Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Does anyone have experience in what kind of returns I can expect from a mass mailing to the town my store is located in?

Or suggestions in how I might attract more attention with a simple flyer so that fewer of the actual mailings get thrown in the garbage?

Can you think of anything offbeat enough that would truly catch your attention even if for a minute to make you read the rest of the flyer?

thank you

aaron

Aaron,

Hard saying not knowing what your business is, but I would say - free stuff.  People love it.  I will deviate from the national coffee chain for a free latte at a neighborhood stand.  If they are nice when I come for the free one, I will return again. 

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Kindra Beauprey Director Liberty Bell Spirit Squad www.libertybells.net

About 8 years ago worked in the graphic department of a mailing house. Our mailings typically had a 1-3% response. As for actual follow through for sales, I cannot say what the return is/was. That was up to the company doing the mailing/selling.

Look at it like this, in my experience you can pay to have your listing “scrubbed” to ensure accurate, and even targeted recipients or you can canvas by zip code.

Scrubbing costs man-hours. It`s more time consuming and potentially more expensive, but the more targeted your mailings are, the better the response.

Canvassing costs in print production and postage.

Also, don’t under estimate the power of a professional design… or designer of the mail piece. The better looking, or shall I say designed, the mailer is, the better the response.

One hint, don’t cram too much into the mail piece. Make your message clear and try to have a “one track mind” type of design. This will pull a higher response.


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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

Thank you very much- I always welcome as much insight as possible.
It is a UPS Store and we have been trying an approach of attracting a lot attention- we`ve developed significantly since we have opened- but continue to look for new ideas to keep pushing it.
Thank you again
and have an awesome night

be good
aaron

Yes iouone2 you right for my compagni of excavation in that time I was doing flyer but the idea on your flyer put a calander or a other idea of attraction to your flyer and it work for 3 years I did that and I was busy on call like iouone2 say make nice flyer like picture of what you got and good detail .

Good luck

-Aaron

Somthing that you may want to keep in mind is that you should measure your direct mail campaign to make sure that you are getting some sort of return. I`ve found that by measuring a campaign, and then making adjustments accordingly, I`ve been able to drive response rates over the typical 1-3% rate that the USPS, and other industry experts say that you can expect. Some ways to measure are comparing your mailing to a control group that doesn`t receive a mailing. This way, you can tell if your efforts are paying off. Sometimes a control group isn`t an option, so you can use things like specific coupon codes, unique phone numbers for people to call or a landing page on a website. Anything that you can measure to judge your return. Then, try to improve upon your baseline in the next mailing.

iouone2 makes a good point about list scrubbing. The trick is to get the most qualified list of addresses possible. This can be done by buying a list of highly targeted addresses in your town. An example of a highly targeted list for you may be everyone in town who has shipped something in the past 6 weeks. This may not be possible, but I think that you get the idea.

"Scrubbing" also takes place after you have your list developed. CASS certification is a process that removes duplicate addresses from your list and ensures that the addresses you are mailing to are real. Most mailing houses provide this service. At PrintingForLess.com, this is included with every mailing, and you should check out the Mailing Services page to get some specific information on how you can improve your mailing efforts.

I think that you`re on the right track when you asked about creating a piece that really stands out from the junk mail in people`s mail boxes. One easy way to improve your piece is to have it coated with Aqueous Coating when it`s printed. This will protect it from being scuffed and scratched in transit, and it provides a nice sheen to gloss paper. Some mailing houses can`t address on coated paper, so be sure to ask. The alternative is a label over the coating or uncoated paper. Both look a little less appealing in my opinion. A designer will be able to create a piece that is really eye-catching, but there are other options if you don`t have the budget for this.

At PrintingForLess, I`ve seen some really great pieces that people have created themselves using Photoshop, Microsoft Publisher and even Word.
*This part is important*
If you do create a mailing piece on your own, be sure to know the postal regulations. A piece that has been designed without considering the USPS` specs can end up costing you a lot of extra money. Sometimes that USPS fees for working around a design can end up costing more than if you would have individually stamped each piece....and the whole point of direct mail is getting that bulk price. You`ll want to take a look at our US Mail Layout Guide page to make sure that you`re designing your piece correctly.

I run the Marketing Department at PrintingForLess.com and we`ve printed and mailed postcards to our customers using these suggestions. I hope that this information has helped. Even if you don`t print and mail your piece with PFL, please feel free to call Wes on the Pioneer Team (our top-notch mailing team) at PFL. 1-800-930-7018. He`ll be happy to answer your questions and point you in the right direction.

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Nick Runyon
Director of Marketing
PrintingForLess.com

Hello Aaron-

I would be very cautious, especially if money is a concern, about investing too much time, money and energy in direct mail.  Think of all the pieces that you receive that you never open.  I am obviously biased because my business is focused on Radio, but there are many other ways to find "captive" eyes and ears that are going to be more receptive to your message.  No doubt that many marketers are successful with direct mail, but is very tough to generate significant results without a solid amount of consistency and investment.

Just my .02.

Good luck!

Steve