom, and Snagit. These applications allow you to create videos directly from your computer by accessing your microphone, camera, and desktop. Advantages to adding video to your newsletter include:
  • Further establish you and your newsletter as an authority within the industry.
  • Share information in a quick and easy way that is more accessible to viewers than requiring them to read through a newsletter.
  • Provide demonstrations or instructions in a manner that is easier to understand with visual representation than written description.
  • Appeal to a broader range of recipients, as some prefer to watch videos rather than read through materials.
  • Help your newsletter recipients get to know you on a more personal level and build a human connection, which will increase their interest in your future newsletters.
While making videos to include in your newsletter will take a little extra time to complete, the time spent will be worth it as you build and maintain a more solid newsletter base.

Strategy #5: Use Great Formatting

The final touch to creating a high-quality newsletter is to use great formatting. Just as with pictures, proper formatting will grab your readers' attention and make them interested in what you have to say. At the same time, you need to keep in mind that people have a tendency to glance over digital media, scanning the information in order to determine if there is anything worth reading. To help with this scanning process and increase your chances of drawing their attention to your key points, you should keep the following formatting recommendations in mind:
  • Utilize several headings and subheadings, all of which should be offset in a bold font.
  • Create bullet points when listing key ideas or bits of information.
  • Develop numbered lists within the newsletter or design the entire newsletter in the format of a numbered list of steps, tips, or strategies.
  • Add bold and italicized words within the newsletter.
Using these formatting strategies will allow your readers to easily glance over the newsletter and grasp the main points you are trying to convey. It will also break the newsletter up into more manageable parts. Perhaps the reader will only be interested in certain segments of the newsletter and that's okay! By using these formatting tips, you helped each reader find the parts relevant to them, thereby solidifying your newsletter as one of value.

Strategy #6: Content is King

Make sure to know your audience, which primarily consists of local home buyers and sellers. There are a lot of similarities between buyers and sellers across all markets, but also several differences. Subscribers to a Denver real estate agent are interested in tips to deal with snow-related issues, while Austin real estate subscribers are looking to beat the heat. Local market statistics are always popular, and hyper-local statistics for specific neighborhoods tend to be even more of a hit. Remember, you want your content to be accurate, relevant, and valuable to your audience.

With the help of these six strategies, you will have a successful real estate newsletter campaign. While it may seem a bit overwhelming at first, once you become familiar with the software and how to create newsletters that coincide with your branding, you will wonder what took you so long to get started.

About the Author

Last updated: 03/23/2023

2300+ Client reviews!

I had the pleasure of working with Vicki Duran and I couldn’t be happier with the experience. From the very beginning, Vicki demonstrated deep knowledge of the market and a genuine commitment to understanding my needs. Her communication was exceptional – always prompt, clear, and informative. Throughout the process, Vicki went above and beyond, negotiating on my behalf, explaining the process/each step along the way, and ensuring every detail was taken care of. Her professionalism, dedication, and personalized approach was exceptional. She truly cared and I felt like I was working with a close family friend (having never met her before the process began). I can’t emphasis enough how seamless she made the process for me. People have the perception that buying a house is an extremely stressful process. My experience could not have been farther from the truth. I joked with her at times how smooth/easy buying a house was, all because of Vicki!

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Blessed to have connected with Kristen! I can’t say enough great things about Kristen. Her professionalism, market knowledge, and communication were beyond compare. She was incredibly patient throughout our home search. We looked at a countless amount of homes (we are very picky), and never once felt she was trying to push us in to something that wasn’t the right fit for the sake of a sale. We always felt she had our best interest in mind. Couldn’t recommend her more!!!

Sally was referred to me via a business network when I first moved to Austin in 2022. She helped me understand the area, evaluate my options, and find the perfect spot in a tough market. Sally has been a joy to work with because she creates partnerships + friendships with her clients!

I was impressed by Sally’s expertise in selling both my investment property and my primary residence, and in helping us buy our dream home. At our initial meeting, we found Sally knew the real estate market, but found even more impressive her emotional quotient in understanding and navigating the differences between my partner’s and my very different personalities. For my investment property, she timed the showings and sale perfectly and created a helpful Excel spreadsheet comparing the many offers. She was also savvy enough to suggest we pay the tenants a fair amount of money to make the property available for viewing from 9am – 5pm on the first weekend to make it as easy as possible for potential buyers to get through, and we let her deal directly with the tenants because we could tell her people skills would serve us well

We got multiple offers by the deadline on Monday afternoon with one outlier that was $150K higher than what we had unsuccessfully listed the property for (with a different realtor) a year earlier!

When it came to selling my primary home, Sally’s expertise in the luxury market, and in historic homes in particular, truly shone. She understood that selling a high-end property, with various restrictions, required a different approach. Sally crafted a listing for the home that perfectly captured its unique character and premier location. Her marketing strategy was well timed and appropriate for the more limited market, attracting the right buyer pool and creating a sense of exclusivity around the property. She suggested listing it on the private market for a week or two before sending a message that it would be listed on the MLS. She organized private showings that allowed buyers to experience the warmth and charm of the home and the neighborhood, which I believe was instrumental in securing a sale.

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Sally is also accessible. We found more well-known realtors would respond to our email days later, whereas she was always available right away to answer my questions, and provided us with regular updates, making sure every detail was handled with care. Selling a high-end property can be a stressful experience with fewer potential buyers and some downtime inherent in waiting for the right buyer, but Sally made it a smooth and surprisingly easy process encouraging us to be patient while giving us enough information on what was happening to satisfy both me and my partner. In the end, we were thrilled with the results

Sally’s rep of us as sellers could not have been more professional, but her work repping us as buyers is the most memorable. We were trying to be our dream home in an overheated market, and Sally gave us advice that at each turn proved invaluable. She recommended offering just the right amount above the offer price for us to make it to the next round of offers. She handled a very difficult appraisal process by advising us on financing sources, even offering to help us put down a higher amount by loaning us money herself! We were able to finance the home without taking her up on that offer, but how many realtors make that kind of offer to their clients? In the end, we closed on the house ontime and ended up with the home of our dreams, thanks to Sally’s world-class advice and service.

We cannot say enough good things about Sally’s technical knowledge, people skills, and responsiveness. You won’t find a better realtor in Austin.

I have lived here in Austin for more twenty-five years, and have bought and sold several homes and rented others during those years. I have worked with five realtors during that time. SALLY IS BY FAR THE BEST OF ANY IN TOWN. Her work ethic is simply unmatched. She hides her competitive streak underneath a layer of Austin hip and friendly, but she will absolutely get you the best home, the best deal, and stop at NOTHING to get your home sold as well!

Sally loves real estate. She has a genuine passion for Austin, too, and for her client’s well-being. She took time to understand my needs and was always available to answer any questions and provide me with honest and insightful advice.

We toured many homes in Barton Hills and settled on a great home that was hotly contested by builders and homeowners. Sally understood how we could be the preferred buyer without getting into a bidding war. She knew the motivations of the Seller and we maneuvered and negotiated the contract and secured my dream home.

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Sally is incredible! She spent nearly 2 years with us – understanding our very specific preferences and needs – to help us find our dream home. She was the first agent to reach out when the home was listed and negotiated the contract astutely so that we secured the home. The home was only in the framed stage, still had a few months until completion. Once it was completed, however, our plans had changed and we needed to get out of the contract. We were expecting to have to relinquish our very considerable deposit. But Sally spent the entire weekend working on a way to get us out of the contract AND get our deposit back. Everyone we have spoken to about this extraordinary outcome has been surprised that Sally managed to get our deposit back for us. Thank you Sally, we can’t recommend her highly enough.

Sally is reliable, diligent in her research, prompt on exchanges, creative in deal making, and has a tremendous work ethic. She is the sole reason we were able to close on our primary residence, which has been our dream home and a fantastic investment. From there, we’ve gone on to close on multiple rental property purchases in Austin together. Thanks to her astute analysis, we’ve passed on many deals as well, which has proven just as valuable. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

I highly recommend Kiel if you’re looking to rent a place in Austin. We originally met him to look around a particular unit, and when it was not to our satisfaction, he was able to quickly take us around many more units that day. He also set up a whole day of viewings for the very next day! Within 48 hours we had done enough viewings to be confident in choosing a new home. The landlord accepted our offer and Kiel handled all of the paperwork, even stopping by our hotel to pick up the needed checks. We couldn’t be happier.
Kiel is highly organized and unlike some realtors in the Austin area, he is responsive and ready to move quickly. We were always able to contact him and never left waiting.

Kiel has your BACK!! We are so grateful to have had his guidance and knowledge while navigating the intense, frustrating and way competitive Austin rental market. He quickly picked up on our taste and designed a game plan to help us push through the clutter and get to the properties that best suited us. He was ALWAYS available to us and answered our emails, calls and texts with great speed. We’re so grateful to have had him on our search team. Because my goodness, it really is a crazy market out there!

Kiel was amazing to work with! He walked us through everything, explained anything we didn’t understand, and he is is just a great guy to work with. As a first time home buyer, his knowledge was invaluable. 10/10 would recommend!

Kiel was referred to me by a friend, and we were so pleased with his services. He jumped in and guided us through the entire process, made himself readily available for us during the whole process, checked in with us via text every step of the way, and provided any and all information we requested. As a first time home buyer, I was not totally familiar with the process. Kiel helped me through the lending process, walk through inspection and closing procedures. It was such a pleasure to work with him, and we look forward to hiring him again when we purchase our next property.

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