Anyone have success with email blast marketing?

Question

Hi,

I've been looking at some alternate methods of marketing and was wondering if anyone had any success with email blasts? I notice that infousa charges .13/email and can get a pretty specific list but I am concerned that it will just go to junk folders.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Kyle

Benjamin Cowles · Answer

so how did it ever turn out for you? It's been over a year. The suspense must be killing anyone reading this now...

Phil Z. · Answer

I would stay away from SPAMMING.  If they didn't contact you already or sign up to receive emails .. don't email them.

Allen Gregory · Answer

Wouldn't it be easier if I sent postcards that had a great hook and a website on it? That way when I send the postcards, I'll get people to go to my website and opt-in. That way I wouldn't be spamming.

Now of course, the next best thing to do after they opt-in is to hit them with an automated webinar/sales video. That webinar/video fulfills on the promise of the postcard and then tells them the next step.

Anyone have any experience doing it this way?

John Horner · Answer

I would not filter by marital status.  I don't see how they would be significantly more motivated to sell then married folks.  What about a couple who just filled for divorce but hasn't gone through yet?  Or older couples that have health issues?  Many many many of our leads come from people who have health issues and need to move to a warmer climate, in with family or into an assisted living type environment.

Christopher Winkler · Answer

He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. I would also try direct mail in something different than what everyone else uses. Some of you might hate yellow letters or post cards, though they work, they stand out from the crowd. I sort my mail over a trash can and pitch most everything.

Though to be successfully, you need to do it steady, and spend 1 or 2 thousand a month, something that is hard if you are just getting started.

Kyle Cabral · Answer

@Shane Woods @Christopher Winkler @Lexie M.

Thanks for the insight! Appreciate it.  I plan on breaking out in 1,000 email blasts and see what happens.  I am speaking to a rep over at InfoUSA first to get a little bit more information on my concerns but will let everyone know how I pan out.  Thanks.

Kyle

Lexie M. · Answer

Most email marketing companies charge based on subscriber levels. For 4,000 subscribers, it shouldn't be that expensive every month. Your subscribers must have signed up for your emails blasts organically (you can't buy them). The best email marketing companies will ask you this upfront before they even tell you what they can offer you.

Email marketing companies also have extensive spam filters. It is difficult in the real estate industry for every email sent out to not get trapped in spam folders. This is because we use terms like "buy now" or "need money?" If you work with a customer service based email marketing company, they will help you figure out ways to decrease the emails getting trapped in spam.

I work in the marketing department for my company and also take the incoming potential clients. The majority of our leads have come from our email blasts. I don't have enough data yet to quantify how much, but it does work.

Hope this helped!

Christopher Winkler · Answer

If they have not opted in for these, you could be guilty of spamming people & possibly loosing your ISP. We all hate the junk that ends up in our folders, I routinely delete over 100 emails a day. You will be lucky to get 1-2% reply, most likely much less based on emailing for years, so if you are in the 5,000 range, you might get a few leads, which can pay for the cost of the leads. They are no where near as effective as they use to be, so please do keep us posted how you do!

Shane Woods · Answer

I don't know anything about InfoUSA, but if they do what they say they do "well", their system should keep most of the emails from going straight to junk.  If the list is good, I like your criteria.  So at .13 per email for 4941 emails that's about $650.  Unless you already have some deals going and can afford that "experiment", I would definitely get more feedback before I pulled the trigger. Keep us posted on your results.  We may try something similar.

Kyle Cabral · Answer

@Shane Woods here is my criteria for filtering using infousa

Attached is your Market Research Report.

Number of leads: 4941Age: 35 - 75+Marital Status: SingleHome Ownership: HomeownerHome Value: Under $25,000 To $299,999Years At Address: 7 To 99 Years and More

The goal here was to be specified with persons whom have been living at the address for more than 7 years, whom were single and likely to have equity in the property.  With the single classification, you hit upon divorce cases and widows which is why I went with the 35-75+ age inclusions.  InfoUSA does not have equity %'s so I did what I could with the filtering options presented.  I am thinking this would be worth the try given their pretty good templates that can be customized, my only concern is with it going to spam mail.