Direct Mail first campaign

[Anthony Dalesandro]

Okay guys so i'm getting ready to send letters out and my questions are as follows: 

Should I hand address each envelope? (Only 150 or so)

Should I not include my personal address as a return address for privacy reasons even though people cannot enter my neighborhood at will. To add onto that return address question I've read similar posts and people are saying return addresses are important for people who are "Hard to find" and good candidates for skip tracing. Even on rare occasions people writing back to you. Another positive thought about it would be that people would feel it has a more personal touch rather then a PO box or no return address. But I would love to see your opinions as I am just a beginner.  

[Braden Smith]

Hey @Anthony Dalesandro,

I am both an investor and a licensed realtor in New Orleans. I have done lots of direct mail as an investor and as a realtor. A hand addressed envelope is much more likely to get opened as it appears more personal and from someone known. 150 is a small size, but a start nonetheless. Direct mail response rates run about 1-3%, so the bigger your list the more responses you will get. Consistency is key, as statistics show that it may take several mailings before you get a response. I would put that list of 150 on a 6 piece campaign with one mail piece going out each month for 6 months at least. The fortune is in the follow up in real estate! 

I would not put my personal address on the envelope as the return address. Some people get angry when they receive direct mail from investors and I wouldn't want to provide them my home address. You can use a UPS store mailbox where you write the address and the box number, but just put #200 rather than box #200 so it looks as if it might be a suite number.

Mail that gets returned is gold. You need to skip trace those and find another way to make contact with those individuals. Most people will not make the effort or take the time to do so.

Saw this in an email today from Mckinley Crowley with Open Letter Marketing that may also be helpful...

5 key factors for direct mail success

1.) List
Your lead list is the foundation of your direct mail campaign. You need a quality, niche list to set yourself up for success when it comes to direct mail. To make sure you are finding the most motivated sellers you need to maintain, scrub, and continue to build your list so that you are always keeping your list up to date and tidy.
A good tip to keep your list looking good is to send your first mailer via first class so that you get your returned mailers back and you can remove vacant or undeliverable addresses from your lead list.

2.) Frequency
Beating out the competition isn't as difficult as it may seem. Statistics show that the longer you send mailers out, the higher the likelihood that your competition stops sending their mailers. It's pretty simple to calculate from there that if you're consistent, you'll be the only business in front of your prospective client's eyes. Conclusion? Sending mailers consistently pays off to reinforce your message and ultimately get that ROI. Look into multi-touch campaigns to automate the follow up process, so that you do not need to remember to re order your mailers each month.

3.) Look
Consumers can identify advertising really easily with a traditional mailer like a yellow letter. As soon as they see a coupon style postcard, into the trash it goes. That’s why we specialize in making mailers that value personalization. Fonts that mimic genuine handwriting help the recipient feel that you’re a real person communicating with them. It shows care for your prospective client and builds credibility as they continue to receive mailers.

4.) Messaging
When choosing the content of your mail piece, your call to action wording is important. You have a short time to capture attention and communicate your message before the recipient loses interest. With this in mind, create calls to action that are clear and prominent. One of our templates features this phrasing, "Please call if you’re interested in selling." It is clear, straightforward and displayed on its own line making it easy to read.
Another component to keep in mind is that you want to show your value to the prospect. Why should they choose you? How can you solve their problems? Keep all of this in mind when drafting up your content or choosing a template to send.

5.) Testing
Choosing what type of mailers to send, what postage to use, etc will depend highly on your mailing list. That’s where testing comes in handy. We always suggest trying different tactics and keeping track of their success. Direct mail is ever changing but it is still one of the most effective marketing strategies for real estate investors. Some testing to find a winning combination for your business is definitely worth the effort.

Best of luck to you on your first direct mail campaign! If you have any other questions I can answer, feel free to reach out.