Real Estate Agents: Now is the Time to Up Your Direct Mail Game

During the COVID-19 outbreak, a question many agents are asking themselves is, “How do I keep in touch with my prospects and clients?” After all, in-person meetings are rare to non-existent, at least for the time being. Yet, generating a steady flow of real estate agent leads and referrals is more important now than ever.

One solution is to leverage the most reliable way to reach prospects and clients: real estate direct mail. You may be using this real estate marketing tactic already in some ways. If so, now is the time to review your direct mail program — postcards, real estate newsletters, etc. — and up your game in that area.

Direct mail works well for a variety of reasons. It has a 100% delivery rate to your contact’s mailbox. It’s tangible and therefore noticed and handled by your prospects and clients. And if the direct mail piece is eye-catching and features valuable, helpful information, there’s a high likelihood it will get read, or at least scanned.

And here’s some good news. During these challenging times, many experts say direct mail is likely to become even more effective. Laura Ziemer, of the market research firm Mintel, writes that, “Direct mail may become a welcome change of pace” to people who are “socialed out, texted out, phoned out.”

How should you use direct mail? Agents tend to get the best results in the following ways:

• To generate leads from a geographic farm.
• To get more real estate referrals from clients, past and present.
• To convert more prospects into clients.

And while real estate direct mail can work well on its own, you’ll get significantly better results if you use a comprehensive real estate marketing system that incorporates other tactics, such as email marketing.

So, what’s the action step here?

If you’re currently using direct mail, take advantage of this time to do an audit. Ask yourself:

• Are my direct mail pieces as effective as they could be? Are they eye-catching? Do they contain original and high-value content? Do they communicate my brand with impact?
• Am I mailing consistently? (Once a month is the ideal.)
• Am I mailing to the right people?
• Are there other groups I should be targeting, such as previous clients?

If you’re not currently using direct mail, this is the perfect time to get in the game. When this crisis passes — and it will — you want your business to be stronger and ready for the upswing. If you start today, real estate direct mail can build relationships with your clients and prospects that can result in referrals and leads not just in the short-term but also in the months and years ahead.