How To: Direct Mail Market♥

Question

Hey BP family. I'm looking to start my direct mail marketing soon. I would like some pointers in getting started. I've read through some of the guides, it's just hard to think that it's that simple.

I'm in the Keyser WV area, and will start sending mail out here shortly. I know Keyser won't offer many leads, so I'm aware that I'm going to have to expand my campaign to generate more leads. I have some key areas that I want to target pretty heavily. I'd like to stick on this side of the Potomac (in WV) for now, but I'll eventually move over the Hagerstown, Cumberland, Frostburg areas. I may even reach out further if I am able to grow my business so it can handle it.

Here is what I'm looking for.

1. From people's personal experience, would they recommend using post cards or yellow letters? I don't really like the idea of post cards. I personally look at them more like they are junk mail and hardly ever pay attention to them. I know this will vary, I just want some opinions.

2. Can some people show me some examples of what they put on their mailings? I understand that it will vary greatly depending on who you are targeting, and a lot of other factors. I'd just like to get an idea of what works.

3. I specifically want to target houses in certain neighborhoods that seem abandoned. I don't have a lot of money, so I want to utilize driving for dollars. Can someone give me some specfic advice (spell it out for me) what I should say to these people? I'm okay with handwriting out letters to these people to increase my response rate.

4. General info. I'm new to this. I just need some guidance to get started! Any and all advice is appreciated! Please let me know what has or hasn't worked for you!

Thanks!

-Dakoda

Cole Swartz · Answer

Just get a yellow legal pad and some red pens. You can look up the name and mailing addresses for these homeowners on your local assessor site. For each of these properties you find, write a letter something like what follows:Dear "seller",I am interested in purchasing your house at "address".If you are interested in selling, please give me a call at "Your Phone Number".DakodaIt really can be that simple. Hand address the envelopes and the return address. If you want to take it a step further, set up a Google Voice and a PO Box. Use Google Voice to screen the calls and the PO Box will be what you use as the return address. That should get you going. Once you start getting calls, you want to screen these individuals for motivation. Finding out WHY these folks called you back and are looking to sell is the most important aspect of the whole process.Sean Terry has some excellent podcasts on wholesaling that covers everything you could want, including direct mail and screening sellers for motivation. Even if you don't plan to wholesale, his info is excellent.

Zach Romashko · Answer

@Dakoda Spencer Hello Dakota, I think I'm in about the same position you are right now with direct mailing. I found this great blog post by @Brandon Turner called "How to create your own handwritten font for free (For Direct Mail Marketing)". The article goes into depth on how to increase your response rate with some good tips on how to get sellers to open and read your letters. It also has a picture of a letter you could model yours after. I hope everything goes well for you and keep us posted on how your mail marketing goes!

Cole Swartz · Answer

@Dakoda SpencerTo your first question, one Google Voice number will be sufficient. The main purpose for Google Voice is two-fold. First, it allows you to connect with these individuals without giving out your personal information. Secondly, it allows to to "pre-screen" the call in that individuals can leave you a message on the Google Voice voicemail. Lots of folks like this as they are often afraid to take live calls, especially when starting out which is understandable, but there is no better way to grow than getting outside your comfort zone. If you have a smart phone, you can sync Google Voice with your cell phone so that you can make and receive calls using your personal phone, but you will be using your Google Voice number. Youtube should have plenty of tutorials for you.And yes you can absolutely use a VA, but you need to learn how to screen the calls yourself before you do so. How can you train the VA to screen potential sellers for motivation when you yourself don't know how? And no matter how many books you read or podcasts you listen to, you aren't going to truly learn except through personal experience.

Cornelius Garland · Answer

@Elijah Glenn I would check out Post Card Mania. I think their prices are around .35-.40 cents a postcard, depending on your volume. I used them earlier this year for generating buyers in Atlanta. I like them because they handle a lot of the work with scrubbing your list and sending your campaign out for you. I was always concerned that I would do it wrong if I did it myself on other sites. They should hook you up with an account manager that will get you taken care of.If you're looking for cheap yellow letters, I would go to Yellow Letter Shop. Last time I sent some out, it cost about .78 cents per yellow letter, but this included 1st class postage. You can probably get the price lower if you don't use a 1st class stamp; however, it reduces the authenticity of the Yellow Letter if you do this. Hope this helps!

Elijah Glenn · Answer

who knows a person with reasonable prices on direct Marketing post cards?

Elijah Glenn · Answer

great post

Cornelius Garland · Answer

@Elijah Glenn Of course! Glad to help. I'm unsure if they have a minimum amount. If they do, it shouldn't be too high because these direct mail companies are competing for your dollars. They want to keep the prices low to stay competitive.

Elijah Glenn · Answer

Wow Thanks for the feedback. Do they have minimum cost?

Dakoda Spencer · Answer

@Zach Romashko Hey Zach. I was just going back over some old post and found this. How did/is your mailing campaign gone/going? Just looking to find an update. Thanks!

Dakoda Spencer · Answer

Hey @Zach Romashko, thank you for your advise! It's nice to be in a group where I'm with other investors in the same situation that I am in! It is fantastic to see others learning to tread the water as I do as well. If you didn't read my post above, I am looking into Google Voice to use within my direct mail marketing and I'm excited to see how it will benefit the entire process! I will be going through the blog post that you mentioned! Thank you for the insight! I'm sure you will be hearing from me later!-Dakoda