Hi everyone,

Thank you for helping me out before. I really like how people can help with great ideas and suggestions on this side, very happy!
Thank you

Anyway I need some help with this question does mailing services works?? I have a small residential & commercial cleaning services. I have sent about 600 postcards to couple residential subdivisions letting know about my business and what I offer but I do not know if will works. I sent them last week and as right now I have not receive calls at all. how long do you have to wait?? how many times do you have to do this 2 3 times and then may works??

there is any other way to get some business than mailing postcards?
I DON'T know WHAT ELSE TO DO! I tried newpapers ads, free ads on websides and now I am trying mailing postcards.


any suggestions/ideas....will be greatly apreciated.
thank you
MJ

I recommend that you make a visit to your local University second-hand book store and pick up a syllabus on advertising. These text books will explain to you the best way to put ad campaigns together and why. That way you'll be able to track your campaigns' effectiveness.

Ad mailing works, but only if you have a powerful call to action on the ad.

Ad mailing works, if you follow up with the people you've mailed by calling or visiting in person.

Ad mailing works under many different circumstances, and sometimes it works just because it's an idea whose time has come.

I decided a long time ago, that if there is no way to follow up on whether or not my ad campaigns work, then, I'm rather foolish putting my limited marketing dollars into said campaign.

They say that for print advertising to be effective, you need to have the ad run consecutively, in the same position in the periodical, for at least 6 issues. One ad simply isn't going to cut it.

You're better off doing what you can as inexpensively as possible, I think, to get people out there knowing what you do.

I don't remember what it is you do, so it's difficult to suggest any specific marketing/advertising ideas for you.

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

I like Tina's point on monitoring your efforts.

R U cleaning houses? Organizing them?

IMO, you would be better off, since this is your first DM (direct mail) offering to do some testing. Send out 10 cards, see what happens, etc.

But before that, you need a marketing funnel and a plan to monitor.

For example:
Mail peice 1 - gets them to your website where they join something and get something free. But only if they request it in ___ days.
Mail peice 2 - get's them to your newsletter.
etc. etc.
One people join your newsletter, then you provide them with a discount on your services, etc.


Consistancy is a key.

I have the same question about how you should space out mailers if you are going to send them repeatedly to the same locations. I sent out 100 last week and wasn't sure when to send the next batch.

I've heard that you get about one percent return on mailers, which means that out of 600 postcards, you would probably only get about 6 actual customers. Sounds kinda discouraging, but that's why you have to weigh how much you're spending on the mailer to see if the sales would make up for the money spent on the mailers.

If I were going to do mailers, I would do so with an opt-in list of people I had put together, again... you will want a call to action or the cost is just going into a lot of people's recycling bins.

If you are going to go with a drip program, usually you would send the mailing every 30 days.

T

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

Don't minimize the value of even one new customer, here's an example:

You spend $400 to send out 1,000 mailers (an earlier post was correct, they don't all have to go at the same time).

Lets say that from these 1,000 you get 15 inquiries and sign up 4 new accounts.

Each account spends $50 per month (use your own numbers here).

In the first month you have recouped half of your cost...BUT
you can plan on each account to be with you for 18 months (again, use your own experience) generating $3600!

In this example, over the average length of time you held on to these accounts, they paid for themselves 9 times over! Even just one new account (over its lifetime) would generate double the cost of the mailing.

Throw in the potential for referrals to family, friends and neighbors from these accounts and you can see why, even with low response rates (1/2%-1%), mail is still widely used.

Remember, everyone has a mailbox...and they look in it every day. And it's kind of funny, but they're a little disappointed if it's empty.

Also, keep in mind that the better and more desirable your offer, the greater the response.

Good luck,

Steve Patrick

Contrary to what's been said! You can have much better ROI, staying away from mailings. Focus on your roladex and word of mouth using your networks. Spend your marketing dollars on PR ;)

MJ,

Alot of my clientele has used mailing lists.

1) Make sure the list is aimed towards your target market. No use in paying for leads that will go nowhere.

2) Start will a small amount say 100. Log what response you get and note things like. Gender, age group (where possible) and Geeographic location.

3) Narrow down your list based on the response results above and then try again with another 100.

This has worked great for me and my clients.


Joanna Swank
Marketable Concepts
www.jswank.com
info@jswank.com

If you haven't done so, I would make sure I have a small ad in the Yellow Pages of my local phone book.

I would create a "boilerplate ad" to run on a regular basis in your local weekly shopper and an ad to run on week-ends in your local newspaper(s).

I would design a simple flyer to leave with small businesses touting your services and including testimonials from satisfied customers.

Although it can be expensive, you may eventually want to consider a coupon mailer like ValPak offering a discount on your services to prospective customers.

With advertising it is all about testing and testing and then repeating in those advertising vehicles that deliver the best response. It is a building process that requires a specified amount of upfront money in order for you to build a presence within your community.

Word of mouth is your best form of advertising and that will happen over time. In the meantime, start with a small plan, be patient and be consistent in your advertising efforts and watch your business grow.

My one and only comment on the "Yellow Pages" of your phone book?

I got a phone call just yesterday from someone looking for work in my company. They are a Financial Comptroller and they want to be a broker for me.

Only thing is, I sold THAT financial services company over five years ago.

You couldn't pay me to use the Yellow Pages, and I doubt I'm alone.

T

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

Don't quite understand your dislike of the "Yellow Pages" based on the answer you give which is rather lame. Many small businesses heavily rely on their Yellow Page advertising which in some cases may be the only form of advertising they employ.

I would recommend to any small retail business that if they do nothing else at all in the way of advertising to at least have a small ad touting their services in their local Yellow Pages.

And NO... I am not a Yellow Page Rep.

They can work but if it is in your local area what about placing door hangers or joining the chamber of commerce?

>Don't quite understand your dislike of the "Yellow
>Pages" based on the answer you give which is rather lame.
>Many small businesses heavily rely on their Yellow Page
>advertising which in some cases may be the only form of
>advertising they employ.
>
>I would recommend to any small retail business that if they do
>nothing else at all in the way of advertising to at least have
>a small ad touting their services in their local Yellow Pages.
>
>
>And NO... I am not a Yellow Page Rep.

Lame? Personally, and professionally, I think paying for defunct, obsolete advertising is lame, but to each their own.

Small businesses are relying on their 411.com listings FAR MORE than they are the "yellow pages" listing. Make sure your business listing on the internet is easily found. Spend your money on making sure that when someone looking for what you do, in your area, finds you. If this weren't so, tell me why even Yellow Pages has gone online?

I received two yellow pages books, two months ago. I have not as yet had need nor desire to even crack open the plastic on one, why? Because any small business that wishes to succeed is being told to put their money into being found on the internet. The book = lame, internet is where everyone is looking first.

Seriously... when was the last time YOU picked up the yellow pages? Is this internet phenomena only happening in Canada? I doubt it.

Tina Brooks, VP Marketing
Brooks Pepperfire Foods, Inc.
Makers of Peppermaster Hot Sauces
http://www.peppermaster.com

Eat more peppers!

In order for your marketing to succeed your prospects must be exposed to it when they?re in a receptive frame of mind. You wouldn?t want your direct mail piece to be delivered Monday through Thursday because some prospects are busy thinking about work and time management issues. Friday and Saturday are the days which your direct mail piece will have a more likely chance of being read.

Your postcard should state the customer satisfaction guarantee, services you offer, insurances carried, your website address, and phone numbers. You can have an advertising firm create a postcard for you, or save money by using the pre-formatted cards from MaidDocs.com.

Direct mail lists are available through a number of sources. The most economical lists we have found are the ?City Search? discs offered by Hill-Donnelly. Telephone assistance is provided by Hill-Donnelly to teach you how to extract information from the discs and save it as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Other lists are available through many sources which you can locate on the internet. Also, most companies offer the information pre-sorted onto mailing labels, ready to peel-and-stick.

Visit your local post office and purchase a First Class pre-paid mailing permit. The USPS representative will provide instructions on how to set up the permit block. When your postcards are printed you simply count out the number to be mailed, and then deliver them to the bulk-mail representative at your local post office. This saves time (no applying stamps by hand) and looks more professional.

If you don´t mind hand delivering a marketing piece, then the most economical advertising is hanging a door-knocker on the front door of homes you´re certain can afford your services. However, although they are inexpensive to produce, paying employees to deliver them can be costly. Also, there is the chance that they will toss the door-knockers out and add delivery hours to their timesheet.


A further discussion of marketing can be found at www.MaidDocs.com under "Informative Articles".

Yes if it is done correctly.

I've used direct mail many times to build businesses. Just follow some basic guidelines.

1. Most important...know who your target audience is. Take some time to describe your ideal customer:age, gender, hobbies, income, location, etc. You'll be wasting a lot of money if you don't narrow down your market.

2. Don't use your name as a headline. If your target audience is homeowners than use "homeowners" in the headline.

3. Use a post card to drive them to a website where you can offer a more detailed sales pitch.

4. Answer this question in the headline or sub headline: What will your product or service do for your target market? Will it save time, save money, relieve worries, make them prettier, remove a frustration, etc.?

For more tips check this out.

http://www.christian-business-owners-association.com/advertisingtips.html

JCT

Mailer services are only a way to advertise and create awareness about your product. They are not the best means to promote your product in order to generate sales. You must be very clear about your target audience at first. Identify the places where they are present and then create a proper marketing plan to market your product accordingly at those places.

http://www.logodesignconsultant.com/