Once you become seriously engaged in real estate direct marketing, you will discover the need to know well your customer. There are a multitude of lists out there to choose from, and it’s difficult to identify which mailing lists your prospects are included. There may even be several lists which you have not associated with your target customer, but have been found to be effective lists for real estate direct marketing.

So as you struggle with trying to decide exactly who you’ll target with your next postcard mailing searching for good homes in which to invest, why not turn to a direct mail broker? He can provide you with a list of “seriously motivated sellers.” Now doesn’t that sound like a list you want to use?

Mailing list brokers make their living “renting” direct-marketers just like you names and addresses of people who are in certain demographic segments of society. If you were a nutritional health company, you may be searching for those individuals who are known to have bought dietary supplements in the past.

These mailing list providers lease out contact information of people grouped by various criteria such as demographics, lifestyle, interests, education, buying history and etc. For example, if you are selling exercise videos, the list of people who have previously brought nutritional supplements through direct mail will be a good list for you.

Aside from giving you a more targeted list of prospects, these data brokers can refine the list to people whose purchases reached a specified amount.

The reason for their asking the mailing date is to avoid double mailing from some other direct marketers. This gives you an opportunity to mail, without worrying about your competitor’s postcard sitting in the mail box the very same day.

The reason why they insist on knowing your mailing date is to avoid any double mailing from other direct marketers. It gives everyone a chance to mail without having his competitor’s postcard sitting in the mail box on the same day. If you want to use these same names a second time, then you’ll have to rent them again. If something about your mailing date changes, check with your broker immediately.

As these brokers earn on renting names, they want to make sure that the names provided to you, gives you utmost benefit. That’s the reason many of them, especially when it’s about real estate market, update their lists in 3 months. So that you can get new names to use.

And the additional beauty of all of this is that it saves you time and effort of scrounging through your local legal news, your courthouse or other resources discovering and collecting them on your own. And that frees you up to do what you do best: make money!

Now where can you find the names of list brokers? If you reside in a big city, you may find some in yellow pages. Or you may just search it in the internet by typing “mailing list brokers’ real estate”, and in no time you’ll have a list to choose from, once you do this, your postcard mailing will be more effective-for sure!

Any real estate investor would want to make his first postcard mailing to be effective. There are simple ways in order to make this possible.

So if a real estate investor wants his real estate direct mail to work, what are the best steps to take?

Joe Vitale, an expert in marketing, emphasizes the four keys that any investor must take notice of in order to come up with an efficient copywriting.

To have the right Problem Key, your copy must be able to express your prospect’s problem in a way that helps him feel that you fully understand his problem and what he is going through. Hence, before starting any real estate direct marketing campaign, you must know your prospects well.

For the problem key, be sure to make your customer feel that you understand what he is going through and that you empathize with him. Of course, you must know the background of your prospects in order to do this.

The promise key opens his mind to the idea that you have the experience and skills to be able to quickly sell his home at a good price.

In this instance, proof comes in the form of showing him others you have helped, providing him with testimonials of former customers who have worked with you successfully. You can even narrate some heartfelt success stories of how people’s lives have been changed dramatically once they used your service.

Great proof keys are made up of customer testimonials and genuine narratives of prospects like them who were reluctant to sell their homes, but after accepting your offer, discovered that they should have made the decision sooner!

Lastly, you should also include the Price key in your real estate direct marketing copy. Usually, the price is the main concern of every prospect. This time, tell your prospect your offer and how much it would cost him if he doesn’t take it.

So go check your copy right now. You will greatly lower your marketing expenses if your real estate postcard marketing copy contains these 4 keys to unlocking the gate that is stopping your prospects from accepting your offer.

Here’s a great way to not only talk directly with the recipients of your postcard mailing a second time, but to get even more of your marketing material into their hands.

Offer them something free, put their mind at ease that there are no strings attached, and just provide them with a guide which they could turn to when time comes to sell their house.

For example, you may want to offer them a free report entitled, “7 Reasons why selling your home now is a smart move,” or “15 Ways to Avoid Foreclosure.” This report can be nothing more than reasons you’ve already mentioned in your postcard mailing. But in the report you get the chance to dig deeper into these reasons, to explain further and more fully how profitable it can be for them.

Give them your number to call then you can send them the report. And of course, this simple act gives you the marvelous opportunity to collect these particular names and addresses and set them aside. Then in a week or so, send a second follow-up postcard campaign aimed specifically at those you ordered this report.

This follow-up real estate postcard marketing mail should highlight a couple of key solutions discussed in your free white paper.

Giving free offers and sending follow-up real estate postcard marketing mails has been a proven moneymaking method for entrepreneurs for decades.

Yes, I know you’re giving it away for free. And it seems a little “spendthrift-ish” to spend money on something you distribute for free. But this report is nothing less than a powerful “income-generating” marketing tool. Trust me on this one. It is well worth the money you invest in it.

Now-a-days it’s a very common practice among direct marketers; they put their firm’s details like name, address, phone number, website on every page. It can be easily done by using the “header” and “footer” tools on your word processing program on your computer.

To ensure a good return in your investment in real estate postcard marketing, follow the basic rules in real estate marketing. Have your contact information printed clearly. Make your free report available online.

Also adopt the latest trend in real estate direct marketing which is to have your contact information printed on each page of your free report. This will help you and your company to become first in your prospect’s mind for your services. So why not start developing that free whitepaper right now?

Sometimes it happens that your postcard mailing, doesn’t give you enough leads or sales for your real estate investment firm.

It leaves you in shock that what may be the reason. Well, you are not alone in this. You check statistics, study it with different perspective, but still are unable to find the reason. You question yourself why did the mailing fail? Where had you been wrong? Which part of the matter was not impressive enough? Was it because of the headline or text, or because you had not put enough or convincing testimonials?

So do you consider your real estate direct mail copy as junk and throw it away? No. You are now about to engage in the scientific and investigative work of real estates direct marketing. Like a CSI detective, you will keep on testing the copy to discover what works.

First I would like to state that I am a “collector” of junk mails. Some collect coins, some stamps, some Mickey Mouse items. I believe junk mail is worth its weight in gold in my business.

How did this idea of direct junk mail farm come about? My name was listed multiple times in mailing lists. Most probably whenever I signed-up for something, I wrote my name and address a bit differently. Or I used shortened versions of my name when I am in a hurry.

So I get a chance to receive mailings twice. I find many times that mailing are not identical, I understood this is how a firm “tests” it’s copy, each mailing with a different code, which they track to see which mailing was producing better results.

You would think that testing real estate marketing materials would require sending entirely different materials and see which one people liked better. This is not what happens at all. Instead, you will only change one item such as a headline, or one photo. Then send them out again.

It may be a different headline. Or you may decide to place different testimonials on the postcard. It really doesn’t matter what you change. Use your gut instincts. Just make sure to change one item only at a time. Then mail it. When the results roll in, then you can compare it to the previous one.

You may change the headline, the testimonials, it’s not of importance what you change, use your instincts and change only one element at a time, then mail. Then you can compare the outcome of two different ones. Has this performed better or worse? If still you are dissatisfied, in next mailing select one more item to change.

Yes, this does take patience on your part. But you’ll be surprised how you can perfect a less than stellar performance into an effective direct-marketing postcard campaign for your real estate investing firm. Just give it a try!

So what is the largest word in the English language? No, I’m not talking about the words with the most letters or even the word that’s the hardest to pronounce. I’m talking about the word that’s about to become one of your favorites. And that’s the word “because” Yes! Because this word can seemingly work magic at convincing the recipients of your postcards that using your service is the most beneficial step they could possibly take.

Perhaps this is the most persuasive word in the English language. Don’t take my word for it because the persuasive strength of this seven-letter word has already been tested through an ingenious experiment. And it passed the test with flying colors.

A psychologist, questioning as to what just driven individuals to doom actions, placed an individual at the back of a contour of grouping waiting to multiply documents at a public copier.

Now, think that you are in a line, a long line it is, all with the corresponding work: to achieve copies of whatsoever they encompass in cooperation. The person in front of this psychologist initially asked the man before him if he could get to the fore of him in series without giving any reason.

As you can well imagine, the answer was no. And the individual asked in this manner several times to several people in several different lines. Overwhelmingly, the answer was no. But then the researcher provided the person in front of him with a reason for the request. And he made sure he used the simple (yet powerful) word “because.” The positive response improved dramatically. And it made no difference really the reason he gave once he used the word “because.” The defining fact was simply that he gave a reason. He even tested this by simply saying, “Because I have to make copies.”

Next, the researcher asked the actor to offer a reason introduced by the word ‘because’ and the percentage of customers who responded positively significantly increased.

Next the researcher just asked the actor to offer an unconvincing reason with the word ‘because’. The researcher was amazed because it still worked! You know what the reason the actor used? It was just “because I want to duplicate some docs.” Totally unexpected but this how most of us respond to the word “because.”

You can harness the power of “because” just like the person in the copier line did. Don’t just ask if the homeowner wants to sell provide him with reasons for selling - and selling to you. Be sure when you do this you use the highly effective word “because.”

Boost your prospects response rate by giving them reasons/benefits to positively act on your offer and by using the word ‘because’ to introduce these reasons/benefits.

Most importantly, do not make a conclusion that some reasons why your prospect should choose you need not be placed on the real estate direct mail because you take it for granted that this info are well-known. It’s not true at all. Since the word ‘because’ plus the reasons for choosing you are highly persuasive, they should never be omitted or replaced in you real estate direct marketing copy at all!

Want to charge-up the persuasiveness of your real estate postcard marketing campaign? Then rather than listing your achievements and business history (boring!), let your past customers speak for you.

You don’t have to sign-up your clients as your sales associates. All you need to do is to request them for a simple write-up on their experience with your service and how you were able to help them.

An avowedly, honest and compelling testimonial from a slaked consumer is untold like an image - it has a value of 1000 words. You can try to convince your audience till your pen runs out of ink that your delivery is surface worth their abstraction and liveliness. But, confronting it, you’ve got a vested involved in narration fill that - you need to kind money.

On the remaining mitt, someone who is volunteering their really affirmative participation is much more convincing. I’ve seen whatever direct-mail for products that is nothing but two pages or more of testimonials.

Your prospective clients would always feel compelled to confirm what you say from an objective party. They are also interested in who previously purchased your services. Real estate direct marketing satisfies this social need by creating the testimonial section.

Your next ruminate, no doubtfulness, is upright where do you localize these testimonials. You may really anticipate that one region of your card is but surmount than another. Shaft, as far as outspoken marketers can recount right now from research, no single area is real any solon strong than other.

If you feel you don’t have space on the message side of your postcard, look to the front. That’s right the area that’s reserved for the address. Why not put a short testimonial or two on the front.

When I worked as a copywriter for a nutritional supplement company, we routinely placed to testimonials on the front side of any postcard mailing we’d create. And I must tell you that our postcards received an absolutely outstanding response rate! Of course, if you can place them any where on the other side as well it only increases the potency of your marketing campaign.

Testimonials tell your audience that you’ve already done business in a professional manner. More than that, they show your audience that you’re just not generating hype. Anyone can send a postcard telling you they can buy your house in 48 hours. But not everyone can actually do that. If you have a customer - or two or three - you can tell them for you, then you’ve overcome their initial, innate hesitancy.

So, be sure to allow one or much testimonials in your incoming postcard transmission. If you’ve never used them before, fitting be equipped for an inflated response in your real estate investment Campaigning safari.

Reframing your postcard message positively can significantly change the impact of your real estate direct mail on the actions of your prospective customers. This simply means constructing your message in a way that focuses your customers’ attention to what you want them to do to help your response rate soar.

And that’s how you should approach the text and tone of your next message. Work from the assumption that your audience will do business with you. Of course, they’ll do business with you. Why should they go anywhere else?

Writing in this manner may seem a bit presumptive at first. But, I assure you its well worth your time to cultivate this very profitable habit.

I know, you might think you are being too forward. However, writing positively in your real estate direct mail can increase your response rate. Why not test this idea?

Not only that, use persuasive logic that creates a natural conclusion that doing business with you is a sensible action. So, use phrases that lead your reader to where you want them to be. Words such as “undoubtedly,” “as you can clearly see,” “without a doubt,” as well as “it’s clear that . . .” give you a subtle edge in encouraging your audience that contracting with your firm is the proper action.

When you bush your sales book with this text, you’re creating a unbleached mindset with your customer that your pair is the exclusive formal quality for him. And when you pair this with a competent enjoin to process, you’ll shortly discover that the combination works similarly as gangbusters.

The unit writ is called “subliminal” writing. This method of activity can be compared to sowing a seed in the cognition of your audience that yet germinates into the intent of using your real estate investment service. When (note the verbiage!) you do this, your activity measure will process. Surefire!

If you question me on this, just expend the direct-mail material you make prevarication around your concern. Occupy out a highlighter. Now read at minimal publicity, sooner two or trinity. Whenever you come crosswise specified module as “when” “without an incertitude” or any another phrase that “assumes” the outcome the marketing desires, highlight it.

When you fulfill this simplex exertion, you’ll get an untold clearer air of what I’m conversing about. Not only that, but you’ll be accumulating a number of words and phrases for possible use in your coming mailings as fortunate.

So when creating your real estate direct marketing materials, try to reframe your content positively. Get your prospects thought processes ready to act on the call to action written in your real estate direct mail!

Require forcing up your next card transmittal? Then go one tread beyond merely yarn your audience what your real investment industry has made for others in the preceding - let your customers know them.

No you don’t have to enlist your former customers to telephone prospects. Instead use the powerful direct-marketing tool called the testimonial. If you’ve been in business long enough, it’s easy enough to ask a satisfied customer to write a couple sentences (it really doesn’t need to be any long than this) about how they benefited from your services.

An avowedly, honest and compelling testimonial from a slaked consumer is untold like an image - it has a value of 1000 words. You can try to convince your audience till your pen runs out of ink that your delivery is surface worth their abstraction and liveliness. But, confronting it, you’ve got a vested involved in narration fill that - you need to kind money.

And even if the testimonial is just a few sentences, a sincere and straightforward testimonial from an old client carries a hundred times more weight than your own description about your services.

Your prospective clients would always feel compelled to confirm what you say from an objective party. They are also interested in who previously purchased your services. Real estate direct marketing satisfies this social need by creating the testimonial section.

Your next question, no doubt, is just where do you place these testimonials. You may truly believe that one area of your postcard is simply better than another. Well, as far as direct marketers can tell right now from research, no single area is really any more effective than another.

So don’t attempt to put words in your customers’ mouth. They can do a better job than you. What you can do instead is just to introduce their testimonials with a simple sentence or phrase such as, “What our customers say about our service:”

When I worked as a copywriter for a nutritional matter company, we routinely set to testimonials on the figurehead support of any postcard transmitting we’d create. And I must enjoin you that our postcards acknowledged dead spectacular greeting orders! Of direction, if you can rank them any where on the remaining broadside as recovered it only increases the effectiveness of your marketing safari.

Or, you can group all of them together on the right side of your real estate direct mail. Another great suggestion for real estate postcard marketing campaigns is to place a couple of testimonials on the front of the card.

So, be sure to include one or more testimonials in your next postcard mailing. If you’ve never used them before, just be prepared for an increased response in your real estate investment campaign.

Can’t find the right word to say on your message in your real estate postcard marketing campaign? Are you thinking with a blank word processing screen opened right now?

By now, you have already diligently chosen a mailing list provider. Together you have figured out the mailing list that is best for your real estate postcard marketing campaign. The printing store has also confirmed that they can do the work at your price. But you don’t have your copy yet!

No dubiousness you’ve got a cumulus of postcards that you’ve sent out in the prehistoric or from your competitors’ mailings. This is the apt time to go through them. Go, dormy. Accumulate them under your table and start reading it. This, you’re about to study, will fetch you very good reading power and mentality of grabbing the points.

So how does this work? What you need to do is to collect all the real estate direct mails you have received from your competitors. Begin reading them. Check out words, adjectives, verbs, phrases, and writing styles that seize your attention and engage you to keep on reading.

But you may get wonderful ideas to recreate your own vision. Instantly as your ideas starts flowing in you can feel the blank screen posing a different view and ready for your direct mail campaign.

I learned this trick many years ago when I first started working for a direct mail firm. The owner told me about his very first mailing. It was several pages long. He had never written copy before, but he didn’t have the money to hire a professional copywriter. He wasn’t about to let the lack of funds stop him.

He gathered up all the direct sales material he had been collecting, pulled out his trusty portable typewriter (yes, it was that long ago!) and started assimilating ideas, phrases and other inspirational copy from these various other sources.

It took him several hours to incite a attach pages, but finally he had a sales laurels that had his clear impression. And first document to label his own. And he armored it.

And do you cognize what? It produced real vantage results for him. And few 30 periods afterwards, he’s solace enjoying obvious success in his business. And for your kind attention, he still crafts the entire writings by his hand. And he acquires all the ideas from advertising materials that lands in his mail box.

Hence, by doing this method, you can increase the effectiveness of your real estate direct marketing campaigns and even make the process more enjoyable for you. Use the resources of your competitors to energize you and your own real estate marketing campaign.

Every good sales pitch contains several vital ingredients. And your postcard mailing for your real investing venture is no different. Every successful marketer uses a very simple - but highly effective — formula for keeping him headed in the proper direction in his copy.

As you progress in your direct-marketing career, you’ll instantly know it by its acronym alone: AIDS. It stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. It’s very self explanatory. You need to get the attention of your reader, keep his interest, build his desire for wanting to sell to you, and then actually encourage him to act.

However, even experienced real estate direct marketing professionals don’t pay enough attention to fully developing their ‘call to action’ in their real estate direct mails. Don’t think that your call to action can already be inferred in the body of your letter. Make your call to action especially clearer and bolder in your real estate postcard marketing campaigns.

And if you’re new to the writing of marketing materials, you may even feel a bit shy about actually writing a call to action. It may remind you of those commercials on television. “And if you’re the first 200 callers you’ll also receive at”

But do you know why just about every commercial on TV is written like that? Because they work. Direct marketers will stick with a style, a wording, an entire ad campaign as long as it’s pulling in the sales for them. They take the phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to a whole new level.

So to succeed in your real estate postcard marketing, get over your shyness about asking your clients to e-mail you, call you, or visit your website. Don’t waste your magnetic headline and great offer by having a weak call-to-action.

Your additional responsibility when developing your real estate postcard marketing campaign is to make it irresistible for your prospects to act right now. Think of ways to make them call you while they are still holding your postcard or direct mail. Because once they put it on top of their mail pile or drawer, you and your offer will be forgotten.

So use your customer knowledge and creativity to come up with a strong reason that will make people do what you want them to do.

You may want to learn from the call to actions used in infomercials and radio game shows that give incentives to the first batch of callers. If there ideas do not appeal to you, how can these ideas be innovated to fit your service and style?

Create that kind of interest and excitement in your real estate investment service and your postcard mailing will generate you some substantial profits - guaranteed!