Posted by Alex Gurevich, TX on August 08, 2001 at 14:45:26:
Fundametally, direct mail works. However, the only way to find out how direct mail (or any other marketing, including ads, e-mails, websites, etc.) will work for you is to test and tweak. It may work wonders or it may bomb.
The effectiveness of your campaign will depend on how well you:
- Select a market (target list of receipients)
- create a compelling enough message for them to resond
Your success will also depend whether you can commit to multiple mailings to the same target audience. It often takes several “hits” to get response, especially so for people who are not actively advertising to sell their homes. It’s similar to having an ad in the paper. Sometimes you go without any good calls for 3 months, then that $50,000 call comes.
As far as wording, I’d suggest resisting the temptation to rub it in their face that the house needs fix-up. Rather try a “let me introduce myself and what I can do for you…” theme of your message.