To build a real estate nurture sequence in Lofty, decide who the sequence is for, write the emails as a series with one job each, then attach them to a smart plan so the next message depends on what the lead does. Finish by testing every email in light and dark mode before anything goes live.
That is the short version. Below is the longer one, based on how we built a 30-email nurture sequence for a client and what we would repeat or change. Where we describe general practice rather than that specific build, we say so.
Start with the audience, not the emails
A sequence written for “everyone” lands with no one. Before you open the editor, pick one audience and one goal. For example: web leads who registered but never replied, or past leads who went quiet. Write down what you want the lead to do at the end, such as reply, book a call or view a listing.
For our client Tammy Theis, who works the Augusta and CSRA market in Georgia, the audience context shaped the content. Her area has a lot of PCS relocation, so the messaging had to speak to people moving in with a short timeline. Your market will have its own version of that.
Plan the sequence as a map
Keep a simple spreadsheet with one row per email: audience, purpose, trigger, and what happens next. It takes an hour and saves days of rework later.
Thirty emails sounds like a lot, and it is. The way to keep it manageable is to treat it as a map with branches instead of a straight line. In practice we organize the work like this:
- Give each email a single purpose. One question, one resource or one call to action, never three.
- Group emails into stages. Introduction, useful local information, soft check-ins, and reactivation are a reasonable starting frame.
- Write the reply paths first. Decide what happens if a lead replies, clicks or does nothing.
- Draft in one document. Keep voice and branding consistent before anything is built in the CRM.
Use smart plans so behavior drives the timing
This is the part that separates a nurture sequence from a fixed drip. Lofty smart plans can be set up so follow-up is triggered by lead behavior, such as an open, a click or a reply, instead of marching through a calendar. That is how we engineered Tammy’s 30 emails.
The practical benefits:
- A lead who clicks gets a relevant follow-up soon, not three weeks later.
- A lead who replies leaves the automated path and is flagged for a human.
- A lead who never opens gets lighter, less frequent touches rather than a barrage.
When a smart plan flags a lead as warm, someone has to act on it. For this client, we contact those leads daily, the moment they are flagged. Automation that nobody watches is only half a system. For the trade-offs, see our post on smart plans versus manual follow-up. Leads can reach a sequence from several sources. We set up ReferralExchange leads to flow into Tammy’s Lofty and start the campaign, workflow and follow-ups (ReferralExchange leads into Lofty), and Facebook lead ads to Lofty covers the Facebook route.
Fix dark-mode rendering before you send
Many people read email on phones set to dark mode. A branded email that looks sharp in light mode can turn unreadable when an email app inverts colors. We ran dark-mode rendering fixes on every email in the Tammy Theis sequence, which uses a teal and tan palette.
General checks worth doing on any branded email:
- Look at logos with transparent backgrounds. Dark text inside a transparent logo can vanish on a dark background.
- Check that body text and buttons stay readable when colors invert, especially light tan or pale tones.
- Avoid text baked into images, since it cannot adapt.
- Send test copies to real devices and several mail apps, not just the preview pane.
Mail apps handle dark mode differently, so there is no single fix. Test, adjust and test again.
Launch, watch and adjust
Do not treat the last email as the finish line. After launch, check replies first, then bounces and unsubscribes, then which emails get opened. Remove or rewrite weak emails. Make sure the leads who reply actually reach a person quickly.
We also fix the plumbing early. If emails go to spam, even great copy does not matter, so sending domain setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) belongs on the checklist. For Tammy, the campaigns have generated real replies, which is the result that counts. We would not promise a specific rate for anyone else, because it depends on your list, your market and your offer.
Do it yourself or hand it off
You can build this yourself if you have a few free evenings and enjoy the work. Most agents do not, and a half-built sequence is worse than none. A VA who knows the platform can handle the writing, building, testing and daily monitoring while you stay on the phone with clients. Our broader CRM automation service covers similar builds on other platforms, and our Tammy Theis case study shows the full scope of the Lofty work.
If you want help building or fixing a sequence, read about our Lofty virtual assistant service and ask for a free consult to scope it.