The real estate business is a game of numbers, and for people to buy from you, they need to know and trust you. One way to achieve this is lead nurturing through real estate drip campaigns.
Staying connected to and nurturing your real estate leads doesn’t have to be rocket science. With drip campaigns, you can efficiently maximize real estate email marketing communication touchpoints, showcase new house listings, give home-building educational content, and build trust with potential buyers. These get you a step closer to closing sales.
In this article, we cover what you need to know about real estate drip campaigns, including:
- How to create and send drip campaigns
- Real estate drip campaign tips, examples, and templates
- Primary considerations you should have when creating these emails
Table of Contents
What Is a Real Estate Drip Campaign?
A real estate drip campaign refers to sending a sequence of emails to clients to drive engagement. In the use of technology, it is not different from automated email campaigns in any other industry.
Imagine signing up for an email newsletter and getting several emails from them on the spot. Chances are excellent that you’d close the tab and not return due to the overwhelm you feel. This implies the business just lost a potential customer.
So, drip campaigns make it possible to send relevant, timely messages in bits that let potential clients stay in the sales funnel and know the next step to take.
The ultimate goal of a real estate drip campaign is to inform, build awareness, and get the most engagement from potential buyers and real estate investors. The drip campaign also helps you identify your most active clients and those who are most likely to purchase from you so that you can focus your marketing efforts on them.
Drip campaigns are automated and initiated by a client’s trigger action, such as subscribing to your email newsletter, clicking on a link on your real estate website, or signing up for a virtual home tour.
Real Estate Drip Campaign Examples and Templates
There are different real estate drip campaigns you should be sending based on the actions triggered by potential clients, email segments, or the end goal you want to achieve from the real estate marketing campaign. They include the following.
#1. Welcome email drip campaigns
Here’s a really nice welcome email example from the real estate brand Zillow. With an email like this, you can set the pace on what clients can expect to receive from you and the services you offer.
You can also use introductory emails to gather data that will allow you to understand your potential clients and place them in segments based on their responses (actions), preferences, or engagements.
Images are critical to real estate campaigns because they help your prospects visualize your offers.
Examples of subject lines you can use include the following:
- Welcome to [Brand Name]
- Here, your real estate journey starts
- Getting your first home? Here’s how we can help you
Follow up your introductory email with other educational emails such as home gardening tips, hot locations homeowners buy from, or tips to get started.
Conversely, you can follow up with a survey or feedback or book a consultation to know your lead’s primary needs and budget if they want to purchase a home right away or if they even want to sell their home (yeah, we often forget that not everyone wants to buy, some real estate leads want to sell their homes).
If you are in the real estate business, here are drip campaign templates you can steal.
1. Welcome email template
| Subject Line: This is what dreams are made of! |
| Dear [Prospect’s Name],
We welcome you to [Real Estate Brand Name], where your journey to realize your real estate dream begins. At [Real Estate Brand Name], we understand that buying or selling a home is one of the most significant decisions in your life. That’s why our team is made of real estate professionals dedicated to providing you with exceptional services to foster a seamless experience throughout the process. Expect to receive:
Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer, looking to upgrade your home, or exploring investment opportunities, [Your Real Estate Brand] is your trusted partner. Explore our full services and customer testimonials by clicking this link [CTA button]. Warm regards, [Email Signature] |
With this real estate email template, you have successfully welcomed a prospect, summarized what they can expect, and spurred them to take their first action by clicking the CTA link to see the customer testimonials on your real estate website and a complete offer of your services.
This way, you increase your click-through rate and guide your real estate prospects through the real estate sales funnel.
2. ‘Book a call’ email template
| Subject Line: 15 mins for a one-on-one call? |
| Hi [Prospect name],
Just stopping by to schedule a one-on-one meeting between you and one of our real estate agents [real estate agent name]. This will help us better understand your needs and how we can help solve them. Have any questions you’ve wanted to ask? Be sure to ask them and get your answers. You can schedule a meeting time that works for you here – (your calendar link). Alternatively, you can fill out this form (link) if that works better for you. Hope to hear from you soon. Regards. [Email Signature] |
While it may seem early in the sequence to book a one-on-one consultation with prospects, it isn’t. This investment helps you categorize your leads so you can streamline the content of your email to meet their needs and keep your subscribers engaged.
If the email segment receiving this broadcast is large, and a one-on-one consultation can’t suffice, you can send out a form or survey that helps you understand your prospect’s needs.
Not everyone will respond to the previous email. But, depending on the responses and the needs from the call or from reviewing the form responses, you can segment your customers better for subsequent emails.
3. Follow-up email template
This sequence will be a follow-up if your real-estate clients want to buy homes. Another email that can follow would be house listings, reviews, and other home-buying tips.
| Subject Line: Virtual tour of your future home |
| Dear [Prospect’s Name],
What will it take to make this home yours? Let’s pause on that while you take a virtual tour of one of our featured properties, exploring every room, detail, and view from the comfort of your home. [Include a link to the virtual tour.] Ready to make it yours? Hit the reply button, and we will take it up from there. Yours, [Email signature] |
A study shows that home listings with virtual tours receive 87% more views than home listings without tours, and 75% of customer decision-making is affected by a virtual tour.
There are several platforms you can host your virtual tour, i.e., you can film it and upload it on YouTube, then insert the link to the video in your email.
Also, a lot of real estate agents have a dedicated YouTube channel where they document and showcase their home listings. This comes in as a handy real estate marketing campaign when you want to offer potential buyers and real estate buyers a virtual tour.
For introductory emails, you’d see that besides welcoming prospects, you also want to understand them to segment them better for your drip marketing campaigns.
As they go down further in the sales pipeline, the emails become more streamlined and ultra-personalized, and the introductory emails, a lot of time, set the pace for this.
Read also: 8 Proven Marketing Strategies For Home Builders In 2024
#2. Informational email drip campaigns
Building trust in prospective customers is a significant part of setting up a drip email campaign. A sure way to build this trust is to offer them value by helping them purchase a property, maintain one, or sell it.
Informational emails allow you to share valuable information with your leads so they know and trust you even before interacting with you actively. These real estate drip emails typically come after the first introductory emails as you want to start communicating value from the get-go.
They are also straightforward to draft and can range from updates on the latest housing trends to general tips on different stages of owning a home.
Ideas you can share in this email sequence include:
- What’s new in real estate?
- Tips to buy a property
- Home maintenance and improvement tips
- Virtual home tours
- Customer success stories
Here’s a template you can take and tweak.
1. Home buying tips email template
| Subject Line: Buy a home with these 5 tips! |
| Dear [Leads Name],
Buying a home is exciting. Yet, it could get overwhelming. Here are 5 quick tips to help you. Tip 1: Factoring in the purchase price and ongoing expenses like property taxes and maintenance, what is your budget? Tip 2: Itemize your deal breakers and what matters most when deciding on a home to purchase, such as location, amenities, and neighborhood. Tip 3: Get pre-approved for a mortgage to know your budget and make more attractive offers to home sellers. Tip 4: Invest in a professional home inspection. This helps you uncover hidden issues and save you from costly surprises. Tip 5: Think long-term. Is this home suitable for your future needs, such as growing your family or retirement? Explore home listings in specific locations here [CTA button] Best regards, [Email Signature] |
2. ‘Reasons to consider’ email template
| Subject Line: 3 reasons to consider a home in [Neighbourhood name] |
| Dear [Lead’s Name],
Finding a home involves more than the house itself but the environment and neighborhood also. Here are 3 reasons to consider purchasing a home in [Neighbourhood name] [Reason 1] [Reason 2] [Reason 3] Explore our home listings in this location [Insert Link] Warm regards, [Your Name] |
Benefits or reasons for getting a home in a specific region can range from the serenity of the environment, the recreational sports, or even historical monuments or the schools within (this is important for parents who are considering buying a home).
3. Client success story email template
| Subject Line: A story that could be yours |
| We thought to check in with this success story from our clients on buying their first home.
[Client’s Name], was home searching for their dream home for 16 months. Discover how we helped them find the perfect property, navigate the buying process, and ultimately turn their dreams into reality. [Insert client testimonial] Let’s make your real estate dreams a reality, too. Ready? Hit the reply button, and we will take it from there. Sincerely, [Email signature] |
#3. Re-engagement email drip campaigns
Clients drop off at different points in the sales funnel. While engaging more with your active leads is essential, you don’t have to close the doors on your cold leads.
However, re-engaging with cold leads can be quite tricky, especially when you don’t know why they became cold and how to get them back. In this sense, it’s important to soft pedal and not do too much too soon.
An old trick that you could use is to inform them of what you have been up to and hint at what they may be missing out on. Alternatively, you can include short surveys that help you know why they went cold.
Here’s a template you can steal.
Reengagement email template
| Subject Line: Found your dream home yet? |
| Hi [Subscriber Name],
It’s been a while since we heard from you. We decided to pop by and ask if you’ve found your dream home yet. If not, we have some fantastic new home listings we’d want you to see [insert link]. Feel free to respond with any question, and I’ll respond to it. Best, [Your Name] |
Next, you can follow this up with a discount on service fees or get them excited with an exclusive tour offer that keeps them anticipating your next email.
Read also: Drip Campaign Examples To Transform Your Email Strategy
#4. Market updates drip campaign
Housing reports are periodic email newsletters that help prospective buyers better understand the real estate industry. These reports may not come as often as the other types of emails as they take time to gather. For instance, you may send data on current mortgage rates, the average prices of condos in a particular area, or price forecasts.
These types of emails are most helpful to clients who are really paying attention to the real estate market and those who want to invest in the real estate market.
Some ideas you can send in this category include:
- Latest market trends
- Price prediction for the coming quarter or year
- Q&A sessions
- Mortgage updates
- Local festivals and events
#5. Follow-up email drip campaigns
Follow-up emails are essential to your drip campaigns and should be sent occasionally to maintain communication.
For example, an automated follow-up email to get feedback on the prospect experience is necessary after a home tour or event gathering, like in the image above. This opens the door for further engagement, which could lead to sales.
Read also: 180 Best Real Estate Keywords & Tips to Outrank Your Competitors
#6. Promotional email drip campaigns
These are automated emails aimed at showcasing new home listings and making sales without sounding too salesy. They should highlight the properties’ unique features and why they would be a good buy.
The idea is to send real estate options that are within the prospects’ means and preferences. There’s no use sending penthouses to college students or school leavers who need affordable short-term options.
Ensure the options you present to potential clients are appropriate to increase your chances of getting more engagement and possible sales.
Suppose you want to send a promotional drip campaign to a customer segment of first-time homeowners who are looking for affordable options. Here are drip email templates that could work.
1. New listings email template
| Subject Line: [Client Name], affordable homes in [Client’s Area] |
| Hi [Subscriber Name],
We’ve just added new listings of affordable homes in [Your Area] that are perfect for first-time buyers like you. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to explore these budget-friendly options. Link to New Listings [here] Got questions? Or want to go on a physical tour of any home that interests you, feel free to reach out. Best, [Email Signature] |
2. Client reviews email template
| Subject Line: A client review you may like |
| Hi [Subscriber Name],
As a first-time home buyer, we understand your pressure to get everything right and make no mistakes. Here, we have a review from a first-time buyer who got her home with our help. [Insert review] I’d be at the other end of this email with home listings in your area of interest. Regards, [Email Signature] |
3. Discount offer email template
| Subject Line: Exclusive offer inside! |
| Hi [Subscriber Name],
You can still be a homeowner before this year spans out. We are offering you [describe the exclusive offer]. Take action now so you don’t miss out on this. Your dream home awaits, and we’re here to help you make it a reality. Talk soon, [Name] |
4. Follow-up email template
| Subject Line: Time is running out |
| Hello,
Our exclusive offer for first-time homebuyers is ending soon. Don’t miss your chance to save on [offer]. Act now to secure this deal before it’s gone [Insert link] Best, [Email Signature] |
With these real estate drip email templates, you have successfully shown potential buyers new home listings, addressed the common issues first-time home buyers have, and incentivized your offer so they can make a purchase—thanks to email drip campaigns.
Read also: Real Estate CRM: Everything You Need to Know
Factors to Consider When Planning a Drip Campaign
Here are factors to consider when designing your real estate drip campaign.
Timing
Timing is key when sending drip campaigns. First, campaigns must align with the actions users take. If a client signs us up to get updates on home listings, follow up with emails that provide that information. That may not be the time to ask for reviews.
Paying attention to timing ensures you provide value and helpful content when it’s needed.
Additionally, on average, the sales cycle for home purchases is long. So, factor this in when drafting a drip campaign; it may not be a linear buying journey that goes from welcome to home listing and the client selecting a home and then closing the deal.
It will most likely be more complex than that, and at every stage of the journey, ensure your drip campaign is timely and relevant to the buying stage. A real estate CRM tool gives you deep insight into prospects’ online behavior so you can send highly personalized drip emails based on segments for every stage of the journey.
Additionally, using marketing automation software to monitor customer actions and preferences is also important. For instance, when a lead clicks on a page on your website from a location, send subsequent emails for similar properties from the same location.
Purpose
Each drip campaign should serve a specific purpose. Do you want to show prospects new home listings or reactivate inactive subscribers?
The purpose of your drip campaign informs the content of the emails you send. You want your offer to be direct, concise, and understandable to the receiver.
The content of your email in a drip campaign can include images, videos, newsletters, surveys, offers, and sales pitches. Sending emails that are not relevant or do not address client pain points will negatively affect your campaign performance.
Frequency
Frequency refers to how often you send emails. Be careful not to spam your leads. No matter how relevant you think emails are, no one wants to receive ten emails from you in one day. You can determine the right frequency of these emails by understanding client needs and preferences in line with how the market moves.
For instance, instead of sending individual house options, you can curate them into a single post and send them at once. Then, if the client picks interest in one or two, you can then send a video tour of the homes.
Read also: Selling Homes in Style: 29 Unique Real Estate Marketing Ideas
Audience
You are likelier to get low engagement if you send a generic message to all the contacts on your email list. Which is why audience segmentation is critical. With EngageBay’s CRM tool and web analytics, you can effectively segment your audience based on their online behavior and interaction with you.
Different people subscribe to your email list for different reasons, and the first step to a successful real estate drip campaign is to segment properly.
Your email list doesn’t have to be static. As customers update their preferences or as you better understand their needs from your interactions with them, update the list and keep going.
It’s important to decide on email marketing software that allows for dynamic email list building, such as EngageBay.
Triggers
Triggers are automated responses to certain actions a lead takes. Depending on the action, an email sequence is triggered.
Let the sequence be in line with the trigger. Understanding these different triggers and the appropriate responses is essential to running a successful drip campaign.
Read also: 36 Real Estate Email Marketing Templates [Ready to Send]
Tips For Your Real Estate Drip Campaign
Here are some tips you should remember when curating and sending drip emails for your real estate brand.
Study your prospects
Before you send emails, it’s essential to understand your client’s needs. Start by analyzing their origin, i.e., the trigger that led them into the sales funnel.
Understanding where the lead came from gives you better insight into what they may be looking for and helps you serve them better.
Alternatively, you can curate the initial emails in the series to be targeted at getting more information about the lead. This helps you hyper-segment and send more relevant emails subsequently.
Personalize your content
An important tip when drafting a drip campaign is to personalize the email so that you are speaking directly to the target audience. Personalizing your emails is a two-way street that entails identifying yourself and identifying your customers.
Identifying yourself is crucial as it shows that a human is speaking to them. It includes using distinct design items, like a letterhead, brand colors, and font. It can also include using a set brand tone or catchphrases to maintain consistency with your target audience.
Next, you identify your target audience. Start by imagining who is your ideal audience and writing as though you are speaking to one person. Drafting your email this way allows you to connect better and breeds trust faster in the minds of the email recipients.
Read also: What is a CRM in Real Estate? Cheat Sheet for Realtors
Segment your audience
Although you reach a wider audience when sending emails in a drip campaign, you should remember that the goal is to nurture the leads, hence the importance of understanding the leads and their wants. An effective way to make the drip campaign more efficient is to segment the leads in line with their needs and send them emails accordingly.
For instance, segment into tags like new leads, prospective buyers, prospective resellers, or closed leads. You can create this segmentation by gathering data and insights on lead preferences and then creating buckets based on these preferences.
Make it informal, fun, and memorable
As a real estate professional conducting a drip campaign, one of your priorities should be to make your emails fun and memorable. Writing your emails in an informal yet professional helps you connect better with the readers as they feel it’s coming from someone they know.
Again, while the information you wish to pass across is serious business, making the content fun and relatable increases the chances of the clients reading to the end and getting through to the point where they act.
According to statistics, the average email user gets about 120 emails daily. Consider this when drafting the email, so your focus should be thinking of ways your email can stand out.
Finally, you can make your emails memorable and fun by using simple, mobile-friendly, and functional designs that are easy on the eyes.
Read also: 15 Easy Steps to Win at Real Estate Email Marketing
Plan your content schedule
When planning your real estate drip campaign, it is crucial that you set out the content schedule. This involves setting a content and email schedule so the emails aren’t arbitrary.
Begin this process by answering what you must achieve through the campaign. Then, devise ways to achieve this goal with your customer demographic in mind. For instance, imagine that the purpose of your campaign is to help young couples find a new home in the countryside.
Plan your content so that it starts out introducing the different home options that are available to them. Include prices and significant considerations for the housing options so that they get familiar.
Next, you can introduce mortgage plans in line with CTAs on how they can begin the process on your website or by contacting a phone or email contact. You should ensure that your drip campaign has a direction to achieve maximum results.
Be concise and direct
When drafting your emails, a safe assumption is that the reader has about five seconds to decide if you are worth their time. People are less likely to read long emails, especially when they don’t see any specific value added. Hence, it is crucial to be concise with your drip emails.
You can consider the first set of emails as a version of an elevator pitch, where the goal is to get their attention. Ultimately, as much as there isn’t a specific number of words to be deemed as concise, you can apply discretion and study reader behavior to determine the correct length of the email.
Additionally, as much as you want to engage your customers through the drip campaign, it’s important to be specific with what you want from them. Approach the drip campaign by introducing the brand and presenting your prospective clients with a value proposition.
Then, when you are sure that you have their attention, go ahead to state the action they have to take through your CTA.
Read also: Real Estate Marketing Automation Guide For Beginners
Be consistent
One important tip you should consider in your drip campaign is consistency. However, you should know that consistency is different from spamming your prospects. Being consistent is more about following a direction, constantly offering value, and sticking to the needs of your target audience than just sending a set number of emails according to a schedule.
While scheduling is important, it should be a secondary consideration, dependent on the value you are trying to provide to match your prospective customers’ needs. For instance, if you are focused on providing home inspirations or available house listings, the emails in the drip campaign can be as consistent as once or twice weekly.
Make room for improvements
The final tip to consider in running your drip campaign is constantly monitoring performance for results and seeking ways to improve it.
While you are supposed to automate a significant part of the process, you should check on the performance occasionally and try different strategies to determine which is more effective.
Aside from this, there may be changes in the real estate market and the needs of your potential customers that require a different set of strategies.
Read also: 13 Best Email Marketing Software for Real Estate
In Conclusion
Sending drip campaigns is a great way to nurture your real estate leads and build brand trust. The tips, examples, and templates in this blog post are a great place to start and draw inspiration for your next campaign.
Thanks to email marketing tools like EngageBay, you can automate your entire drip campaign process, saving you more time to run other business operations. Additionally, EngageBay’s CRM software enables you to properly segment your leads so you can send hyper-personalized emails and offers.
To get started, sign up today.
