Hey everyone!
Just wondering how often you all send direct mailers to your SOI or farms??? I just sent one out and want to get on a set program as suggested my many agents, so your input would be great!! Thanks all!

Back in the day I was the Farm Letter Queen. I was never *not* in the process of sending out farm letters usually 1500 at a time. It was my evening hobby, fold, stuff stamp. Finally bought a paper folding machine on Ebay.

Now that the market has shifted, I haven't farmed in ages.

With the economy the way it is right now, I would scale back and get your message out in shorter version such as a post card. Less money.

Sean

Robyn,

The key issue is that you have to have enough frequency to "burn through" to your target audience.

Here's what I tell my agents:

* The biggest mistake folks make is send 1, 2 or 3 mailings, fail to get a response and stop. It usually takes six months of extensive effort before you get serious impact. Commit to doing your program for at least a year.

* Much of the marketing literature states that one must have 7-8 impressions to have impact. Thus, at a minimum, plan on at least 8 mailings a year.

* Boost the number on the front end. Consider going every month for the first six months and then every other month.

* If you are communicating with an audience that is getting lots of material, consider upping the frequency to every month or even every 2 weeks.

I'm trying a new approach and so far, it seems to be working better for me. I established a niche market and I spend a good deal of money on developing post cards. I'll tell you what the cards are NOT. They are NOT Just Listed/Just Sold. Some have current market stats. Some drive home the niche market message over and over again - with a unique twist. I send at least 500 - but I may up it to 1500 - but I can only afford to do this every two -three months. I've done two mailings and have had two responses (500 each time.) That is more than I got from over a year of mailings with generic cards. I use the cards to drive people to my web site and my blog.

Being unique matters. I had a feeling I was on the right track when I delivered my cards to the P.O. bulk service. They see mailings every day. The girl doing mine said "These are soooo cool. I haven't seen anything quite like it!" She even asked if she could keep an extra. Delivering the same-old stuff that everyone else and their pet canary does will not do a thing - at least not in my market. I've talked to many agents who put out 1000-1500 cards a month and have yet to get a response after a year. In my particular market - you are original or you are consigned to the paper shredder pronto. So don't throw away your money.

I send out about 1500 mailers every 3 months to my farm and have been doing so for about 6 years. Every letter is in an envelope personalized with my logo and has each owners name printed on it with a first class stamp on the envelope---my wife does this in Excel (with the exception of the stamp of course). Most of my farm is seasonal/second home owners and I send out market stats and other useful information---in my market if you want someone to list their 500k home with you then they at least deserve a first class stamp with no label that has their last name first.
JMHO

I've done post cards since I started my business 14 years ago and I must say it is still one of my best returns. In my area it works.

I've had some success with mailings. I've leaned towards more expensive, less-frequent mailers. Like, my big refridgerator magnets that I've posted on here before, or a newsletter.

They have netted me a couple listings and my "Hi Jeff!" presence has grown in the rural area I live in. However, I have not turned a commission out here yet. A rural area is a tough nut to crack. Anyway, this thread reminds me that I should do another newsletter ASAP.

I now prefer to save my $1-each magnets for followup letters, after I've already spoken with someone on the phone. Or, I give them away in situation where it will be connected to ME as a person. They are such useful magnets that I can put stacks and stacks of them out for people to take, at local businesses, and boy do they dissapear! But that is expensive. I know I'm on a LOT of fridges, but, I'd like there to be a face connected to the name.

-jeff

-jeff

I send out newsletters every other month.

i hit my farm once a month and with just listed and just sold post cards regardless whether the sale is in the neighborhood or not to build my success stories.

Sounds like some great ideas to me! I sent some postcards to my farm and mailers to my sphere. I'm getting ready for a co-marketing idea that came to mind, so we will see how that turns out.
Jeff, I like the magnets too, but they are definaltey spendy,

I did this one, sorry about how big it's going to look. It's really about 4x5 inches:



People devour it in my rural area. However, I have not done a good job of connecting it to ME.

They cost me about 50 cents each.

-jeff

Hey Jeffo,

50 cents seems really high for a direct mail piece. I've prepared a bunch of cards for alot less than that. It costs me less than 20 cents each to prepare and mail mine out. I'm trying to send a bunch each month and am still tracking the success rate.

Jeff is it a magnet?

I would love something like that in my area.

There are about 12 agents who heavily farm my neighborhood - if any of you are reading, please stop leaving me notepads, I want a magnet like Jeff's!

MC Realtor, 50 cents is just for the magnet! To mail one out with a letter is about $1.25. I use nice envelopes and really nice paper. And a cool stamp.

Auburn, for a rural area, that magnet was genius, if I say so myself (ahem).

However, I have had no luck coming up with a similar one for my urban prospecting. The one pictured above works so well because that's about all the businesses there ARE out where I live! The town I do most of my business in, Eugene, has so many stores and restruants and even schools that I can't narrow it down enough to make it really, genuinely, useful the way the above one is.

I did it on Publisher then ran it through a PDF converter then uploaded the PDF to VistaPrint and viola! 3 days later, magnets.

I guess there was a charge to my Visa somewhere in there.

-jeff