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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.

Unfortunately, even the best of us who write for a living sometimes neglect to emphasize the last component of a good sales letter . . . the call to action.  Too often, we simply assume that we know what the consumer will do.  The truth of the matter is that sometimes (most of the time, actually) we have to lead the reader to the final steps of our sales pitch:  the call to action.

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.

For your postcard mailing to be effective, you must rise above any hesitancy about asking people to call you.  You can do every other portion of your mailing absolutely correctly.  But if you don’t remind people to act it’s doubtful if your mailing will ever be successful.

But more than asking them to act, you need to write your call to action so they feel it’s absolutely necessary that they act today.  In fact, they need to act while they have that postcard in hand.  Far too often with direct mailing the old adage of “out of sight, out of mind” applies.

If you can generate enough interest in your sales pitch to get people excited about the prospect of your service, then you need to capitalize on that while the individual reader has that postcard in hand.  Don’t be afraid to urge him to pick up the phone right now.

Give them a reason – even an obvious reason – to act RIGHT NOW!

Remember, there are reasons why the television commercials continue to urge viewers to call within the next 10 minutes.  They are reasons why incentives are given to those “first 200 callers.”

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

By Mark Bradley

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On the surface of it, this may sound like a really stupid idea for any direct-marketing plan, especially for one that produced few results in real estate investing initially.  But before you condemn me for obvious stupidity, let me clarify myself.

You’re probably thinking that if your direct-mail postcard campaign didn’t work initially, you may have done a few things wrong.  And that’s all together possible.  Let’s face it, no one performs without flaws the first time around.

But that doesn’t mean you throw everything out.  Direct marketing is a complex business.  And while I wish I could call it a science like chemistry it isn’t even close to that.  If you put two molecules of hydrogen with one of oxygen, you’ll come up with water H20 – every time.  Without fail.

Nope.  Direct marketing just isn’t that precise.  I suppose it’s more of an art, or a craft – or some of the very best marketers work on their hunches.  Which won’t help you at all – especially if you’re in the “start up” phase of your business.

But there is one thing that every marketer knows as sure as he knows his own name: few buyers act on an offer (of anything!) with the first mailing.  Oh, you’ll get a few people who’ll act the first time around, but more often than not they’re waiting.

Waiting for what, you ask.  For any number of things.  A person may receive your postcard and just not be “emotionally” ready to sell yet.  Or he may be in the process of taking another route, so he’s waiting to see how that transaction is turning out.

Quite frankly, if he’s never heard of you or your firm before, he may just be wary of your intentions, your honesty and the risk involved.

The point is:  don’t take a no response as a sign of your customer not being interested.

Of course, there may be other reasons why your mailing didn’t pull as you thought it should.  And these very well may be associated with your headline . . . your message . . . or your list itself.

Now that I’ve totally confused you, you’re wondering exactly what you should be doing. Mail again.  Make one simple change in your mailing – perhaps you’ve discovered you can write a stronger headline.  Then do it.  And mail it out again. Record the response you receive with this particular headline.

And don’t be afraid to mail these out to some of the same people.  Many people may not buy the first time around because they’ve never heard of you.  But if you consistently put your name in their mail box, then they’ll come to know you as that real estate investor.  And then — merely because you have that sticking power – they may call you when all their ducks are lined up in a row and they believe you can help them.

Remember, the direct marketing gives you the chance to present your customers with the ultimate sales presentation.  But you may have to show them – time and again – that your real estate investing is in it for the long haul.  And that may mean mailing postcards – with modified messages if necessary – to them more than once.

By Mark Bradley
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Want to power up your next postcard mailing?

Then go one step beyond merely telling your audience what your real investment business has done for others in the past – have your customers tell 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.

A true, honest and compelling testimonial from a satisfied customer is much like a picture – it’s worth a thousand words.

You can try to convince  your audience till your pen runs out of ink that your service is well worth their time and energy.  But, face it, you’ve got a vested interested in telling people that – you want to make money.

On the other hand, a person who is volunteering their very positive experience is much more persuasive.  I’ve seen some direct-mail for products that is nothing but two page or more of testimonials.

You can give this testimonial a clever headline. “Let our customers speak for us.”  “Our customers say it much better than we can ever!”

The point is that your message will have a more powerful impact when you add a testimonial that praises your services.

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.

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 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.
By Mark Bradley

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Real Estate Investor Insider Secret #6:

Consumer Decisions are Made From Our Emotions

This is without a doubt the most overlooked rule in copywriting strategy. And even as a real estate investor about to embark on a postcard campaign, you should keep this uppermost in your mind.

Sure, people may say they research the products they intend to buy. And, sure, consumers may say they search for the best prices. And they may even say that they create charts with the advantages and disadvantages of specific products. And in many cases they really do perform all these acts.

But when the ultimate decision is being made, more often than not, the consumer chooses using his gut emotions. Don’t believe for a moment that your targeted audience is any different. You can barrage him with facts . . . figures . . . logical arguments . . . all aimed at why selling his home right now to you is the right move. And of course you should present these compelling cases.

If, however, you can create some emotional connection then you’ve really made that ultimate connection and have practically ensured your sale. If, on the other hand, you can’t excite him to the benefits of this decision, then you haven’t closed the sale. So in addition to making a logical argument . . . don’t forget to make an emotional pitch as well.

What are some of the emotional reasons people buy? To gain peace of mind . . . to increase their financial bottom line . . . to feel better about themselves in general . . . out of fear of losing something . . . even from greed.

If you’re reading this, thinking that this “rule” doesn’t apply to the real estate market, you’re only fooling yourself. Emotions play a powerful role in every single decision we make – even those that aren’t really consumer related.

Let me give you one very dramatic example. It’s from 1960. And it relates to a decision far more important than what dress to buy for the upcoming dinner party. It involves, in fact, the presidential election. That’s right. The tipping point of this election occurred during the debate during the campaign between the two candidates, Richard M. Nixon for the Republicans and John F. Kennedy for the Democrats.

The debated was not only broadcast on all three (and yes there were only three) television networks and all the radio stations as well. Afterward, voters were asked who had won the debate. Those who had listened on the radio said it was Nixon – hands down.

Those who had viewed the debate on television believed that Kennedy had won. In fact, this was the overwhelming opinion. Why? Because Nixon wore a five o’clock shadow – the telltale shadowy outline of a beard that had been shaved too far ahead of the debate. Kennedy just looked more presidential.

Emotions. Never underestimate the ever present emotional appeal of a major decision . . . whether it’s a minor purchase a major consumer decision or even the choice of the president of the United States.

If you can not only logically persuade your audience to your side, but win them over emotionally, then you have closed that sale. And yes, you can do this through your postcard mailing for your real estate investment firm. Guaranteed!

By Mark Bradley

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Real Estate Investor Insider Secret #5: Write Your Postcard Copy with Enthusiasm 

Writing can be exhausting.  No, it’s not the same physically exhausting work that roofing or waitressing can be.  But, to produce effective copy, you absolutely must write enthusiastically.  And that means you have to give of yourself.  Your postcard campaign deserves – demands in fact – that  you write from a position of pure enthusiasm.

 To ensure that your copy is effective, you might even say you have to approach your writing with a certain degree of passion.  If you’re sitting snickering at this seemingly silly idea, don’t.  If you can’t generate a certain amount of excitement about  your service – in this case your real estate investing service – how could you possibly expect any other person to be excited?

Consider the mindset of the average person reading your postcard.  These days there exists a general cynicism about  advertising in general.  Couple this with a person’s natural resistance to the very idea of selling a family home – no matter how dire his finances might be.  You must be enthusiastic . . . highlight the benefits . . . create how this transaction can actually transform his life into something better.

In other words, you must – in order to be effective – create enough enthusiasm to overcome your reader’s natural hesitancy and cynicism toward advertising in general . . . as well as any personal objections to your offer.

When you create a passion for your product – as a real estate investor this would be the idea of selling a house and starting over – you’ll undoubtedly touch something within your reader’s spirit.  When you reach this point with your words, then your customer will be inextricably drawn to action.  Guaranteed!

Remember, though, I said at the beginning that copywriting can be exhausting.  In fact, this is a great way to test your writing.  If you’re not even a little bit tired when you’re through creating your copy, then maybe you haven’t generated enough enthusiasm.

Another valuable way of testing the true enthusiastic nature of your copy is to set it aside overnight.  That’s right!  Write it one day and just let it “settle” until the next.  The following day pull it out.  Reread it.  Does it still sound as good as it did the day before.

Don’t be too disappointed if it didn’t.  Many times, even for those professional copywriters who have been in the business for years, the copy fails this “overnight” test miserably.

That doesn’t mean you need to totally give up.  Failure, as you know, is not an option.  No you salvage what you can, tweak the copy where you need to and keep on writing.  Then again, you set it aside overnight and come back to it.

You may find after the “overnight’ test that you only need to create a few transitional phrases or rev up a few verbs to create a brighter, more vivid image.  Great.  If you’re satisfied after this minor editing, then you’re ready to take it to the printer.  By Mark Bradley

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