We all know that old real estate cliche: everything comes down to location, location, location. But this extends beyond the properties you’re looking to sell or acquire — it applies to the ways in which you reach and communicate with clients.
Digital marketing — things like email marketing, social media marketing, and online ads — are often faster and easier to execute, but print marketing can have more staying power and connect with clients in a more tangible way that drives results.
For example, did you know that 74% of marketers report that print delivers the best ROI compared to other marketing methods?1
Print marketing materials like direct mail and brochures give clients a physical takeaway that can keep you at the top of mind and can be easily shared in a client’s personal or professional network. The challenge is knowing how to create these kinds of print marketing materials.
Here are a couple of ways that print marketing materials can help you cut through the clutter of the digital channel and better engage with potential clients in today’s hyper-competitive real estate market.
Personalization makes the messaging hit home
When it comes to real estate, the local connection is critical to success in any way, shape, or form. Homebuyers and sellers are looking for something they can connect with on a personal level, and direct mail marketing materials can engage with potential clients
For brokers and agents, the most effective way to do this is to use targeted, personalized messaging that focuses on specific neighborhoods or demographics. This helps demonstrate that you understand buying and selling behaviors and preferences via relevant, useful, and valuable information.
Through the use of a print automation solution that integrates with your customer relationship management (CRM), you can take insights like income, geographic location, and previous purchases and leverage that with data about the local real estate market and trends to create highly customized direct mail pieces.
Not only does personalization in print help position you as a real estate expert and someone buyers and sellers can trust, it’s also been shown that personalized direct mail can increase the response rate by a whopping 500%, and 76% of consumers say it’s a key factor in their purchasing decisions.2
Variety — in collateral — is the spice of life
Print marketing offers a range of powerful and versatile options specifically designed to showcase properties effectively and communicate directly with clients.
Postcards can highlight new listings, open houses, or neighborhood market updates, and because recipients don’t have to open anything other than their mailbox, there’s a much better chance they’ll quickly and easily read your message. And for that message, get creative and address recipients by name, add local statistics and make the most of asking a question.
For example, ask it on one side and require them to flip it over for the answer and the CTA directly below.
Brochures and flyers provide ample space to include detailed information and eye-catching images that showcase new properties, key details relevant to the recipient, and your contact information. Not only can they be mailed, they’re also great collateral to hand out at open houses or after showings so potential buyers have a tangible reminder of both you and the property.
Plus, informative newsletters can keep your existing client base engaged and informed, while door hangers or neighborhood flyers efficiently target specific communities. Print makes it easy to spotlight your unique selling points, ensuring your message resonates clearly and consistently.
This is one instance where a marketing storefront can help streamline the production process by offering access to branded documents or packaged templates that are ready to be customized based on region, audience, or a variety of other variables. Not only does this help save time in creating print materials, it ensures quality and brand consistency.
Bridge the print and digital worlds
Remember location, location, location? That includes bridging both the physical and digital worlds in your marketing efforts, so use your print materials to bring clients to your digital locations where they can find more information about what has been mailed out.
The best way to make your direct mail dynamic and engaging is by including QR codes, augmented reality (AR), and near-field communication (NFC) to everything from letters and postcards to brochures.
These visual “triggers” only require the recipient to scan them with their smartphone, which transports them to an immersive experience that could be your website, videos of open houses, exclusive looks at private listings, or a way to reach out to you with a click of a button.
Print and digital together can work seamlessly, turning casual interest into lasting relationships. This seamless integration simplifies the client experience, transforming passive interest into active engagement, allowing you to identify and respond to client interests quickly.
These digital integrations also allow you to easily track the ROI on your marketing campaigns because they use the technology already on your website — from video views and QR code scans to basic website visits— giving you data on the effectiveness of each campaign and how you can maximize your marketing spend.
As a strategic print automation expert, Quantum can help you create data-driven direct mail and print marketing collateral that allows you to reach potential clients in more meaningful ways to create lasting connections.
Contact us today to get started on your next print campaign.
1https://dmnews.com/direct-mail-effectiveness-expected-rates
2https://ess.csa.canon.com/rs/206-CLL-191/images/Power-of-Color-Communication-White-Paper.pdf
