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Wednesday, October 23, 2024

direct mail

    Before you launch your next direct mail campaign let’s take a moment to review the three rules for direct mail marketing success.

    1. Choose the right prospect list
    2. Provide a compelling offer
    3. Follow best practices for marketing piece design

    Read on to discover how to launch a successful real estate direct mail campaign.

    1. Choose the right prospect list

    Reaching the right people at the right time is key to the success of any type of marketing, including direct mail. Choosing the people who populate your prospect list is your first job.

    To decide who goes on the list, determine your purpose with each direct mail campaign. Are you trying to build brand awareness in a farm area? Generate new clients? Which type, buyers, or sellers? What niche specifically renters, move-up market, baby boomers, fence-sitters, absentee owners, or luxury market (to name a few)?

    It’s critical to determine your “why” and “who” before you begin. “Why am I conducting a direct mail campaign? Who do I want to reach?”

    Then, laser focus your list to that audience using our targeted prospecting list tools.

    Suppose you want buyer leads from a particular subdivision. Sure, homeowners may be thinking of moving, but it’s more likely that those currently renting are the best prospects. NAR states most buyers purchase a home within an average of 15 miles from their previous residence.

    Or, you may want to target homes in the subdivision owned by absentee owners but target the tenants living in them with the MapMyMail tool.

    2. Provide a compelling offer

    The second rule refers to your offer, the second most important aspect of a successful direct mail campaign.

    Retailers have an easier time with this one. Offering a percentage off, free shipping or buy-one, get-one-free are all popular.

    What about real estate agents? What can you offer that might compel a recipient of their postcards to act?

    If you offer enticing seller services, such as free home staging or a free pre-sale home inspection, by all means, play that up as your offer.

    If you don’t offer free services, consider choosing one to use as your offer just for the direct mail campaign.

    Keep in mind, however, that the number of hoops you force your prospects to jump through to take advantage of the offer impacts the response rate, according to Bob McCarthy at DMNNews.com.

    The more they have to do, the lower the response rate.

    3. Direct mail piece design best practices

    “One strategy we use to get our highest response rates is to make the offer the centerpiece of the direct mail piece”, McCarthy claims.

    Whether you choose to include an image of the free report or use text to describe it, mention it boldly and repeatedly.

    Your message (its length and graphic requirements) will determine the medium. Keeping it plain and simple? A standard-sized postcard may do the trick, although jumbo, panoramic and mega-sized postcards stand out in the mailbox which makes for a genuinely lasting impression.

    If it’s graphics-heavy and you’ll include substantial copy, using one of the larger postcard sizes (jumbo or panoramic) becomes even more important.

    Choose a font that’s easy to scan as people sift through their mail. Many direct mail experts 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, with more important items highlighted with a larger version of the chosen font.

    Additional design tips to keep in mind include:

    • Ensure your headline is bold and compelling yet short and specific.
    • Use lots of white space to make the piece appear to be easily digestible.
    • Sub-headings help guide the reader through the text.
    • Use a high-resolution photograph.
    • Avoid placing text over photos.
    • Ensure that your offer stands out and that your contact information is easy to find.

    To save time, take advantage of our already professionally done-for-you postcard designs covering a variety of niches and topics.

    4. Send it out . . . and keep sending

    Consistency is key when it comes to sending direct mail to your prospect list. Whether you choose to run your campaign bi-monthly or monthly follow the laws of branding and keep sending.

    Market conditions may prompt a change in frequency as well. New listings, just sold-homes, and other real estate news deserve an additional “mention” to everyone in your farm area.

    5. Track your results

    Tracking your results is vital to your direct mail campaign. One of the most popular methods used by agents is the creation of a dedicated landing page on their websites. The URL should be unique to the campaign so that you’ll be 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% percent. How close or far you are from that figure depends on how closely you follow the guidelines outlined above.

    Ready to Launch a Direct Mail Campaign? Schedule a FARM, Call to Action Campaign in Just Minutes.

    They’re currently on sale 10% OFF the first month – (sale ends 7/17/21).

    FARM, Call to Action Scheduled Campaign (shown above). Learn more, HERE

    TO LAUNCH A FARM, CALL TO ACTION CAMPAIGN:

    Hit “CLICK HERE”, below, to schedule your campaign (from a desktop or laptop computer).

    Use promo code: ACTION10 to save 10% off the first month.

    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).

    Launch a FARM, Call to Action Scheduled Campaign now, CLICK HERE!

    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…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available 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. 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

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Real-Estate-Mailing-List-Guide2-3-D-999x1024.jpg

    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. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

    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

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ROI-calculator-b-233x300.jpg

    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” 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is CRUSH-IT-Guide-3-d-298x300.jpg

    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

      “… why are so many business owners still creating, producing, printing, and mailing real newsletters?”

      Interesting question.

      There’s a perception out there that digital wears the crown as king-of-marketing-methods (placed there primarily by digital marketing companies).

      Why would any business actually pay to mail a newsletter?

      It’s Kim Walsh-Phillips, author and founder of Powerful Professionals, a multi-seven-figure business, who is asking that question. She hangs out on stages across the globe with the likes of Tony Robbins and Gary Vaynerchuk.

      She claims that the effect of printed, mailed newsletters “… cannot be replicated.”

      “My business empire has been built with print newsletters as its foundation and a centerpiece around which everything else orbits,” Walsh-Phillips explains.

      “Well over 50% of my high-value private clients rise up out of my newsletter subscriber base …”

      She’s not alone.

      The Market Dominator (shown above)

      In the category of “highly-effective” real estate newsletters, the Market Dominator is a branding masterpiece, that stands alone.

      Not only is the Market Dominator automated, making your life easier, it’s updated every month with New, relevant content, including direct response offers to promote inbound calls.

      Visually, the Dominator packs a punch with its 12 x 15 mega-size is impossible to miss in the mailbox.

      If you’re interested in adding a newsletter to your marketing arsenal this year, the Market Dominator is the ideal choice.

      Here’s the proof

      “Print and direct mail marketing boasts a 9% customer response rate compared to other digital marketing channels, which hover around 1% … or less,” according to a study cited at rcbrayshaw.com.

      The Direct Mail Marketing Association finds a minimum 15% ROI from direct mail pieces.

      You do understand, don’t you, that your email newsletters are most likely not even opened? A recent study by SuperOffice Marketing finds that only a smidge over 22 percent of business emails were opened.

      The response rate, or CTR, is even more abysmal, at slightly more than 2.5%. Compare that to direct mail’s response rate of 9%.

      When you think about why there’s such a vast difference, it makes sense.

      “Direct mail advertisements give people time to think,” notes Chris Barr, director of marketing for Taradell, LLC at neilpatel.com.

      “With print advertisements, we’re not anticipating the next click … We’re not bombarded with competing ads from half a dozen alternatives who bid for our attention … It’s quiet,” he concludes.

      Don’t have a newsletter?

      While we consider the real estate newsletter as the cornerstone of any successful real estate practice, we are a bit biased. Our Community Newsletters are packed with valuable information for both potential clients and homeowners.

      You can even upload your own creation to our website, and we’ll take it from there.

      Here are some tips to ensure you create a successful real estate newsletter:

      • Keep it engaging
      • Create an eye-catching design.
      • Keep content focused on one audience. You may need to create several iterations of your newsletter; one for buyers, one for sellers, one for past clients, one for tenants, another for landlords, etc.
      • Use lots of photos.
      • Brand it.
      • Ensure the content is professionally written and of high value.
      • Give them the news they want, not what you want them to know.
      • Sneak in a testimonial or two here and there.
      • Add an occasional human-interest story.
      The Market Dominator
      Make 2021 the year you ditch the email newsletters that don’t get opened, let alone read and focus on a newsletter that delivers on ROI like the Market Dominator.

      Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our prospect list tools to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

      PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available 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. 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

      This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Real-Estate-Mailing-List-Guide2-3-D-999x1024.jpg

      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. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

      This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

      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

      This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ROI-calculator-b-233x300.jpg

      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

        What if I told you that sending out 200 marketing postcards for less than $150 (postage included) could potentially net you five new listings?

        Barbara Todaro, a Franklin, MA agent, sent 200 Just Listed postcards to an area that surrounded her new listing and her mailing resulted in just that number – five new listings.

        Todaro’s advice, “Never eliminate a method because it’s basic, those are often the best methods. The reality is, everyone reads their mail”. 

        Yes, real estate postcard marketing has been around for a while. And, no, it’s not as innovative as digital marketing, but clearly – IT WORKS.

        Left in the dust

        We’ve definitely come a long way from the days of AOL dial-up connections to jet-propelled search engine rankings and the availability of real-time information.

        It was a steep learning curve, but like most things in life, as agents became more tech-proficient, the demand for high-tech grew.

        Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards

        Unfortunately, along with this came new-fangled ideas regarding listing generation and conversion; that it should be quick and effortless. And, this false belief came at a price.

        Old, yet highly effective marketing methods, were left in the dust by some agents, specifically the method with the longest history of success – direct mail marketing.

        Snail mail? Guess again!

        Direct mail outperforms email, social media, and all digital forms of marketing by 700 percent, according to research from the Data and Marketing Association (DMA).

        In addition, the Marketing Sherpa survey showed that direct mail was the third most trusted form of marketing overall (behind magazines/newspapers and TV ads).

        For comparison, search engine ads came in sixth and, at the bottom of the list? Online pop-up ads.

        A customer of ours recently discussed his return to direct mail marketing, specifically Just Listed/Just Sold postcards, after spending some time away.

        “My business was starting to be flat. I was still a top producer but where I used to have more listings than I did buyers, I now had twice as many buyers as I did listings”, Joe Cooper stated.

        “I took a hard look at my business model and realized that it had been around two years since I’d used Just Listed/Just Sold postcards. I decided to start back up and see if it made a difference. Well, it has. Almost immediately, my listings have picked up!”.

        Is farming a thing of the past?

        In the past, most agents chose farm areas to target their best potential customers and direct mail marketing was the best way for them to reach these people. Guess what?

        Direct mail marketing still is the best way to target your ideal customer.

        Neighborhoods that are ripe for the picking include those that haven’t turned over in a while. Or you can choose to circle prospect and campaign in an area surrounding a recent listing or sale.

        Just Sold Aerial Series

        Your research into the right farm doesn’t stop with choosing your neighborhood; learning the area’s demographics (especially the average age and income of the residents) is vital to a successful campaign.

        The easiest way to ensure you are targeting the right list is to source it using our targeted mailing list tools.

        The postcard winners

        So, which are the most effective postcards for real estate? By far, the top agents we’ve spoken with chose Just Listed/Just Sold postcards.

        “We host monthly events at our office and invite local businesses and residents. When we send a Just Sold postcard, it includes an invitation message to the party,” states Laurie Laykish, Engle & Volkers.

        Though the invite isn’t the focus of the card (the just-sold home is), “we have had at least 2 people from each drop of 200 cards that attend an event and sign up to buy or sell with us,” Laykish concludes.

        A tip to keep in mind, nearly 15 percent of direct mail recipients who responded to a Marketing Sherpa survey say they often discard mailed pieces when they are “too focused on the company’s needs and not enough on their own.”

        This is why it’s important to keep your postcard’s focus on what’s important to your target market. Detailing what’s in it for them will engage them far more than self-promotion.

        If a year-round direct mail marketing strategy isn’t currently part of your plan – the time to change this is now.

        Multi-Photo Just Listed Series
        Send a Multi-Photo Just Listed postcard to a radius around your new listing. Use the MapMyMail tool, from a desktop or laptop, to generate this list in minutes.

        Need help targeting a specific niche of buyers or sellers? Use our prospect list tools to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

        PLUS: When you have time…here are some helpful resources we’ve made available to support your success.

        1. 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.

        2. The Free Real Estate Mailing List Guide

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Real-Estate-Mailing-List-Guide2-3-D-999x1024.jpg

        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

        3. The Free 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 2020-Planner-3D-999x1024.jpg

        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

        4. The Free One-Page Real Estate Business Plan

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Business-Plan-3D-Book-New1-270x300.png

        Treat your business like a business it is vital to long-term success in this industry. Some agents may put together elaborate business plans, yet there’s something powerful about keeping it simple. Check out our one page Online Real Estate Business Plan.  – Click Here

        5. Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

        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

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is ROI-calculator-b-233x300.jpg

        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” 

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is CRUSH-IT-Guide-3-d-298x300.jpg

        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

          A HOLIDAY GIFT FOR YOU
          To Ensure You Crush It in 2020!
          Get Them Calling YOU!
          With This Powerful Real Estate Direct Response Marketing Guide.

          There’s no better way to start the new year than armed with the tools that will make your 2020 goals happen!

          Discover the Following Insider Tips to Effective Direct Response Marketing Including:

          • Crucial steps to take before launching a campaign.
          • The number one ROI game-changer.
          • How to build trust and increase clients with ONE campaign.
          • Tricks to multiply your opportunities with Just Listed postcards.
          • Diagrams showing how to layout effective direct mail pieces.
          • Seven opportunities to target in your market – right now.
          • How to calculate the number of people you need in your Sphere of Influence.
          • How to calculate the ROI of your direct mail campaigns.
          • And much, much more.

          Take advantage of this FREE HOLIDAY GIFT from us and ensure your New Year is filled with compelling marketing that GETS RESULTS!

          GET YOUR FREE GIFT HERE

          Please reach out to our support team at 866.405.3638 if there is anything we can do to help you in your success.

          Happy Holidays!

          Your ProspectsPLUS! Team

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