When a prospect first reaches out to a property they often don’t include all the details you need to narrow down the best options for them. The quick fix is to immediately follow-up and ask for more information so you can find their next home. But if you are responding by hand it’s easy to fall behind. Very quickly, all those hot inquiries become missed opportunities. 

This is where email automation comes in. Setting up your marketing funnel to automatically respond to those prospects frees up your time. And now you’re able to properly nurture them further in the journey and ensure that you never miss an inquiry again.

The first and easiest email automation you can set up is an initial-responder (aka autoresponder). Typically sent as soon as the prospect has submitted their information through a contact form, pop-up, or even a chatbot conversation, these emails are a must to build trust between you and the lead.

Your first autoresponder email should:

• Instantly acknowledge the prospect
• Show you’re listening 
• Ask the prospect specific questions to help you specialize your approach
• Set a positive first impression, giving them an idea of what it’s like  shopping with you 
• Deliver a professional message that illustrates you care

Not only will the autoresponder check all those items off your list, but it also gives your leasing team an additional window of time to craft a personalized follow-up message. Once a lead replies, make sure you move them to another segmented list, this one focused on follow-ups that are centered more around their specific search criteria.