Blog / Targeted Direct Mail Brings Leads, Delivered Warm to You

Targeted Direct Mail Brings Leads, Delivered Warm to You

Apr 24, 2015   •   3 min read   •   Marketing Ideas

Today, realtors have a huge variety of marketing channels at their disposal to use for lead generation. There’s email marketing, Adwords, Facebook Ads, TV spots, and even radio.

While each of these marketing channels have advantages, they’re rarely the most effective way to generate seller leads. Direct mail – in particular, a highly targeted direct mail campaign – is the most affordable and effective way to get seller leads.

With the right combination of defined targeting and a benefit-focused message, a real estate direct mail campaign can help you reach and speak to people that are interested in selling their home.

Learn four tips that you can use to reach sellers, prompt them to take action and respond to your real estate postcard, and build a valuable source of seller leads for your real estate business.

 

Target carefully to maximize your impact

Targeting is the key to lead generation success, particularly as a realtor. There are many different types of homeowners, from absentee owners to owners that listed their property for sale and later withdrew it.

Mailing generic real estate direct mail postcards that target all homeowners usually won’t have much of an impact. However, sending targeted postcards to each specific audience, from FSBOs to probate owners, makes connecting with prospects easier.

Before you design and write your postcards, break your target audience down into clearly defined groups. You’ll need a different approach to reach absentee owners, probate owners, FSBOs, and other different audiences.

 

Identify the seller’s problem in your copy

People sell (or in this case, fail to sell) property for a variety of reasons. Some homes are priced above their market value, while others are priced appropriately but don’t get the marketing treatment they deserve.

Before you mail a seller, identify the problem that prevented their home from selling successfully. Was their home too expensive, was it marketed poorly, or put on the market at the wrong time?

Once you’ve identified the seller’s problem, make solving that problem the focus of your campaign. The closer your campaign comes to solving the recipient’s problem, the higher your response rate will be.

 

Clearly explain how you can solve the problem

Identifying the seller’s biggest problem is the key to attracting their attention and interest – the first two stages of the buying process. However, it doesn’t prompt them to make a decision and take action – the final stages before becoming a lead.

After you’ve identified the seller’s problem, clearly explain how you can solve it for them. Include specific examples of other homeowners in similar situations that you have helped and complete it with their testimonials.

The key is to not just identify their problem, but position yourself and your service as the solution to it. Include a call to action that makes it easy for them to respond and you’ll go from earning their interest to potentially earning their business.

 

Don’t give up if they don’t respond right away

Hiring a realtor to put your home on the market is a big decision, especially if you have already listed it unsuccessfully. It takes time to earn a prospect’s trust, and it often requires several direct mail postcards to convince them to take action.

If you deliver a targeted, carefully written postcard to a seemingly perfect prospect and don’t receive a response right away, don’t panic. Keep the momentum going and send them another postcard one, two, and three months down the line.

Most deals are closed on the follow up, not the initial contact. Keep your direct mail postcard campaign’s frequency steady and you’ll do far more than just attract your audience’s attention – over time, you’ll turn many of your prospects into clients and customers.

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