Email signatures are probably one of the most under used marketing tools in real estate.

Many real estate pros, if they have an email signature at all, are missing out on the huge value of that tiny bit of text that piggybacks on every email they send.

Your email signature is a very effective and low cost way to build your mailing list and bring traffic to your website...

IF you are smart about how you use it.

Take this signature that I received a few months ago. (All of the details have been changed to protect the innocent, but the gist is still the same.)

---------------------------------

John Doe, GRI
Working Hard for You
Licensed ****** Realtor (tm)
Phone: (222) 555-1234
Cell: (222) 555-2345
Email: john@doe.com

Now from a content standpoint, the signature is fine. If I need to get in touch with John, I know how to do it. In that respect it is very clear.

From a marketing perspective, however, John is leaving money on the table.

Think of your email signature like a mini "sales letter."

The 3 main things you need for an effective sales letter are:

1. An Offer - (What you have.)
2. A Deadline - (When you stop offering what you have.)
3. A Call to Action - (Do it now!)

So let's take these three parts and rework John's email signature to turn it into an effective marketing tool that helps him build his real estate business.

==========
THE OFFER
==========

Let's say John specializes in working with first time buyers. He knows their needs inside and out and is extremely skilled at making them feel at ease about the whole buying process.

John could publish a small 3 page guide that helps first time buyers prepare even before they ever call him. He could call it something like, "The Top Ten Things You HAVE to Know Before You Buy Your First Home."

=============
THE DEADLINE
=============

If there is no deadline to your offer, then there is no logical reason to respond immediately. With no deadline, there is no urgency at all. In John's case, not having a deadline will mean that Jim and Sue wait until they are about to buy their house before getting their hands on his guide, IF they keep John's contact information that long.

For John's email signature, let's say he is going to offer his free guide to the first 100 people who download it.

===============
CALL TO ACTION
===============

This is Sales 101. No matter what the deal, the terms or the benefits, sometimes people just need that extra, "Do it now!" nudge.

For John's signature, his call to action could be as simple as, "Don't delay. Get your free guide today."

So let's put all of this together and take a look at Mr. Doe's NEW email signature, designed to produce a specific response from a specific group of people.

=======================================
John Doe, GRI
Working Hard for You
Licensed ****** Realtor (tm)
Phone: (222) 555-1234
Cell: (222) 555-2345

Download my FREE guide for first time home buyers, "The Top Ten Things You HAVE to Know Before You Buy Your First Home." Don't delay, the report is only available to the first 100 people who sign-up.

========================================

In only a few minutes, John has transformed his email signature from a space waster into an effective marketing tool.

Of course, in return for his free guide, John requests that people submit their contact information. Over time, John's prospect list will grow and grow, all thanks to a tiny bit of text at the bottom of his emails.

Take a few minutes and get YOUR email signature working for you.