subject: Why Think About Using The Yellow Letter Campaign [print this page] Generating prospects through direct mail campaigns can be disappointing. If you've ever been involved you know the expected rate of return on names used for your mailers is about 1%, or maybe less. It's an expensive and time-consuming way to generate leads. Using the yellow letter method for your direct mailings can boost your return of qualified prospects to 10% or higher. It's been very successful in the real estate investment business and can work in other areas as well.
Here's why it's so successful. Most people hate junk mail. They get it in the post and they get it on their computers and most junk mail just goes unread. People are bombarded with advertisements and invitations to do this or that continually. From billboards on the road to TV ads and banner ads on the computer, businesses are constantly trying to direct your thoughts and get you to do something that's in THEIR best interest. It's time you start marketing with the yellow letter.
But receiving a hand-written, hand-addressed envelope in the mail is a different story altogether. It's personal. It shows someone cared enough to take the time to send something just for you. It wasn't generated by a machine like some kind of form letter and, because of this, you're much more likely to give it special attention. That's the idea.
Most direct mail pieces are not only impersonal, they're insulting in a certain way. Who wants to be just another number on a list of thousands or millions getting the same piece in the mail? But something hand-written, just to you, is individualized. It brings out a different reaction in the recipient. It's difficult to explain, but it's a fact.
The name for this type of marketing comes from the use of a yellow legal pad to write the letter. It's written in longhand, put into a hand-addressed envelope with a first class stamp and sent off. It's personal. The method was first used successfully in the real estate business for gaining clients. The letter sent would say something like: "Hi, my name is John Doe and I would like to $buy$ your house at 123 Main St. Please give me a call. Thanks. John, tel. 555-5555."
This method works. It works very well. The number of qualified prospects generated by using this method increased markedly.
Though developed for the real estate industry, a yellow letter can be used for other direct marketing also. The personalization and informality are the secrets. You suddenly become a person and not a business entity. That's a real plus.
