6 Rules Of Postcard Marketing For Agents

Beth McCandry

The central theses

  • Set a goal and measure short and long term results.
  • Be clear about how you want your audience to react to your campaign.
  • Create a strong connection by understanding and responding to your audience’s needs and concerns.

While real estate postcards may not be causing as much buzz as the latest social media platform right now, they are one of the most reliable ways to generate leads, sales, and customers for your real estate business.

Real estate direct mail marketing is both a science and an art that requires equal doses of data-driven marketing insights and great design. With the right combination of art, text, and targeting, a postcard campaign can grow your real estate business.

Are you considering a postcard campaign for your real estate business? Read on to discover six rules of direct mail postcard marketing for agents looking to generate new leads, appointments, and sales.

1. Clearly define the goal of your campaign

What is the goal of your direct mail campaign? Focusing on one goal at a time is a great way to customize the message of your direct mail postcard campaign and how you can best help people.

Is the goal of your campaign to sell houses? To generate sales leads? To create new entries for your company? Clearly define your goal in advance and you will be able to track the results of your campaign with ease.

2. Measure short and long term results

Postcard marketing, unlike other marketing channels like email or display, produces both short-term and long-term results. That means you should measure your campaign in both the short and long term to closely track the results.

Don’t write off your campaign as unsuccessful if it doesn’t bring immediate profit. Remember, people often keep your postcard until they need it, and your direct mail postcards can lead months into the future.

3. First, aim with your sphere of influence

The best way to start your postcard campaign is to send it to a high value audience. Your sphere of influence, including the customers you’ve worked with in the past, is almost always your best first target.

The only exception to this is if you are running a campaign that has just sold. Because campaigns now sold are designed to build your brand with a specific audience, they are most effective when they are sent to the same audience frequently over time.

4th Make it action-oriented and result-oriented

Large real estate postcards are designed for action and results. Include your name and picture next to pictures of properties you recently sold on your postcards to build brand awareness and trust with your audience.

The copy of your postcard should speak directly to the market you are targeting and clearly explain how you can help them. Include a clear call-to-action that tells recipients exactly how to contact you and claim your offer to make trading easier.

5. Don’t email just once – be consistent

It takes time to build your brand as an agent. If you broadcast to a target market once a year, the chances that you will remember when someone has to sell their home are extremely slim.

Keep your personal brand in the mind of your market by sending out your direct mail postcards regularly. A good rule is to email your most valuable market – in this case, your sphere of influence – 10 to 12 times a year.

6th Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal customer

Does your postcard touch the interests and concerns of your target market? The key to a successful direct mail campaign is getting in touch with your target audience and providing answers to frequently asked questions.

Put yourself in the shoes of your target customer and think about the questions they are likely to ask. Customize your copy to specifically answer their questions and you will create a strong connection.

Follow these six rules and you will have successful postcard marketing campaigns.

Eric Cosway is the EVP and CMO of QuantumDigital. Follow him on Twitter.

Email to Eric Cosway