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If you’re starting to plan ahead and put together your real estate marketing plan for 2017, naturally you’ll want to make sure you’re using the most effective tools possible to reach out to vendors and prospects. And with so many flashy digital tools and data at your fingertips, the next big thing in marketing must be some flashy online advertising piece, right?

Well … not quite. But if you want a tactic with high engagement and intelligent targeting, you can’t go past this.

So what is it, you ask?

Direct mail, that’s what.

Yes – everything old is new again and direct mail is being re-embraced by marketers across a range of industries (including real estate) as evidence of its effectiveness just keeps rolling in.

Direct mail gives marketers the chance to get truly creative and really build brand awareness with memorable campaigns.

Free money

Take, for example, a recent campaign by the Bank of New Zealand (BNZ).

To educate homeowners about the money they might be losing on home loan interest and promote its new mortgage lending program, BNZ joined forces with the Reserve Bank to shred old banknotes. Those shredded notes were bundled into envelopes and mailed to homeowners across New Zealand. The envelope included a letter explaining how a BNZ home loan could save up to $156,000 on a $300,000 home loan.

The campaign was a runaway success, and led to a $600 million increase in BNZs mortgage lending, and a 13% increase in home loan inquiries.

Steady growth

Advertisers are increasingly keen to engage customers with customised print media.

• Total direct mail spend in Australia was $257 million in 2015
• Direct mail spend in Australia spend grew by 9% in 2015. It came in third to cinema (32%) and digital (25%) in regards to year-on-year increase in ad spend
• One of Australia’s biggest advertisers, Woolworths, has cut its regional TV spending by a third and injected extra funds into direct mail
• According to Australia Post, 52% of Australians open mail, compared to less than 20% who open email
• 69% of Australians read unaddressed or addressed mail in the last week
• 65% of consumers have made a purchase as a result of direct mail

Why direct mail works

There are good reasons why direct mail works, particularly for real estate agents:

1. People receive it at home, where they are more likely to be relaxed and willing to engage
2. By engaging the senses through the use of texture and finishes, direct mail becomes tactile and memorable
3. Using variable data printing to customise a piece for each individual makes it far more likely to capture attention
4. People are more likely to keep a direct mail piece in the house, and it is the form of advertising most likely to generate a response
5. Adding direct mail to an integrated marketing campaign can raise the campaign’s effectiveness by up to 62%, while bridging technologies likes QR codes and augmented reality make it simple for consumers move between print and digital channels

It’s worth thinking about how you can build direct mail into your real estate marketing campaigns next year to boost brand awareness and create preference among potential vendors in your farm area.

To learn more about direct mail, check out Two Sides Australia’s inaugural edition of VoPP magazine.

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