I honestly think direct mail marketing is on it way to the grave. People hate junk mail and worse yet, they hate the people who send out those junk mail. For me, that junk mail don't even make it into my house. I have my recyle bin next to my garage door entrance that I sort my mail there before bringing the good ones inside the house.

Direct mail is also extremely expensive.

A better way is to use a combination of a CTS and a CRM systems. These systems are much better at helping agents find new clients.

My father inlaw uses these systems in Japan and he does not need to go look for new clients. His existing clients bring him new clients and these new clients are high quality clients, unlike the clients you get from the street.

I beg to differ... Good direct mail is here to stay... it's the cheap crappy pieces that are on the way out. Direct mail can be a great tool in your marketing arsenal. It's true, as with any marketing, it should be one of several funnels to generate business.

Just FYI I have personally tested, set up, and executed a direct mail campaign (mostly letters) that resulted in 121 closed transactions in one year.

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~Borino
Complete Expired Listings Marketing System: Expired Letters, Postcards, follow-up marketing, and much more.

Real Estate Marketing Blog

Borino.

You must be one of the few that successfully using a direct mail campaign. For most people, it is getting harder and harder.

I see people in my areas sending out refrigerator magnets, calendars, post cards, etc... Most people I talked to say they through all that away. To them, that is junk mail. Besides, it can be very very costly.

A lot of experts are now turning to the CRM and CTS systems. With these systems, you are able to mine your own existing clients base and get them to referal new clients to you. You can also have a database of leads and cultivate those leads into successful clients down the road.

What is it you're trying to sell. I cant seem to find what you're talking about as it relates to real estate.

vanbao is referring to CRM (customer retention management) and CMS (customer management systems), in a nutshell marketing and service oriented towards your existing client base to solicit repeat and referral business (which ironically frequently relies on direct mail).... think SOI.

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~Borino
Complete Expired Listings Marketing System: Expired Letters, Postcards, follow-up marketing, and much more.

Real Estate Marketing Blog

Oh

Direct Mail Marketing dead? No way. I am a provider of direct marketing data...telemarketing, mail, e-marketing, etc. My has grown well over 100% yearly for 7 straight years. I am going to have to agree to a previous post...it's not diret mail that's dying...or should die...it's high cost and bad quality that's on it's way out. As with any thought out marketing campaign the data is only a fraction of the equation. The feel, text, and most importantly your product are going to determine your success...THEN add highly targeted and quality leads to seal the deal...

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Jeremy Isenhart
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www.LeadGeneral.com
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That's what I've been saying in here, but nobody wants to believe me or listen.
Direct mailing does work if it's done the right way.

Ron, your statement does not ring true. Many of us utilize direct mail successfully. In fact, I lost count after around 9 or 10 people in this one thread saying it works. So what's with the nobody wants to believe you or listen? Did you actually read through the entire thread?

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Southwest Chicago Suburbs Real Estate is an affordable area with close access to downtown Chicago. Money Magazine says that Orland Park real estate is one of the best places to live in the U.S. Next door you can find Tinley Park homes for sale and get Orland Park amenities at a more affordable price.

Personally, I do not think Direct Mail Marketing is dead. I think the world of marketing is all about balance. There needs to be a mix of both traditional and online marketing to achieve really good results. Also, the target audience needs to be kept in mind in the sense of where would my target audience most likely shop? web, newspaper, magazines, etc... and leaning more towards one medium more than others.

People need to be bombarded with the same message via 2-3 different mediums before anything actually registers.

Karen
Real Estate Marketing Consultant
www.remcommunications.com