Most realtors know that direct mail is an essential way to market themselves within an ideal location. What they might not know is how to stand out amongst other realtors doing the same exact thing. As a realtor, you want to show your potential clients that you are personable, know the current market and care about buyers’ and sellers’ goals. Direct mail is the perfect way to increase your brand awareness and help build long term relationships if you have the right campaign strategies. Keep reading to learn about the five most common direct mail mistakes to avoid.
Not Being Consistent
With direct mail, consistency is key. Sending mail sporadically won’t keep you at the top of your audience’s mind. Sending your target demographic multiple mailings is great. Sending your target market multiple mailings consistently for six months up to a year is even better, why? Because timing is everything. You never know when someone could be ready to buy or sell. If your direct mail has been hitting their home consistently, it’s likely they’ll think of you when they need a realtor. Your face is familiar to them.
Small Mailing List
Direct mail is scalable. What you put into it, is what you get out of it. If your quantities are lower, you will likely not get the responses/results that you need in order for your campaign to be as successful as possible. The minimum quantity per drop is suggested at 1500 recipients. Mailing to your SOI is great. You can do that and also farm certain areas. The possibilities are endless with direct mail.
Lack of Variety
Sending the same postcard over and over again can get old very quickly for the person receiving it. Once they’ve gotten it for the third time, they’ll keep in mind to never use you. Stand out from the crowd by sending a variety of mailers. The Mailworks has a catalog with all types of real estate products that can add a bit of spice to your marketing plan. Send a self mailer with information about yourself and helpful homeowner tips. Or give your audience an idea about what the housing market is like at the moment. Informing/educating them is a great way to build solid relationships and giving them useful content helps engage with them more.
Not Doing Multiple Mailings
Direct mail is proven to work when there are multiple and consistent touches within a campaign. Only doing 1 mailing results in less brand awareness and response rates. You don’t have to send the same postcard or mailer every time. You can send useful resources that your audience can hold onto, such as calendars or holiday recipes. According to research, it takes between 7-13 touches to close a sale/receive a response. These touches can all be connected through different channels, such as direct mail, social media, and email.
Not Enough CTA’s
Your direct mail needs to be clear and to the point. The calls to action should reflect the purpose of the piece of mail. For example if you want your recipients to fill out a form, or visit your website, a QR code will bring them right there. There should always be multiple calls to actions, and ways to get in touch with you. Some CTAs that are sure to work are, QR codes, RSVPs for events, a contact email and a phone number.
The world of real estate moves too fast to waste time on direct-mail campaigns that don’t work. These mistakes are easy to avoid if you have The Mailworks by your side every step of the way. Interested in creating a kick ass campaign? Schedule a call with one of our Solution Specialists.
Sources
https://www.postalytics.com/blog/real-estate-direct-mail-marketing/
https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-direct-mail
https://www.digitaldogdirect.com/how-many-direct-mail-touchpoints-are-recommended/
