New direct mail campaign questions

[Sonny Christopher]

Hello,

I am getting ready to start my first direct mail campaign and I had a couple questions,

How important is it to have my letter/postcard stand out? I know that the yellow letter is that industry standard but I am afraid that it will get lost in the shuffle with other competition. 

How often are you mailing your targets? 1x, 2x a month, etc.

How often are you getting new list?

TIA

P.S. I am in the Nashville area and always willing to meet up for lunch or a drink to talk about RE.