Flippers:Do you put your logo and/or picture on your direct mail?

Question

For the flippers out there who do their own direct mail campaigns. Do you put your company logo and/or picture on your direct mail pieces so that recipients can build familiarity with your brand and that you're a real person?

Branding is important to me on the sell side. Part of my longer term strategy is to over the next few years build up a good brand and relationship with brokers and home buyers in my farm area so that when a house I'm brining back to life hits the market, everyone wants to see it and put an offer on it

I guess I'm looking for guidance from those more experienced ...will having this same brand on my direct mail pieces be a positive or negative thing?

James Masotti · Answer

@Ned Carey - That was along the lines of what I was thinking with the picture...like trying to send the message that I'm not out there to hoodwink you...I'm an actual person looking to solve your problem...I just don't know if the company logo would defeat part of that though? I'd rather be transparent...but that might scare of buyers from calling in the first place...

I guess that's why you say it all depends and to try them both and see what works.

James Masotti · Answer

Chris Mason Great points on the glamor shot! I never thought of that because I don't really ever get post cards from realtors looking for listings.

James Masotti · Answer

@Justin Silverio - Yeah if I was going to do a picture...it was going to be of my wife and I, not just my BP profile picture. Another thought I had was to stick with the logo for now...and then maybe in a future mailing to the same address add in the photo. Kind of like building that relationship over time. Anyone ever tried anything like this before?

Justin Silverio · Answer

@James Masotti I would agree with including your logo but not a "glamour shot".  As Chris pointed out, this is very common practice in the RE agent industry so you may come off as an agent.  That's not the impression that you want.

However, if you do want to test, I'd recommend using a picture of your family.  I've used this in a longer, professional type letter in the past and got some pretty good results.

Al Wilson · Answer

I have developed/paid for a logo. Reasonably certain no one cares what I look like.

James Masotti · Answer

@Al Wilson and @Mark Brogan - Curious why yes on the logo and no on the picture would you mind elaborating more on your reasoning?

Mark Brogan · Answer

logo yes pic no

@James Masotti

Ned Carey · Answer

Some do some do not. Testing side by side is the way to determine what is the best marketing. What works with one list; say pre foreclosure, may not work as well with another list like high equity long term ownership.

Personally I think if you are going directly to sellers the more personal, and less corporate approach I think is best. My theory is if they want slick and professional they will call an agent.

Chris Mason · Answer

I'm not a flipper, so take this with a grain of salt.

People are going to spend about 0.5 seconds looking at your mailer before deciding if they want to read it or throw it away.

During that 0.5 seconds, I wouldn't want anything to give the impression that I'm just another real estate agent looking for a listing. Glamour shot of you smiling is going to look like you're a realtor, and I'd guess that it'll be more likely to be thrown out during that 0.5 seconds.

You're not an agent, you are a BUYER. I'd want that to be what they see in that 0.5 seconds. Personally, I'd be much more inclined to have "I WANT TO BUY YOUR HOUSE ALL CASH!!! NOT A WHOLESALER & WE CLOSE ON *YOUR* SCHEDULE" in giant letters be what they see, not a glamour shot of me.