Several years ago, yellow letters were red hot in the real estate industry, specifically for homes that were in pre-foreclosure.
Response rates were said to be 5% compared to 1% from the standard direct mail piece, and legend has it that some yellow letter programs were getting up to 40%. This seems a little far-fetched; however, it is reasonable to expect that a customized yellow letter targeted to the right recipient should far out pull a standard DM piece.
If you do not know what a yellow letter is, it is a letter with an authentic, almost real, handwritten font, personalized with content for the specific recipient, and printed on old school yellow ruled paper. It is enclosed in a non-windowed envelope using the same authentic handwritten font, and using a real stamp.
The secret of the yellow letter is its personal appearance. It is a “pattern interrupt” marketing piece that makes you stop when sorting through your mail. When it’s considered that most people sort their daily mail over the trash can, it becomes VERY important that your marketing piece stands out as something personal in order to avoid your piece being binned.
What’s great about the yellow letter is that it is a marketing tool that is not confined to only the real estate market. It can work well across many different industries, such as banking, automotive, insurance, health care and many more. It also doesn’t necessarily have to be the centre piece of the DM package, but just a part or an element in the package. One thing for sure is that it’s an eye opening element. Your prospects won’t be able to resist reading it!
There are numerous printers who specialize in printing yellow letters. If you need help sourcing them, you can contact JR Direct.
