07.21.2026 PropStream
Disclaimer: PropStream does not offer legal advice. This article is for informational purposes only. We recommend conducting your own research or consulting legal professionals before sending direct mail to prospects.
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What Is Direct Mail Marketing? Quick Answer: Direct mail marketing is the practice of distributing physical promotional materials, such as brochures, letters, postcards, or catalogs, directly to the home addresses of prospective clients. |
Despite being one of the oldest forms of marketing, direct mail is as effective as ever. According to one estimate, direct mail response rates are 5 to 9 times higher than digital marketing methods.
Read on to learn what direct mail marketing is, its benefits, how to do it, and more.
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Key Takeaways:
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What Is Direct Mail Marketing?
Direct mail marketing is the practice of sending physical marketing materials to prospects’ home addresses. It could be postcards, letters, brochures, or catalogs.
As a real estate professional, direct mail can be an especially convenient marketing method, as you typically already know the prospect’s address (since it’s their home you’re interested in). And with PropStream, you can go directly from identifying a lead to sending them a postcard or letter without leaving the platform.
The Benefits of Direct Mail
| Marketing Channel | Direct Mail |
Email Marketing |
Digital Ads |
Cold Calling |
| Visibility |
Arrives in a homeowner's mailbox, making it harder to overlook. | Can be filtered into spam or ignored in crowded inboxes. | May be skipped or blocked by users. | Depends on the recipient answering the phone. |
| Memorability |
Physical mail is tangible and often kept for future reference. | Messages are easily deleted or forgotten. | Ads disappear once the campaign ends or the user scrolls past. | Conversations are short-lived unless followed up on. |
| Audience Reach |
Effective across multiple generations of homeowners. | Best for contacts who have opted in or already know your brand. | Reaches users based on platform algorithms and other settings. | Limited to homeowners with valid phone numbers who are willing to answer. |
| Targeting |
Can reach highly specific homeowner segments using property and ownership data. | Reach out to existing contact lists or subscribers. | Uses demographic, geographic, and behavioral data for insight into the best audience. | Helps contact individual homeowners with available information. |
| Response Style |
Encourages recipients to respond when they're ready, often keeping the mail piece for later. | Responses typically happen shortly after the email is opened. | Clicks and conversions usually occur immediately or not at all. | Requires real-time engagement during the call. |
| Works with Other Channels |
Reinforces email, phone, text, and digital campaigns as part of a multi-touch strategy. | Supports nurturing campaigns and follow-up communication. | Builds awareness and repeatedly appears for prospective customers. | Adds a personal touch when combined with direct mail or digital outreach. |
Direct mail has many benefits as a marketing channel. Consider the following:
Tangible and Memorable
Because direct mail is tangible, recipients are more likely to read and remember it. According to one estimate, 95% of people read their mail, while only 20-30% of emails get opened.
Works Across Generations
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just older generations that respond well to direct mail. Studies show that all age groups do.
High Response Rate
According to one estimate, the average direct mail response rate is 4.9% for cold lead lists and 9% for warm lead lists.
Lends Itself to Focused Outreach
You can design direct mail campaigns around highly specific lead types, such as senior owners with high equity in a particular market. This can focus your marketing efforts on those most likely to be interested.
Complements Digital Campaigns
Pairing direct mail with email or dialing campaigns can reinforce your message across multiple touchpoints, boosting overall conversion rates.
Pro Tip: With PropStream, you can run direct mail, email, and dialing campaigns from the same platform. Experiment with all three to see which performs best in your market and for your preferred client.
Direct Mail Best Practices
To maximize your direct mail results, follow these best practices:
Define Your Ideal Client
Before sending out mail, narrow down who your ideal client is. This helps you avoid wasting mail on unqualified leads, minimizing your marketing costs and increasing your return on ad spend (ROAS).
For example, instead of contacting every homeowner in your market, focus on those in pre-foreclosure or bankruptcy, who may be more motivated to sell.
Personalize the Message
To prevent your direct mail from feeling like a mass mailer, personalize it. This means using the recipient’s name, address, or other details that apply only to that individual.
Pro Tip: PropStream automates this by applying dynamic “merge fields” to direct mail templates. For example, a name field automatically pulls the recipient’s name from your lead list and inserts it, so you don’t have to create multiple direct mail designs from scratch.
Design for Readability
The average attention span is shrinking, so your direct mail needs to be easy to read. Use bold headlines, short paragraphs, and clean layouts with plenty of white space. The easier it is to skim, the better.
Include a Clear Call to Action (CTA)
Consider what you want the prospect to do after receiving your direct mail (call you, fill out an online form, etc.). Then ensure your direct mail invites them to do exactly that. Avoid including more than one CTA since this can lead to confusion, decision fatigue, and the prospect of doing nothing.
Track Your Results
You can’t improve what you don’t measure. To boost your direct mail response and conversion rates over time, carefully track these metrics, see what’s working and what isn’t, and then adjust your strategy accordingly.
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Psst! Did you know that PropStream rebuilt its Direct Mail platform, making it easy to create, send, and optimize campaigns from one place? Choose from postcards, handwritten, printed, hybrid, or greeting letters with Single Send, Multi Send, and A/B Split Test campaigns, all backed by delivery tracking, performance dashboards, and geographic heat maps. Plus, enjoy industry-leading pricing with no minimum orders on single sends. Learn more here. |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The best direct mail campaigns also avoid these common pitfalls:
How to Run a Direct Mail Campaign in PropStream
PropStream helps you find and contact leads with its built-in Direct Mail feature.
You can start a Direct Mail campaign from two places in PropStream. From the Campaign Dashboard, click New Activity and select Direct Mail.
Alternatively, from the My Properties page, select one or more properties, click New Campaign Activity, and choose Direct Mail. You'll be taken to the Direct Mail Dashboard to set up your campaign.
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With multiple sizes, styles, and design options, users can now use PropStream to send:
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Plus, users can choose a Single Send, Multi Send, or an A/B Split Test. Each send type includes its own performance dashboard, delivery tracking, and geographic heat maps.
With this all-in-one platform, users can launch, manage, and optimize campaigns without leaving PropStream!
Note on sources:
- All direct marketing statistics taken from the Direct Response Media Group (unless otherwise cited).
