Real estate mailers are an industry standard for a reason—they’re a great way to bring in new leads, build awareness about your brand, and drive sales.
In this guide, we’re detailing the most effective types of real estate mailers and why and when you should use them. We’ll also share our favorite resources for finding and customizing postcard templates, so you can get these mailers out into the world.
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What are real estate mailers?
Real estate mailers are any form of direct mail meant to build brand awareness or generate leads. They typically come in the form of postcards, but you can also send out letters, brochures, pamphlets, or other forms of mail.
Do mailers work in real estate?
The short answer is yes. Despite the rapid growth of digital marketing methods, real estate mailers are still an effective tool for real estate agents. Sending out a physical piece of mail can help you stand out from the competition while bypassing crowded email inboxes and spam folders. They can also help you build a more personal connection with your audience.
Real estate mailers may also provide a better return on investment (ROI) than digital media campaigns. A 2022 study conducted by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) found that direct mail still leads in ROI by a wide margin over email and social media marketing.
What are the best types of real estate mailers to use?
We’ve created the list below to help you choose the best real estate postcard templates for your business and different use cases. You’ll likely use more than one template in order to reach different demographic segments and accomplish specific goals.
1. Handwritten note postcard and mailer
Purpose: Thank buyers and sellers for their time
With the dramatic shift toward online communication that’s taken place over the last few decades, handwritten notes have taken on an added meaning. They demonstrate thoughtfulness and show that you’re willing to slow down and go the extra mile for the recipient.
These notes are best reserved for follow-up efforts, rather than blanket outreach. You might use them to reach out to a client after an initial meeting or after they’ve closed on a home.
The key here is to combine gratitude with a personal touch. Thank your clients for their time. Let them know that you’re grateful for the opportunity to represent them and that you’d love to help them again in the future, whenever they need you.
2. Just-listed real estate postcard and mailer
Purpose: Announce a home for sale in a nearby neighborhood
Just-listed postcards are a great way to spread awareness about your new listings. They work to help you generate leads while building your brand and establishing a touchpoint for future clients.
A fantastic way to enhance the success of your just-listed postcards is with circle prospecting. This means sending out your mailers to people living near the listed home.
You should view this as both a short- and long-term marketing strategy. Not only will you generate immediate leads, but over time, this will help you build up solid name-brand recognition in those areas.
3. Free home valuation invitation postcard
Purpose: Show potential buyers how much their home could be worth
Offering a free home valuation can get your foot in the door with potential clients. Just knowing how much their home is worth is often enough to get the ball rolling with leads—and using your professional expertise shows that you provide value they can’t get from the internet alone.
It’s best to send out these free home valuation postcards just prior to May and again toward the end of July, aka the start and end of the real estate busy season.
4. Fence-sitter buyer real estate postcard
Purpose: Encourage buyers to take action
These postcards are great for potential homebuyers who have cold feet about following through on a home purchase. This is especially common with first-time homebuyers who may be unconvinced about the benefits of homeownership.
You can use these postcards to encourage prospective buyers to make a move by introducing time-sensitive information about the home market or your services. For example, a discount offer with a hard deadline can nudge homebuyers off the fence.
5. Farming real estate postcard
Purpose: Establish yourself as the preferred broker for a particular area
No, this doesn’t mean sending out postcards to farmers (unless you happen to live in a rural area). Real estate farming refers to the practice of establishing a strong brand reputation within a bounded geographic location.
To succeed at this method and establish yourself as the top agent for a certain area, it’s best to play the long game. Show off your human side. Let your prospects know about your history of doing business in that area. Highlight your local credentials. Do you live in that neighborhood or city? Are you familiar with local businesses and institutions? Share that.
6. Special event real estate postcards
Purpose: Create a sense of community to create referrals
Using special events as part of your outreach toolkit is a fantastic way to draw in prospective buyers and sellers.
Consider hosting a trivia night, casino night, or holiday reception, or party. Getting even a single client from an event can make the cost of hosting it worthwhile. At these events, make sure to collect information from warm leads so you can follow up with them later.
7. Recipe postcard
Purpose: Stay in touch
Recipe real estate mailers are a fun way to provide value and share your personality with prospects. You can tailor your recipes for the time of the year—and don’t be afraid to get creative.
If you hit it out of the park with a stellar recipe, your mailer might even earn a permanent spot in your prospect’s home, reinforcing that brand recognition every time they bake white chocolate zucchini bread or make a delicious chana masala.
8. Homeowner tip postcard
Purpose: For referrals and staying top of mind
The realtor-client relationship shouldn’t stop once you sign the closing documents. Sending regular follow-up messages with helpful home maintenance tips can help you add value and maintain an ongoing relationship with clients. You can also send these postcards to prospects, demonstrating that your knowledge of home ownership extends beyond buying and selling houses.
For example, you might share tips about home care during different seasons. In the autumn, you could send out a helpful tip about clearing fallen leaves from gutters. In the winter, you might offer suggestions on preventing freezing pipes. And summer might bring tips on proper in-ground pool cleaning
9. Renter postcards
Purpose: Attract future homebuyers
Renters represent a deep pool of potential first-time home buyers. Before marketing to this group, be mindful of their unique needs and pain points. For example, you might provide helpful facts that highlight the benefits of homeownership, such as building equity and locking in a fixed monthly mortgage payment.
10. Just sold postcard
Purpose: Farm the immediate area
Immediately after you make a sale, spread the word to other homeowners in the area with “Just Sold” real estate mailers. Not only will this get others in the area thinking about selling, but it’ll also help establish you as a successful real estate agent. Sending postcards after every sale will increase this effect. One postcard might not net you a deal, but three or four separate touchpoints can establish you as the go-to person for real estate transactions in your neighborhood.
11. Home estimate range/map postcards
Purpose: Show potential buyers how much their home could be worth
Let the homeowners in your area know how much they could get on the open market with home estimate real estate mailers. You don’t have to do anything fancy here. An estimated sale value from a reputable website like Zillow or Redfin may be enough to spur some homeowners into action.
This is slightly different than the home valuation postcard, where you’re initiating a conversation. This postcard involves sending an estimate to the homeowner directly, using an estimated range based on area information.
You can also superimpose a neighborhood map with pricing information on top of a postcard to provide your recipient with more context for understanding the local market.
12. Open house postcard
Purpose: Invite potential buyers to your next open house
Open houses are a tried and true method of supercharging home sales. Boost the attendance of your next one and generate valuable leads with open-house real estate mailers.
Few prospective buyers want to make a purchase without giving the home a test drive first. Simply send out these postcards to your leads and other neighborhood homeowners in the week leading up to the showing.
13. Funny/whimsical postcard
Purpose: Reconnect with your contacts
Sending out a humorous or whimsical postcard can help you capture the attention of your audience, while also endearing yourself to prospects.
Keep in mind that not everyone shares the same sense of humor and that any messages you send out will have a bearing on your professional reputation. Play it safe and stay away from anything that could be interpreted as crass or controversial.
14. Calendar postcard
Purpose: Send a yearly calendar magnet or postcard
Calendars are a promotional mainstay for all kinds of local businesses. They’re a great way to build brand recognition since prospects are likely to look at them every single day.
You can reap the benefits of a calendar gift at a fraction of the cost with a calendar magnet or postcard. Their small size and shape make them easier to handle and less expensive compared to a full-sized calendar.
What’s the best site for buying real estate mailers?
Thankfully, you don’t need professional graphic design skills to create quality real estate mailers. These websites have great templates and are easy to use for your next direct mail campaign.
Quantum Digital: This direct marketing company provides ready-made real estate mailers and the option of mailing them yourself or having the service send them for you. They also offer automated farming and follow-ups.
Wise Pelican: With no minimum order requirements, an editor that makes it easy to customize templates, and a mailing list feature that eliminates wasted postcards, Wise Pelican is indeed a wise choice for your real estate mailers.
Corefact: This service’s specialty is in print and digital products for campaigns and lead nurturing, with a big slice of their business coming from supporting real estate teams. You’ll find lots of postcard and mailer template options.
Etsy: Etsy offers terrific real estate postcard designs and other services. It’s a great place for creative, custom, and unique designs for real estate mailers that fit your brand.
VistaPrint: Check out VistaPrint for a range of real estate products including real estate mailers, flyers, door hangers, brochures, and more. You can upload your mailing list and they’ll handle the rest.
Prospect Plus: This full-service real estate marketing firm will handle virtually every aspect of your mailer strategy from beginning to end. They’ll help you create a targeted mailing list, send and schedule your real estate mailers, and manage your postcard campaign.
PostcardMania: With an in-house design team and a focus on small business marketing, PostcardMania is a great option for creating custom designs for real estate mailers. Plus, their bulk shipping and printing will net you great rates.
Addressable is a great option for outsourcing your handwritten notes and real estate mailers. The service will create and mail high-quality notes for you, saving you time while adding a personal touch.
Canva is an awesome, user-friendly resource for designing all kinds of marketing materials, and offers loads of free templates for real estate mailers and postcards.
Grow your business with smarter advertising
Of course, real estate mailers are only one part of a comprehensive marketing plan. From designing a beautiful, high-converting website to on-demand lead generation to getting you discovered on Google, Luxury Presence’s award-winning real estate website designs and expert marketing solutions can help you attract more clients and build your brand.
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