Direct Mailing Letter Preference?

Question

Hey guys and gals,

So I finally purchased a direct mailing list in hopes to ramp up some leads. I have previously done some direct mailing generating leads through driving for dollars and networking etc. I have previously always typed up my own letter with my own personal little message and signed it and mailed using a professional envelope. I purchased a list, this time being much larger than my previous campaigns: (Previous 80-100 at a time. Now 650 multi unit leads/ 650 SFR leads). Needless to say I don't plan on typing all these letters and mailing them. I have reached out to a couple different direct mailing contacts for prices and options etc. I personally feel in my market that post-cards will be thrown out, but have instead been looking at tri-fold flyers. They are slightly cheaper than letters, and still offer a personal aspect of hand-written font. I feel that these will at least get a lead to open it and not come off so much as "junk-mail" despite being labeled a "flyer". Any thoughts or guidance? What has worked for you in the past?

Thanks for any input!

Nicholas D. · Answer

@Kyle Mccaw you bring up a great point with post-cards having to at least have the message visible. I feel like I throw out post-cards far more than envelopes and will at least open the envelope. But to prove your point, I at least see the content of the post-card prior to tossing it out. Are you always doing post cards? Or do you start with a post card and then transition to letters etc on second touches or third touches?

Nicholas D. · Answer

@May Emery you hit the nail on the head. I don't want to bore people with a lengthy letter or message, however, I have seen way too many "Your house for cash!" post its and have actually made contact with some leads that have received my letter (where I don't mention at all purchase for cash etc) and they immediately say "I didn't know if this was a scam or not?". I feel like I want a quick personal message to inform the lead that I am interested in purchasing their house, but don't want them throwing away the letter or not bothering simply because they think my campaign is some 1-800 numbers scam.

Nicholas D. · Answer

@Ehsan Rishat I guess I have to accept the contingency that a lot will be tossed out. As you said, it's part of the game. I am glad to hear your info and stats regarding multiple touches. I had planned for a 5-6 touch campaign spread out over 6 months. I am still playing around with the idea of transitioning from initial personal letter and transitioning into a post-card as follow ups? Or if you have any recommendations on the opposite perhaps? I took a look at your link that you messaged me regarding. Your prices appear to be much cheaper in bulk than where I have looked prior, is there any fee for personal messages? Are you able to use personal messages or are forced to use the company's specific templates?

All insight and help is appreciated!

May Emery · Answer

@Nicholas Davila You want a mailer that stands out from everyone else.  One way to do that is to focus on the benefit you offer a seller. Those benefits will differ depending on the list you have. An Absentee owner might care about not having to maintain a property and deal with tenants.

With owner occupied (whether Low Financial Stability, Seniors, Tax Lean etc) it's all about easy. No open houses, no fixing things up, etc.

You can type a letter on your computer and do a mail merge or have a service do it. There are also services that have a lot of choices. I just find that there are too many I BUY HOUSES FAST FOR CASH out there.

Good luck

Ehsan Rishat · Answer

@Nicholas Davila you should not worry about your postcard being thrown away. Some of them will get thrown away and that's how it works.

If you're really looking to dive deep into direct mail marketing then the first thing would be to prepare a budget plan. You don't want to send them only one postcard and then stop mailing. That would actually be a waste. You must have a budget to mail atleast 6-8 batches to the same list if you want to see some results. My stats shows you will start getting 'good' responses from your 3rd mailer but you can expect some calls on your first 2 mailers but the game starts when you send your 3rd batch. One question that I get pretty often is that how often should you mail to your list. The answer is 3-4 weeks. We don't want to bother them by sending 2-3 postcards/letters in a week and that's not how direct mail works. We also don't want to keep the time gap too long that the homeowner forgets about us. The idle time is 3-4 weeks. When you're mailing them often, you're creating a brand value for yourself and you're gaining the trust of homeowners. Remember, when you're mailing them, it might not be the right time for some homeowners to sell their houses. If you keep on mailing them 6 months, some of their situation would change within this time and they will think of your postcard and will call you since you gained their trust by mailing them continuously.

Also remember, there will be other investors mailing to the same property that you'd be mailing. You would want to stand out from them. It's quite simple and this tricks works for me. Most of the investors will stop mailing after sending 3 batches. They will think that the list is dead and will stop mailing. Little do they know that the game starts after sending 3 batches. You would want to take advantage of it. By sending more than 3 batches, you stand out from almost all the investors mailing to the same list.

Let me know if you need any help regarding direct mail. Good luck to you!

Kyle Mccaw · Answer

Go to YellowLetters.com and just try one out. I have sent many thousands of postcards with good results. I prefer them because they cost less and the prospect has to at least see my message. Letters get thrown out without reading it enough to get you point across. I get letters daily and chunk them all. But postcards at lease get a good glance over.