Should You Spring Clean Your Contact List?

As days get longer and we shake off winter’s chill, many of us feel motivated to spring clean. That can look different to different people. Donating used clothing, cleaning the car, or giving your home office a good scrubbing are popular. 

But your personal belongings aren’t the only things in need of a deep clean. When is the last time you pruned your email contact list? 

As a REALTOR^®, your contact list is one of your most valuable assets. It’s the foundation of your lead generation, referral business, and long-term success. Just like you advise your clients to declutter and stage their homes for better results, you should regularly spring clean your contact list for a healthier and more productive business.

Here’s why you should spring clean your contact list:

1. Improved Deliverability and Reduced Costs:

Email Marketing: Sending emails to outdated or incorrect addresses hurts your deliverability rates. This can lead to your emails being marked as spam, damaging your sender reputation, and wasting your marketing efforts. A clean list ensures your valuable content reaches the right people.

Direct Mail: If you still use direct mail, sending to incorrect addresses is a pure waste of money on printing and postage. A clean list maximizes the impact of your physical mailings.

2. Enhanced Personalization:

Targeted Communication: By segmenting your contact list, you can send more personalized communications. This increases engagement and makes your outreach more effective.

Relevant Messaging: Segmentation is best approached with an understanding of all the subsets of your audience. For example, homebuyers in their 20s and homebuyers in their 60s will share some interests, but they’ll likely respond better to content that speaks to their individual goals and levels of experience with home buying.

Understanding Your Audience: A clean list allows you to accurately analyze your network. You can identify your strongest referral sources, past clients who might be ready for their next move, or potential leads with specific needs.

3. Better Time Management and Focus:

• Prioritizing Efforts: A clean list helps you focus your energy on the contacts who are most likely to convert or provide referrals.
• Reengaging Lapsed Contacts: Once you’ve segmented your contact list audience, take stock of the levels of activity in each. Do you have members who haven’t interacted with your emails for six months or more? Are there contacts you haven’t heard from since their first outreach to you? If so, draft a special reengagement email to those folks. Acknowledge that it’s been a while and offer some fresh content or insights. If you don’t hear from certain contacts even after your reengagement note, remove them from your list.
• Streamlined CRM: A cluttered contact list makes your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system less effective and harder to navigate. Cleaning it up improves organization and allows you to find the information you need quickly.

4. Improved Overall Business Health:

• Accurate Performance Metrics: A clean list provides a more accurate picture of your lead conversion rates and marketing effectiveness. This allows you to make informed decisions about your strategies.
• Stronger Relationships: By focusing on genuine connections and providing relevant value, you build stronger, more lasting relationships with your contacts, leading to more referrals and repeat business.

In short, spring cleaning your contact list isn’t just about tidiness; it’s a strategic business practice that can lead to:

• Higher ROI on your marketing efforts.
• More efficient use of your time.
• Stronger client relationships.
• A healthier and more productive business overall.

Just like a well-staged home attracts the right buyers, a well-maintained contact list attracts the right opportunities for your real estate business. Make it a regular habit — or at least an annual event.