Direct mail is an interesting business. It has proven effective time and time again yet according to Borrell Associates only 16% of all real estate agents use it. For the ones who use direct mail on a regular basis this is good news. It means you don’t have as much clutter to break through but it doesn’t mean that personalization and creativity can be avoided to achieve outstanding results.

Below are some case studies outside of the real estate industry that have received fantastic results. Time and time again I have heard agents tell me that the most they can expect from their direct mailings is 1%. The following are examples outside of the real estate industry and they prove that with the right message, the right list and the right timing, 1% response rates are disappointing.

CASE STUDY #1
Last year, an innovative direct marketing campaign got really personal with thousands of administrative assistants. The mailer, which achieved an impressive response rate, displayed an overflowing, frothy latte. But what made it stand out was that each of the 14,000 mailers was unique: The recipient’s first name was spelled out, on the latte’s foam, in chocolate sprinkles. Not only did people respond to the mailer, they loved it so much that they kept it and displayed it on their walls. A full 50 percent of the 14,000 administrative assistants went online to enter their personalized URL. Of those, 40 percent completed the survey. (DELIVER MAGAZINE)

CASE STUDY #2
Here’s some good news for auto industry execs and their marketing partners: Consumers respond aggressively to direct mail when they’re in a car-buying mood. 52% of direct mail readers planning to buy a new car read automotive direct mail. But more important, 73 percent of those readers surveyed respond to those mailings by turning to other media and/or heading to dealership showrooms, according to research by Vertis, a Baltimore-based marketing services firm. (DELIVER MAGAZINE)

Case Study #3
BMW has created an internal system that allows their dealers to log on to a site and create a customized mailer to send out to their audience. The program, called Mail Builder, has seen product response rates as high as 10% a notable achievement in the direct mail world. “We’ve had great success in ensuring the right message is conveyed to the right audience at the right time,” said Brian Babcock, conquest specialist at the Woodcliff Lake, NJ company. (DIRECT, OCTOBER 2007)

As real estate professionals, what can we do to be creative and innovative with our direct mail? The tools are out there!

Matthew S. Gosselin is the author of My Blue Goose, Exploiting The Wow Factor In Real Estate Marketing. The book can be purchased on MyBlueGoose.com or Amazon