Why Real Estate Postcards?
Targeted unlike with billboards, you can target your postcards to a specific demographic. Whether you use a mailing list you’ve personally curated, or one that you’ve purchased from a reputable service, you can target only the people who will most likely respond to your call-to-action.
Postcards are the epitome of a brief, punch message. Instead of sending a letter that your potential clients must open to read, your postcard is already open. You lessen the clutter in the mailbox and the possibility that your letter will be thrown away with the junk mail. Break Through the Clutter. Do it in Small Batches: The average price to do small batches of Real Estate Postcards is less than $1 USD ($20.00 Mexican Pesos -MXP-) per card.
This price includes printing and mailing with associated postage costs. Of course, the number skews much lower as you order a higher amount of postcards. Relatively inexpensive…
Helps You Get Leads: Real Estate Postcards plant a seed. Realistically, do not expect to receive a huge amount of traffic after your initial round of postcard mailing. Instead, consider it as an investment. Postcards help you get a few leads in the short term, but where they really shine is in the long- term.
Marketing chops when you send Real Estate Postcards with current listings, it communicates something even stronger. It shows potential sellers that you spend money on marketing. Why is this important? It conveys the message that all of your clients are treated to an aggressive marketing campaign, so the seller may feel more confident in choosing to work with you.
How much do Real Estate Postcards cost? Now that you’re convinced about the effectiveness of Real Estate Postcards, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty of price.
Cost of Mailing for the traditional postcard (4” x 6”), the average cost of mailing ranges between .55¢ and .75¢ USD ($9.90 and $13.50 MXP) per postcard with a mailing service.
If you’ve ever done an internet search for postcard mailing companies, it’s important to go with an established company that may seem more expensive, but won’t hit you with hidden fees; you know there’s a lot to choose from and the prices vary a lot.
What about EDDM?
Besides postcards, another option includes EDDM, or Every Door Direct Mail. This is targeted to a general, blanket area.
It means that you don’t need to provide or buy a targeted mailing list. Instead, you select an area and the post office delivers to everyone in that area. Be aware that the minimum dimensions for EDDM are 8” x 6.5”
Who should you be sending to?
Depending on your specialty, you can send real estate postcards to potential buyers or sellers, or both. Of course, that covers the entire market, but you can definitely whittle it down into your specific niche.
If you specialize in selling ranch homes, send postcards to customers with ranch style homes in your target area. If you want to cater to a minority community, send your postcards to that demographic. It’s okay to specialize, but be careful not to exclude anyone from using your services.
Focus on long-term relationship building with your postcard marketing. It won’t happen overnight, but as you continue to communicate your brand through postcard marketing, you will see a return on your investment.
What are the Types of Postcards? There are 4 main types of Real Estate Postcards you should focus on in your marketing campaign. They are:
1. Just Listed: They display newly listed homes that may appeal to your buyer set. It can also positively affect sellers, who are curious about comparable homes in the area. Use the Just Listed postcard to advertise your best homes, and as a way to introduce yourself to your target audience.
2. Just Sold: Provide the much-valued social proof. If you’ve sold a property and share it with your target audience, they’ll see that someone else trusted you to sell their home–and that you were successful. It’s a huge selling point for you.
3. Expired Listing: Expired Listings are much more personal in approach because, instead of dealing with a wide audience, you’re only targeting homeowners whose homes have failed to sell. Search the MLS for properties soon to expire, and create your mailing list.
How to Design a Real Estate Postcard?
At LW Postcards do this job for you… But we need from you:
1. Professional photo of yourself: print it in color and make it large enough to see your smile. (Be sure to smile.)
2. Call-to-action: Calls-to-action are extremely important. It engages the reader and inspires action. Effective calls-to-action include: • Call me today! • Let’s discuss your new home! • Check out the open house this Saturday September 24th at 4pm. • Contact me for a free home evaluation!
3. Demographic-specific message: Customize your message to your target audience.
4. Photos of your homes: Whether you’re targeting sellers or buyers, use photos that highlight your current or previous exchanges.
5. Prices of your homes: It’s infuriating to see a home, but not knowing the price. Don’t try to trick your potential leads into contacting you for prices, because it will probably backfire.
6. Your contact information: Include your physical address, but be sure to list your online web address, too. It’s important to have a domain.com name, not a domain.freefreefree.com address. Having your own domain name shows professionalism.
Keep the design consistent: Your postcard marketing isn’t limited to one mailing campaign. You should at least have 5 rounds of mailings. So, with subsequent postcards, be careful to keep a similar design to your previous efforts. All of your different postcards should look like they belong in the same family.
How Often Should You Send Postcards?
“Effective postcard frequency is nine to 12 times annually to your highest-value market, and four to 12 times annually to other targeted markets. The goal of any marketing campaign is to create top-of- mind awareness. That means when the targeted market thinks of real estate, your name should come to mind.” Rich Levin.
Another interesting statistic states that 81% of sales closes after the 5th contact.
Here’s the breakdown: •2% closes on the 1st call. •3% closes on the 2nd call. •4% closes on the 3rd call. •10% closes on the 4th call. •81% closes on the 5th call.
How do you measure results?
How can you determine the effectiveness of your postcard marketing campaign? There are two ways to do this:1. Ask for the source: Whenever a lead contacts you, ask them how they found out about you. However, don’t stop there. Be sure to mark the source in your CRM (customer relationship management) system. Also, mark when they respond and what business results from the interaction.
2. Ask for the card back: On your postcard, indicate a value for the client if they return to your office with the card. Unique offers include special discounts on your services or a free coffee. Whatever you think would entice the lead to contact you.
Final: Words Creating an effective Real Estate Postcard campaign are not time consuming or difficult. It just requires consistency and time. Include postcards in your marketing campaign, and you won’t regret it. It’s an oldie, but a goodie.
LW Advertising Postcards
