Experience with Direct Mail?

[Ralph]

Just looking for any advice or tips on direct mailing to clients (businesses, in my case).

I am considering a "two postcard per prospect plus a phonecall" campaign to drump up some more business. Anybody have experience with postcards? If so, would you prefer a 6x9 size card over a 4x6? Worth the cost?

Thanks!

[brevetoxin]

Ralph,

I have a fair amount of experience with direct mail and postcards. Larger postcards do tend to outpull smaller ones, though I don't have specific numbers right now. If you're doing a large mailing, the increased cost relative to the total cost (postage included) is small and would be worth it.

More important is repetition. I suggest 6-9 mailings. You might consider 2 postcards, followed by a sales letter, each at 2-4 week intervals. Repeat that 2-3 times. Make sure your sales copy starts with and emphasizes the benefits of your on hold marketing products/services.

People tend not to buy for four reasons. Number one is because they have no interest in your product or service. If you've got a good mail list, most of your prospects should have some interest. Number two is because they can't afford it. Number three is because the timing is poor, and number four is because they don't trust you. Repetition helps with all of the final three reasons. It reinforces your message so that they're ready to buy when they do have the money, or the timing is right. In addition, the more times someone sees your marketing message, the more established and trustworthy your business appears to them.

Make sure all of your messages are distinct, but contain common branding of your company. Also give them a discount code, or ask them to mention the postcards/letters in some other way so you can track the results.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[Richard Marks]

Very good post Brian!

I do a four card cycle following 2 with a phone call and attempting appointment.

The major draw back with post cards is that if the company has a mail runner your targetted buyer will never see your post card. So If you are targetting (targeting?) upscale customers (banks, lawyers, accountants, large companies) you would do much better with possibily a different tactic. A well written bumpy letter. A bumpy letter will almost always get to your targeted buyer. And it will almost always get opened.

Two examples. First, we got an obvious sales letter from AT&T at our house. It was about 1 inch thick. My wife could not stand it. She had to open it and see what made it so tall. Well it was a piece of styrofoam. But it also had a magnet inside. As I am typing this I can see the magnet on my frig. Bumpy mail gets opened.

Example two. I was at a printing sales seminar. One of the other people attending made $100k a year. At 10% that means he sold about $1,000,000 a year in printing. He specailized braking into new accounts. Now if you did not print $50k or more a year he would not waste his time on you. So back to his tactic (or at least one of them). He drop by with a package for his target. Inside the package was a baby shoe, just one, and a note. The note read, "I just wanted to get a foot into your door. Now that it is there if you would give the pleasure of a five minute meeting we may or may not be able to begin a relationship with you."

A web site devel company would deliver a pair of shoes. No note or anything else. Then in several days he would call them and ask if they got his package. Of course they would say yes. Then he would ask for a ten minute appointment and he would explain all about those shoes. Most of the time he would get the appointment. After the meeting was over he would then tell them that he sent them those shoes because he knew that if they did business together they would need a good pair of running shoes for all the extra bank deposit runs they would be doing.

Well so much for being short.

[Ralph]

Excellent posts, guys! Thanks so much.

Let me ask you this...

I met with a couple of pro marketing firms (read: not cheap), and they both suggested the same thing. Do a small number of mailings (100 - 200), followed by another to the same small group, followed by a phonecall. Then repeat.

Would you agree with the philosophy of a small mailing? I had one person that said we should do a really large mailing (for "market awareness")...then do the small mailings/phonecall plan.

Thoughts?

Thanks again!

Ralph

[Ralph]

Oh, and I love the bumpy letter idea. I'm looking into the small, business card CDs to send to prospects. Perfect for putting in a letter!

Ralph

[wwcap1]

Ralph:

I've found that the card service from the US Post Office to be a blessing. I send 4 x 6 four color post cards with humorous messages and graphics on the face, and a specialized text message on the back side. I usually send 20 to 30 at a time a total cost of $.72 each. That's dirt cheap for small quantity four color plus postage.

You can find all the info on the web site usps.gov

Kent Capener

[Tarheel Hosting]

Some really good ideas/info here. I've been thinking how best to approach direct mail for my biz. Lots of food for thought here

Simon

[Richard Marks]

Originally Posted by Ralph

Would you agree with the philosophy of a small mailing? I had one person that said we should do a really large mailing (for "market awareness")...then do the small mailings/phonecall plan.

With small runs the after mail calls or visits are much easier to handle.

Now as how to reduce your cost even more. Even though you are going to only send out 100 or 200 at a time have your printer run as many as possible then have them addressed when you are ready to send them out. The large run will greatly reduce the cost of printing. Oh and I know that everybody is in love with full color right now but the stats I lool at show that full color does not greatly increase response (sp?) over 2 color. But 2 color does greatly increase response over 1 color.

Kent I know you are in love with the PO but $.72! It cost me $37 to send out my 2 color cards with an intresting two color graphic on the front and a lazer printed (with the message changed) message and color design on the back.

[Ralph]

Here's some more food for thought:

Check out www.verticalresponse.com

I can simply upload my D&B list and my ready made design in PDF format, tell it who to mail to, and it takes care of the rest. I like the "all in one" aspect of their service.

What I don't like: It's a little pricey. If I want them to print, address, and mail 200 6x9 cards (IMO, better than the 4x6), it'll cost $254 ($1.27 each). But, time is money, and it would save me a good deal of time. I looked into having a local place do the printing, and it was a mess. One cost for printing, one for addressing, a fee for dropping at the post office, and then postage.

I understand that my pricing for printing at a normal print shop goes down (on a per card basis) considerably if I choose to print a great deal, but my business is changing a great deal all the time (with new specials, endorsements, etc), and I like the flexibility of having my local designer whip up something for cheap...then sending out those to a select group of 200 people (like association members).

Just thinking out loud!

Thanks again, everyone.

Ralph
www.ohmcofkentucky.com
ralph.brewer@ohmc.com

[Eileen]

I'm a huge believer in postcard marketing. My most successful campaign to build my own business brought in a 12% response rate. A great cost-effective postcard printer out there is www.modernpostcard.com. You can build a postcard using one of their images, or upload or send your own. I've used them four or five times and have always been pleased with their service.