Rookie Realtors: Should You Be Using Direct Mail?

Direct mail marketing is historically one of the most effective and reliable methods for reaching potential real estate clients. But, it's not right for every every real estate business, and certainly not the optimal strategy for every Realtor.

If you're new to real estate (or have been around for a while and simply have have a renewed sense of purpose) and are trying to decide if direct mail is right for you, we've got you covered. In this article is a simple checklist you can use to determine whether or not you should be hitting up the mailboxes of your community, or considering another form of marketing.

Real Estate Direct Mail Checklist

If you meet the following criteria, direct mail is a great option for you and your real estate business:

• You've Got Time: Direct mail takes time to organize. You've got to do research on the communities you're targeting, compile your address lists, and finalize your content (are you mailing postcards? Letters? Flyers?). All of this requires an investment of time; usually about 40 hours to start, and around eight hours a week after that to maintain.
• You've Got Budget: Unlike digital marketing, to execute a direct mail campaign you've actually got to produce physical media and get it to your recipients' mailboxes. This requires labor, printing, postage, and delivery. Sure, there are corners you can cut to bring the cost down (ever licked 500 stamps?), but in general, you need to prepare to spend at least $300 per month on direct mail.
• You've Got a Long View of Success: While it's certainly possible to get clients from your first couple rounds of direct mail, the real value of this strategy comes from consistent communication over the span of months (and years). Most successful direct mail marketers send at least six pieces of mail to the same community before they start seeing consistent results.
• You're Willing to Follow-Up: Direct mail is what we like to call a partner strategy, meaning, it's much more effective if you pair it with another marketing strategy, like door-knocking. An effective real estate marketer will send a postcard announcing a new listing on Monday and follow-up with a door-knock on Friday, inviting them to the open house that weekend.

I'm a Fit for Direct Mail; Now What?

If you've got the time, the budget, the patience, and the willingness to follow-up, you'd be a great fit for direct mail marketing. You can jump right in with your planning, or you can connect with one of our real estate direct mail specialists who can provide you with the tools you need to get a shortcut to success.

In fact, we've even got a program that provides a free strategy consult for new agents (psst, if you're not new and ask really nice, we'd still fit ya in!) to talk about your opportunities with direct mail, as well as see if you qualify for our current special offer: six months of free direct mail marketing services, where we help with everything from mailing lists to content design to postage discounts.

To learn more, click below.