Maintaining an estate agency database is arguably a bit like owning a slightly feral pet. They need carefully nurturing, feeding and cleaning out for best results.
There are so many ways of utilising your database for marketing purposes, but we’re not going to look into all of those. We’re going to talk about one aspect of their maintenance which is routinely ignored.
Unsubscribes.
If you have anything to do with Estate Agency marketing, or even just marketing in general, then that probably sent a shiver down your spine – but it doesn’t have to be that way! Here’s how you can take the lemons that are unsubscribes and turn them into a delicious data sorbet.
Estate agency database top tip: call your unsubscribers!
This might sound like a bit of a crazy suggestion, but by doing this you’ll gain so much information. By giving someone a quick call when they unsubscribe, you can find out why they’ve done so. They’ll fall into one of several categories, and when you know which one they are it’s easier to know which course of action to take.
- No longer looking to move
- Aren’t a fan of your content, as it’s not bringing them much value
- They’ve bought a property and no longer want property marketing
They’re no longer looking to move
This could be for any number of reasons, and you should thank them, wish them luck, and end the call – not trying to talk them into re-subscribing.
The fact that they’ve removed themselves from your database is great, they’ve done a bit of important database cleaning for you and you’ve just reduced the number of non-receptive people you’ll be marketing to. The fact that you’ve phoned will likely stick in their head, and you never know when the time is right, they might return on the basis that they love how they were treated.
They aren’t big fans of your content
This can be a tough one to swallow. If you’re the one creating the content, you need to put your thick skin on for this because it will help take your content to the next level.
Stop grinding your teeth, and ask them if they would mind you asking them a couple of questions about how they found the emails to help you improve the content for future subscribers. If they’ve reached the point of unsubscribing, then more often than not they’ve probably got a few home truths they won’t mind sharing freely.
Even if you disagree with their assessment, write it all down and thank them for their time. Bitch about it for a bit, type loudly and sigh a few times but once you’ve done that you’ll realise they had no reason not to be honest, and that what they’ve said is probably very helpful.
You couldn’t pay for feedback like that, and just a short chat of a few minutes could be the difference between your content being a 5L bucket of trade magnolia, or a really lovely roll of Orla Kiely wallpaper in the eyes of your subscribers.
And you never know, they might come back out of curiosity to see if you actually have listened.
They’ve bought a property
They may have bought a property, and so property marketing is no longer relevant to them. This is where making sure your estate agency database is well segmented and organised with your different categories of clients really comes into its own.
Have a chat with them and see what their future plans are. Maybe they’re looking to renovate and then sell. Maybe they’re looking to rent it out. So they could be a future seller or a future landlord! If that’s the case, offer to send them over some free information you have that’s relevant to them, make yourself available for questions, ask them if they’d mind you checking in with them and agree a time frame. Then actually check in with them.
You may get some fairly easy wins, just by staying in their consciousness without being intrusive.
In conclusion
We all know how vital having a good database is, but with just a few tweaks you can make it work even harder for you and turn unsubscribes into an overwhelmingly positive thing which brings about opportunities which may have just slipped away otherwise.
Whilst we’re on the topic of making the most out of your marketing activity, you might also be interested in our blog: How to write about property legislation when its as dry as old boots.
Jane Gardner
I work all over the UK with various business owners, dedicating my creative and expert property knowledge from 35 years in the industry. I am a Level 4 ARLA Propertymark examiner, I sit on the board of Agents Giving Charity and I love everything property related! I can be contacted on 01923 627777 or by email to jane@social-angels.co.uk
