Good afternoon everyone,
I wanted to share my favorite direct mail marketing campaign. It’s my favorite because it doesn’t cost that much and typically you get great results. First, you need to determine the area that you want to market in and know the zip codes.
I prefer to work with out of area owners, because depending on their situation, they are more likely to want out of the property. So, I go to my favorite list place, www.Melissadata.com. There are other list places, this is just the one that I’ve grown accustomed to using. Wherever you get your list, choose out of area owners in the location that you are looking to buy in.
Now, many folks will tell you to send a postcard campaign and make the postcard yellow or orange. I’m not all that fond of this method because the call rate is less than 1%. I like to use Send Out Cards. Yes, I send a card! Think about it, are you more likely to open a card or look at a postcard? If you are like me the postcards get thrown in the trash and the cards I open. It’s pretty simple. The call rate is higher and worth the little extra money you pay to send the card. It depends on the card, but, usually it costs 2 points plus the cost of postage. 1 point costs .31, plus the cost of postage, so around $1.00 per card, unless you create a card using your own photos, then it is 3 points, plus postage, so around $1.40. They also have postcards, but, I really like the cards better, higher open and respond rate.
Once you set up your Send out Cards account, it’s as easy as upload the leads to a specific group, then choose or create a card, enter your text, choose the recipients, hit send and within a week you should be getting calls. Now, mind you, I do this consistently so the phone rings consistently. Make sure you set your marketing budget ahead of time. If you are doing things right and consistently, in the beginning, your marketing budget is similar to a car payment every month…and not a Yugo car payment…are they around anymore?
Cheers to a great summer and happy investing!
DESIRE. COMMIT. SUCCEED!
Bernadette Trafton, Chief Connector
Boston AREIA
Hi,
This is a great campaign, but I’ve never used Send Out Cards. What is the typical cost for a card using Send out Cards?
It depends on the card, but, usually 2 points plus the cost of postage. 1 point costs .31, plus the cost of postage, so around $1.00, unless you create a card using your own photos, then it is 3 points, plus postage, so around $1.40. They also have postcards, but, I really like the cards better, higher open and respond rate.
What message do you put on the card?
Keep it simple Lamont…and the message depends on who you are targeting. If you are targeting out of area owners of multifamilies, you would want to say something like, “Tired of being a landlord? We are cash buyers, can close quickly, will buy as is and we will happily take over your headache! Contact us at ……”