The Long Life of a Real Estate Direct Mail Newsletter

Most types of marketing and advertising have a short lifespan.

For example, you might see a Facebook Ad for a few seconds before it disappears down your timeline. A voice mail message to a prospect might get listened to, yet never returned. Even email — which can be effective, especially when part of a complete real estate marketing system —is often only read once.

Real estate direct mail, however, has a much longer lifespan.

A well-designed and written real estate marketing mailer gets multiple opportunities to engage a prospect or client and get a new real estate agent lead or referral for you.

In fact, the average homeowner is likely to handle, scan and/or read a direct mail piece more often and for a longer period of time than any other type of marketing media.

As an example, let’s take a look at the typical life of a real estate newsletter for clients.

First, it arrives in your client’s mailbox. According to studies, people generally check mail at least three times a week, with the majority doing so every day. So, there’s nearly a 100% chance that your client will see your real estate mailer — and probably handle and open it.

According to studies by the U.S. Postal Service, 81% of people open and scan a direct mail piece immediately. But even among those who don’t, there’s a likelihood they’ll do so later. Contrary to what some may assume, very few people will throw out a direct mailer without reviewing it.

But that isn’t the end of the life of a direct mail piece.

If a client finds the content of the real estate newsletter valuable, they’ll keep it. If there’s a useful article or tip, they might even post it on the fridge door! That means the entire household is seeing it, perhaps for weeks. Visiting friends and neighbours might notice it, too, and say something like, “Oh, that’s an interesting newsletter. Who’s your real estate agent?”

By this point, your client may have handled your real estate mailer several times over days or weeks, and scanned or read it at least once.

And if your mailer includes a personal message that reminds them of a way you can be of service — for example, an annual homeowner checkup — that might prompt them to give you a call.

So, as you can see, a real estate direct mail piece has a long life and can be working hard for you for days or weeks.

Takeaway: Make sure your real estate marketing systems — for getting more client referrals, converting more leads, and dominating a geographic farm — includes an eye-catching mailer with high-value content.