There are many ways to market your property management company, both online and offline.
One effective but often overlooked method is direct mail marketing.
With so many digital marketing strategies appearing in recent years, direct mail marketing is on the decline – but it shouldn’t be ruled out.
In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about direct mail marketing, including why it’s so effective, how to implement it, and how to design eye-catching pieces of direct mail.
What is Direct Mail Marketing?
Direct mail marketing is a form of direct marketing where materials such as postcards, flyers, and catalogs are sent directly to a prospective client’s mailbox.
While direct mail marketing has been on the decline for a few years, according to the DMA, its response rate is about 5.3%. This is higher than other traditional means of marketing, including email marketing.
Here are some reasons why direct mail still works:
- Direct mail is interactive. Customers physically receive mail and must look at it before deciding whether or not to throw it out. This means you are guaranteed to get more eyes on your marketing.
- You can target specific demographics. With direct mail, you can target certain age groups, genders, income levels, etc. This ensures that your marketing is reaching the right people. If your target audience is older or not on social media, you may be able to reach them better with direct mail.
- It can have a bigger reach: You can send out as much direct mail as you want, which means you have the potential to reach a large number of people.
- You can get creative: With direct mail, you can get creative with your marketing materials. You’re not limited to a digital space, so you can really think outside the box. Create a seamless customer journey by combining social media and content marketing with direct mail.
- There’s not as much competition: Because not as many property management companies are using direct mail these days, you can really stand out from the competition.
What is Data-Driven Marketing?
In order to be successful with direct mail marketing, you need to know who your target audience is and where they live. This is where data-driven marketing comes in.
Data-driven marketing is a form of marketing that relies on data analysis to make decisions. With data-driven marketing, property management companies can segment their audience and target specific demographics with their direct mail marketing.
For example, if you’re targeting landlords in a certain town, you would use data to find out who owns rental properties and what their income levels are. You can then design your direct mail marketing materials accordingly.
Of course, you want to market to those in the town who own properties you can manage.
So, using data-driven direct mail marketing is a great way for property management companies like yours to reach the right audience.
Having this data ensures that you’re sending the direct mail to the right people; people who can actually become potential clients. It’s valuable information that will help you save time and money in the long-run.
Property Management Direct Mail Marketing Tips
In order to have an effective direct mail marketing campaign, you need these 3 things:
Consistency and Commitment
Direct mail marketing may not yield great results right away. Often, you will have to track your results for many months.
You need to be consistent with your mailings and committed to tracking the results in order to see a return on investment.
You can’t give up after a few months because you didn’t get the results you wanted. Remember, it takes time to build relationships and trust with potential clients.
On average, it takes 8-12 touch points before someone becomes a client. This means that repeated exposure to your brand is key.
Direct mail marketing allows you to have that repeated exposure with potential clients through multiple touches.
This means that you need to be in regular contact with your potential clients through direct mail. That said, you also don’t want to annoy your potential customers.
A good rule of thumb is to send a direct mail postcard every other month. This gives potential clients enough exposure to your brand without being overwhelming.
This is a good frequency as it keeps you in touch regularly without spamming your prospective clients.
If you’re consistent with your direct mailings and track the results, you will eventually see a return on investment.
Tip: Instead of sending out all your direct mail campaigns at once, try staggering them throughout the month. In doing so, you will be consistently sending mail to different prospects, building your brand awareness and continuously generating a flow of leads.
Repetition
It’s difficult to know when direct mail is most effective, because timing is the most unpredictable factor. It’s something that varies person-to-person.
You may send a piece of direct mail that has the right message to the right person, but at the wrong time.
For instance, perhaps you send your property management postcard to a landlord who just hired a property manager – that landlord will not pay too much attention to your postcard or flyer.
However, a few months later, maybe the landlord realizes that he does not like his property manager, and he will remember your piece of direct mail.
At this point, the timing is right, and you may receive a call.
However, in order for this type of situation to occur, you’ll need to consistently send out direct mail in order to build brand awareness.
You can never really predict when it’ll be the right time for someone to receive your postcard, but repetition works – if they keep seeing your postcards, they will remember your property management company when they need it later on.
Tip: Keep track of your recipients and when they received your direct mail piece. That way, you can follow up with them at the right time.
How to Design a Direct Mail Campaign
Now that you understand the importance of consistency, commitment, and repetition in direct mail marketing, let’s move on to the design of your direct mail campaign.
There are many software programs that you can use to design your direct mail piece, such as InDesign, Canva, and Vistaprint.
InDesign and Canva are great for design, but Vistaprint is a good option if you don’t have much design experience.
No matter which software you use, there are certain elements that you should always include in your direct mail piece.
This includes:
- Your company name
- A clear Call to Action (CTA) leading the client to a landing page
- Your unique selling proposition and/or special offer
- Your contact details
- Appealing visual materials, such as photos and other graphics.
Be sure you’re using an easy-to-read font and colors. You also want the colors to match your logo.
Finally, don’t make a crowded or cluttered postcard. Be sure to use your space wisely.
If you follow all of this advice, you’re sure to make an eye-catching direct mail postcard.
Tip: If you’re not sure where to start, there are many online templates that you can use as a guide. Check out our full article on designing property management postcards.
Build a High-Converting Website
You can’t rely solely on direct mail campaigns to spread the word of your property management company and find leads.
It’s important to have a high-converting website, as well. When a landlord gets your postcard in the mail, they should be able to go online and quickly learn more about your company.
Your website is one of the first places potential customers will look to find out if you’re a reputable business. If your website doesn’t make a good first impression, you could lose out on valuable leads.
Creating a high-converting website means including all the right elements to make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for.
Here are a few key components your property management website should have:
- A modern, clean design
- Easy navigation
- Engaging content
- Calls to action
- Lead capture forms
- Testimonials and case studies
If you’re not sure where to start, get in touch with Upkeep Media. We know how to create a website for property managers that turn visitors into leads.
Post Direct Mail Campaign: Be Responsive
Once you’ve sent out your direct mail, whether they be postcards, flyers, or otherwise, the work doesn’t end there. You also need to make sure you’re responsive to any leads that come in as a result of your campaign.
This means having your phone nearby so you can answer calls, and also being responsive to any emails. If a landlord takes the time to reach out, you want to make sure you get back to them in a timely manner.
Taking too long to respond can result in the lead losing interest and going with another property management company.
Bottom Line: Property Management Direct Mail Marketing
When done correctly, direct mail marketing can be a great way to reach new leads and grow your property management business.
Remember to focus on creating high-quality content, use engaging visuals, and be responsive to any leads that come in.
If you need help getting started, Upkeep Media is here to help. We specialize in digital marketing for property management companies and would be happy to assist you with your marketing needs. Give us a call today!
