Direct mail is a great marketing tool for all types of industries, including real estate. If you are a realtor, real estate direct mail marketing is an easy and effective way to let people know about the properties you are selling and a good way to stay at the forefront of your prospect’s mind. Even with the many marketing advancements that have developed over the years, there’s a reason why direct mail marketing is still around: it works. In fact, an article by MarketingProfs states that 73% of consumers actually prefer mail over other advertising methods. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before embarking on your first real estate direct mail campaign.

Who Are You Going to Target?

The first thing you should do when planning a direct mail campaign is determine who you are targeting and create a campaign that stands out to them. You want to advertise to people who are most likely to be interested in your service and/or homes. What type of prospect are you looking for? How old are they? What are their interests? What is their income level and etc.?

How Are You Going to Target Them?

Once you figure out who you want to target, you need a good and clean mailing list that will ensure your mail piece actually reaches those prospects. At the end of the day, your mailing list will perform only as well as the quality of your data. Hygiene your data thoroughly to make sure it is accurate and organized so that your real estate direct mail campaign can hit as many qualified prospects as possible. If you rent a list, make sure it is from a reputable list company with a proven track record. Reputable data companies will ensure that your data is fresh and accurate, and they will build the list to be precisely targeted to your ideal audience. Many list companies like US Data Corporation offer mailing, design, and print services as well.

What Mail Piece Are You Going to Use?

There are many different forms of direct mail pieces that are available to send: letters, postcards, brochures, newsletters, etc. The key to a well-designed direct mail piece is making sure that it grabs the audience’s attention and encourages them to read it. To help make your piece pop, use quality paper, colors that make the text stand out, and use personalization if you can. Real estate is a visual industry and your pieces should make the most of it. Use a lot of imagery and photos while cutting back on text. Try to keep layouts simple and uncluttered so that the viewer can quickly get to your main message. For more direct mail creative tips, read our blog posts on popular direct mail pieces, personalization, and color.

What Are You Going to Say?

In the real estate industry, most realtors want recipients to respond to a direct mail message by expressing interest in buying or selling a property. Whatever your reason is as a realtor, the purpose of your direct mail message should be to get the reader to take action and contact you. An effective way to get people to take action is to include a CTA that prompts your audience. For example, offer a free consultation to talk about the sale or purchase of a home if they call. The CTA should also clearly tell the recipient what they need to do to respond. Without a good offer and a clear CTA, your real estate direct mail campaign may just be a waste of your time and money.