UNSUCCESSFUL DIRECT MAIL ATTEMPT

[Jordan Santiago]

Last month I targeted out of state absentee owners in Queens, New York. I sent out about 700 postcards and only got 1 call back and it was obviously unsuccessful. What should I change up? Should i target a different borough, or try yellow letters???

[Joel Owens]

A lot of my family was in the post office from the past.

1. Investors like to use post cards because they are cheap. Mail carriers also like post cards because they are easy to throw in the fold of the junk mail inserts. So many times owners never see them and they go into the trash. Larger envelopes tend to be placed on the outside and not in the junk inserts.

2. Make sure your message is right and to the right audience. It's generally better to mail to 100 high targets then to 500 maybe's. You could have the best marketing in the world sent to the wrong or marginal audience.

3. If you are going to mail check with the post office on what is the LIGHTEST LOAD mail delivery days of the week? You want to time your mailings so that you are delivered and arrive to those addresses on those days. That increases the chance your mail piece is seen as little to zero junk mail to sift through for the owner.

4. Personalized letters with handwritten envelopes can work better. The commercial (same as me) feel doesn't help you stand out.

5. Once the message is right and you are hitting profitable percentages then expansion might make sense. Like anything it takes awhile to get established and start earning trust for your business in a community. Mailers you should have enough money to commit to 6 months minimum (preferably a year) and constantly test and track the results.

On the commercial real estate side I do not do mailers anymore. Most times I can track down the owner through various methods and get them on the phone or by e-mail to see if they want to sell.