Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Check out our five steps to improve your direct mail marketing:
1. Target Your Audience
Sending marketing materials to every home in your area can be costly, and it would be incredibly time-consuming to create individual messages for each of your potential real estate leads.
Instead of the scorched-earth method of real estate marketing strategy with the same message going out to everyone on your mailing list, use data to target your ideal audience. Onsuite is an excellent source of information to find your next real estate lead in a challenging market.
Data from Onsuite can give you details about:
- Properties that are being bought and sold
- Competitors in your area
- Contact information for potential clients
- Homeowner information
These details will give you valuable insight about your community and where best to focus your real estate direct mail marketing efforts. Further streamline your workflow with automated campaigns so you’re never out of sight for too long.
2. Beef up your Call to Action
Buyers’ attention is fleeting. You have a very short time to not only catch their eye, but also explain what you can offer. This is where your call to action comes in. Consumers react well to no-nonsense communication, the more to the point the better.
When you’re designing your call to action, be assertive and direct, but polite. “I hope to hear from you soon,” or “Give me a call if I can be of service,” are great statements to type at the end of a casual email, but highly ineffective calls to action. Try to keep in mind what you want your real estate client to do and make that the focus of your statement.
Here are a few examples:
- Call now
- Schedule a tour
- Explore my listings
- Contact me to learn more
Physical placement of your call to action is also important. Putting it right at the top can be too soon, and placing it in the middle can weaken your messaging. Most of the time, putting your call to action at the end will leave your client with a purpose that will inspire them to complete the action. However, this rule is far from set in stone when it comes to real estate marketing. Take a look at your message and decide where your call to action will shine.
3. Tailor Your Content
It’s human nature -- you interact with things that resonate with you. If your potential real estate clients feel as if you’re speaking directly with them, they’re more likely to pay attention to your marketing materials and do business with your real estate agency.
On the surface, this is a daunting task. How do you speak to each individual person in a given area? A complicated idea turns into a simple solution with data. Demographic information, home ownership details, and even recent purchases can assist you with customizing your messaging.
No need to gather all of this data yourself, Xpressdocs has tools like Onsuite to automate your real estate marketing and make it easier to not only find your next potential customer, but speak to them directly as well.
4. Focus on your Message
When it comes to marketing, you have a very short window of opportunity to grab a few seconds of your potential buyers’ precious attention – if you’re lucky. In those few moments, you don’t want to waste time with long-winded explanations or needlessly detailed instructions.
These principles are the same in direct mail marketing. The space is limited on your chosen marketing material, and you only have those few seconds to prove you’re worth paying attention to. No pressure, right?
The answer is simple – find your focus. Figure out one strong message you need to communicate to your audience and communicate it well. Here are some things to get you started:
Ask a question – think about what could be weighing on your potential customer’s mind and ask a question they might not know they need the answer to.
State a fact – learning new things is fun and stating something that will make your audience think will always grab their attention.
List a benefit – it’s understandable for your audience to ask, “What’s in this for me?” Let them know the benefits of working with you in a snapshot.
These elements will help you make your point with concise, attention-grabbing statements that don’t stray too far from your message. Focusing on one or two main selling points will let your real estate marketing shine.
5.Show Up on Time
We all know it’s polite to be punctual. In marketing, it’s more than polite, it’s essential. Timing is everything when you’re designing your real estate branding. The moment it arrives in your potential client's hands is just as important as the messaging itself. Everything from recent purchases to a client’s birthday is an opportunity to grow your real estate brand – and you don’t want to miss it.
Here are a few examples:
- An anniversary greeting to celebrate one year of home ownership
- A piece of mail after a website contact form submission
- A follow-up postcard after meeting with a client
There are a lot of opportunities to communicate with a potential client if you know where to look. It’s helpful to research your community, or you can always take advantage of marketing automation tools like Onsuite that will simplify the process of staying in touch with your targets. These tools will make sending out the frequent, relevant messaging easier for better marketing results.
Direct mail doesn’t have to be overwhelming to be effective. A few simple adjustments can make a big difference.
