Innovative Ways of Grabbing Attention w/ Mailers

[Chris Kirk]

Hey everyone!

I'm Chris and I am the founder of a new take on property management. We're launching in our first market in Sacramento and are trying to grow numbers of doors and take on more properties. To do so, we are exploring some direct mailing opportunities. I've heard about people having success with them, but personally, I always throw out any postcards that look like marketing spam.

We've been trying to come up with unique ways to make them grab attention and I wanted to hear any thoughts the BP community might have. 

A couple of ideas we've been brainstorming:

• Postcards shaped differently, maybe in the shape of a house
• Big text offering to make a $1 donation to charity for calling our number just to let us know who their current management company is
• Handwritten letters

Please share any innovative ideas you may have to grab owner's attention for mailers or ways that have been successful for you in the past. Would also be great to hear as a property owner, what would grab your attention on something that was mailed to you from a property management company.

Thanks!

[Joe Bertolino]

My best results over the past 16 years of direct mail marketing were handwritten letters,  or letters that look handwritten.  Return address is my first initial and last name and PO box address.  No logos on the envelope.  Use real stamps.  I have experimented with a red "confidential" stamp.  Real personalized mail is so rare these days that it actually gets read.  The more it looks like a marketing piece,  the more likely it gets trashed without a second look.