As real estate agents, we all know that trust and reputation are essential to success. But what if your perception in the community could create success on its own?
In the book Ninja Selling, Larry Kendall shares a fascinating example from the advertising firm Hobbs and Herder that reveals the surprising power of perception.
The example is about an experiment they conducted that illustrates just how powerful real estate marketing can be. It highlights a crucial takeaway for every real estate agent: perception is reality.
Hobbs and Herder developed a full-scale direct mail marketing campaign around a fictional agent. They designed professional ads, distributed print materials, and presented this non-existent agent as a prominent figure in the real estate industry.
The Real Estate Times Series is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.
The results were astounding. Post-campaign, people in the community were interviewed and asked who the leading agent was in their area. They responded that the fictional agent was the expert.
They believed in this agent’s success and even began recommending them to others despite their nonexistent presence in the real world.
Consistent, high-quality marketing crafted a powerful perception of success that influenced people’s beliefs and decisions.
This experiment underscores a critical truth: effective marketing can elevate your professional image and attract clients, establishing you as a top agent in your area.
Every postcard, social media post, and advertisement reinforces your brand, making you visible to potential clients. These clients, in turn, start to associate you with success and trust. By consistently marketing yourself with professional materials, you don’t just advertise homes; you cultivate a reputation.
Building a lasting impression doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right strategy and focus, you can become the trusted agent people know and recommend.
With strategic marketing, you’re not just selling homes—you’re selling your expertise, trustworthiness, and professionalism.
Ready to shift the perception of your business? Our real estate marketing solutions can help make you the agent everyone remembers.
Watch our video that portrays the Hobbs and Herder experiment below
PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.
1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine
Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here
2.The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review
The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
As a real estate agent, this fall presents a perfect opportunity to connect with buyers and sellers through direct mail marketing.
With shifting market conditions—such as increased inventory and the potential for lower mortgage rates—your message should emphasize why this season is an ideal time for both buyers and sellers to act.
Here’s how you can craft and deliver the right message through direct mail.
Highlight More Inventory
In your direct mail to buyers, focus on the fact that housing inventory is at its highest since May 2020, providing more options and less competition. Let potential buyers know that now is the time to find their ideal home without the summer bidding wars.
Phrases like “More homes on the market mean better choices for you” or “Find your dream home with less competition this fall” can resonate well with your target audience.
For sellers, the message should emphasize that serious buyers are still looking despite the increase in inventory.
Direct mail can include a statement like, “Fall is the perfect time to sell—buyers are still actively searching and ready to make offers,” or “List your home now and take advantage of motivated buyers before the end of the year.”
Promote Lower Mortgage Rates
Another key selling point is the possibility of falling mortgage rates. Use your direct mail to inform buyers that lower rates could make homeownership more affordable.
Messaging like, “Mortgage rates are expected to drop—act now to lock in a lower rate,” or “Lower rates mean more buying power for you this fall” can help urge buyers to act quickly.
For sellers, lower rates can attract more buyers. In your direct mail, tell sellers that falling rates can bring more offers and increase competition for their home.
Consider using statements like, “More buyers will enter the market as rates drop—list now to maximize your sale,” or “Capitalize on buyer demand fueled by lower mortgage rates.”
Customize for Local Market
When crafting direct mail, tailoring your messaging to your local market is crucial. Highlight neighborhood-specific trends, including inventory levels, average home prices, and nearby amenities.
For example, “Our area is seeing a rise in new listings—don’t miss your chance to sell!” or “The perfect home in your dream neighborhood is waiting for you this fall.”
Additionally, use your direct mail to position yourself as a knowledgeable expert. Include a call to action like, “Schedule a consultation to discuss how you can make the most of this fall market.”
By using direct mail marketing that emphasizes the benefits of acting now, you can effectively reach buyers and sellers and help them seize the opportunities this fall market presents.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.
1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine
Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here
2.The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review
The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
Over the past few years, direct mail real estate marketing has seen a resurgence. Experts chalk it up to the overuse of email marketing, but direct mail outperforms most digital marketing tactics, according to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
Direct mail marketing’s “response rate ranges from about five to nine times greater than that of email, paid search, or social media,” according to the pros at datatargetingsolutions.com.
Pretty impressive, right? Yet, at least in the real estate industry, it’s still not utilized like it could be.
This leaves the door open for agents seeking an additional marketing vehicle and a way to stand out.
Niche real estate postcards
A few years ago, scientists at Temple University’s Fox School of Business Center for Neural Decision-Making teamed up with the Postal Service to study the circumstances under which email or direct mail was more effective.
Postcards were more effective in five of the nine tests performed.
The most popular postcard agents are familiar with are the time-tested Just Listed and Just Sold postcards, which are still highly effective. To stand out further in this market, consider a local market update on the postcard back or a QR code leading to a valuable direct response flyer opt-in.
To think outside the postcard box, there are a multitude of real estate niches that you can drill down and focus on to stir up interest.
Some popular niches include baby boomers, high-income renters, expired, absentee owners, FSBOs, move-up markets, and investors. The more obscure niches include divorce, foreclosure, estate sale, and notice of default.
ProspectsPLUS! has postcard designsavailable in all of the niches listed above, already done for you with the perfect message for the niche market.
Education Direct Response Reports
Direct response reports are a great educational tool, filled with valuable information homeowners appreciate.
You can share them on social media as a “free offer”, include them in your email newsletter as a free offer, add them to your website as an opt-in in exchange for an email address, or add them to your listing presentation folder and pre-listing packet.
Personally branded agent magazines
Consider a personally branded agent magazine to level up your real estate presence in a way that few agents do. Homes & Life Magazineis a done-for-you magazine with rich, full-color content.
It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles, and engaging lifestyle content, and costs less to send out than a greeting card!
Sphere or farm scheduled postcard campaign
When clients need a real estate agent, it pays to have an easily recognizable name at their fingertips. But coming up with fresh, eye-catching content and sticking to a regular schedule of sending this content out is incredibly time-consuming.
A scheduled, recurring postcard campaign is the easiest way to maintain brand exposure and stay relevant while freeing time for more high-level tasks.
According to Lenskold Group, 78% of marketers reported that marketing automation increased revenue.
And 75% of brands saw a return on investment within 12 months due to using automated marketing campaigns (Focus Research study).
Launching a scheduled marketing campaign is the best way to make every moment count in your business, raise your brand profile, and stay relevant.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.
1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine
Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here
2.The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
3. The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review
The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
Real estate agents are always looking for ways to increase their exposure and generate leads. One effective marketing strategy that has stood the test of time is sending Just Listed and Just Sold postcards.
If you’re wondering why even the highest-producing agents still spend time on this marketing tactic, read on.
Five Reasons Why Smart Real Estate Agents Continually Send Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards:
Builds brand awareness
Just Listed and Just Sold postcards are an excellent way to build brand awareness. By sending regular updates on your recent listings and sales, you remind potential clients of your expertise in the field. This can help you stand out in a crowded market and increase the likelihood that clients will choose you over competitors.
Even if you don’t have any current listings or solds of your own, you can still send a postcard announcing to your farm or targeted neighborhood what property was just sold or just listed in the area.
Or highlight a property listed or sold by someone in your office. This can still trigger inbound leads for you.
Targets potential clients
Sending postcards to a targeted audience can help you reach potential clients looking to buy or sell a property. You can purchase mailing lists segmented by location, income, and occupation, making it easy to target your ideal demographic.
Creates a personal touch
In today’s digital age, getting lost in the noise of email and social media is easy. By sending a physical postcard, you can create a personal touch that sets you apart from competitors. A postcard is tangible, and people are more likely to remember it than an email or a social media post.
And I often hear of agents who show up to a listing appointment and are shown the collection of their postcard mailings that have been kept by the homeowner.
It’s cost-effective marketing
Compared to other forms of marketing, sending postcards is a relatively inexpensive and fast way to get in front of prospects in your market. This makes it an affordable way to reach potential clients and generate leads.
Generates referrals
Just Listed and Just Sold postcards can generate referrals from your existing clients. When people receive your postcard, they may share it with friends or family members who are interested in buying or selling a property. This can help you generate leads without having to do any additional marketing.
By sending regular real estate activity updates to potential clients, you can build brand awareness, target your ideal demographic, create a personal, tangible touch, and generate referrals.
If you’re a real estate agent looking to increase your exposure and generate leads, consider adding Just Listed and Just Sold postcards to your marketing strategy.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.
1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine
Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.
Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here
2.The Free 12-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system
The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks these boxes but is also a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. –Click Here
4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
Debbie’s recent Just Sold postcard is shown above. To see more Just Sold Series postcards, Click Here.
Congratulations Debbie Haehnle on winning this week’s contest!
Debbie had the following words to say about her success sending marketing out from ProspectsPLUS!,
“ProspectsPLUS! is so user-friendly! I have been sending postcards and my office sends postcards on my behalf on my listings. I also use the newsletter for social media. The products are great quality and I have received very positive feedback from my SOI! I am considering starting a monthly campaign.Thanks for making my marketing a bit easier and quicker!!” -Debbie Haehnle
Debbie, thank you for your wonderful feedback! Reach out if you need help launching your scheduled campaign. It’s so easy and a huge time saver.
Don’t Forget to Enter For Your Chance to Win a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card! (see how below)*
What Can You Do With a $125 ProspectsPLUS! Gift Card? Here are 5 Things:
Launch and pay for the first month of a Sphere or Farm Scheduled Campaign consisting of 130 jumbo postcards.
Send 130 jumbo Just Listed or Just Sold Postcard to a radius surrounding your listing.
Send 130 Jumbo Get More Listings postcards to an area where you want more listings.
Create a niche prospect list (empty nesters, move-up market, etc.) and send a mailing of 130 jumbo postcards.
HOW TO ENTER: Just leave a review regarding how using marketing from ProspectsPLUS! has impacted your business, and you’re automatically entered into our next contest.
*If you’ve already entered our contest in the past and haven’t won, you don’t need to enter again. Your entry remains valid and you still have a chance to win.
Don’t forget to watch out for next Friday’s email announcing the weekly winner!
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you in your success.
We’re here to support you.
Your ProspectsPLUS! Team
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
Before you launch your next direct mail marketing campaign, make sure to add these rules to your list of must-do’s.
Rule #1 Provide a Compelling Call-to-Action
Retailers have an easy time with calls-to-action. Offering a percentage off, free shipping, or buy-one, get-one-free are all popular examples.
What about real estate agents though? What kind of call-to-action can you provide that might compel a recipient of your postcard to contact you for more information?
The following are a few examples that are attention-getting and have the potential to engage homeowners and get them requesting more information.
• Free Downsizing Review and Strategy • Free Home Equity Analysis • Free Vacant Home Sales Strategy • Free Home Price Analysis
The Call to Action Series of postcards is shown above. To learn more about sending a one-time mailing, Click Here. To learn more about sending a recurring campaign, Click Here.
Keep in mind, however; the number of hoops you force your prospects to jump through to take advantage of these offers does impact the response rate, according to Bob McCarthy at DMNews.com. The more they have to do to receive that offer, the lower the response rate.
Rule #2 Utilize Standout Designs
“One strategy we use to get our highest response rates is to make the call-to-action the centerpiece of the direct mail piece,” McCarthy claims.
Whether you choose to include an image representing the free offer or use text to describe it, mention it boldly and repeatedly. Your message (its length and graphic requirements) determines the size and style of the medium.
Plan on keeping it plain and simple? A standard-sized postcard may do the trick, although jumbo, panoramic, and mega-sized postcards stand out in mailboxes, which makes for a genuinely lasting impression.
If it is graphics-heavy and you include substantial copy, using one of the larger postcard sizes (jumbo or panoramic) becomes even more important.
Choose a font that is easy to scan as people sift through their mail. As direct mail experts, we recommend using a sans serif font, such as Arial, rather than Times New Roman or another serif font.
Consider varying the font size throughout the text. For example, you can highlight important items with a larger version of the font you choose.
Additional design tips to keep in mind include ensuring your headline is bold and compelling, yet short and specific. Use lots of white space to make the piece appear to be easily digestible.
Subheadings are important, as they help guide the reader through the text.
Don’t forget to use high-resolution photographs, and avoid placing text over photos. Last note, ensure that your call-to-action stands out and that your contact information is easy to find.
Rule #3 Track Your Results
Tracking your results is vital to long-term marketing success.
In fact, the only way to continue to improve your marketing results, and achieve a higher ROI, is to understand what has worked and hasn’t worked in the past.
Of course, the easiest way to track your marketing is to make it a habit of asking each person who calls how they heard about you.
Another way is to make your free offer unique for easy tracking. When you receive incoming calls you will know immediately what marketing piece inspired their call based on the offer they inquire about.
One more popular method used by agents is to create a dedicated landing page on your website. The URL should be unique to the campaign, so you are able to learn your exact response rate (number of responses divided by the total number of pieces sent).
Marketing experts vary when quoting an “average response rate” for direct mail.
The most recent figure puts it at 9%. How close or far you are from that figure depends on how closely you follow the guidelines outlined above.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.
1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine
Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine, with rich, full-color content, and a sharp, professional esthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts, combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.
Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here
2.The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system
The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. –Click Here
4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast
Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here
Borders and shadows are an easy addition to your direct mail marketing pieces that make your home images stand out and draw attention to your agent photo or logo.
On ProspectsPLUS!, you now have the ability to add borders and shadows to all of our product templates including postcards, magazines, flyers, brochures, and so on.
The following are a few simple steps to follow to add a colored border or shadow to various templates on ProspectsPLUS.com.
HOW TO ADD AN IMAGE BORDER: STEP ONE
Choose a postcard or other marketing piece on ProspectsPLUS.com. Once you have clicked on the front (and back of your piece), hit the yellow button, “Click Here to Edit Your Template” to begin to edit your piece.
STEP TWO:
Choose an image in your template that you want to add a border to and click on it with your right mouse button. A drop-down menu will appear. Click on “Add Border”.
STEP THREE:
Arrow your cursor to the right to select the thickness of your border by clicking on it. A checkmark will appear next to your selection.
STEP FOUR
Arrow your cursor up to the word “Color” and click. A choice of colors will appear. Arrow up with your cursor to select a color and click on the selected color to choose it. You will notice the border on your photo change to that color. That’s it!
HOW TO ADD AN IMAGE SHADOW: STEP ONE
Choose a postcard or other marketing piece on ProspectsPLUS.com. Once you have clicked on the front (and back of your piece), hit the yellow button, “Click Here to Edit Your Template” to edit your piece.
Then, choose an image in your template that you want to add a border to and click on it with your right mouse button. A drop-down menu will appear. Click on “Add Shadow”, then arrow right to choose your shadow thickness. Click on your choice and a checkmark will appear next to that choice.
STEP TWO:
Arrow your cursor up to the word “Color” and click. A choice of colors will appear. Arrow up with your cursor to select a color and click on the selected color to choose it. You will notice the shadow on your photo change to that color. That’s it!
To get your creative juices flowing, the following are samples of products on ProspectsPLUS.com that have been enhanced with borders and shadows.
The Team Homes & Life Magazine Cover with a photo border. See more, Click Here.
The Team Homes & Life Magazine feature property page with shadows added. See more, Click Here.
The Color Series Just Sold postcard with a border added. See more, Click Here.
The Seasonal Postcard back with a border added. See more, Click Here.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.
1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine
Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine, with rich, full-color content, and a sharp, professional esthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts, combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.
Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card! – Click Here
2.The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here
3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system
The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. –Click Here
4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast
Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here
According to a CMO survey (a company that collects the opinions of top marketers), only 16.3 percent of marketers “are confident about recommending investing in social media marketing.”
If professional marketers aren’t able to justify spending their clients’ money on social media marketing, then you may want to pass for now, specifically if you’re working with a tight budget.
So where do you spend your marketing dollars when you’re funds are limited?
The proof is in the numbers
Direct mail marketings response rate, according to the DMA Response Rate Report, stands at nine percent to warm leads and five percent to cold.
In addition, the DMA states 56% of consumers believe print marketing is the most trustworthy of all marketing channels.
The email marketing response rate is one percent. Online display ads are even worse, at 0.30 percent.
Clearly, if you are looking for the best place to spend your limited marketing dollars, the answer is direct mail marketing.
How much should you allocate
Before getting clear on your budget you must understand your revenue goals and objectives.
As a guide, businesses spend, on average, 9.8 percent of revenue on marketing, according to the aforementioned CMO survey.
We see you wincing. But consider this: according to NAR, the overall budget item that agents spend the most money on every year is on their automobiles.
Cars aren’t exactly lead-generating machines, yet there you have it.
So, determine a percentage that you can feel comfortable with, based on your goals, and commit to spending that budget during the remainder of the year.
The following are three tips to get the most bang for your direct mail marketing budget
1. The List
For any marketing campaign to be successful you must know your audience. This is even more critical when you’re on a tight budget. Now is not the time to attempt to be all things to all people.
The easiest way to whittle down the audience is by first figuring out if you’re going after buyers or sellers. Make a choice.
This not only ensures that what you mail is relevant to the recipient, but helps you choose a farming area (subdivision vs apartment building, for instance).
Be very picky who you mail to. Throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks is a sure way to burn through your budget with nothing to show for the time and money spent.
Once you have defined your target markets, use our mailing list tools to create your prospect list.
2. The marketing pieces
After taking into account how many mailed pieces your budget will allow you to send, it’s time to determine an economic format. Postcards are most likely your best bet. They’re inexpensive to print and mail.
If your budget is super tight, consider foregoing postage costs and delivering door hangers. The advantages to using door hangers include that they stand out more and because you’ll save on postage your list can be larger.
Disadvantages include the labor intensiveness of having to visit each home on your list. Also, door hangers aren’t quite as effective when used in neighborhoods where people routinely enter their homes through the garage.
3. Offer something
Come up with a compelling offer and feature that on your direct mail postcards. A free home price analysis, buy first vs sell first evaluation or a free home equity analysis are all effective options.
The idea is to move recipients to act or, at the very least, hang on to your postcard until they’re ready to act.
Bottom line
Now, when your budget is tight, isn’t the time to take chances with marketing your real estate business.
Jumping on time-consuming and costly social media bandwagons that don’t deliver your target audience or wasting time and resources on an email that may not be opened, let alone read, can wait.
Use your budget on marketing that has the highest response rate – direct mail marketing.
The Move-Up Market is a great market to target right now. Especially since, with our current sale, you can get the first 100 prospects on a Move-Up Market list for FREE!
Discover Move-Up Market prospects in Your Area and Get the First 100 for FREE with the Demographic Search Tool.
HOW TO FIND MOVE-UP MARKET PROSPECTS IN YOUR AREA.
Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Demographic Search Tool.
USE PROMO CODE: MOVE100 to get the first 100 prospects free.
This sale expires on 10/23/21. Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
6. The Free Online ROI Calculator
Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
Digital marketing is hot with real estate agents. This provides an amazing opportunity for the agent who decides to take a different approach and become a BIG FISH in a small pond.
How do you do this? with direct mail.
Oh, I know what you’re thinking. “She works for a direct mail marketing company, of course, she will say this.”
Statistics, however, don’t lie. Direct mail marketing is not only strategic, but it can also be laser-focused to a particular audience and it works.
Why fish for listing leads in the huge ocean that is digital? Think about it; doesn’t it make more sense to cast your net in a smaller pond filled with people who you are certain ACTUALLY OWN HOMES?
Some things to consider
In a recent survey of real estate agents, 82% said their marketing goal this year is to “improve their social media presence,” according to Becky Brooks at theclose.com.
A worthy goal, but not very focused. Think about this: while they are chasing after Facebook leads, you’ll have little competition vying for attention in homeowners’ mailboxes.
With targeted direct mail you will not only reach homeowners. If you narrow your mailing list to only homeowners who have lived in their homes a certain number of years, or who live in starter homes or any other preferred criteria, you will have a far greater chance of taking listings than by randomly posting on social media.
For instance, by targeting homeowners who have been in their home for seven or more years, you’re creating a great list of potential fence-sitters to go after.
Fence Sitter postcard campaign shown above. To learn more, click HERE
Another thing to consider is the pandemic. In a recent USPS study, slightly more than 40% of Americans said that since the pandemic began, their excitement about receiving mail increased.
Nearly half of respondents said that a direct mail piece prompted them to go online to get more information about the sender.
The volume of direct mail plummeted from “… 213 billion pieces …” in 2016 to 120 billion last year. Interestingly, despite the drop in volume, the response rate skyrocketed nearly 200%.
You’ll have far less competition for eyes on your mail pieces and a better response rate than ever before.
Who makes up your potential seller audience?
Now that we’ve got you looking for listings in all the right places, what will you be sending? Keep in mind your audience – older generations, such as Baby Boomers and Gen X make up 75% of the real estate market combined.
When considering your direct mail marketing piece, don’t take valuable time out of your day to create marketing from scratch.
ProspectsPLUS! offers hundreds of marketing templates targeted specifically to your niche audience and designed by direct response experts.
Next, determine your recipient’s needs (boomers may want to downsize or move near their grown children) and offer a solution that is compelling (don’t worry ProspectsPLUS! has this covered for you as well). Check out the Empty Nest Series located under Farm campaigns.
Decide on the compelling offer to get those homeowners reaching out
A market update is always a good way to break the ice. Yes, it may be time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be.
A simple chart of recently listeds, under contracts, and solds, along with bedrooms, baths, square footage, and prices, is something that hits my mailbox once a quarter. Do I read it?
You bet I do!
Then, there are the absentee owners to consider. Many have been hit hard by the rent moratorium and want out from under their investments. Take a look at what we offer to market to these possible listers.
If you have a freebie they can download or you can deliver, all the better. Offer them the Direct Response Report, Advice For Cash-Strapped Landlords.
Consistency is key in any lead generation campaign, so send just-listed and just-sold postcards when appropriate. Keep reminding them just how much their neighbors are getting for their homes in this on-fire sellers’ market.
FOMO (fear of missing out) is real.
Another way to keep those listings flowing? A YEAR ROUND Holiday Postcard Campaign.Staying top of mind with Your Sphere & Farm is easy with a Monthly Holiday Campaign.
And, Holiday Campaigns are ON SALE 10% OFF the first month– 3 More Days!
Holiday Postcard Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE
TO LAUNCH A HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN:
Hit the “CLICK HERE” link, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).
USE PROMO CODE: HOLIDAY10 to get 10% Off at check out.
And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change up until the night before the mailing goes out). This sale expires 10/2/21.
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
6. The Free Online ROI Calculator
Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
Ah, the humble postcard. So simple, yet filled with so much power.
For a time, it appeared that the selfie would replace the non-business postcard, but recent statistics say no.
In fact, in the recent Harris Poll Essential 100, Americans named the U.S. Postal Service as the number one most essential business’ in the country.
Never has this been more evident than in the real estate industry, which is seeing a resurgence in the use of “time-tested” marketing methods and direct mail is at the top of this list.
A late April Valassis survey found that 30% of consumers are spending more time reading the direct mail marketing pieces they receive.
There is an art to creating an effective postcard marketing campaign, though.
No, it’s not difficult, but there are certain strategies that work better than others. Let’s take a look at the most important of these.
It all starts with your audience
A Scheduled SOI Campaign is ideal for keeping in touch with your past clients and other VIPs in your sphere. And, ProspectsPLUS! offers a 3 extra closing guarantee when you Schedule a one-year SOI Campaign.
Postcards are also ideal for another type of lead generation – niche marketing. Decide on who it is you want to attract, buyers or sellers, and more specifically which niche of buyers and sellers, and launch a campaign.
The narrowing down of possible leads to focus on helps the rest of your marketing plan go more smoothly and increases your potential ROI.
If you’re looking for listings, find out the median duration of homeownership in your area. ATTOM Data Solutions’ most recent U.S. Home Sales Report shows that homeowners owned their homes an average of 7.95 years.
As we know, all real estate is local, so if you can find the data for your area, rely on that instead of the national numbers.
For instance, ATTOM also finds that homeowners in five Connecticut cities have the longest tenure, while those “… in Colorado Springs, CO … Oklahoma City, OK … Grand Rapids, MI …Denver, CO … and Minneapolis, MN had the shortest.
The Absentee Owner Campaign is shown above. Learn more HERE
This information helps you narrow your mailing list even further. You’re now looking for homeowners who purchased their homes at least six years ago (or whatever number is appropriate for your market).
How far back should you go?
“If someone bought last year or 30 years ago, they’re probably not looking to sell,” according to James McGrath, co-founder at Yoreevo in NYC.
“You want to be in that sweet spot of owners of 5-7 years,” he concludes.
The more you drill down in demographics, tenure, and the like with tools like the Demographic Search Tool (for niche marketing) and MapMyMail (for radial and pinpoint polygon lists), the more targeted the list and the better the response will be to your real estate direct mail campaign.
Absentee owners have been a popular target market this year. A targeted list of absentee owners in your local market can be easily created with the MapMyMail search tool (just select the “absentee owner” radio button in step 2).
We offer a number of brilliant Absentee Owner postcards as well. Make your marketing easy by scheduling an automated Absentee Owner Campaign.
Prefer targeting buyers?
Why not bring YOUR OWN buyer to the table. NAR states home buyers move within 15 miles of their last location. This means there’s a good chance your farm’s home buyers are renters located in the same area.
Geographic farming in some of the most popular apartment and condo complexes in your market is a good place to start. Narrow the search to tenants between the ages of 30 and 49. You might also want to narrow your target audience further, according to income.
Did you know our Farm, Get More Listings Scheduled Campaigns are currently on sale 10% OFF the first month?
Farm, Get More Listings Scheduled Campaign is shown above. Learn more, HERE
TO LAUNCH A GET MORE LISTINGS CAMPAIGN:
Hit “CLICK HERE”, below (from a desktop or laptop computer) and choose the Get More Listings Series of postcards.
USE PROMO CODE: LIST10 to get 10% Off at check out.
And, remember, YOU DON’T PAY for each mailing until it actually goes out (cancel or change each mailing up until the night before it goes out). This sale expires on 9/18/21.
Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 with questions or if there is anything we can do to help you with your success.
PLUS: When you have time…below are some helpful tools to support your success.
1. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan
The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Get More Listings, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence. –Click Here
2. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan
The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
3. The Automated Way to Become a Neighborhood Brand
Become branded in a specific neighborhood with a 12X15 marketing piece sent automatically each month to an exclusive carrier route. Watch this video to learn more or Click Here.
4. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide
The Real Estate Mailing List Guide outlines the top tools for generating targeted prospecting lists including Baby Boomers, Empty Nesters, Investors, Lifestyle Interests, High-Income Renters, Move-Up Markets, and more. The Guide also defines done-for-you marketing campaigns to match these markets. –Click Here
5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook
Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here
6. The Free Online ROI Calculator
Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! –Click Here
7. The Free Real Estate Marketing Guide “CRUSH IT”
The “Crush It” Guide includes easy steps to launching an effective direct mail marketing campaign, how to create a targeted prospect list, the perfect way to layout marketing materials for success, seven opportunities available to target in your area right now. –Click Here
The Free Interactive 6-Month Real Estate Business Review allows you to enter your business goals for the remainder of the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your goals. – Click Here
