I would love a dollar for every dollar I have made from direct mail. It is without doubt, my first love and secret weapon.
In the last 6 years I have had the pleasure and joy of sharing my direct mail knowledge and letters with thousands of real estate professionals who In turn, have used them to collectively earn millions of dollars in commission from new business they would not have otherwise had.
Yet the vast majority of agents who choose to use direct mail as part of their marketing continue to make some basic mistakes which costs them dearly in lost opportunities and the revenue that follows.
I’m about to share with you the direct mail secrets I learned almost by accident. It more than doubled my response rate from every mail out.
I believe there are too many real estate agents and not enough marketers, which means there is a huge opportunity for agents who know how to get results from their marketing.
The stunning fact is that it’s really not that hard to be good at marketing. Once you know the rules, you simply apply them and get it out so it can weave it’s magic.
If you’re ready to begin using direct mail as part of your marketing and get extra results every month, I have some great news.
Right now, your target market is being bombarded and spammed with email and Internet ads. This means the ‘connection’ ability of a good direct mail letter is substantially enhanced and I believe it will become even greater in years to come as the use of electronic communication and portable devices continues to grow.
The best way to structure and write your direct mail letter is to use the essential components. These were established by advertisers in the 1920s and are still every bit as powerful today.
If you have my Direct Mail Power program, you will quickly identify the six essential elements of an effective direct mail power letter:
1. An attention grabbing headline
2. What’s the problem issue your target is looking to solve?
3. Enhance and expand the problem
4. Offer the solution
5. Clearly communicate your call to action
6. The PS: Summarise points 1 through 5.
So what’s my secret? What little gem am I about to impart that will ensure greater success with every mail out?
Well actually there are two key essentials you need to observe. First, do not, under any circumstances, let your letter go out with your company or group logo on the envelope. It will reduce your open rate by 70 to 80% And second, (watch how well this works) address each letter by hand.
So imagine this: You arrive home from work one evening and empty your mailbox. There are 6 items. 3 bills (boring) 1 flyer from your local pizza joint (yawn) 1 crappy marketing card from an agent offering you a ‘Free Appraisal’ (really? …they’re free?) and a clean white envelope with your name and address neatly hand written on the front. Which one are you going to open first? Which one is more appealing? Which one stands out with a hint of excitement and opportunity?
There’s a whole lot more to direct mail and I will be dedicating some time at our live events this November (2011) to give you some short cuts and critical ‘must haves’ so you can get started straight away and join the thousands of successful agents who use direct response marketing to attract now sellers, build contacts and keep their listing pipeline full 12 months of the year.