Direct Mail: To use or not use variable field data

[Graham Howell]

Ive got about 500 post cards in the hopper, ready to be sent out. They are (in my opinion) designed well, eye catching, and with a clear message. However, they do not contain any variable field data aka Dear "Mary" I would like to purchase your home at "123 Main St Small Town, Tn," they just simply state that I am looking to "purchase a home in your area." I had a fellow investor told me that the response rate for post cards without variable field data was much lower than those with it. Curious to know what everyone else's experience is and if I need to make changes to my post card before hitting the send button. 

Thanks!

[Ray Lai]

@Graham Howell

You can split test it yourself, for us we always use variable field data because the response rates increases by at least 2 fold with it (much more in some cases). The more personalization, the less likely your DM is going to be treated as spam.

How much are you paying per piece of mail with what type of postage in the price per piece? 

Pro-tip: Use 1 batch of postcards with first class mail then and then switch to yellow letters. Why? The first class postcards will bounce and save you a lot of money from mailing a bad address from subsequent batches and you can skip-trace the bad addresses for very valuable leads. Also, switching to standard mail afterwards saves money.