Let’s take a look at some especially appealing design ideas for direct mail campaigns:
#22 How Much is Your Home Worth?
AgentsAssemble offers sample agent introduction letters, buyers guides, postcards, and newsletters that are all easy to personalize and edit in Canva. One agent who used these templates reports “I was dreading the idea of creating an intro letter from scratch. This template was super easy to edit and the result is absolutely awesome.”
#21 Ready to Quit Renting?
Coax renters into the promise of home ownership with these alluring postcards from PrintedPebble. Unmissable text paired with a charming yet simple design make these designs especially pleasing.
#20 Introduce Yourself to the Neighbors
As this example from MarketDwellings shows, a brightly colored postcard greeting to your neighbors makes a nice introduction. This example has a place to include your business card which is a friendly approach to distributing your card.
MarketDwellings also has gift card mailers and even lotto ticket mailers which are sure to be appreciated by members of your community.
#17 Offer a Free Market Analysis
CleartoClose has a number of attractively designed mailers sure to help you start a conversation with a potential new client. Also available are Home Buyer Questionnaires as well as Seller Questionnaires and a number of stunning postcard designs. Those who use these templates report “a lot of positive response!”
#18 Help to Frustrated Landlords
These cozy postcards from MelonMoonDesign come in a variety of different formats with a number of alternate copy depending on your needs. MelonMoonDesigns also offers editable seasonal marketing postcards, introductory fliers, and social media graphics.
#17 Holiday Pop-Up
Sending season-relevant greetings is a popular and friendly strategy that’s been used by realtors for decades. If you’re wanting something different, these three-dimensional pop-ups created by graphic designer Lukas Novo show there’s no need to limit yourself to the typical two-dimensional holiday cards. In fact, many firms are exploring the potential with interactive print design. Interested in doing something dimensional? FoldFactory.com is a great resource for learning more about creative print production and AmericanSlideChart provides a number of customizable holiday pop up mailers for purchase.
#16 Even More Elaborate Wintertime Greetings
These very detailed pop-up cards from LovePop.com take creative greeting cards to the next level. Once opened, the “House for Sale Pop-Up Card” is so intricately designed, if you peek through the light blue curtains and you'll see the home is furnished inside! When customized to include your personal greeting, photo, and perhaps even a QR code, this sort of mail would be unforgettable to members of your community.
#15 3-D Direct Mailer
Corefact offers these memorable, three-dimensional cards which undoubtedly make an impact. Let the neighbors know you recently sold a residence on their block. At $5/each these pop-up cards are fairly reasonable and homeowners will surely spend more time looking at them then they would an e-mail or text message.
#14 Direct Mail Briefcase
Though not made specifically for realtors, this type of high-end dimensional print design could be inspiration for agents wanting to make a big impression. Created by graphic designer John Soo, this three-dimensional briefcase features a pop-up spiral bound booklet in the center of the open briefcase. Realtors could easily adapt this concept to something potential clients might keep long term—a yearly calendar, a collection of resources related to selling their home, or perhaps a list of favorite local restaurants. If you have a complex idea such as this and are seeking a team who will help you bring it to life, Structural Graphics based out of Connecticut has a background of creating intricate dimensional designs like these.
#13 Choose Your Selling Adventure
Colorful illustrations and eye-drawing infographics bring delight to these postcards from OneStepServices.com. They feel almost like a board game. One Step has a variety of different postcards to choose from that feature similar, smartly-worded copy and appealing illustrations. All of the real estate content One Step offers have updated, relevant information related to topics such as home prices in 2022, home equity, and current demand.
#12 Simple Postcards With Humor
Zazzle.com has quite a few pre-made realtor postcards with simple, attractive designs and occasionally a bit of humor. Zazzle also offers door hangers, postcard templates to showcase recent sales, and nicely designed, generic greetings.
#11 Just Listed Postcards
From Creative Market, these postcard templates allow you to drop in photos of homes from your community. The professional layouts and bright colors are sure to catch the attention of local homeowners.
#10 Punny Little Tags
Aesthetically pleasing and memorable, these tags from REdigitalassist can be included in a mailer or given out like business cards at an open house. “This was a HIT!” One realtor declares. “People were raving. It was delivered quickly and exactly as stated. I will definitely buy again!” There’s plenty of additional products on REdigitalassist’s etsy page from cute llama postcards to Happy Housiversary greetings.
#9 Monthly Maintenance Tip Postcards
What a great way to stay in contact with your community on a monthly basis! These monthly maintenance tip postcards from PetitelenaCreative have a contemporary style and their helpful information will be appreciated by the neighborhood. These can also be posted on social media!
#8 Neighborhood News!
Created in the form of a neighborhood newsletter, this market update letter from SirenMarketingTools lists active, pending, and sold listings to give your community an idea of what’s happening with current home sales. In the only three months this template has been available, it’s garnered 35 five star reviews. Other realtors enjoy its clean, professional style.
#7 Puzzle Direct Mailer
Here’s a memorable way to make a first impression to families with children. This puzzle direct mailer by Danish designer Jesper Bülow is a concept that could easily be adapted to realtors. Imagine a puzzle forming a picture of a potential dream home on one side and the agent’s contact information on the other. Kids will have fun putting it together, and parents will daydream about how nice it might be to sell their starter home for something larger. Embed a QR code on the envelope or puzzle back to create a digital tie-in and provide homeowners easy access to your social media accounts.
#6 Another Market Update
This market update template from Realestatetemplateco on Etsy is an easy to edit postcard that can be personalized with neighborhood-relevant information as well as your photo and contact info. Since they’re digital downloads, they can also be used as social media posts. For only $5.99, these templates are a deal.
#5 Summer Maintenance Checklist
Friendly, and full of bright summer-time appeal, this is another direct mail postcard template from Realestatetemplateco. The Summer Maintenance checklist on the back gives the design that hang-on-the-fridge usefulness, and there’s even an all-seasons postcard bundle which includes Spring, Fall, and Winter. Since long-term relationship building is an important part of establishing your presence in the community, sending these sorts of postcards quarterly is a smart idea.
#4 Seed Packet Mailer
What better way to inspire renters to put down their roots and commit to home ownership than sending them a springtime seed packet to help them envision a garden of their own. These seed packet mailers are customizable from BloomStreetCreations. At only $84 for 50 printed packets, these are an inexpensive way to make a lasting impression.
#3 Die-Cut Mailers Are To Die For
Certainly a bit pricier than basic mailers, die-cut makes an undeniable visual impact. Like the pop-out Christmas card showcased earlier in this list, die-cut designs can be interactive and pair well with other printing methods like embossing and foil stamping. The above die-cut brochure was made by DesignerPeople based out of Dehli and their website is packed with a number of beautiful examples of this dynamic printing technique.
#2 A Pop-up House Mailer
Another crafty and unforgettable mailer is this pop-up house from Red Paper Plane Structural Graphics. The house is activated by a rubber band and the roof panels lift up to provide secret messages. The price is reasonable as well. When purchased in bulk, each unit costs as low as $2.80. Envision an enticing slogan on the outside and your QR code on a hidden inside panel. This is a whimsical way to introduce yourself to the community. Red Paper Plane also offers other creative pop-ups such as this piggy bank (how cute would this look with a slogan about saving for a down payment) and this very functional pen holder.
#1 All-in-One Pop-up Phone Holder, Pen Holder, and Calendar Mailer
You have to see the full video of this brilliant dimensional piece to get the full impact. Made by the team at Whitney Woods, this promotional phone holder pops out of the custom design envelope and requires no additional manipulation by the client as it stands on its own. It has two holes on the sides for pens and a space below the phone for a mini-calendar. This is a simple and functional device sure to be used by anyone who needs to prop their phone while speaking in a zoom meeting or over facetime.
Other great products created by Whitney Woods include 3-D pop-up house holiday cards, a telescopic box mailer, and a variety of money boxes.
Direct Mail is the Key to Standing Out
More than ever, consumers are inundated with email and digital marketing. Physical items that are functional and informative have the potential to create an impact in a way that digital marketing can’t. In fact, a recent USPS study found that “Millennials spent more time with physical ads than digital ads.” Additionally, “92% of Millennials say they are influenced by direct mail to make purchase decisions.” So, while direct mail may seem old school, it’s a proven method for getting the attention of this essential demographic.
