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Direct mail is not dead; it just needs to be reimagined. I interviewed 10 agents and industry experts to identify 16 examples of direct mail pieces that are building brands and generating results right now.
The following examples include Just Sold letters and postcards, letters and postcards for geographical farms, expired campaigns, and classic brand-building campaigns with updated twists.
These first four examples include variations of direct mail campaigns from Tom Ferry and Jimmy Mackin, co-founders of Listing Leads. The remaining are examples from agents actively using direct mail in their businesses now.
If you’re looking to upgrade the use of direct mail in your business, this is the article for you.
Just Sold story mailer, Noah Escobar
Noah Escobar, out of the 30A market in the Florida panhandle, put a spin on a reimagined Just Sold campaign from Ferry and Mackin. They shared that the average Just Sold postcard says things like sold in three days, multiple offers, and sold above list price.
They went on to say that sharing those bullet points can lead homeowners to think the process is easy and that real estate agents are overpaid or, in some cases, not even needed.
They suggested sharing the story of what the agent did to get the home sold quickly, how they generated multiple offers and how they negotiated for the highest price possible for their client. Based on that suggestion, Escobar created the letter below.
He also implemented one of the suggestions Mackin made about creating curiosity through the headline of the letter. In this mailer, Escobar starts at the top of the page saying. “Did you hear about your neighbor?” This is the top fold of the letter, and it is placed in the envelope where it jumps out at the homeowner as soon as they open it.
He then creates a storyline that goes over the process from the homeowner initially reaching out to him to the marketing process he used and the process of negotiating a higher price and great terms for his seller. The use of a QR code to show the quality of his video marketing is an example of showing his marketing instead of just telling about it.
This is a great example of how to reimagine your Just Sold campaigns.
Just Sold with a twist, Collins Group Realty
The next example comes from Chip Collins of Collins Group Realty, serving the Lowcountry of South Carolina. This is an example of a more traditional Just Sold card with a few modern upgrades. He utilized another suggestion Mackin and Ferry made of using an incorrect Zestimate from Zillow to capture the reader’s attention.
In this example, you will notice that they boldly state, “Zestimate was wrong! We sold for $510,000 over Zillow” with a call to action of “Ask Us How.” Collins also used the main line of “Another Sea Pines Home Sold.” The subtle addition of “another” highlights their successes in the neighborhood. The use of the QR code that leads to a team video is a great way to introduce the team as well.
Zestimate letter, Fissori Real Estate Team
The Zestimate letter is a personalized mailer to a homeowner that is used to generate listing opportunities. This is an example of the strategy, taught through Listing Leads, from Kathy Fissori and Peter Joehnk with the Fissori Real Estate Team serving the San Luis Obispo County markets in California.
This strategy involves screen-capturing the Zillow Zestimate for a specific home. Many of the Zestimates are low compared to the true value of the home. This creates an opportunity for a mailer like the one below to generate listing opportunity conversations. Adding a yellow sticky note with a handwritten message like the one on the letter below is another way to personalize the letter even more.
Expired letter for results, Listing Leads, Jimmy Mackin and Tom Ferry
The last example from Listing Leads is a letter for expired listings. This letter uses a copywriting framework called PAS, which is an acronym for pain, agitate and solution.
P: Pain
The beginning of the letter calls out the pain of the home not selling.
A: Agitate
The agitation portion includes recognizing their frustration, disappointment and annoyance at the barrage of calls from agents to relist their home.
S: Solution
The solution in this letter includes that you’ve already identified how you can help alleviate their problem in a different way than the other agents reaching out to them.
This is an effective letter for agents looking to add expired listing prospecting to their lead generation strategies in 2025.
6-24 month-old expired listing letter, Jake Garay
As the market normalizes, we continue to see more expired listings. Great marketing often involves identifying a group of prospects that have a need and that few competitors are focusing on. Then crafting a message that captures the prospect’s attention in a way that leads them to take action.
That is exactly what Jake Garay with the Garay-Michaud team serving the Hudson Valley of New York does with the letter below. It’s directed at homeowners who had their home for sale, but the listing expired 6-24 months ago. This exact letter has generated three sold listings in excess of $1,000,000, another great example of effective messaging to a receptive group of prospects.
Geographical farming: Dump or donate event, Julie Colin
Julie Colin, out of St. Louis, Missouri, utilizes local events to provide value to the neighborhoods she farms. One of these events is her “Dump or Donate” event that she does in the spring. This event involves setting up a dumpster and a Habitat for Humanity truck near a neighborhood so the residents have a way to declutter and spring clean their home or garage.
The postcard below highlights the effective event that sets Colin apart as the neighborhood resource for anything the residents need. Effective marketing isn’t just about real estate, and this is a unique example of a value-added service that will ultimately be rewarded with business.
Geographical farming: Consistency for recognition, Jason Gruner
Consistency is key to brand awareness in geographical farming. Jason Gruner, out of Nashville, Tennessee, utilizes a simple, consistent postcard format to utilize four marketing opportunities for his listings. This compounds the homeowner’s exposure to his business and showcases his successes in the area.
