5 Elements Every Real Estate Newsletter Must Have

Here's what I hope is a useful list for any Realtor putting together their own newsletter.

1) Clear Contact Information

Make it easy for your clients to contact you. Put your name and contact information on the front and back, and consider adding your website URL or phone number at the bottom of every other page.

2) An Offer

Sometimes your newsletter will be seen by people who are not on your mailing list. That's a good thing, particularly if you are distributing your newsletter to strategic locations visited by potential clients.

It's important, however, to include a way of enticing people to join your mailing list so they receive the newsletter on a regular basis and so that a relationship between you and they can begin.

The best way to do this is by offering a free report (or brochure) of information that is likely to be of interest to (qualified) potential clients. For example: "10 Ways to Present Your Home for Sale" or "How to Get the Best Price for Your Home in 2008".

Encourage readers to contact your office to obtain this report (which you can send by email or regular mail) and join your mailing list.

3) Interesting, Entertaining Information

You want your readers to look forward to receiving your newsletter. The best way to do this is by creating content that is relevant to their needs.

Many businesses concentrate on providing information about the business. But if you do that, you'll end up boring people.

Instead, provide them with articles that are likely to interest them. Think what you would like to read if you were in your farm.

4) Local, Personal Content

There are many newsletter services available. Some of them provide great content. However, if you have time, it's a good idea to add some content of your own. For example, give your opinion on the local housing market (after all, it's possible that it's quite different from the news that hits the national headlines).

Don't make the entire newsletter about the housing market - just make it one element of the content. By providing this mix, you'll interest a wide range of people and still prove you know what you're talking about when it comes to real estate in your city.

5) Engagement Devices

Encourage your readers to actively participate in your newsletter, rather than just being passive consumers of information.

• Include puzzles and quizzes (put the answers on your website to encourage them to visit your site).
• Make an offer to do a free appraisal of their homes.
• Offer a downloadable or printed report with information about the housing market or about selling and buying homes in general. Encourage them to call, email or visit your website to obtain the report.
• Include testimonials and success stories.
• Include articles written by your readers.

I'll write more about other elements a real estate agent can include in their newsletter. I'll also write about the importance of keeping to a regular (at least monthly) publication schedule.

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