3 Ways for Real Estate Investors to Succeed With Postcard Marketing

In This Article

Postcard marketing is a great tool for real estate investors to use to grow their businesses. It operates on 3 simple strategies that, when perfected, can generate consistent leads and revenue. Postcard marketing can seem complicated. However, if you focus on nailing down the direct mail fundamentals, it becomes a simple and effective tool for business growth.

I’ve been using postcard marketing for 20 years for my own company as well as my clients’ businesses. I am able to boil down all the trial and error that most beginning marketers go through (been there, done that), so you can get ahead of the game and start succeeding right away.

Here are the 3 direct mail fundamentals you have to master…

 1) Choose the Right Size

“What size postcard do I need?”

“Can I get away with a smaller card?”

“What is the benefit of a bigger card anyway?”

The size of your postcard plays a huge role in getting the attention of your prospects. The three questions above are most business owners’ first questions when they’re putting together their direct mail campaign. It’s the first big decision you have to make for your postcard marketing campaign, and it’s critical. If you are in a competitive market, you’ll need a bigger card to get noticed in a mailbox full of letters, bills and, in all likelihood, other postcards.

To find out what size postcard YOUR real estate investing business needs answer these 3 questions:

1. How much do other companies in your industry market?
   1. Not at all/I’m the only one (You can lean towards a smaller card)
   2. Light to Moderate Amount (Lean toward a larger card)
   3. Moderate to Heavy Amount (You need a large card)
2. Do your competitors also mail postcards?
   1. No (You can lean towards a smaller card
   2. Yes (You need a large card)
3. How much explaining does your offer require?
   1. Not that much/Easy to grasp  (Smaller card is fine)
   2. A little background info (Medium should do the trick)
   3. A lot/Details are important (Go big or go home)

First, make sure your direct mail provider offers a variety of sizes. Most will, and the choices will look something like this: Small (4×6), Medium (5×8), and Large (6×11). Steer clear of a direct mail company that promotes a one-size-fits-all strategy, because the only way to get optimal results is to mail postcards sized to match the level of competition in your industry and market.

 2) Design with Marketing Intent

The right size gets your card noticed, but the real work still has to be done once the prospect picks it up. You need to use intentional marketing design for your postcards using marketing strategies based on successful postcard marketing results.

In my experience a successful postcard design has 10 essential elements:

1. Clear Headline
2. Supporting Graphic
3. Color that Pops
4. Intriguing Sub-Headings on the back that lead into benefits
5. Benefits!
6. Enticing Offer
7. Company Name and Logo
8. Call to Action and/or expiration date for the offer
9. Contact Information – website, map, phone number
10. Return Address

• Elements 1-3 take the prospect’s attention and turn it into genuine interest in what the rest of the card says.
• Elements 4-7 take the prospect from “interested” to “sold” by fueling their interest with relatable benefits to their current circumstances. Then, an irresistible offer convinces them that by not calling they are missing a big opportunity.
• Elements 8-10 give them every opportunity to take advantage of what you are offering them. You should provide as much contact information as possible, such as mailing address (if you have a brick and mortar office location), phone number, email, website, social media pages, etc.

 3) Choose the Right Mailing List

The size and design of your card are crucial; however, it all means nothing if you send it to the wrong audience. To generate the best response you need to find your “ideal prospect.” This is the kind of person who already wants the services you offer. For real estate investors, you are obviously looking for prospects with enough money to invest. Sending your cards to lower income individuals is going to yield terrible results. Even if these individuals are interested in investing in real estate, they aren’t in the position to do so. The best way to find your ideal prospect is to analyze your current clients. After all, you already turned them into clients! They were obviously fertile soil for your marketing message.

Are there trends or similarities in your client base? This can help you see what the common characteristics are of someone who is ready and waiting to invest in real estate. You can do this research yourself, but many direct mail companies are more than happy to help you put together a list of great, quality prospects.

When you master these 3 direct mail fundamentals, you can use postcard marketing to build your business through consistent lead (and revenue) generation. I’ve seen it work for over 55,000 business owners many of whom are real estate investors just like you. Try it out and see for yourself!
Photo Credit: snaps

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.