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.
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.
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?
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.
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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.
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.- 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.
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.
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."
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. !marketing-empathyStill, 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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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..png?width=578&height=285&name=distress-market%20(1).png)
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.
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References:
Emma by Marigold, 9 Actionable Email Marketing Quotes To Inspire Your Strategy
Venngage, 25 Key Email Statistics Defining the Modern Email Landscape
Outplay, 30+ Cold Email Statistics You Need to Know in 2023
HubSpot, The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2023
GMass, Cold Email Strategy Guide: The 10-Step Method for Outreach That Works
QuickMail, Cold Email vs. Email Marketing: 4 Key Differences
HubSpot, Email Deliverability
HubSpot, The Ins & Outs of Cold Emailing That Delivers Results
Cognism, The Top Cold Calling Success Rates for 2024 Explained
Ninestone, Top 10 Benefits of Effective Cold Email Strategies
ActiveCampaign, Cold Email
Klenty, The Average Cold Email Response Rate in 2024
Paubox, Why Personalized Subject Lines Increase Open Rates
Saleshandy, Improve Cold Email Response Rate
FSBO Drip Campaign: A 5-Email Sequence That Converts Sellers Into Listings
No competitor has published a dedicated FSBO drip campaign guide. REDX, Vulcan7, and Landvoice all focus on phone scripts. The email channel for FSBO prospecting is wide open, and agents who build a FSBO email sequence now will own the inbox while competitors fight over phone lines.
The FSBO drip campaign below is designed as a 30-day nurture sequence. Each FSBO email template builds on the previous one, moving the seller from awareness to consideration to conversion. The sequence works because it leads with value at every step instead of pushing for an appointment.
FSBO Email Template 1: Local Market Update (Day 1)
Subject line: 'Quick market update for [street name]'
Body: Send the FSBO seller a brief local market update focused on their specific neighborhood. Use PropertyRadar data to pull the estimated property value, recent sales within a half-mile radius, and current buyer demand metrics. Keep the FSBO email template short: 3-4 sentences of data, your name, and a simple 'Reply if you would like more details.' This first touch in your FSBO drip campaign establishes you as a data-driven local expert, not another cold-calling agent.
FSBO Email Template 2: FSBO Education (Day 7)
Subject line: 'What most FSBO sellers wish they knew before listing'
Body: Share the key NAR statistics that FSBO sellers rarely see until it is too late. FSBO homes sell for a median of $360,000 versus $425,000 for agent-listed homes. The vast majority of FSBO sellers eventually involve a real estate agent. Only 5% of home sales are successfully completed as FSBO. Frame these facts as educational, not salesy. This FSBO email template positions you as someone who shares useful information rather than pressuring for a listing appointment.
FSBO Email Template 3: Specific Comp and CMA Offer (Day 14)
Subject line: 'Your neighbor at [comp address] just sold for [price]'
Body: Reference a specific recent sale in their immediate neighborhood. Explain what that sale means for the value of their home. Offer a free, no-obligation comparative market analysis. This is the most actionable FSBO email template in the sequence because it creates urgency with a real, local data point. Use PropertyRadar to pull the specific comp data for each FSBO seller on your list.
FSBO Email Template 4: Buyer Demand (Day 21)
Subject line: 'I have buyers looking in [neighborhood] right now'
Body: 'I currently have [X] pre-qualified buyers looking in your neighborhood in your price range. Would it be helpful to know more about what they are looking for and what they are pre-approved at?' This FSBO email template addresses the biggest gap in FSBO selling: buyer reach. FSBO sellers can only market to buyers who find their listing. An agent brings a network of pre-qualified buyers the seller cannot access on their own.
FSBO Email Template 5: Soft Close (Day 30)
Subject line: 'Whenever you are ready, I am here'
Body: 'When you are ready for professional help with your sale, I am here. No pressure. No hard sell. Here is what one of my recent clients said about working with me after trying to sell on their own.' Include a brief testimonial from a past FSBO-to-listing client. This final FSBO email template gives the seller permission to reach out without feeling pressured. Many agents report that this 'soft close' email generates more responses than any other in the FSBO drip campaign.
Automate Your FSBO Drip Campaign with PropertyRadar
PropertyRadar integrates with Follow Up Boss, HubSpot, LionDesk, and 5,000+ apps via Zapier for automated FSBO drip campaigns. Build your pre-FSBO prospect list in PropertyRadar using 250+ data criteria. Push the skip-traced contacts to your CRM. Set up the 5-email FSBO email sequence. When new prospects match your criteria, they automatically enter the FSBO drip campaign. Your FSBO follow up strategy runs on autopilot while you focus on listing appointments and closings.
The complete FSBO email marketing system: PropertyRadar builds and updates the list, skip traces the contacts, pushes them to your CRM, and your FSBO drip campaign nurtures them automatically. One integration replaces manual list pulls, CSV uploads, and email-by-email follow-ups.
