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These all work! How do we know? We've tested them many times and every one of these ideas will help you boost response. So take a look at your pieces and try an extreme makeover, and let me know how it pulls for you...in response. 1. Know who you are! A unique brand personality makes you stand out, makes people like you, makes them want to do business with you. So think about your unique qualities as a realtor, and make them part of your brand personality. 2. Include some kind of letter. Even a fake "on-page" letter in a self-mailer or catalog. Packages with letters outperform letter-less mail 99% of the time. Even a boring, self-serving letter can be better than no letter. A well-written, 1 to 1 letter with some personality in it is better than anything. Get a pro to help you. It's important. 3. Letter layout is almost as important as copy. Make it look inviting, easy to read. Use short sentences, short paragraphs, indents, double space between paragraphs, cross-heads, Johnson boxes, and a signature that looks like a human being wrote it. Not something like this: Marilyn Monroe 4. Make the signature any color you want, as long as it's blue. It makes the letter look like it was signed by a real human being. 5. A lot of people read the P.S. before they get into the letter. It's a great place for your single best point. 6. Urge them to respond now! Do it several times. Give them a reason why "now" is important. 7. All that white space in your letter margins is costing money. Use some of it for handwritten margin notes to make compelling points stand out. Looks more human, too. Even write a note yourself...I was walking down your street the other day, and realized how lovely your gardens look, especially the azaleas. Of course the stories have to be true. 8. Don't let headlines just sit there. Pump them up with action words, solid promises, real benefits. Make them tantalizing. Get people curious. Usually we'll write 20 headlines for every one we actually use. 9. Your OE (outer envelope) has only one job: to get opened by someone in the mood for what you have to say inside. Want to try a blank OE so they might think it's from a friend? Not a good idea, because as soon as they get inside and realize it's advertising, they'll think you tried to fool them. Try really outrageous things on your OE. Big, interesting graphics, intriguing headlines, genuine promises, all work. Want to sell your home Now, and think it's just not possible? Or, Any home can sell...so don't despair. 10. Test different OE creative. It's not expensive and you might find that one OE kicks the pants off the rest. 11. Put your return address on the back flap of the envelope. 12. Turn your OE into a kind of brochure. 13. Put your offer prominently on the outer envelope, especially if it's short, and a great offer! Show a great photo of Architectural Digest...and offer them a free subscription when they call to talk to you about their home. 14. Try putting an involvement device of some kind on your OE. Take this piece and put it here. Or tear off this flap and bring it to our office for a chance to win one of our monthly drawings. 15. They won't give you as much response as a traditional package, but postcards are a quick and easy way to test the relative merits of new lists, offers, personality. 16. Keep tweaking until your offer is irresistible. Remember it's got to be unique, something they can't get any other way. It's your whole proposition, the combination of price, premium, membership, privileges, terms, future benefits, etc. 17. Restate your offer several times in your package: on the OE, in your letter and brochure and certainly on your response form. 18. FREE is still the best offer! In direct mail. For some reason it doesn't work on the Subject line in an email. So, offer a free book on Staging your home, Or, Free Evaluation of its Value, Or a great Box of Cookies when you respond. 19. A lot of people spend more time poring over creative than they do investigating lists. Creative is important, sure, but lists are twice as important. Get more list brokers working on your business and make sure you test new lists all the time. 20. Your best list is your current customer file. Your second best list is probably past customers. They're your greatest direct marketing assets. Use them! But make sure the files are clean and up-to-date. Those are people who you've talked to, listed homes for in the past, prospects from the office. When you get in touch with them again, they might be ready this time to list with you. |
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