Many Other investors often ask me what is the best way to do direct mailings, and whom they should use as a service provider.  (This article is geared to those who are not using the provided websites used with our system found at www.Realeflow.com/duncan)

To answer that question, it largely depends on depends on how often you are mailing, how frequently, and to whom. However, when you do larger mass mailings to large groups of people, one of the best, easiest, and most cost-effective methods of direct mail is using the United States Post Office website.  The first time I used it, I was shocked at how simple, easy, and cost-effective it was for direct mailing to a list.

Once you visit the United States Post Office website, you can surf around and view all of their services.  To get directly into the direct mail function, you can visit www.Click2mail.com and register for a username and password.  Once you have done that, it walks you step-by-step through a wizard from the home page.

The first thing you need is your document, which you can either upload or create directly on the website.  I prefer to upload documents that I have already created.  I usually create the document in Microsoft Word or Publisher, and then save it as a PDF file.  From there, I can directly upload the PDF and make any necessary edits to the document directly through the website.

Once I have approved the document, I can then upload my list.  I simply have a list in Microsoft Excel, and it automatically uploads all of the names and addresses.  I can do the whole process in less than fifteen minutes.

Once my list is uploaded, I can select a few more options, and my postcards are printed (two-sided) and mailed within 48 hours!  It’s an amazing tool to use if you like direct mail.  If you’re a real estate investor, you don’t have to just use these for Pre-Foreclosures.  You can also use them for out-of-state owners, vacant properties, or any other types of lists that you can think of.

As I mentioned earlier, the most recent mailing I did was to a large group of Pre-Foreclosure prospects.  Specifically, there were a group of 368 homeowners who were 90 days past due on their mortgage.  That’s right; these homeowners hadn’t even been served with a Notice of Default yet.

I mailed out a 4X6 postcard to each one of them for a total of $111.39.  That included printing and postage, for an average of $0.30 per card, including postage AND printing.  I’ve done a lot of direct mail in my day, and this one is a great deal.

I would encourage you to visit the USPS website www.Click2Mail.com and learn more about their great direct mail service.

**** If you want to find out more about how you can get lists of homeowners who are either 30, 60, 90 or even 120 days late on their mortgage, please contact EZ Data Group Lists. (ask for Dave Hurlbrink to get special pricing for my students.)