[Question] DIRECT MARKETING

[QUINN]

The snail mail version.
Do any companies still use this form of marketing?

I have cut down on my advertising budget in terms of advertising in the print media, I just found that it seems to be getting more expensive and the results are the same.
I then found an old(10years) book on direct marketing and started thinking that this is a marketing practice that might return better results.
The core of my sales are to property owners and a letter in the mail might be a welcome change.
Do any forumites use this form of marketing and how do you find the return?

Another question, why is D marketing not considered spam?

[garthu]

We have done direct mailing very successfully.

Do you have access to saptg or p24??? If so, get the address, owner info etc into an excel sheet. Then set up a mail merge on your word and merge the name of the owner and address. This is very personalized and the people read it it out of curiosity simply as there name is on it (do same on envelopes).

Measuring the response was a bugger as many of those leads would come back a year later (retained the bus card also in the letter) but the response is FAR higher than flyers etc. and would guess it around 2-3%

Takes a while to set it up and get it going, but it paid for us

It is considered spam, but no one reacts to it i guess as there is so little that occurs here as opposed to US etc

[QUINN]

We have done direct mailing very successfully.

Do you have access to saptg or p24??? If so, get the address, owner info etc into an excel sheet. Then set up a mail merge on your word and merge the name of the owner and address. This is very personalized and the people read it it out of curiosity simply as there name is on it (do same on envelopes).

Measuring the response was a bugger as many of those leads would come back a year later (retained the bus card also in the letter) but the response is FAR higher than flyers etc. and would guess it around 2-3%

Takes a while to set it up and get it going, but it paid for us

It is considered spam, but no one reacts to it i guess as there is so little that occurs here as opposed to US etc

Thanks most helpful.
Tell me do you basically just offer the owner your help with any property related issues or do you get right to the point" NEED TO SELL? CALL ME"
I have access to saptg and prop24 normally I just look for the owners in a specific street.
I am really worried my mailing will look like the thousand other flyers and shit that are placed in their mailboxes.

[SilverNodashi]

Quinn, my question on this is, does it really still work? My wife and I recently started a new photography business, and this is something I'm considering doing as well. The products, or services we'll deliver will be something tangible, and not virtual as with my hosting.

So, dropping a flyer into someone's mailbox does seem like a good marketing idea to me, but I don't yet know if it will pay off.

[QUINN]

Quinn, my question on this is, does it really still work? My wife and I recently started a new photography business, and this is something I'm considering doing as well. The products, or services we'll deliver will be something tangible, and not virtual as with my hosting.

So, dropping a flyer into someone's mailbox does seem like a good marketing idea to me, but I don't yet know if it will pay off.

I tried the flyer in the mail box but there is just to much junk to compete with.
This one day I found a letter addressed to me and inside I found a flyer of a printing company. Made me think and he got by the junkmail I through away

[SilverNodashi]

mmm, so what else do you suggest then?

[QUINN]

mmm, so what else do you suggest then?

A "letter" addressed to the home owner.
Or occupant if you do not know their names.

Give me a little info on what you do

[SilverNodashi]

A "letter" addressed to the home owner.
Or occupant if you do not know their names.

Give me a little info on what you do

uhm,ok. What exactly do I tell them in the letter then? The main purpose will be photography services: weddings, matirnety, portait, corporate, models, etc.

[Wukkie]

As said above, if you can a get a list of the owner name and the email address, you could set up a mail merge to email the fyler out. but I would say, why not create a newsletter that you send out maybe once a month or every quater. If you send bluk mail, there are services which you could use and you can give the client an option to cancel the newsletter. Most people don't, but atl east this way it would not get put down as Spam.
I like the newsletter option as, you can give a client usefull infomation about the indusrty and what is happening. If the articles are very interesting, client will keep the name in mind. sort of a soft sale approach.

[Meshack]

Quinn

1. I have learned over the years that D marketing is very successful if you launch an intensive campaign. Results are as much as 18% per project.

2. Yes, research shows it's spam. Best way to approach it: Be guest marketer and not an intruder and you'll be rewarded.

3. Please, please don't go and just sell. This is dangerous in its simplicity. Prove to your client that you bring value first by solving thier pain and then ask for business. Do this to the right "farmed selected" target market.

[SilverNodashi]

As said above, if you can a get a list of the owner name and the email address, you could set up a mail merge to email the fyler out. but I would say, why not create a newsletter that you send out maybe once a month or every quater. If you send bluk mail, there are services which you could use and you can give the client an option to cancel the newsletter. Most people don't, but atl east this way it would not get put down as Spam.
I like the newsletter option as, you can give a client usefull infomation about the indusrty and what is happening. If the articles are very interesting, client will keep the name in mind. sort of a soft sale approach.

Hi Wukkie,

What you're referring to is commonly known as a mailing list, but I don't want to take this approach for various reasons. For the type of product & service (photos, photo shoots, etc) I'd prefer to target possible clients directly. One of the products will be wedding photos, which can easily be targeted to any home owner for that matter.

Since I don't know who needs wedding photos, I'd like to be able to get my name out there and tell people what I have to offer. If they don't need my services, fine. But if they do, then they know where to get hold of me.

Quinn

1. I have learned over the years that D marketing is very successful if you launch an intensive campaign. Results are as much as 18% per project.

2. Yes, research shows it's spam. Best way to approach it: Be guest marketer and not an intruder and you'll be rewarded.

3. Please, please don't go and just sell. This is dangerous in its simplicity. Prove to your client that you bring value first by solving thier pain and then ask for business. Do this to the right "farmed selected" target market.

Some valuable lessons learned

[sandras]

I am in the start-up phase of my business, so advertising and marketing is at the top of my to-do list at the moment. I've done the handing out of flyers and stuffing flyers into post boxes, advertising online etc.

What I've also done, and at the moment I'm focussing all my marketing energy on it, is direct marketing. I google a type of business and go look at the website, see what kind of service or product they sell, and get the name and contact details of at least one person involved in the business.

I then set up a personalised email, for eg. Dear Mr A. I had a look at your website and got your contact details from there. I deliver an accounting service, and for your type of business, I can do the following management reporting. I then list work that I could potentially do for him. For eg for a photographer, I would say I can do cost coding so that you can determine which sector of your business is bringing in the most profit for you, weddings, studio shoots, birthday parties etc.

I try to explain that I went to the trouble of looking up your specific details, and show that I know your industry and can do reporting that will be useful for your specific business. I mention other types of services that I also render, and then just give my contact details.

So far, with the exception of word-of-mouth, this has been the best form of marketing for me and I'll stick to it for as long as possible.

[garthu]

Tell me do you basically just offer the owner your help with any property related issues or do you get right to the point" NEED TO SELL? CALL ME"

Hi, I never did direct cold sell. It was always an info type letter. One of the best ones we used had a graph (graphics i think adds appeal) of the area trends over the last year and what was expected in growth etc. Any property owner will find it of interest.

Then it would end with Free no obligation valuation etc, give us a call.

NEED TO SELL, i think would bury you, Flyers in post boxes, we used to do it for brand awareness, but dont waste money there. Flyers response used to average 0.01%, to much out there, people don't want it. I'll only support flyers if its part of a larger plan marketing plan and forms a small part of that plan, never as a stand alone marketing method.