How do we choose and test your postcards?
Three pieces have to work together
People ask whether we send a better postcard than everybody else. The answer is in the combination.
There's the design on the front, the handwritten-style type on the back, and the message to the owner. A card can look good and still say the wrong thing. A useful message can get lost if the recipient can't comfortably read it.
We put those pieces together around the person receiving the mail. Then we keep testing.
The audience shapes the card
The list gives us different audiences: primary residents, landlords, heirs, and flippers. Their reasons for selling can be different, so the message should fit the situation we're reaching out about.
Design and readability matter too. In the walkthrough I use the example of a warmer, more familiar-looking front and larger lettering for an older audience. The point is straightforward: make the piece easy for that person to notice, understand, and respond to.
You don't have to sit down with a design tool and work all of that out yourself. Those choices are part of the campaign Homebase prepares.
Put their name and their house in the message
The postcard addresses the owner and identifies the property you're interested in buying. It carries your name and response number. You can add your photo too.
Now it feels like a specific buying inquiry: this person is interested in my house.
That matters because the next step is a real conversation. The homeowner calls the number, reaches you, and finds the person the card introduced. If they scan the QR code, your seller website continues the same introduction.
The name, address, photo, and phone number all need to line up. Personalization only helps when it is accurate.
Handwritten style, readable message
We use handwritten-style fonts as part of that personal presentation. They're printed, and they need to be readable. Some styles are more convincing and easier to read than others.
The font is one part of the combination. It doesn't replace a relevant message or a good list. We look at how the whole piece works together instead of treating one design choice as a magic trick.
Different combinations. Continued testing.
We use multiple fronts, fonts, and messages, so repeat mailing doesn't have to mean receiving the identical card every time. Your identity stays consistent while the presentation can vary.
We also test variations across campaigns. That gives us more opportunities to learn than designing one card for one investor and leaving it unchanged forever.
In the video, I explain why doing this across campaigns matters. We can try combinations in more places than one investor could test alone, then use what we learn when preparing later mail. The unit we're thinking about is the whole combination for that audience: front, handwriting, and message.
A design that gets somebody's attention still needs a message that makes sense to them. That's why picking a favorite-looking postcard isn't the whole job.
The postcard should sound like the buyer who shows up
The whole Homebase approach is built around you being the person who actually wants to buy the property. The list finds the houses. The postcard introduces you. The website and phone number make it easy to respond.
Then you show up as that same person and talk about the house.
That's the combination we're building toward: the right owner, a relevant message, and a real buyer on the other end.
Next: remember who's buying the house.
Keep going through the Homebase breakdown.
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