We are constantly being bombarded with marketing these days. And I’m not saying this from my high horse.
I mean I love marketing… I could have had a cushy job working for someone else, but I love marketing so much that I decided to risk it all and open my own marketing agency. (I don’t love the word agency… but for the sake of this rant bear with me!)
And sure, if you consider the word marketing to be a dirty word I can see where you’re coming from.
There are plenty of worrying marketing trends that we will have to address as a species before too long. Like, the questionable collection and use of people’s data in the name of personalisation. And generative AI… that genie is not going back in the bottle.
But to be honest I spend less time worrying about those kinds of issues than I do getting annoyed at marketing that is just… bad! 🙈
Which brings me to my first piece of evidence. Exhibit A: a letter sent to my home address by a local real estate agent.
Now, we work with a lot of agents. They’ve got access to powerful databases: they know who owns what, where, and when it last sold.
So, they should know my name. They should know I own this house.
But the letter started with:
“To the property owner.”
No name. No context. No care.
And then:
“Please give me a call in the next few days.”
Why? What’s in it for me? Why would I chase you?
And why does it sound vaguely ominous, like I’m getting in trouble from the Principal? 😅
It felt less like a good CTA and more like a court summons.
Now, I’m not going to name and shame this local real estate agent, I know that even great people can be responsible for some pretty rubbish marketing.
So instead, I’ve got THREE TIPS on how they could have improved the letter they sent to my house.
- If you know my name, use it. You’re not cold-calling a stranger, you’re knocking on the door of someone you already have data on. “To the property owner” is the marketing equivalent of “Dear occupant” of “To whom is may concern”. It screams lazy.
- Show me you know the area. Mention a recent sale on my street. Share something I might actually want to know — like how house prices are trending or what’s happening in the market.
Give me some value, so your letter isn’t just junk mail with a fancy font. - And for the love of good copywriting, if you want me to call you, make it worth my while. Offer a reason, an incentive.
Why aim higher with your marketing?
Good marketing doesn’t just broadcast — it connects. It shows effort. It makes things easy.
It’s about showing people you know who they are, what they care about, and how to speak to them like actual humans.
I didn’t call the real estate agent. But I wanted to be helpful — and live by my own advice. So I wrote him the following email which:
- Used his name
- Offered something of value
- Included a low-friction call to action
Subject: A small note from your local “property owner” 👋
Hi Mr Bean,
(Name changed — just a placeholder so no actual agents are harmed in the telling of this story.)
Thanks for your recent letter — always good to see local agents putting themselves out there.
I thought I’d reach out in case you’re ever looking to improve how your marketing lands. I run a marketing business and often work with agents on things like messaging and outreach. If you’re open to it, I’d be happy to workshop a few ideas with you for future campaigns.
You can book a time here if that sounds helpful: https://tidycal.com/crispcommsco/marketing-kickstarter
All the best,
Abi