Sending out mailers, like postcards, is a great way to introduce yourself to anyone new in your pipeline as well as follow up with current leads and past clients. Mailers can be anything from letters of introduction, quarterly newsletters or even a packet of useful information to potential leads.

Mailers can be dealt with in the same way as postcards: figure out how many you want to send out, then add up the cost of printing and mailing the piece, as well as the list of addresses you may want to purchase for a broader audience. The price of production will depend on the type of mailer you’re sending out: a one page letter of introduction would obviously be cheaper to produce than a 4 page color newsletter. But go ahead and ask yourself which piece is more of a call to action to new leads? Which piece can you frame in such a way as to make people reading it want to call you as soon as possible?

Usually, a newsletter or packet chock full of information, coupons and listings will get more calls as long as the information is vague enough to raise more questions in the consumer’s head, leading them to pick up the phone and call you, the expert, to find answers. A one page introductory letter can certainly spur the recipient to contact you as well, but you have less space in which to catch their interest and raise their curiosity enough to make them call. It definitely takes some thinking outside the box to come up with unique introductory letters.

Recommendation: Design a quarterly newsletter to send out to every address in your service area, current leads and prospective leads alike. Include the basic information homeowners like to know such as reports on homes sold in the area in the last 6 months, a report on homes currently listed in the neighborhood (leave the price tag off this report, it gives people a reason to call you), a neighborhood report including information on the school districts(s) and crime statistics and finally a useful article like ways to actually increase the value of your home. For the record, you can get most of the information off sites like Trulia.com.

Once you’ve got the basic information laid out for your newsletter, start thinking outside the box and come up with at least one more feature to add to your newsletter that is either extremely unique, or one you’re sure people will absolutely LOVE. One idea is to talk to the popular local businesses in the area about coupons to put in your newsletter. This way you’re able to give something tangible to the people on your mailing list and it’s free advertising for the businesses, so it’s doubtful they would turn down the opportunity.

One of the most important things to remember on any mailer you send is your contact information! Never forget to include your name, phone number, email address and website on anything you send to leads. Who knows how many times they might throw it out before they wind up keeping it. You can even get your own letterhead made that includes your contact information, or design your own personalized letterheads with a program like Microsoft Office. As with all your marketing products, try and make your mailer something memorable and useful so that you’ll receive some phone calls and emails in response. As we’ve stressed repeatedly, if your marketing doesn’t result in contact from the audience almost immediately, it’s just not worthwhile marketing.