Direct Mail

[Zachary Robertson]

I'm sure there are tons of different ways to do this but I was wondering if some of you guys could share with me the order in which you send out different mailers... 

Do I start with a postcard first? Pros vs. Cons?

Hand written letters?

Other options?

Any feedback helps! Thanks guys!

I'm in the Columbus, Ohio area as well

[James Reynante]

I have found that it is okay to start with either postcards or yellow letters, but the most important thing is to START. I know of two RE investing newbies that agonized over which method to begin with... one of them spent almost 8 weeks (YIKES!) before finally deciding to start with postcards. In the end the only thing that he really accomplished was to delay getting his first check by almost 8 weeks.

Just a couple of points regarding my own experience:

• I get a better response rate from yellow letters (6.2%) vs postcards (about 1%)
• Direct mail is easily my most successful method of marketing for sellers
• I have a VA scrape FSBOs in Craigslist, and then email/text the sellers
• I also have a VA scrape "For Rent" ads in Craigslist... hoping to find tired landlords that may be considering selling their rental property
• I have not tried putting out bandit signs ("We Buy Houses"), but some people swear by them.

The biggest piece of advice that I can give: You need to start doing something (just one thing) and then keep doing it consistently. After you get that one method fine-tuned and working, add a second method. Just make sure that you always keep your marketing consistent and regular, so that your incoming deal flow is consistent and regular.

Good Luck to you!!