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Question: Should I handle postcard marketing myself or outsource it?
Answer: A postcard marketing company can make your life easier. There's no doubt about that. I know this for a fact, because I've worked for two of them. But you shouldn't let a vendor run every aspect of your postcard marketing program. Such vendors are expert at handling the logistics of printing and mailing. But it's unlikely they are real estate marketing experts as well.
My recommendation: Trust postcard vendors with the logistics of printing and mailing, but develop the strategy and message for yourself.
Postcard marketing vendors have highly efficient workflows in place. This lets them print your postcards faster and with better quality than if you did it yourself. So even if the vendor imposes a profit markup (which they obviously do), your total costs could still be similar to a do-it-yourself program -- only with a lot less hassle in your life!
Here's a story you'll enjoy...
In 2004 I attended the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida. I was there to represent a postcard printing company I worked for at the time. I spoke to a lot of agents who, up to that point, had been doing their own postcard marketing. I asked how they went about it, and I inevitably got a long story full of headache and hassle.
Then I would show them a "jumbo" sized glossy postcard in full color, and I'd say, "What if you could send these for about 50 cents per postcard ... and have someone else do the printing and mailing for you?" Their responses were a collection of "Seriously?" ... "You're kidding me!" ... "And I've been doing it myself all this time?"
The moral of this story -- don't assume the professional vendor path is out of reach. Check out the pricing (and what you get for the pricing) at a professional postcard company, and the idea of outsourcing will start looking really good. And you can't put a price on the time you'll save! But remember, outsource the logistics, not the strategy.
Good luck with your real estate marketing!
