I have talked about direct mail for a long time now. One thing that is so important to understand about direct mail is that you have to set up campaigns to be successful with this strategy. Sending out a whole bunch of letters once or even a couple of times is just a waste of money.  Direct mail is a long term strategy. Before we move on to creating absentee owner letters that actually get a great response, I want to spend a little time going over the basics of direct mail.

What Exactly is a Direct Mail Campaign?

A direct mail campaign is an ongoing process of sending mail pieces to your target audience. It is not a one or two time event where you mail to your prospects. My rule is that I mail everyone, every month so long as the house is still available. This is what I know for sure: folks that are successful with direct mail marketing follow some tried and true principles and that's what this article is about.

Surprising Statistics

Here are some statistics for you that you just might find surprising.  About 81% of your deals (not calls) will come at or beyond your 5th mailing. However, around 90% of the people will stop mailing on or before the 3rd mailing.

Stop and think about that for a minute. If you just mail consistently, you will be ahead of 90% of your competition. Just stay in the game.  You want to be the last man standing when it comes to follow-up.

You can find out more about direct mail statistics here: Numbers and Statistics Aren't Always Sexy, but Great Results Are.

Here's one more statistic for you.  Something like 80% of all your deals will come from follow-up. So what is follow up? It's your ongoing direct mail campaigns, a call after someone has said no to your offer, or a second call just to follow up. It's any continued contact you have with the seller.  A thank you note is a follow-up.

What are the 7 steps that make up a direct mail campaign?

1. The mail piece: Decide on the type of mail piece (letter or postcard).
2. The message: Create a compelling message for your mail piece.
3. The design: Choose the design your actual mail piece.
4. The list: Put together a list of prospects. Know who your target audience is.
5. Putting the mailing together: Do it In-house or outsource it?
6. The actual mailing: Drop it in the mailbox.
7. Follow-up: Rinse and repeat every month.

Congratulations. You have just set up a direct mail campaign.

One more bit of advice to help you out.  You can keep your lists organized in a spreadsheet, however you need to get a database or contact management system to manage your leads right from the beginning. You won’t be able to manage this process unless you automate it.

Should You Send Postcards or Letters?

My answer is it depends.  I generally use postcards for most of the niches except probates.  (You can find out more about marketing to probates by clicking here.)

I've had good luck with postcards.  However, you might need to do a split test to find out what's working in your area.  When I first started out I used letters for everything with good results. Then when I moved to postcards, I also had good luck. One main reason to choose postcards is they are so much more economical than letters especially if you are outsourcing your mailing.

Figure out what's working in your area by testing.  One last thing. Be sure your picture is on your postcards.

What are the Components of a Good Direct Mail Letter?

There are several key pieces to a good direct mail letter.

1. Your letter should be personalized. Wouldn’t you rather get a letter that says “Dear Dan” than one that says, “Hello homeowner or dear executor” or something like that? Your letter should also have the subject property address on it.
2. Headlines and sub-headlines are one of the most important aspects of the letter. You have to get the person’s attention right away. This is especially important with postcards where you have very limited space.
3. Use bullet points whenever possible to highlight your message. People have notoriously short attention spans. Using sub-titles and bullet points makes it easy for the reader to scan your letter quickly. If they can easily identify with your message or your offer, they will be more likely to ready the whole letter.
4. The letter isn’t about you, so don’t spend a lot of time talking about you or your company. You should say something like, “I will buy your house AS IS, can pay cash and close quickly”. Those are things about you (or your company), but they are also benefits to the seller.
5. List some problems the seller might be having such as:

• • You tried to sell your property before you moved but didn’t get an offer.
  • You inherited an unwanted property.
  • You had tenants in the property and wanted to hold onto it for income. But, it turned out to be more trouble than you thought.

6. Offer some solutions or ways that you can help them now.

• • You won’t have to worry about making any of the needed repairs.
  • You’ll stop sinking money into a property you don’t even want.
  • We will take care of all of the paperwork for you.

People are motivated by two things; pain and pleasure. Figure out how to make their pain go away.

Want a Copy of My Absentee Owner Letter?

Just click the link below to get yours.

Get Your Copy of My FREE Absentee Owner Letter Here

Here are Some Previous Posts on Direct Mail you Might also Enjoy.

Direct Mail Marketing 101

Does The Time of Year Affect the Response Rates of Direct mail?

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*This article which was originally published in March of 2013 has been revised and updated.

If you're not already subscribed to the blog be sure to do that today so you don’t miss any of the business building tips I have coming your way. I want this year to be your best year ever!  And if you enjoyed this article, please share it.