BiggerPockets

The later of the two

The second one will have better leads, but less of them. The best part is THEY CONTACTED YOU, as opposed to postcards/letters where you are contacting them.

I know when I sort through the mail, unless I recognize the business (or they blow me away with a great design), I won't read it.

Thus, I agree that it's always best to use opt-in lists than buying.

Another alternative (although less personal), is to include your postcard in a mail-drop or inside your local newspaper. Since this is less personal, make your advertising less like advertising, by including tips or articles of interest to buyers/sellers.

While I agree that the internet provides a better resource for lead generation, my question stems from which method actually produces more sales or a higher success ratio of "sales".

Jim,

A most complete and beneficial response. I thank you. You make some very valid points and concepts to think about.
I do have a very good website with a large amount of traffic, so I could do both, but I am not an internet marketing expert, so I lack in that department. I have a long back ground in the printing industry as well ( I owned and operated a printing company for over 12 years).

Thanks again for your advice and tips.
Would you happen to have any advice for me to be most effective on the interent marketing side of the coin?

I was going to start a thread but I figure me asking which is the best way to market is essentially the same thing as this thread.

For those who feel internet marketing is the way to go how do you get people to your site? Do you search absentee owners and promote your site with a postcard or do just promote through the internet? I guess I am just struggling to understand how you can only market on the internet.

I would be using this for wholesaling as well as rentals and what not if that would impact any answer...

I would say for me with actual numbers. That both can work, as stated previously, but I have had such a high success rate with the post cards until it is unreal.

One reason I see this is because I have actually looked at others and as stated by Ashley that if it is something that does not catch your eye or interest you then you are not going to respond.

I have been in this business for over 6yrs and I have never used anything, but postcards. But, for those of you who are thinking that how can I compare, here's how. My colleague started that same time I did and she took a SEMINAR on marketing and they told her to target a area and then send out letters on a lime green and then to personalize the outside of the letter.

Well I have to say that at the time she got BOMBARDED with return replys, but they were for bad areas and rough houses. Now when she tried the same approach on the more affluent neighborhoods the results were VERY DISAPPOINTING. She would target zip codes of neighborhoods that she wanted to work and then put a piece in the mail. If she sent 1000 she got 2 or 3 calls.

Now using the postcard method and I target PRE FORCLOSURES and vacant and abandoned homes. My response rate is high. If I send out 1000 postcards which many time I do in a month. I will get someback maybe 35% will be returned, but I will bet about 20% reply and that is what I look for. Sometimes I get a call off of a postcard 3 mths after I have sent it out because the client is checking out all avenues and when they feel like all hope is lost that is when they call me.

Now the key to a successful postcard is the style and the wording, but after all that the MAIN KEY to me is the 800#. Without this I do not know where I would be today. 24/7 days a wk someone is answering my calls. We gave them 4 scripts and they ask you the questions on the script and after that they forward the info to me so that I can take a look at it before I get in contact with you. So basically I know what I am dealing with before we ever talk.

Great way to generate business. I can come to any of your cities and use my postcard, which by the way I have and guess what they still work. I get calls and I forward the info to someone that I am working with.

In today's world it is not about who has the best or the prettiest. It is about who gets RESULTS and I do.

Hope that I was able to help you with the questions that you posed.

Great posts and ideas, keep them coming! This is an extremely beneficial thread for many.

There is an online system where you can send out cards and it manages your contacts for you. i believe it's called send out cards. Anyone heard of it?

I definitely think that both options work. Depends on the area and the kind of people in the area.

Just keep on trying both to see what works for you!