Is there anybody out there that has recently bought signs (i.e “I buy ugly houses”, “Stop Foreclosure”, etc.) and had a good experience? If so, please post a link or some other contact info to where you bought them.
Also, I’m looking to start a direct mail campaign as well, mainly starting out with postcards. Any vendors that you’d recommend that are cheap and reliable? Thanks.
Hey,
If you are going to use bandit signs be sure you find some way to make them different than everyone elses. Why should somebody choose you over everybody else? What can you do for them? What needs do they have that you can answer? They don’t want to know about you - they want to know how you can help them. If you use that approach in your marketing you will be successful. Have you ever called these guys in the paper that say “I buy houses. Any house. Any condition. Fast cash?” They don’t buy any house, in any condition, etc. You have to approach your marketing in such a way to differentiate yourself from them.
I use usps.com for my postcards as they keep my mailing list, print and mail all for me and I can do it all online. I don’t do big mailings so it is OK for me. I haven’t used www.postcardmania.com but I feel like that they would be a good source to use for large mailings They are a one-stop shop. You can read about them in the July/August Millionaire Blueprints magazine. It may already be online at www.millioonaireblueprint.com.
Peace,
Richard
Hollaback,
If you’re going to start a direct mail campaign, I would recommend going with a letter for your first hit, then sending postcards as a follow up. The reason being that you’d never send a salesperson out and say, “In 200 words or less, tell the seller all about the issues they’re facing, how we fit in, and do it without saying Um or Uh and answer all of their questions in a business-like manner.”
With letters, you can do this and make the letter as long (or short) as you’d like. Just make sure that your envelope looks different from everyone else (I agree with Richard on this one totally!) Your letter is more than likely the first impression sellers will have of you and your company. A postcard just doesn’t say enough in the first mailing. Hit them at least 4-7 times and use postcards as hits 2, 5, and 7.
For direct mail, you might want to try actionenvelopes.com. They’ve got everything from envelopes that look like Priority Mail to pastel colored and even foil ones. I’ve used them a great deal in the past with much success. If you MUST start out with postcards, try either postcardmania.com (located in Florida) or frequentflyerz.com (located in Georgia). Both will design, print, and mail your postcards for you.
Regarding your signs, you really need a headline that sticks out. How about “Don’t list your house, sell it to us” or “My dad buys houses” (in a child-like handwritten font with the letter S turned backwards)? Stay away from black and yellow. Make sure your signs match the rest of your marketing (ie websites, business cards, etc). You want to build a brand here. That way, when folks get your letters or see your signs they can say, “Hey, I just got a letter from this guy” or “Hey, I just saw one of his signs”. They need to know that you aren’t going anywhere.
You might even consider using a picture on your signs. During Halloween I like to run a sign that says, “The count wants to buy your house” with a pic of Dracula on it. For selling, it says, “We must be batty to sell our houses like this!” with a pic of a bat. Corny? Sure. Effective? Absolutely. With the 4th coming up, you might want to offer a patriotic discount to vets or servicemen and women. Just a thought.
I use US Signs and Banners. No website to speak of but their number is 770-813-9341. I’ve used them and recommended them more times than I can count on both hands and feet. Sorry for the long post. You brought up a topic I’m really passionate about! (It’s my business!)
Big Cheese
WoW!! Thanks Big Cheese. So, if I understand you right, you’re saying you’ve had successful campaigns by mailing letters on Mailings #1,3,4,& 6, and postcards for #2,5, & 7? Thanks for the tip on the envelopes…I’ll be sure to try to stand out and at least get the letter read instead of dumped in the trash. It’s real interesting right now in my market…we’ve had a super hot seller’s market up until about 6 months ago. Nobody is advertising either in any of the papers or with any bandit signs. I havent’ seen one ad or sign around at all! I think there’s a great opportunity to be one of the first ones outta the gate. You really got me thinking about branding now, and creating something special that everyone remembers.
How many signs did you start with and how many do you like to put up in an average month? How do you keep the look consistent with all of the different themes that you use?
Again, thanks a ton!
Hollaback,
Absolutely! A great direct mail campaign will win out every time! For your envelopes, go for either an invitation style or something that looks like grandma sent it. It’ll get opened every time (who doesn’t want to get invited to something?)
As for your newspaper ads, I would really recommend you have a compelling headline. Something that will make the seller put the paper down immediately after reading it and either call you or go to your website (another thing I highly recommend. Try supersmartwebprofits.com for the absolute hands down best website for investors that I’ve ever seen!) Try “Local investor looking to buy 5 houses by July 31st” (make it a small number to generate that whole supply/demand thing) or “Local case of hysteria found in real estate investor” (have the article detail how you’ll donate $50 to the charity of the homeowner’s choice if they feel that talking to you has been a waste of time). That last headline’s kinda long, but you get the idea.
For signs, I started out with 50 a week, but that quickly became a small number. Our sign posse is rather strict out here (see another post I did on thetruckloadbunch.org - our local sign gestapo with nothing better to do than pull up signs). So I upped the amount to 100/week. I spoke to our local sign ordinance and they said that if the signs were placed 10 feet away from the intersection and 6 feet away from the curb that they wouldn’t pull them up.
My husband is a former Marine, so I use red, white, and blue to honor his time defending our country. I recommend any colors that aren’t black and yellow (or neon - I have a very strict aversion to neon. It screams unprofessional in my area). We are home to the largest real estate investment club in the nation, so things change a little faster here than in other cities. My business cards are red, white, and blue as is my website (for buying and selling, not for marketing - that’s a different type of branding).
Say for example you choose purple and white. Rather than pay to have purple signs with white lettering (that can get expensive as the color either bleeds through or must be applied several times), the sign company can have white signs with a large purple “sticker” (for lack of a better word) that goes over the white face of the sign. Your lettering is cut out of the sticker so that it looks like a purple sign with white lettering. But you’ve only used one color and therefore is cheaper than going the other route. I hope that made sense! 
I’m glad you’re thinking about branding. It’s a tactic that a lot of smaller investors overlook when just starting out. When you’re easily recognized as an investor, it’s a lot easier to get folks to call you back than if they don’t realize that they’ve driven past your signs and gotten your mail and never realized it was the same person. In some cases, it makes your company look bigger as well, aka that you have the ability to do multiple means of marketing and therefore must have the dough.
Big Cheese
For business cards, check out http://www.overnightprints.com. I just ordered 2,000 full color, 2-sided business cards for $89 delivered. Nice. I haven’t ordered postcards from them but the prices look good too.
I have also used http://www.overnightprints.com I have used them for both Biz Cards and postcards. They will print the files, have an easy to use website where you can upload designs.
They do not mail them out however, so that part is up to you.
I haven’t seen it posted yet so I’ll toss it on out there. This is the place I get ALL of my direct mailing printing done as well as business cards and what not. www.hotcards.com
Why should one avoid yellow? I was thinking of using a sunflower as my logo.
realnew,
When I say avoid yellow, I mean the signs on the side of the road that are yellow and black that say, “We buy houses - all cash, fast close”. They are over used in most areas of the country. The point of marketing is to stand out and be different.
Using a sunflower as your logo is completely fine. In fact, I love that you’re considering a logo. It’ll go a long way towards branding yourself and that’s always a good thing. I was talking more about blending in with other investors with yellow and black.
Big Cheese
Of course. over ANALysis. Thanks Cheese-ter.
Why advertise with signs? everything is about the web in the newer world.
FYI - Vistaprint.com has some great savings this month. I just got 500 full color postcards and envelopes for less than $60.00 including shipping. I saved over $80. I am a regular customer and try to take advantage of the sales. The savings are for anyone - no coupons needed. HTH someone.
bigcheese, you mention to stay away from the yellow bandit signs.I was thinking the same thing. I was going to go with neon green (yeah I know you hate it) but after hearing your colors, I am sure we could think of something better than neon. we are just trying to avoid the over used yellow signs. Do you know where we can get some different signs? I have looked at several web sites and they all seem to offer the same yellow signs.
also you said the city said if you kept the signs a certain distance they wouldnt yank them. Is that in Lawrenceville or the general Atlanta area. I am out in Paulding County
Thanks
I to use vistaprint for all my cards i think they are by far the cheapest around plus they give away free stuff to new customers and run periodic special for free swag you pay shipping check them out http://www.vistaprint.com/frf?frf=619316311354
Other members of this forum have had problems with VistaPrint…not saying that you will but “buyerr beware”!
Keith
I’ve never had a problem, but if someone doesn’t have experience designing and/or using graphics and putting cards together and that - they might have some problems. Also, if there’s a mistake, it’s too bad so you really need to proofread. I’m sure its the same way with other printing places tho.
As far as overcharging - I’ve never had that problem … YET.
Check out all places then decide which one you feel works best for you.
I answered Judd by IM but wanted to put it out there for everyone else. I use US Signs and Banners located in Buford, GA. Their number is 770-813-9341 and you can ask for Kristi Jenkins. She will do any color you want and send you a proof in your email before making them so you can see what it’ll look like. She does fantastic work and her team gets 'er done fast.
The reason we stay away from yellow signs is because when you live in a market as competative as Atlanta, everyone and their brother use yellow signs with black lettering. You gotta find a way to stand out.
The city I was refering to was Lawrenceville, yes. I would check with your local code enforcement office first to make sure the sign laws are the same. The code enforcement officers will appreciate that you’re trying to do the right thing and will be more than happy to help.