Direct Mail Is NOT Dead

There’s just something about a well-written, nice piece of old-fashioned mail that seems to draw our attention... especially in this digital-driven world.

Let’s say, for instance, your grandmother takes the time to send you a handmade birthday card, complete with a lengthy handwritten note that wishes you well and tells you how great you are.

And then, one of your acquaintances writes a simple “Happy Birthday” on your Facebook timeline.

Which birthday greeting would be more meaningful for you?

Grandma’s, duhhhhh.

(Now if only we could get her to send homemade cookies next time, that would be perfect. But, I digress.)

Hey, Moguls, Cody Sperber at your service and my point here is: direct mail is NOT dead.

As an investor, you have the power to score amazing property deals by using direct mail as a marketing method. The key is: You need to do it in the right way.

And that’s where I come in…

I’m here to tell you how to use direct mail strategically to create income for your investing business.

The #1 way to develop a successful direct mail campaign is to create the right piece of mail that’s going to pique the recipients’ interest in contacting you... and to send these pieces to the right audience.

So, who should you send your direct mail pieces to, and how do you create the perfect piece?

That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Let’s hop to it!

Choosing Your Targets

Generally, you’re going to be interested in one of 2 audiences:

cash buyers
motivated sellers

If you’re hoping to snag the former (wow, don’t I sound fancy?), I would recommend using technology (which, of course, still has its value).

pkg By searching the MLS, or even using some super-fancy software programs that can instantly generate lists, you can easily find information on people who have recently done all-cash property transactions.

There are ways to find and pull these lists manually, but I don’t know that this is the best use of your time.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for motivated sellers, direct mail can be an awesome option.

To build your motivated seller list, I recommend checking out sites such as USLeadList or ListAbility. My favorite types of properties to look for are those who fall into these categories:

Absentee Owners with High Equity
Owner Occupants with High Equity
Inherited Properties
Probate
Foreclosure
Pre-Foreclosure
Code Violations

Now, there are a TON of other list options, such as the “recently divorced” list. But it’s important to keep in mind that lists such as these may require a lot of additional legwork on your part.

For instance, someone who is recently divorced may have never even owned a home. Or maybe they did, but had no equity in it. It would take a lot of detective work to sort out the homeowners with equity from the non-homeowners and those with no equity. And that’s a good deal of time wasted.

So, long story short: stick with the lists that you know are going to be winners. Once you have your list(s) compiled, it’s time to decide what you want to mail.

Phase 1: Plain Jane Postcards

I always recommend sending a 2-sided black and white postcard as the first mailing to the people on your list.

Why?

Because it’s cheap.

Remember, this is your first round of direct mail. It’s best to save as much money as possible, in case your list ends up having a bunch of duds who never contact you.

Also, you’ll probably get about 8%–10% of your postcards sent back to you, due to incorrect addresses. So, be smart with your money, and start with a simple black and white postcard.

Phase 2: Fancy-Schmancy Postcards

Once you’ve sent your initial round of plain-Jane postcards, and then scrubbed your mailing list of all the incorrect addresses, now it’s time to “glam up” your direct mail pieces.

For the second phase, I typically send either a yellow letter or a colorful postcard. This is the money-maker, so make sure you take your time designing it!

Every fancy-schmancy postcard should have:

A catchy headline – Don’t just slap on the traditional “I buy houses!” You might as well write, “Boring, boring, boring!” Jazz it up with something creative.
Awesome content – Instead of focusing on yourself, write engaging text that focuses on the potential seller and how you could solve a problem for them. The more you focus on them, the more interested they will be.
Easy-to-spot contact info – Your phone number, email, website, etc. should all be prominently displayed on the direct mail piece.
A “P.S.” line – I always like to add something along the lines of, “P.S. Throw this in a drawer and save it for later. You never know when having a ready-and-willing cash buyer at your fingertips would be good for you.” Anything that prevents them from immediately tossing your postcard in the recycle bin will work.
Handwritten additions – Jotting a quick note about the potential seller’s home or even just including a handwritten signature will really catch recipients’ attention.

Also, feel free to get creative with your mail piece. Heck, sometimes I even put a picture of my wife on my postcards... because – let’s be frank – her pretty face is much more likely to get responses than my ugly mug. ;-)

Now, let’s say that you get responses from a few potential sellers, but – after an initial discussion – they aren’t ready to settle for your offer. This is the time to pull out all the stops.

Phase 3: Lumpy Mail

Potential sellers who are somewhat interested in what you have to offer, but who aren’t willing to commit to anything yet, are the ones who deserve your best direct mail efforts.

Try sending a letter, written uniquely to them, with some type of object inside the envelope.

When people receive mail that is lumpy, they’re much more intrigued and excited to open it. You never know what’s inside!

It’s like the excited little kid who’s looking for the prize inside the Cracker Jack box. (Is that still a thing, BTW?)

And you can put anything inside the envelope – a bouncy ball, a sponge, a pencil, a coin. The possibilities are endless. The stranger, the better.

Folks, I once send a coconut in my lumpy mail. A coconut. That’s insane, right? But it’s not crazy if it works!

Figuring Out Where to Start

Now, if you’re on a shoestring budget, you may need to stick to the black and white postcards for awhile. And that’s okay! Anything is better than nothing.

As you build your business, and find mailing lists that seem to be generating more responses, that’s when it might be time to invest some money into direct mail marketing. Take it up a notch and get creative with the lumpy mail pieces.

Really, it’s all up to you. Decide what fits your business model and budget the best, and go with it.