Unfortunately, it will be kind of difficult to give you a definitive answer as different markets and demographics react differently to letters and postcards.
What Dan said is a great advantage for postcards; it's a quick and dirty method to do testing in your area.
I normally use letters for more serious issues, as they take more time to compile (i.e. code violations). If I don't have to though, I will normally use postcards as often as possible.
It was impossible to find any cohesive threads on which postcard fulfillment place was best to use.
So I found and compared the dozen best ones and compiled a side-by-side analysis, with pro's and con's of each.
If you're serious about postcard campaigns and want this info to help you out, just PM me and I'll gladly email you my research.
Also because I will be curious, please just include a short note on:
- the area you're from
- what investing you do
- what campaigns you're using postcards for
- what your successes have been so far and what tips you might have
I'm new to investing so I have no info to back results. My questions is? Ok say the cost to send a yellow letter is 2.5 times as expensive to send a post card campaign And you get a 2.5% response with postcards and a 4% response with yellow letters what worked the best? So postcards got a lesser response rate but your ROI is better correct?
This is just what I have noticed recently, but my letters receive better feedback in urban neighborhoods and the postcards do better in the suburban areas. Not sure what the reasoning is behind that.
Letters more personal...postcards more professional??? What do you guys think?
Our company has used Modern Postcard to do direct mail for us. We do residential remodeling work. MP has a nice way to target by zip code and other issues and their staff is helpful. Not sure about the fit with your needs, but you can play with their set up systems and get a free quote in about 5 minutes.
I have never used MP for real estate investing work.
Typical call response is 2-4% within the first 2 weeks of mailing it. We send stuff that is good looking, so people hang onto the cards, hand then around to others, and so an attractive card has a long "shelf time" where its still working for you.
Speaking of value. If you add an offer of a free report/pamphlet etc. on your postcard or business card it becomes even more valuable and the person is even more likely to visit your website and keep the card around longer.
By the way, who says you have to only use one or the other...you guys aren't forgetting that you should be sending out 7 mailers to the same person right? Make part of them postcards & try part of them letters.
I recently read somewhere that all of the testing of color and copy doesn't matter as much as the repetition.
Mike,
I would focus on cost per lead including list cost as well as time required. If you get into huge amounts of direct mail I'm wondering whether availability of a large enough list will be a problem, in which case you would want to go with whatever gets you the highest response rate even if it costs more.
I preffer postcards when sending to mailing lists. I send letters on more of an individual basis and is usually personalized to there property, situation and past conversations.
Postcards are the #1 advertising tool you can use. I am reading that some personalize to clients by sending them letters. My question is why? If they are in a situation, whether you send a postcard or letter they will get in contact with you.
I have been using postcards for 7 yrs and I will not or would not change. I get more responses from the content of the postcard than any letter. Many letters do not even get opened because the sellers get bombarded with them.
Postcards do not have to be opened and I disagree with those that say you can not get enough content on a postcard. My postcard has everything that a seller would want to read on it. PM me and I might send you one.
Jonathan,
I mistakenly thought you were talking about melissadata, in my original post.
I am using click2mail also, and I find it difficult to construct a postcard with the controls for editing the postcards not being responsive and working properly all the time...
It is hard for me to say which would be best. I have tried typed letters that were signed, HANDWRITTEN letters (quick notes), and postcards- but they were all for different types of deals.
I agree with Dan with the whole "test it yourself" approach. Try a few different ones and track the success rate.
I am so late to the response on this and I am sorry. I love the mail merge system with Click2mail but like you they change things and the editor is non responsive....I don't know if it is something with Internet Explorer...who knows. But I am using my greeting cards and post cards from my own online account. They are more expensive, but the response is better.
I use sendoutcards for my mailings, it's all done online, and they mail it for me. i can still use my own handwriting and signature, store all my contacts and do bulk mailing, but never have to leave the laptop.
I too have migrated our wholesystem to Send Out Cards. It has taken me a few months to look at our list and really hone in on our demographics of where we really want to buy and sell. What was interesting is that I was mailing about 5,000 click2mail post cards. Now I have them down to 4 zipcodes and my number is 1,500 cards.