Why You Need An Email Autoresponder (and How To Create One)

An email autoresponder (a.k.a. “Drip Campaign”) is a sequence of follow up emails that get delivered to your subscribers on a schedule that you decide.

Why do you need one? 

It’s an opportunity to connect with you prospects. They’ve subscribed (or registered to your IDX) so they’ve given you their attention.

It’s an opportunity for your to deliver value. Make a connection. And basically, lay the groundwork for making a sale.

The best part about it is it’s always working. When someone new subscribes, they get sent through the funnel.

So today, let’s talk about how to create one with dsAgentReach…

Building Your Drip Campaign

First, Customize Your Welcome Email

In dsSearchAgent, when someone subscribes to your IDX the first thing they get is a “Welcome Email.” The default text reads: “Welcome to dsSearchAgent, we hope that you find the home of your dreams.”

Well, you can customize this to say anything you’d like (and I recommend that you do). Instead, aim for something casual, welcoming and that re-instates the value behind why they registered to begin with. So your email would include:

• 2-3 sentences welcoming your subscriber. It’s ok to sound conversational.
• A bullet list that re-instates all of the things that they can do now that they’ve subscribed. Search for homes. Get email updates on custom searches. Favorite properties, etc.
• Close with a Call To Action. Something like “if you have any questions on any of these properties, feel free to give me a call or hit ‘reply’ on any one of these emails.” 

Then, Create Your Follow-Up Emails

With dsAgentReach, there’s a bit of a two-step process for creating your Drip Campaign:

1. Create a series of “Marketing Emails.”
2. Create a “Campaign” to schedule your emails.

To create your marketing emails:

1. Log into your Control Panel
2. Hover over dsAgentReach >> Click on “Marketing Emails”
3. Click on “Start Marketing Email Creation” (For further Instructions click here)

From there, your marketing emails might include the following subject lines:

• Thanks for your inquiry, how can I help?
• (New Feature) Search for Homes On the Go! (You know, to introduce users to your new mobile home search)
• ___ Steps To Buying a Home
• ___ Financing Mistakes & How To Avoid Them
• Do You Make These Mistakes When Viewing Homes?
• Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Real Estate Agent?
• The Secret To Picking the Perfect Real Estate Agent

Ok, some of those subject lines make bold statements. But that’s the point. Think about ways to spark curiosity. Ask questions. Make bold statements to invoke a reaction. The trick is to get the person (your subscriber) to open your email to begin with.

Lastly, Schedule Your Drip Campaign

Once you’ve created the “marketing emails” that you want to includes in your follow-up auto-responder, the next step is to schedule your emails into a campaign. To do this:

1. Log into your Control Panel
2. Hover over dsAgentReach >> Click on “Campaigns”
3. Click on “Create a Custom Campaign”

Here, simply select the marketing emails that you wish to include in your new auto-responder. Then, use the “Flex Schedule” to schedule your emails over a period of time.

When you save your campaign, don’t set an end date. This way, your new drip campaign will go out to everyone who subscribes to your IDX from that day forward.

Do you have an autoresponder?

Do you currently have an autoresponder setup? How many follow up emails have you set up? What does your process look like?