Best small direct mailing service

[Jake Boss]

Hello,

I am looking to send out around 80-100 direct mail brochures looking for potential purchase leads. Just wanted to get some suggestions on best service to use. I created an excel sheet with owners names, addresses, etc. Is there a simple and cost efficient service that I can just upload my excel and create a brochure online and have the service bulk send them out? Any suggestions? As I do not need anything fancy or anything.

I have personally printed and mailed flyers in the past but wanted to send out a-little more and save time this time around.

Any tips or suggestions would be wonderful!

Thanks so much!

[Jerryll Noorden]

The most common mistake investors make is blindly following others.

First, you need to answer why direct mail marketing? If you have  any specific reason why specifically you are doing DMM then maybe, but "everyone is doing it" is NOT a reason. 

If you have a really specific list of people for a specific reason (not absentee owners) why you are sending them then maybe...

Secondly, what is the close rate of DMM? (I said close rate, not open rate). 0.5%

That means if you sent 100 mailers, less than a whole person will close. So mathematically, you will make zero deals sending 100 mailers. Back in the day when I was a mere mortal doing DMM I got one or 1 deal every 3500 mailers I sent.

Just so you get a perspective.

So did you actually do the math and research on marketing? MEVER EVER wing marketing. You are literally throwing money away.

I wouldn't do DMM. If you did Facebook ads or PPC chances are you will get far better results than DMM.

[John Battle]

I think most direct mail companies offer very similar pricing. If you're just doing 100 post cards it's probably somewhere from .5-.7 depending on what their bulk discount is. I wouldn't get carried away with price shopping unless you're increasing the mailers. That extra .1 isn't going to make the difference if you're profitable on 100 mailers. If you ever want to discuss adding some leads feel free to reach out. 

[Jerryll Noorden]

The most common mistake investors make is blindly following others.

First, you need to answer why direct mail marketing? If you have  any specific reason why specifically you are doing DMM then maybe, but "everyone is doing it" is NOT a reason. 

If you have a really specific list of people for a specific reason (not absentee owners) why you are sending them then maybe...

Secondly, what is the close rate of DMM? (I said close rate, not open rate). 0.5%

That means if you sent 100 mailers, less than a whole person will close. So mathematically, you will make zero deals sending 100 mailers. Back in the day when I was a mere mortal doing DMM I got one or 1 deal every 3500 mailers I sent.

Just so you get a perspective.

So did you actually do the math and research on marketing? MEVER EVER wing marketing. You are literally throwing money away.

I wouldn't do DMM. If you did Facebook ads or PPC chances are you will get far better results than DMM.

[Curt Smith]

I like Jerryll, he can be a bit preachy re the virtues and marvels of putting up a website and paying for SEO to drive motivated sellers...   I feel its not as simple or cheap as Jerryll says.  But he's posted stats in the past.

But RE his comments and math on DM he's 200%.   My market here is Atlanta and its always been one of the hottest places for OOS wholesalers and local wholesalers.   The groups of wholesalers I tap into say $5k / month, every month to get 3-5 deals /month.   Thats not a practical scenario for us small timers.  Plus why mail the same lists as they are mailing!!   

#1 pick a scneario no one else is mailing.  IE don't bother absentee, everyone is mailing those UNLESS you are mailing 3rtiary markests, small towns.  IE Do what others aren't

#2 use a technology others aren'ty.   Last year and year before SMS was that other technoloogy, both cheap and had high open  rate.  BUT with newer anti spam regs, high fines, and the networks are implementing filters that catch the blind SMS with a long list of key words and they are just dumping (not delivering) the SMS.  So our $$ is being wasted and potentially if we do a lot of SMS/day can get caught and big fines.

#3 what else.  Well Jerrylls website + SEO is always fine free, and other then picking the domain name to match a teriary market and paying for SEO its one idea.  IE you buy a bunch of domains and edit the text in the site to match that location;   CurtBuysHousesInsomesmalltownName.com blabla.

#4  learn google PPC, and put up ads.  Same for Facebook PPC.  Cost is inbetween DM and ...  well its still expensive.  I'm getting 5 decent leads / week off facebook targeted marketing with PPC and costing me $400-$600/mo.  No deals yet and been spending for 6 mo all for 5 leads / week.  Cost per deal will be pretty high its looking like..  ;(    I can see how the Zuckerberg is a zillioaire and how FB makes so much money.   ;(    Its very complicated (for me) and was lucky to hook up with a young guy who offered to run the campaigns if I pay and I give him a finders fee for a deal.   I just don't want to figure out FB or google or SEO for that mater.

Best of luck.  There is no silver bullet.  Hard work and spending some decent $$$$ is what it takes.  You can always door knock the reputed king of lead gen.  No fat cat in CA with a credit card can out compete you standing on the door stoop of a seller!!

[Jerryll Noorden]

Originally posted by @Curt Smith:

I like Jerryll, he can be a bit preachy re the virtues and marvels of putting up a website and paying for SEO to drive motivated sellers...   I feel its not as simple or cheap as Jerryll says.  But he's posted stats in the past.

But RE his comments and math on DM he's 200%.   My market here is Atlanta and its always been one of the hottest places for OOS wholesalers and local wholesalers.   The groups of wholesalers I tap into say $5k / month, every month to get 3-5 deals /month.   Thats not a practical scenario for us small timers.  Plus why mail the same lists as they are mailing!!   

#1 pick a scneario no one else is mailing.  IE don't bother absentee, everyone is mailing those UNLESS you are mailing 3rtiary markests, small towns.  IE Do what others aren't

#2 use a technology others aren'ty.   Last year and year before SMS was that other technoloogy, both cheap and had high open  rate.  BUT with newer anti spam regs, high fines, and the networks are implementing filters that catch the blind SMS with a long list of key words and they are just dumping (not delivering) the SMS.  So our $$ is being wasted and potentially if we do a lot of SMS/day can get caught and big fines.

#3 what else.  Well Jerrylls website + SEO is always fine free, and other then picking the domain name to match a teriary market and paying for SEO its one idea.  IE you buy a bunch of domains and edit the text in the site to match that location;   CurtBuysHousesInsomesmalltownName.com blabla.

#4  learn google PPC, and put up ads.  Same for Facebook PPC.  Cost is inbetween DM and ...  well its still expensive.  I'm getting 5 decent leads / week off facebook targeted marketing with PPC and costing me $400-$600/mo.  No deals yet and been spending for 6 mo all for 5 leads / week.  Cost per deal will be pretty high its looking like..  ;(    I can see how the Zuckerberg is a zillioaire and how FB makes so much money.   ;(    Its very complicated (for me) and was lucky to hook up with a young guy who offered to run the campaigns if I pay and I give him a finders fee for a deal.   I just don't want to figure out FB or google or SEO for that mater.

Best of luck.  There is no silver bullet.  Hard work and spending some decent $$$$ is what it takes.  You can always door knock the reputed king of lead gen.  No fat cat in CA with a credit card can out compete you standing on the door stoop of a seller!!

It is simple and easy when I am there helping you ;) ;) wink wink 

[Tim Oppelt]

Originally posted by @Curt Smith:

I like Jerryll, he can be a bit preachy re the virtues and marvels of putting up a website and paying for SEO to drive motivated sellers...   I feel its not as simple or cheap as Jerryll says.  But he's posted stats in the past.

But RE his comments and math on DM he's 200%.   My market here is Atlanta and its always been one of the hottest places for OOS wholesalers and local wholesalers.   The groups of wholesalers I tap into say $5k / month, every month to get 3-5 deals /month.   Thats not a practical scenario for us small timers.  Plus why mail the same lists as they are mailing!!   

#1 pick a scneario no one else is mailing.  IE don't bother absentee, everyone is mailing those UNLESS you are mailing 3rtiary markests, small towns.  IE Do what others aren't

#2 use a technology others aren'ty.   Last year and year before SMS was that other technoloogy, both cheap and had high open  rate.  BUT with newer anti spam regs, high fines, and the networks are implementing filters that catch the blind SMS with a long list of key words and they are just dumping (not delivering) the SMS.  So our $$ is being wasted and potentially if we do a lot of SMS/day can get caught and big fines.

#3 what else.  Well Jerrylls website + SEO is always fine free, and other then picking the domain name to match a teriary market and paying for SEO its one idea.  IE you buy a bunch of domains and edit the text in the site to match that location;   CurtBuysHousesInsomesmalltownName.com blabla.

#4  learn google PPC, and put up ads.  Same for Facebook PPC.  Cost is inbetween DM and ...  well its still expensive.  I'm getting 5 decent leads / week off facebook targeted marketing with PPC and costing me $400-$600/mo.  No deals yet and been spending for 6 mo all for 5 leads / week.  Cost per deal will be pretty high its looking like..  ;(    I can see how the Zuckerberg is a zillioaire and how FB makes so much money.   ;(    Its very complicated (for me) and was lucky to hook up with a young guy who offered to run the campaigns if I pay and I give him a finders fee for a deal.   I just don't want to figure out FB or google or SEO for that mater.

Best of luck.  There is no silver bullet.  Hard work and spending some decent $$$$ is what it takes.  You can always door knock the reputed king of lead gen.  No fat cat in CA with a credit card can out compete you standing on the door stoop of a seller!!

I started a Google PPC campaign for an investor in Atlanta I’ll keep you posted on the numbers!

[Jason N.]

Hello @Jake Boss. I think we can help you with that and beat the numbers mentioned in this thread. I've sent you a contact request.