Effective Direct Mail Marketing

Effective Direct Mail Marketing

Lender · San Rafael, CA · Member since 2014 · 18 posts · 4 votes

Hello everyone,

So I am in the process of preparing a marketing campaign to pick up motivated seller leads. I have read through several of the different forum posts and maybe my brain didnt filter well. As a result, I am probably asking several questions that have been asked before. If so my apologies. Here we go:

1) Have you found yellow letters or postcards to be more effective as lead generating tools?

2) How often are you sending out the marketing pieces...once a week, every month, once every couple months?

3) After sending out the first piece, do you send out the same piece with each new iteration or do you change and update the information being sent without change the message of "I want to buy your house"?

4) Which companies have you had success with and received good feedback from?

I have been trying to do marketing on my own up till now and have sent out at least 200 mailers to properties that looked distress and received 1 response. That response involved a lady yelling and cussing at me, telling me I was a vulture. Whoops, took flowers to her house and apologized.

Thanks in advance

Behan

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San Francisco, CA · Member since 2015 · 786 posts · 717 votes
11y
Main is that you have to target your marketing and test your results religiously. We've been refining it for years and now get 10 calls for every 100 mailers and for us that equates to one deal under contract. Make sure you always have someone who always answers the phone. Not answering the phone is throwing money down the drain as these sellers rarely leave messages.
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  • Specialist · Miami, FL · Member since 2013 · 56 posts · 20 votes
    12y

    Hi Behan,

    Try checking out yellowletters.com. You can call the customer service number and they should be able to assist you with a marketing strategy. Their direct mail marketing was created for investors. 

    Best of luck,

    Michael Slabitcher

  • Lender · San Rafael, CA · Member since 2014 · 18 posts · 4 votes
    12y

    Thank you for your response @Michael Slabitcher, I am in the process of communicating with www.yellowletters.com.  I am hoping to use this post as a way to receive opinions, thoughts and experiences from other members.  Just looking for a more organic knowledge base that is not built off selling a product (not saying that any of the providers I am communicating with would push a product that wasnt worthwhile.)

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Bakersfield, CA · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    I sure hope we don't...

  • Lender · San Rafael, CA · Member since 2014 · 18 posts · 4 votes
    12y

    Hahah of course not, I like what I have seen with www.yellowletters.com. I am looking to get the user experience on the otherside.

  • Investor · New York, NY · Member since 2014 · 156 posts · 48 votes
    11y

    I'm curious what others' experiences are like, too. I seems that people don't want to give away the special sauce. I've been contacting people individually

  • Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2014 · 12 posts · 0 votes
    11y

    Hey guys,  great dialogue here.  My main point of focus at this time, is where do you pull your mailing list of motivated sellers?  The center of result i have come across is Listsource.com (Absentee-owners).

    any feedback on this?

    Cheers!

  • Vendor · North Wales, PA · Member since 2015 · 13 posts · 0 votes
    11y

    thanks, Jeff. I'm new to BiggerPockets

  • Peter MckernanBusiness Member
    Residential Real Estate Agent · Irvine, CA · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    11y

    @Rasheed Muslimani

    Hey man, sounds like you are just getting setup in direct mail marketing. I am sure you have heard this before, but before you go to listsource.com, try getting in touch with a local title rep in your area through maybe a friend that is a realtor. The reps are usually more than happy to help you out with a list because that means when you land a deal you would think of them to use as the title company in escrow. This also would encourage them to help you with updated lists because the lists go bad pretty quickly, and they can help you when you need help searching title on properties that may have liens, or any other title issues.

    I say this because direct mail marketing can be pricy and buying lists are just that much more money placed on marketing that you could avoid. I wish you luck!

    The McKernan Group4.958 Reviews
  • San Francisco, CA · Member since 2015 · 786 posts · 717 votes
    11y
    Main is that you have to target your marketing and test your results religiously. We've been refining it for years and now get 10 calls for every 100 mailers and for us that equates to one deal under contract. Make sure you always have someone who always answers the phone. Not answering the phone is throwing money down the drain as these sellers rarely leave messages.
  • Professional · Jacksonville, FL · Member since 2015 · 397 posts · 34 votes
    11y
    Originally posted by @Behan Salamati:

    Hello everyone,

    ...I have been trying to do marketing on my own up till now and have sent out at least 200 mailers to properties that looked distress and received 1 response. That response involved a lady yelling and cussing at me, telling me I was a vulture. Whoops, took flowers to her house and apologized...

     Vulture? That's strong language. She took the flowers?

  • Dev HornPro Member
    Flipper/Rehabber · Arlington, TX · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    11y

    I prefer to be thought of as a....

  • Raleigh, NC · Member since 2015 · 62 posts · 9 votes
    9y

    @Peter Mckernan How do you actually approach a title company when seeking a list? Do you have a script?

  • Peter MckernanBusiness Member
    Residential Real Estate Agent · Irvine, CA · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9y

    @Walnar Agenor No script, I use them on every deal I have as a real estate agent. It makes it easy to ask, but I’m adding value to them, and in turn they help me with a list or anything else they can.

    If you are looking to just grab a list and then not use them, title reps will not talk with you. Walnar, you should research some in the local areas and see if you can take a great title rep out to lunch, and you may even take them out a couple of times prior to them warming up to you. 

    The list is not that big of a deal; however, many of them see people come and go in the industry of real estate. Keep up the communication with them and the relationships you build with the title rep and all other people is your biggest spoke in your wheel.

    The McKernan Group4.958 Reviews
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