As technology evolves, so do marketing methods and communication channels. But among the digital tools is room for some conventional ones, especially those proven to be effective. Real estate postcard mailers have long served as a significant source for leads, and postcards remain a useful marketing tool still. Learn how to improve the effectiveness of your postcard mailings and drive leads to your listings through design, strategic timing, and distribution to a targeted prospect list.
Examples of a Real Estate Agent Postcard Mailer
Several examples of occasions when you might send a real estate marketing postcard include:
- Follow-up with communications and appointments
- Offer promotions and special discounts
- Invite people to an open house
- Announce new property listings
- Announce newly sold listings
- Advertise your services
- Stay in touch with past, current, and potential clients (such as sending holiday greetings)
Advantages of Real Estate Postcards
Marketing postcards are excellent for directly targeting prospects, informing them of neighborhood properties on the market, and offering your real estate services. Real estate postcards are more likely to get your message seen than will waiting for interested people to view your online listing.
Advantages of sending a postcard mailer include:
- Ability to target leads in a specific neighborhood
- Your message immediately visible: Mailed brochures and envelopes, as well as electronic mail, rely on the recipient taking the time to open and read. A postcard’s visuals and message require no envelope opening to be seen.
- Inexpensive to print and mail
- Less competition for prospects’ attention: In the mailbox, your postcard competes for attention with only a few items. In a newspaper or magazine, your ad would compete with hundreds of others. If sent via email, your message would face spam filters and dozens, if not hundreds, of other messages in the inbox.
Elements of Effective Real Estate Postcard Design
Professional Visuals
People process visual input more quickly than words alone. Eye-catching graphics grab attention. Include professional-quality photos and limit the text. Avoid the use of stock images.
Uncluttered Layout
Don’t let your message be lost in a cluttered layout. Stick to a simple layout that uses white space to allow prospects to hone in on your message.
Consistent Branding
Since you will send multiple mailings over time, you need to use consistent branding across postcards. Make your name memorable, so when prospects are ready to reach out they think of you. Be sure to prominently feature your name, phone number, and social media accounts.
Strategizing the Timing of Postcard Mailings
A real estate postcard mailer is a long-term strategy. You shouldn’t expect immediate results (though it’s possible, of course) from just one mailing. In real estate, a direct mail response rate of 1 to 5 percent is common. To reap significant benefits, regularly send out postcards:
- Branding Postcards: These serve as a regular reminder of your services, keeping your name in mind so when the prospect is planning to buy or sell you’re more likely to receive a call. Mail branding postcards monthly.
- Just Sold or Just Listed Announcements: These real estate postcards are sent as appropriate, immediately upon the event’s occurrence. Sending these announcements helps establish your credibility in the area. Send “just sold” or “just listed” postcards to residents within a certain distance from the property.
How and Why You Should Target Your Mailings
Improve your return-on-investment by targeting your ideal prospects. In your CRM or within a property information database like ProspectNow, create a filtered mailing list using factors such as location, property type, more likely to sell, type of ownership, and more. With detailed knowledge about the prospects you are mailing, you can better angle your marketing message. The goal of a real estate postcard mailer is to prompt a response. A generic call to action is less likely to yield a response than a more relevant, targeted one.
Not only can you find useful real estate prospects in the ProspectNow database, but you can also create lists of leads and produce mailings directly from the platform.