What Are Some Common Mistakes to Avoid in Real Estate Postcards?
Businesses use postcard marketing to connect with customers and to take advantage of its unique benefits not available through digital or online media. This promotional tool is particularly effective in the real estate industry, which relies heavily on compelling visuals to attract buyers and boost sales.
Postcards are meant to convey a single, highly focused message and this inherent design is what makes them an impactful and memorable promotional tool.
However, you need to watch out for these eight most common mistakes that can dampen the effectiveness of real estate postcards.
1. No Clear Message
Focusing on a single, clear message makes communication memorable and impactful. Without it, your postcard will look cluttered, confusing, or forgettable.
Solution: The first things you need to establish are the purpose of your postcard and your target audience. Let's say your goal is to announce an open house. In this scenario, your target audience is potential buyers actively looking for new homes. Next, craft a message that appeals to them and drives them to take the desired action.
2. Low-Quality Photos
Real estate postcards are all about the visuals. Using grainy, blurry, and distorted images on your postcard can negatively affect your marketing efforts and make you look unprofessional.
Solution: Use high-resolution images to make your postcards effective and memorable. If you're unsure of your photography skills, hire a professional, ideally someone who has experience in the real estate industry.
3. Cluttered Design
Postcards are designed for short messages, not for long blocks of text and multiple images. A cluttered design is difficult to read and less effective at grabbing attention; you’d want your postcard to have a central professional looking image and engaging but not winding text.
Solution: Focus on just one goal, which will help you craft a simple and clear message. For example, if you want to promote a listed property, make sure you highlight its benefits and use just 1-2 images to showcase its most outstanding features. Avoid mentioning unnecessary details like market updates and long customer reviews. Bonus Tip: You can also use postcard templates from NextDayFlyers to help you print visually striking postcards that don't look cluttered.
4. No Call-to-Action (CTA)
If your real estate postcards lack a CTA, you'll have low response rates. Also, not having a clear call-to-action prevents you from tracking your marketing efforts and how the perform, and lack of data can make it challenging for you to improve your future campaigns.
Solution: Use persuasive CTAs like Be the first to see this stunning property, Call now for a free home valuation, or Scan this code to see homes in your area.
5. Not Enough Contact Information
You will lose all leads if your real estate postcards do not have contact details. Even if someone is interested, they will not be able to reach you.
Solution: You can use your contact information when crafting a CTA. Opt for short phrases with action verbs like Reach out, Get in touch, Learn more, Schedule a Consultation, and Contact me. Remember to include your full name so people can address you properly, your phone number, email address, and social media handles if you wish, in your postcard.
6. Ignoring USPS Mailing Guidelines
If you don't follow USPS postcard guidelines, your direct mail campaign can run into serious problems, such as unexpected costs and undelivered mail. Another thing to keep in mind is to address it properly to ensure it reaches the destination on time.
Solution: Use postcards that meet USPS requirements.
- At least 3.5” x 5” and not larger than 6.12” x 11.5”
- Rectangular shape with either square or rounded corners
- Have a thickness between 0.007” and 0.016” (similar to an index card)
- Weigh no more than an ounce (to qualify for First Class Mail service)
7. Failure to Proofread
Typos, grammar mistakes, and misspelled names or neighborhoods can make your postcards look unprofessional. Once printed, you will not be able to edit the errors, which may lead to delayed campaigns and reprinting costs.
Solution: The general recommendation is to proofread at least three times. The key is to allow time between proofreads to catch errors you might have overlooked. It also helps if you get someone to look at your copy; a fresh pair of eyes can give you helpful feedback. Also, pay close attention to the overall formatting and layout.
8. Failure to Track Campaign Efforts
If you don't track your postcard marketing strategy, you won't know what's working and what's not, leading to missed opportunities and wasted money.
Solution: If you add mechanisms such as tracking URLs, unique QR codes, or dedicated phone numbers to your CTA, you can monitor and measure the results of your postcard marketing campaign.
Are Postcards Effective in Generating Leads and Sales?
Mailing visually appealing, personalized postcards is an effective form of direct mail marketing. According to a survey published by the Association of National Advertisers, postcards deliver 92 percent ROI when used with a house list (a list of existing and prospective customers).
Brevity is one of the most notable advantages of postcards, allowing you to deliver a single impactful message to potential customers.
Because postcards don't always require opening (i.e., you can mail them without an envelope), they are excellent for delivering time-sensitive deals and offers where you need to immediately catch the recipients' attention.
Avoiding the common mistakes mentioned above can enhance the effectiveness of your real estate postcards in generating leads and sales.
If you need more ideas on how to create impactful and eye-catching postcards, read our article about Design Tips for Effective Postcards or use our templates, which are formatted to meet USPS requirements.
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