Best Way to Mail Real Estate Letters

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Reader Question: What is the best way to mail out real estate letters?

That depends on what you mean by "best." The most affordable way to mail real estate letters is to print, address and mail them yourself. Of course, that's also the most time-consuming way to do it.

The most convenient way to send out real estate letters would be to use a direct mail company that handles the logistics for you. Of course, that's the most expensive way to go about it as well.

So it's a question of cost versus convenience. If you plan to send letters to a big list, I would outsource the printing and mailing to a direct mail company. I used to work for Ginny's Printing in Austin, TX, and letter mailings were a big part of what we did every day. But not all direct mail companies handle letters -- some specialize in postcards and other "self mailer" formats. So you'll have to look around.

Related articles:
Real Estate Letter Writing 101
Real Estate Farming Letters

Hope that helps you some. Good luck.

Best Company for Real Estate Flyers

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Reader Question: I have used those flyer companies and I wonder if the flyers got anywhere. I asked some friends and they didn't receive one. Do you know which flyer company is the most reliable?

You were right to add the names of some friends to your mailing list. This is a good practice in direct mail marketing. It's referred to as "seeding" the list. If you seeded your list with legitimate addresses, but the real estate flyers did not reach some recipients, then there's a problem.

Sometimes you can have a legitimate mailing address that is formatted differently from postal specifications -- at least, as far as the flyer company is concerned. Some direct mail companies will validate your mailing list when you upload it to their website. This is a useful process, because it flags any addresses that might be a problem for some reason. Often, the street name will be written differently than how it's listed in the U.S. postal database. This validation process alerts you of such problems and gives you the opportunity to correct the problem.

My advice is to do a bit of list maintenance and verification to make sure all of your addresses are good. I also recommend using a direct mail / flyer company that offers an address validation service of some kind. Some companies allow you to purchase a mailing list during the flyer ordering process. Most of them get their data from a partner company such as InfoUSA.

To the best of my knowledge, Express Copy offers this kind of mailing list service. You can find some deals on their printing services through this site. You'll have to do some homework to find out if they offer the real estate flyer format you're after.

A Good Deal on Real Estate Postcards

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Do you use real estate postcards as part of your overall marketing campaign? If so, you might be interested in this promotion from PsPrint:

** Link removed -- promotion has ended **


I've used them in the past and was happy with the product and the service. This is part of the new breed of web-based postcard marketing companies. I used to work for one of the pioneers in this field (Quantum Mail), and I screened a dozen other companies when doing research for my real estate postcard book. So I feel qualified and confident in saying that PsPrint is one of the top companies as far as web-based convenience and usability.

Let's face it. All of the postcard companies get the job done in the end. They will all print your real estate postcards and deliver them to your target audience. So the two biggest factors that differentiate them are (1) ease of use and (2) pricing. Being a web-based postcard company with a fairly simple ordering process, these guys have you covered in the "ease of use" department.

While we are talking postcards, let me offer a bit of advice on the subject. Before you send out a postcard mailing, you need to differentiate yourself in some way. This is an area where many real estate agents miss the mark. And then later, predictably, they are frustrated by a lack of response.

Don't just send your postcards out and say, "Hi, I'm a real estate agent in your area." That's not going to get anyone's attention. Especially in the age of information overload. You need a good reason to send your real estate postcards ... a big idea, as I call it in my book. If you need some help coming up with a big idea, you'll find several ideas in the postcard marketing book.

Direct Mail Services - A Buyer's Guide

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Anyone considering direct mail as an add-on to their real estate marketing program should seriously consider using a direct mail service to handle the logistics. If you're currently using real estate direct mail but you handle the logistics yourself, you should consider a direct mail service for the convenience alone!

A Direct Mail Service Can Do All That?
Back when I worked for a direct mail marketing company, I once attended the big NAR conference in Orlando -- 2004 I think it was. I remember all of the real estate folks coming up to the booth and asking what kind of services we provided, what the cost was, etc.

I would explain to them that the company I worked for did everything for them -- design, messaging, printing, mailing, etc. And nine times out of ten they would say something like, "You do all of that? And for that cost? Jeez, I've been killing myself trying to do it alone all this time!"

Direct mail is not for everyone. It takes a serious commitment and a willingness to learn. But for those who do it well, the results are well worth the effort. The key is to minimize the effort and maximize the reward. To maximize the reward, you can improve your direct mail program (perhaps by reading my postcard book). To minimize the effort, you can use a direct mail service to handle the logistics for you.

I just finished creating a guide to direct mail services -- what they do, how to shop for one, etc. It's over on PostcardSmart.com. If you find the article helpful, be sure to check out the related articles mentioned at the end.

Go there now: Direct Mail Services - What Do They Do?

~Brandon

A Guide to Direct Mail Fulfillment

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

I've created a guide to direct mail fulfillment over at PostcardSmart.com. I thought some of you might find it helpful for your postcard marketing programs, so I'm posting a link here.

The guide is intended to explain the various "ingredients" of direct mail marketing, so you can better understand the process and have an easier time searching for a direct mail company.

This is not a "How to succeed with direct mail" article, thought you'll find plenty of those at PostcardSmart as well. This article will help you ask the right questions when screening postcard printing services, direct mail companies, list providers, or others involved in the process of direct mail marketing.

Read the article

Have a good weekend!

~Brandon

Real Estate Recipe Postcards - Do They Work?

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

I know many of my readers are interested in real estate postcard marketing. So I thought I would share a blog post on my other blog. It's about real estate recipe postcards, and how they compare to other (stronger) forms of real estate postcard marketing.

The premise of this blog post is simple. A recipe postcard might give somebody a reason to keep the postcard. At least, if they like the recipe. But it doesn't give them much of a reason to contact the sender of the postcard ... or to respond in any way, for that matter. That's what my real estate postcard book is all about, getting people to respond in some way that brings them closer to a business relationship.

Think about the logic for a minute here. If you send a real estate postcard with a recipe on it (and not much else), you are basically saying, "Here's a recipe for a tasty dish. Call me if you have any real estate needs!" It's an odd approach to marketing, if you ask me.

If anyone has any success stories to share regarding real estate recipe postcards, I'd love to hear them. Have you enjoyed success with recipe postcards, as compared to another form of real estate postcard marketing?

~Brandon

Real Estate Postcard Book - Why Buy?

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

We interrupt this blog series on real estate Internet marketing to bring you the following bulletin:

I'm offering a top-ten list with reasons to buy the real estate postcard marketing book (for those of you who engage in postcard marketing or plan to start).

The book shows ways to modernize your approach to real estate postcard marketing in order to improve your response rates. For instance, I teach you how to integrate your website with your real estate postcards to create a "super card" that enhances the success of both marketing channels.

But that's just one of the reasons to download the postcard book. In my top-ten list, you'll get 9 more compelling reasons to download your copy of the e-book on real estate postcard marketing. In this latest blog post over on that website, I talk about the kinds of postcard marketing mistakes you'll avoid as a result of purchasing the book.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast of real estate Internet marketing tips.

~Brandon

Direct Mail Postcard Tips - New Article Posted

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

We interrupt this blog series on real estate Internet marketing to bring you the following news:

Howdy!

Just a quick post to let you know about a new article posted over at PostcardSmart. If you use direct mail postcards in your marketing program, or you plan to in the future, you'll find this article helpful. At least, I hope you will.

Direct Mail Postcards - Improving Response Rates
This article is basically a list of ways to improve response rates on your direct mail postcards, based on my own experiences working in the direct mail industry. Go there now

Until tomorrow,

~Brandon

Real Estate Postcards - New Article Available

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

We interrupt this blog series on real estate Internet marketing to bring you the following bulletin:

I just published a new article you might like, on the subject of real estate postcard marketing. It explains what I feel are the most common postcard marketing mistakes that real estate agents make when promoting themselves:

1. Over-reliance on technology.
2. Over-reliance on weak offers.
3. Over-reliance on vendors.

It also explains how to avoid these common postcard marketing mistakes.

You can read the article here:
Real Estate Postcard Marketing: 3 Fundamental Flaws to Avoid

Enjoy!

~Brandon

Real Estate Postcards - They Still Work!

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Lately, the Internet is the only thing I see being talked about in real estate marketing circles. I'm the first to admit I'm guilty of this as well ... just look at my last few blog posts.

But I'm here to remind you that the Internet is only one way to reach your audience. And the more marketing channels you implement, the more chances you have of gaining that next client.

Take it from Yahoo
What prompted me to make this post? Well, today I got a postcard in the mail from Yahoo. The postcard gave me $25 off Yahoo's search engine marketing services (pay-per-click). So here we have one of the smartest and most sophisticated Internet companies using postcards to reach their audience. There is a lesson to be learned there.

Learn more
If you want to learn how to incorporate real estate postcards with your online marketing efforts, I highly recommend my book, Real Estate Postcard Marketing. Sure, I'm biased. But I really did put a lot into this book, and if you use postcards to market yourself, you owe it to yourself to download a copy today.

Until next time.

-Brandon

How to Modernize Your Real Estate Postcards

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Postcard Marketing Question #1:

Do you use real estate postcards as part of your overall marketing program?

If you answered yes, proceed to question #2.

Postcard Marketing Question #2:

If you're currently using real estate postcards to market yourself, are you using them effectively? In other words, are you getting valuable responses from qualified prospects in exchange for the time and effort you're putting in?

If you answered no to this question, or if you're not even sure how to answer it, you'll profit from reading Real Estate Postcard Marketing, available for instant download at:
http://www.realestatepostcardbook.com/bonus


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Do You Use Real Estate Postcards?

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Are real estate postcards part of your overall marketing program?

If so, you'll be happy to know that I've just completed an e-book on postcard marketing. It's available for immediate download from http://www.realestatepostcardbook.com/postcard-tutorials.php. You'll might also like the postcard tutorials that can be found on the site.

Also worth a look is the Super Cards approach to postcard marketing. This is basically what the entire 100+ page book is about, in one regard or another.

If you have questions about this book or need additional info, please see the author's blog on the website listed above.

Until next time,

-Brandon

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Real Estate Marketing Ideas -- A Bad Road Trip

© 2010, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

This real estate marketing idea is brought to you by Brandon Cornett, the city of Cedar Park, Texas, and the Texas Department of Transportation.

If that sounds like an unlikely combo for real estate marketing advice, let me explain. I went to visit a client recently at her office. Her office is located at the epicenter of a massive road-improvement project -- one of the largest highway projects currently taking place in the United States!

Needless to say, I had a little trouble finding her. None of the roads were labeled any more, and the landscape looked nothing like I remembered it. Heavy machinery roared up and down dirt lanes, and a constant cloud of dirt hung over everything.

During our meeting, we talked about ways she could generate a response from postcard mailings. I'm a fan of making strong offers on any marketing piece, so I pointed outside her window at all the controlled chaos.

"Why not use that?" I asked her. I went on to explain the power of information, and how she might create a report that detailed the current state of affairs with the city's projects, how it affected house values, etc. Polish it up, give it a nice cover page and a title -- something like "The Cedar Park Expansion Report: How Today's Developments Will Affect Tomorrow's Home Values."

Feature the report on your marketing postcard, and then tell people how to download it (or request it) through some kind of lead-capture system. You could even build a seminar around it.

There you have it ... a bad road trip turned into a real estate marketing idea.

-Brandon Cornett

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