The Best Direct Mail Marketing Strategy: Consistency

Consistency is Key in Your direct Mail Marketing Strategy

It doesn't take long to learn that real estate can be extremely profitable. However, just like any business, it requires hard work and investment. 

When Bill (owner of First Touch) got into real estate in 1989 he understood this would not be a quick rich scheme he was entering into. He didn't know, however, just how much time it would take to truly have the machine up and running.

Back in the late 90's you could put an ad in the newspaper stating you were buying houses for cash, and that alone would be enough to get you some deals. In addition to newspaper ads, Bill had a ford truck with a house like structure on the bed that his interns would drive around stating he bought houses for cash - talk about inventive!

Fast forward to 2024, Bill now owns well over 700+ doors. The one thing he noticed that stuck over the years for marketing: Handwritten Direct Mail.

Since changing to direct mail marketing full time, the phone is ringing consistently, and we're consistently getting deals.

Direct mail is not a "I'm going to send you a ton of postcards this one time and hope the phone rings". To be successful, you need to choose your niche lists you want to mail consistently and stick with it.

The minimum you should be mailing is once per month. If you're looking to only try this once, I wouldn't recommend starting at all. Direct mail works because you paint yourself as the expert. If you aren't mailing at least once a month, you're not painting yourself as the real estate expert to your audience.

So, what should I be mailing to my lists?

First, let's look at quality you're sending your list. 

If you're sending yellow letters or printed "we buy ugly houses" postcards, you're not reaching your audience. 

Homeowners want something personal and relatable. Sending them a handwritten letter builds trust and shows you are reaching them personally, not a large list you blindly mailed to.

Our personal greeting letters is a great start to your campaign of announcing who you are. Not only do they stand out from typical, boring marketing, but they are handwritten, ensuring your audience is opening that letter to read what your intent in writing them is.

Mail niche lists, not generic neighborhoods.

If you're simply sending out letters based on zip codes and not motivation, your marketing budget could be going down the drain.

Mail to motivated sellers such as tax delinquent properties, foreclosures, evictions, city and county liens, etc. (Check out our 2025 Niche Lists for Real Estate Investors for more lists.) Ensure your property owner has motivation to sell. 

Mail them consistently.

As mentioned previously, consistency is important in building your business. If you're not able to be consistent, your deal flow will die, along with your real estate business. 

If you're able to, mail 2,500 letters monthly (2,500/mo is the average basis from our top performing real estate investors). Mail that list consistently for 6-8 months, then change lists and repeat. 

A great way to do this is by starting with our Personal Greeting Letter, then following up with our "Out of this World" Postcard Sequence.

Consistency = The True Secret To Obtaining Real Estate Deals

The bottom line is don't overthink everything that you send out. Keep your company and logo on each piece of mailing to have consistent branding. Feel free to change the letter or postcard, and slightly change the language. 

Remember, real estate investors and realtors are sending out postcards all the time, but the ones who (1) have their marketing stand out and (2) sending letters all the time are the ones homeowners recognize and feel they've built trust with.