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Updated over 5 years ago, 05/04/2019
Alternatives to Yellow Letters
Warning: Lots of Questions!!
I'm in the process of sourcing my envelopes, paper, etc. for my direct mail campaign for Absentee Owners. My initial plan is to use a "handwritten" font for the marketing copy on the yellow letter while actually handwriting the envelopes (prevents me from buying another printer that can accept envelopes). I'm having a very hard time finding any lined yellow paper that comes separately and not linked together in some way like gum top or in note pads.
When people say they are mailing "yellow letters" are they really yellow? Or do people use lined white paper instead? Has anyone done any testing to see if there is an appreciable difference between "handwritten" letters on different types of paper? What about using no lines and printing your marketing copy on a blank sheet of yellow paper?
I've seen ideas of using lined paper templates and printing those and your marketing copy at the same time, but that seems like a waste of ink to me. In addition, I only have a black/white laser printer so the blue and red lines would not show up. Anyone have any success with this method or alternative ideas?
Finally, I want to do this myself and not use one of the yellowletter.com companies that are out there.
Who would've thought that buying paper would take up this much time and effort? Not me! Any insight is greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much to everyone who shared on this thread.
@Brandon I have that HP printer at home already, and I'm now so glad I sprang for it last year before I even got into REI business. I really appreciate the update as well.
I'd like to share that you can create a handwritten font in your own handwriting for free at myscriptfont.com. I played around with it before for my AVON business. It worked really well once I perfected my handwritten template.
You can create your own handwriting font here. http://www.paintfont.com
My setup includes:
I bought a used Pitney Bowes W700 envelope printer used for $400. It prints from word with the correct driver and prints 3000+ envelopes per hour.
I also bought an HP Officejet Pro X551dw. It prints up to 7000 pages per hour for the letters. $420 online.
Next, I went and bought a postage permit for discounted rates.
I use A6 envelopes and yellow pads I buy from Quill.com then take them to kinks to cut the binding off. You get perfect sheets of 20 pound, wide ruled yellow paper. http://www.quill.com/ampad-gold-fibre-premium-ruled-pads/cbs/045686.html?promoCode=200200555&Effort_Code=901&Find_Number=20032Q&cm_sp=
This is my personal handwriting font I created with paintfont.com. It's not perfect but looks good enough I think. I have a red ink cartridge I use for the mailers normally.
HP 8600 works fantastic for yellow letter lined paper. As for the hand written font, go to this website and create your own handwriting in a font www.myscriptfont.com. Scan a copy of a blank yellow letter into MS word as a watermark so you can line the typed font up on to the lines. Change the print setting so that it does not print the watermark (so it only serves as a guide for your font) you will have to make minor adjustments the font spacing in between printed batches, but once it is on it works great. Also I hope you are using a mail merge from your data list in excel. Once you have these components in place and good reliable paper that doesn't jam, its off to the races. Use the mail merge for the envelopes as well so basically all you have to do it print and stuff envelopes. Acquiring an industrial envelope stuffer would eventually be a dream.
You can use this nifty trick to "hand sign" your letters and return addresses. Once and done. NOTE: Vary from your legal signature enough so it can't be abused. Other Word versions may vary somewhat, but you guys can figure it out. this is for Word 2013.
Signature Magic
@Jerry Puckett @Mike Quarles and others great tips. Mike, loved your podcasts.
Try this for a realistic signature on mailings. If you have a watermark (or lines, or whatever) behind your letter text, the effect is awesome. I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to get a signature slug without having
to hand craft - and without the doofy white box.Before (above) After (below)
1. Sign your name on white paper in something bold, like a thick pen or sharpie. Let dry.
2. Scan (set resolution high) and save as an image/picture. Use file format TIF or TIFF.
3. Insert the picture file into your Word doc. (Where your signature would go on the letter)
4. Click on the picture after it appears on your doc. At the top of the Word screen look for a "PictureTools Format" popup. double click it to bring up the Picture format menu.
5. In the "Adjust" menu section, click the dropdown arrow by "Color."
6. From the Color options menu, at the bottom, click Set Transparent Color.
7. Drag the tool (looks like an exacto knife) and click on the white area that is the current background.
Bam! Your signature is now over whatever it would be over if you signed manually.
Tom Fields
Lots of great information in this thread. Thank you all for sharing.
If you're going to hand-write the envelopes, obviously the font used for the envelopes ought to match the font used for the letters. You can get your own handwriting turned into a font:
The site is messy. The site's owner, Alexander Ware, will take your call to help you navigate his site, but here's the link to order your own handwriting as a font. The cost is $99; PayPal preferred.
http://www.walterware.com/hw.html
Be sure to read the testimonials.
http://www.walterware.com/testimonials.html
The alternative is to find a free cursive font (they're all over the internet) and use the font for both the letter and the envelopes that you feed into a printer. The thing is, a printer-applied address is a dead give-away that yours is a direct mail piece because the print lays flat on the paper, unlike when you hand-write an address, which gives visual texture.
I think too much is made of using yellow legal pad paper. There's nothing magical about yellow legal pad paper. Plus, you have to cut the binding off the pad to eliminate the perforation; otherwise, your printer won't handle the paper well. And if you used lined paper, you've got to turn yourself into a pretzel to land the text onto the blue lines of the lined paper.
Bottom line: any paper will work, as long as it looks hand-written--either cursive or print.
The envelope is far more important because that's the first step in getting the recipient to open your mailed piece. There's no one who won't open a hand-written envelope with a first class stamp. (Go hog wild and use commemorative stamps!) As a recipient of direct mail messages, I know what it takes for me to open a piece of mail. I'm sure your experience is the same.
Here's a site where you can buy liquidated stationery.
Obviously, shipping would partially negate any savings, so Google for "office supply liquidators" to see if you can find one in your area.
Phil B wrote: Next, I went and bought a postage permit for discounted rates.
Not trying to make you wrong, Phil, but any type of postage other than a first class stamp is a dead give-away that yours is a direct mail piece. Just my opinion, of course.
Phil B wrote: yellow pads I buy from Quill.com then take them to Kinko's to cut the binding off. You get perfect sheets of 20 pound, wide ruled yellow paper. [$2.82 each pad]
Phil, here's a cheaper source for 20 pound yellow pads. [$1.67 each pad]
http://www.costco.com/TOPS-Docket%C2%AE-Gold-Legal-Pad,-8-12-in.-x-11-34-in.,-Canary,-12ct-TOP-63950.product.11151748.html
Originally posted by @Catherine Coy:
You can get your own handwriting turned into a font: The cost is $99; PayPal preferred.
There are a number of sites where you can make your own handwriting font for about $10: www.yourfonts.com, www.handfont.com, www.fontifier.com, www.paintfont.com (this one is supposedly free), and others.
You posted in the nick of time, Mike! I was just about to order the more expensive font. I'll try your less expensive tips. Thanks.
Originally posted by @Derrick H.:
This is gonna be a quick tutorial on how I get it correct every time with my home printer. I have a 5-n-1 home printer so it helps to have a scanner. Here goes.....[etc.]
Derrick, I could not get this to work. The procedure stopped at Step #4. I wonder what I'm doing wrong. Has anyone else attempted Derrick's 14-step procedure to place text directly on the blue lines of yellow legal pad paper?
(I'm not going the yellow legal pad route; I'm trying to help my friend who wants to use yellow blue-lined legal pad paper.)
Derrick's approach is way more complicated than what I did, but maybe I just got lucky.
I entered the text into Word, then did a print preview at 100%. Then I held up a sheet of the desired paper to my monitor and adjusted the print preview size a little to more closely match the physical width of my paper. Then, holding the sheet up to my monitor again, I adjusted the line spacing of the text in word until the lines of text corresponded to the spacing on the actual sheet of paper. Then I printed a sheet out and it worked. Like I said, I probably got lucky. But this technique should give you a good start. After printing a sheet out, you may need to adjust the spacing and margins a bit to get it to match better. Good luck.
Does anyone know of a good printer for $200 or less for printing postcards?
How many postcards are you looking to send out?
@claire Trammell 1,000
@Derrick H. Derrick I just tried your method and the results are amazing! The only thing I have to tweak a little bit is the paper weight so the printer doesn't jam.
I can't even tell that it is printed.
Thanks for an awesome tip.
No Problem. I'm still using the same method
Ditto on Derricks method. Using this with GREAT success. Took some tweaking, and wish I found this page before I spent days trying to perfect this. The secret ingredient is in the text boxes and removing the image before printing.
@Brandon Foken
I heard a good tip once, use small invitation cards instead of yellow letters. People think they’re being invited to something and will be inclined to open it.
- Flipper/Rehabber
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Originally posted by @Nick Rutkowski:
@Brandon Foken
I heard a good tip once, use small invitation cards instead of yellow letters. People think they’re being invited to something and will be inclined to open it.
And then they get furious that you tricked them into opening. Don't do this.
I think you are measuring the wrong metric (most people into DMM do)
Everyone talks about "open rate" as a metric.
Obviously they have never been a scientist...
Open-rate means CRAP!
You need to measure closed deals, or contracts signed, to:
- number of mailers sent
- type of mailer sent (color, post card, design)
I have said it once, and I am saying it now.
I have a method that will GUARANTEE 100% opening rate. ALWAYS.
Go to Home depot.
Buy a stone paver
Tie your letter/envelop to the paver.
Throw it through a glass window of the owner. (Make sure the glass shatters into a gazillion pieces)
I PROMISE you they WILL open the letter.
What happens after that.. well.. that is an other story.
People need to seriously begin to inject logic into actions BEFORE they do or consider said actions.
- Jerryll Noorden
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Originally posted by @Jimmie Darden:
Ditto on Derricks method. Using this with GREAT success. Took some tweaking, and wish I found this page before I spent days trying to perfect this. The secret ingredient is in the text boxes and removing the image before printing.
I always snicker when I hear people talk about "GREAT" success.
Or "OMG IT WORKS GREAT".
What do YOU consider great success? Numbers people. Data!
When I get 5 leads a week, I get friggin dissappointed and something is simply wrong.
For me doing my SEO if I do not get at least 20 leads a week, I feel it was a bad week.
So obviously I am spoiled when I realize that here on BP it is quite normal (good actually) to get 3 leads a month.
So to label something as good.. what is your control number?
How much money do you spent to how many deals you make.
It is not always about spending vs. return. It is also about cost per lead compared to OTHER methods.
I just feel like most people on BP are simply winging marketing.
Keep in mind what happens when you are using logic, data, research, systems in your marketing.
I spend $0 dollars on marketing, $0 dollars on Ads. All organic free super motivated leads.
Are these results "Great"? well maybe! If my competitors are getting organic leads, obviously this is not good enough. ALL leads should go to me and ONLY me.
So how do I know these are good results?
Because I see more and more of my competitors switching to PPC. That meas I am getting all the organic leads.
NOW I know that my results are good.
Don't wing marketing. THINK about it, use your head, be intelligent. Then analyze the results the right way. Then tweak and adapt your strategy.
Or just do SEO like me and just don't care about anything really.
- Jerryll Noorden
Jerryll, I think it's fantastic that you've found a method which yields quantifiable results that you can track and improve upon. Congratulations, that is good stuff. My comment was more specific to "great success" formatting my letters in MS word in a manner that was satisfactory to me - not implying great success on spend vs. Return. That is all TBD, but several variables are being considered in my current marketing campaign. It took a lot of time to get a handwritten appearance on my yellow letters, and I know that many others struggled to achieve a similar result. Only time will tell how successful these strategies are, and I will be tracking that as well so that I can see what works/what doesn't (numbers/data/cost/return). All a part of the process. No silver bullet here- will experiment and adjust. SEO is also in the infant stages for me, perhaps I will extract your thoughts on the topic.
Jimmie,
I do yellow letters myself with great success. I buy Microperforated Yellow Paper Pads at Walmart. You can order them online. As long as you pull them out correctly and face them opposite when you print at home, you won't get any jams. I align it perfectly with the "white unlined master letter I create".
I always personalize my letters and hand write every envelope (now it's outsourced to my college daughter) I do not cheat or skip the most important parts and always get 1-3 short sale deals for every one of my yellow letter campaigns I have been mailing for years. I only do yellow letter and can't emphasize the power of doing them right because it does bring the seller calls to "niche deals".
Good luck to you in your mailers. Now I only mail when I need to replemish my short sale pipleline as I close the deals. I will only do Yellow Letter and has been the lifelihood of growing my business.
Wishing you the same!
Mary
- Flipper/Rehabber
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Originally posted by @Jimmie Darden:
Jerryll, I think it's fantastic that you've found a method which yields quantifiable results that you can track and improve upon. Congratulations, that is good stuff. My comment was more specific to "great success" formatting my letters in MS word in a manner that was satisfactory to me - not implying great success on spend vs. Return. That is all TBD, but several variables are being considered in my current marketing campaign. It took a lot of time to get a handwritten appearance on my yellow letters, and I know that many others struggled to achieve a similar result. Only time will tell how successful these strategies are, and I will be tracking that as well so that I can see what works/what doesn't (numbers/data/cost/return). All a part of the process. No silver bullet here- will experiment and adjust. SEO is also in the infant stages for me, perhaps I will extract your thoughts on the topic.
Dude, you should see me make sweet love to SEO. Yeah man, lets chat and I will help you with the SEO on your site and you will think how and why you ever considered anything else.
Any time
- Jerryll Noorden
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The BEST Alternative to yellow letters.
TV works great. Really great
Other then that nothing I can think of a lot of things I would do in conjunction with yellow letters but from a DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT approach TV is it
Certainly digital is outstanding, COI is awesome, postcards work too, text and RVMs do okay In fact I personally think you should do all forms of marketing
I love it all