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When is the last time you looked—really looked—at your outgoing email signature lines?
Many organizations think of the email signature strategically, as prime—but low-cost—real estate for boosting key messages. According to software vendor Exclaimer, an email signature has the benefit of “enhancing brand perception and consistency while providing necessary contact information in a professional manner.”
Associations are rightly keeping a close eye on budgets and getting the most out of their marketing dollars. In justifying the value proposition for your outreach tools, associations can look to creative options that are easy on the budget. Email signatures are one of several low-cost or no-cost tools available for communicating with your members in a way that resonates with them. Your finance committee will thank you.
Your Signature Blend
At the Portland Metropolitan Association of REALTORS®, Communications Manager Brittany Powell Parich is making the most of email signatures for all of PMAR’s staff. Using WiseStamp, she has set up a consistent, brand-friendly look to association emails. Every time a message goes out, the email signature includes banner links, graphic elements and social media icons.
Well, almost every time. “When we started, it was on every email, including replies, and that got really annoying. Now it only goes out on the very first email [in a thread],” not replies or forwards, Parich says.
Parich controls the message for all emails sent from PMAR. She can change the language when she needs to promote a certain brand story or event, “but my main goal was to keep control over our brand and keep emails professional looking,” she says.
The cost to PMAR for uniform email signature branding is just $340 per year for 20 seats. “WiseStamp has tons of options,” Parich says. “I chose it because of the ease of use and design [capabilities].”
Those with smaller budgets can manage email signatures manually by setting up a calendar of signature messages and using your email program’s custom signature function to make changes as needed.
All the AMS Tricks You Didn’t Know
Regardless of size, every association needs a way to efficiently manage its membership. This includes updating rosters, taking payments, managing education and events, and coordinating records with M1 and state associations.
By using the full capability of your AMS, you can streamline communications and reach your members where they are. At the Bakersfield Association of REALTORS® in California’s booming Central Valley, CEO Derek Sprague, RCE, uses his association’s AMS to funnel members through one portal via a single sign-on, or SSO, function for all association needs. That includes access to MLS, REALTORS Property Resource®, forms, personal data, fee payments, and class and event registrations.
“It’s mission control for our folks,” Sprague says about Rapattoni’s Magic+ AMS’s Connect Dashboard. “MLS traffic is high. It boosts SEO [search engine optimization] because members must go to the association’s website to log in.”
Other AMS and MLS providers offer SSO dashboards as well. An SSO dashboard may be a fit if you are trying to increase web traffic, highlight new agent tools or just offer an easier experience.
Your AMS likely has other features waiting to be found, such as committee rosters, donor lists and other data that can help you segment your member communications. (See “Cutting Through the Noise") AMS providers, including Rapattoni, RAMCO and Growth- Zone, allow data filtering, sorting, and removal of duplicates. Such features make it easier for communications staff to create up-to-date email lists without having to resort to passing around Excel files. If you need help, contact your AMS representative for support. For more ideas, see “No-Cost Options Already at Your Fingertips."
Telling Your Story Organically
The Lubbock Association of REALTORS® in Texas is helping its members become social media storytellers, designating the go-to tag of #lbkrealtorstories for social media posts for both staff and members. Last summer, LAR created a Storyteller Ambassadors program, a group of members (but not a committee) dedicated to getting out good news stories, says Communications Director Brenda Fisher.
“This year, we want to change the narrative and showcase how Lubbock REALTORS® show up in their community,” the website states on its dedicated page. “LAR is leveraging the power of social media to share our members’ #lbkrealtorstories to show what a vibrant part of the community you are.”
LAR is even getting affiliate members involved. “When Brenda invited us to be part of the program, it was a no-brainer,” says Bailee Porter, marketing and communications manager for Western Title. “LAR members do so much for not only their clients, but also affiliates like us. More positive stories should be shared about everything real estate agents do to get their clients to the closing table, and the affiliates they worked with along the way, too.”
Good Old-Fashioned Office Visits
Sometimes, the best way to connect doesn’t involve much technology at all. At Maryland REALTORS®, the association’s staff members, including CEO Chuck Kasky, RCE, regularly visit brokerages, local association trade shows and special events.
“We want to make sure the members know and understand best practices and how best to show their value as a [real estate professional who is a] REALTOR® through their work,” says Daniel Patrell, senior director of strategic communications at Maryland REALTORS®. “Maryland REALTORS® is looking to expand its outreach to its broker community in 2025.”
Member calls and visits are time intensive. A dozen phone calls or just one office visit can take hours. To make it work longterm, aggressively set aside time blocks for outreach or grant yourself some grace if you keep getting pulled into other, more immediate tasks. At Maryland REALTORS®, one person cannot visit all the offices in the 30,000-member organization, so it is a team effort among staff, including the membership, government affairs and communications directors.
In our data-driven world, it’s difficult to measure the impact of a personal visit or call. But as a communications tool, it is an opportunity to create a lasting and personal connection. One easy way to make it happen is to join a brokerage’s weekly or monthly sales meeting. Bring doughnuts or bagels and a healthy supply of information, including MLS updates, event announcements and talking points on industry news.
Also consider these tips for personalized member contacts from your association:
- Call brokers and members in the same way that that they might call their sales prospects. Start with just checking in and keeping in touch.
- Regardless of your association’s size, it may not be easy to figure out whom to call first. Go down the list alphabetically? By ZIP code? From large to small? Try different options and go with what works.
- Contact your most connected members first, but don’t stop there. The 1999 New Yorker magazine article, “Six Degrees of Lois Weisberg” by Malcolm Gladwell (note that sign-in is required to read the full article), explains that it was quantity, not the quality, of Weisberg’s connections that set her apart. Also check out Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point.
- Consider adding your association as an “additional insured” on the personal car insurance of those who regularly drive to brokerages for association business. In many cases, there is no additional premium charge for this extended coverage. Consult with your attorney, check the laws in your state, and read the coverage conditions on your and your staff ’s insurance policies to see if this added coverage is right for you.
Where to Go From Here
Member communications is a critical part of running an association and may also be one of the most time- and resource-intensive tasks for you and your state.
How will you know if you are doing the right thing? The magic word here is “resonate.” What resonates with your members? They will respond to some communications tactics and not others. What works for you might not work for your neighboring associations, and what worked this month is not guaranteed to work again next year. The best thing to do is to just get started, check in often with members and stay nimble
