Direct Mail Marketing

M

mini1

New member
Has anyone done any direct mail marketing campaigns? When I first go into the business for myself, I gathered about 100 address of homes in the area that looked like they might have some disposable income and/or nice vehicles. I was able to design, print (I got paper and use of laser printer for free) and mail all of the fliers myself, so the entire campaign cost very little money. I got some nearly instant responses, and some of those customers have turned into long term, regular clients. I'm have explored some new areas and discovered some new high income areas, so I going to send out another 150 or so new re-designed fliers shortly.

I actually hand write each address and gather each address myself, so it appears that people are opening them thinking they are personal letters and not just throwing them straight in the trash.

Has anyone ever done this? I thought about hiring someone like Vista Print to send out like 500 postcard's, but I have been told that they normally go straight into the trash.
 
I've done "direct un-addressed ad-mail", which is flyers delivered into people's mailboxes. Honestly, I've had some really good success with them, but that could just be because of my physical location and local market.



Many people will tell you that un-addressed ad-mail is a waste of time and they've had no success with it.... I don't know your market area, so I nor anyone else can tell you for certain if it will work or not. However, I CAN tell you that you need to put a lot of time and effort into your flyers. Design one over several days, so you wake up every morning and get a "fresh" perspective on it.



If you flyer doesn't look appealing and doesn't catch people's attention, it doesn't matter how you get it into a customers hands.
 
I'm impressed that the flyers and direct mail results in some business considering thats "old" in terms of new marketing techniques (i'm a designer for an ad agency-we don't even encourage it anymore for new clients).



That being said, I made 2 nice 11x14 stands with card holders that i placed @ bestbuy in their stereo install room and another @ the gym i'm a member at. They've been there since Feb 1, its almost been a month and I've refilled them both-so people ARE looking at them and taking cards BUT no calls yet. I'm hoping it's a "i'll wait till the snow is gone" thought. But really-consider any storefronts you might have good relations with and exploit that. My pop-ups were a result of me buying a CD player and a gym membership...oh and they're write offs now too :)
 
TSS, I did the same things at a Circuit City before it closed down....about 100 fliers were taken, zero phone calls from it 6 months later!



I have about 4000 postcard fliers to hand out and I will be done with that type of marketing. At that point, I will have handed out 10K fliers and if no one bites in the last 4k, I will have had only 4 bites, two booked details off it for a gross total of about $600, hardly worth it!



I have tried yellow pages and that returned ZERO phone calls all year long.



My next move will be to try and buddy up with some speed shops and tuner type places where people obviously car about their cars. On that same note, many of those types of people are into doing things themselves, so I dont know how it will play out. I also want to do some display type stuff at car shows and what have you this year...
 
The speed shop thing is a great idea. Figure if they are giving it to a tuner shop-they aren't as "hands on" as some others are. I need to explore that avenue more. the local LSX/fbody shop here kinda told me "you know there are about 4 detailers around us, what makes you any different" I was like "gee thanks, didn't i just buy an engine from you?"
 
toyotaguy said:
I have about 4000 postcard fliers to hand out and I will be done with that type of marketing. At that point, I will have handed ut 10K fliers and if no one bites in the last 4k, I will have had only 4 bites, two booked details off it for a gross total of about $600, hardly worth it!



I have tried yellow pages and that returned ZERO phone calls all year long.
Click to expand...



One of my clients was suggesting I use the phonebook. When I thought about though, I could not even remember the last time I opened a phonebook!



As for the direct mail idea, its kind of a guess and check strategy. It may work, it may not. I personally would not do it, but if it worked then go for it until it stops working.
 
toyotaguy said:
TSS, I did the same things at a Circuit City before it closed down....about 100 fliers were taken, zero phone calls from it 6 months later!



I have about 4000 postcard fliers to hand out and I will be done with that type of marketing. At that point, I will have handed out 10K fliers and if no one bites in the last 4k, I will have had only 4 bites, two booked details off it for a gross total of about $600, hardly worth it!



I have tried yellow pages and that returned ZERO phone calls all year long.



My next move will be to try and buddy up with some speed shops and tuner type places where people obviously car about their cars. On that same note, many of those types of people are into doing things themselves, so I dont know how it will play out. I also want to do some display type stuff at car shows and what have you this year...
Click to expand...

10,000 flyers and only 2 booked details ?!?!?!? Damn !



You are busy though, correct ? How have you grown your customer base, since you've obviously gone through lots of marketing techniques ?
 
mainly online forums and word of mouth referrals...its a lot of work on my end on the down days...



I am fairly busy, not enough for full time quite yet, but I do put in quite a few 60 hour weeks this year already
 
tssdetailing said:
I'm impressed that the flyers and direct mail results in some business considering thats "old" in terms of new marketing techniques (i'm a designer for an ad agency-we don't even encourage it anymore for new clients).



That being said, I made 2 nice 11x14 stands with card holders that i placed @ bestbuy in their stereo install room and another @ the gym i'm a member at. They've been there since Feb 1, its almost been a month and I've refilled them both-so people ARE looking at them and taking cards BUT no calls yet. I'm hoping it's a "i'll wait till the snow is gone" thought. But really-consider any storefronts you might have good relations with and exploit that. My pop-ups were a result of me buying a CD player and a gym membership...oh and they're write offs now too :)
Click to expand...



Sometimes what i have noticed that people do is keep your card/flyer and either hold off for a later time or they misplace it and find it again later and call you to say that i got your flyer 3 months ago and would like to setup a detail. I have had that happen numerous times.



toyotaguy said:
TSS, I did the same things at a Circuit City before it closed down....about 100 fliers were taken, zero phone calls from it 6 months later!



I have about 4000 postcard fliers to hand out and I will be done with that type of marketing. At that point, I will have handed out 10K fliers and if no one bites in the last 4k, I will have had only 4 bites, two booked details off it for a gross total of about $600, hardly worth it!



I have tried yellow pages and that returned ZERO phone calls all year long.



My next move will be to try and buddy up with some speed shops and tuner type places where people obviously car about their cars. On that same note, many of those types of people are into doing things themselves, so I dont know how it will play out. I also want to do some display type stuff at car shows and what have you this year...
Click to expand...



Where did you get your postcard flyers made? Flyers use to work really well when i first started out and they still do but not quite as well as they once did.



YELLOW PAGES yielded me nothing but a $2,300 loss at the end of the year. It was $200 per month and i got crap out of it. The worst investment i ever made.



Aesop F1 said:
One of my clients was suggesting I use the phonebook. When I thought about though, I could not even remember the last time I opened a phonebook!



As for the direct mail idea, its kind of a guess and check strategy. It may work, it may not. I personally would not do it, but if it worked then go for it until it stops working.
Click to expand...



Direct Mail is something i would like to try . . . . especially because here there are several gated communities that i can't access in which the people have nice cars there. I believe that a Direct Mail type of approach is the only way to go as far as that is concerned.



Question is how to get the street names and addresses for those places inside gated communities?
 
i had my buddy make me some flyers with "specials" on them. i gave out 20 out of 5000 and already got 5 details from it. only 1 went with the special, the others upgraded and wanted more. i dont mass distribute, i hand them to owners/drivers when i see a nice car i can make look better
 
advs1 said:
i had my buddy make me some flyers with "specials" on them. i gave out 20 out of 5000 and already got 5 details from it. only 1 went with the special, the others upgraded and wanted more. i dont mass distribute, i hand them to owners/drivers when i see a nice car i can make look better
Click to expand...



And what do you tell these people when you walk up to them getting out of their Mercedes or BMW so they don't look at you like you're:



A) Crazy

B) Waste of time
 
vtec92civic said:
And what do you tell these people when you walk up to them getting out of their Mercedes or BMW so they don't look at you like you're:



A) Crazy

B) Waste of time
Click to expand...



i carry a picture book with some of my work, before and afters. i compliment them on a nice car, that i feel should look better. i explain what holograms, swirls are and how once removed can make the car look better. i open a door or trunk and see if they are dirty, explain how we do wheel wells. mostly i express how i dont just leave cards or flyers on every car. has worked pretty good so far. just got a call yesterday for a new mustang, i gave that customer a flyer in the parking lot of a grocery store. now he's booking for a full detail
 
advs1 said:
i carry a picture book with some of my work, before and afters. i compliment them on a nice car, that i feel should look better. i explain what holograms, swirls are and how once removed can make the car look better. i open a door or trunk and see if they are dirty, explain how we do wheel wells. mostly i express how i dont just leave cards or flyers on every car. has worked pretty good so far. just got a call yesterday for a new mustang, i gave that customer a flyer in the parking lot of a grocery store. now he's booking for a full detail
Click to expand...



sweet deal man. Congratulations on that.



Anyone have a sample of their flyers?
 
i dont have the flyer saved on my computer, my buddy that does my graphics keeps everything for me and when i need new stuff he just orders it and i pick up. he's really good and does a lot of work for cities and politicians. i told him i dont know if thats good or bad LOL.
 
Front

img2-3.jpg






Back

img-4.jpg




and the business card



front

img-3.jpg




Back



img2-2.jpg
 
Actually, advs1 made a huge point that I completely forgot to mention. Flyers MUST, absolutely MUST have a call to action on them. I don't sent out ANY unaddressed ad-mail without a special on it. Generally, it's 5% off any packages if booked before "x" date, that date usually being about a month after the ad-mail goes in the mailboxes. With that call to action, it stimulates a sense of urgency within the person reading it, such as "man I'm calling tomorrow so I don't miss out on that special !".



It sounds stupid and perhaps foolish, but it's true.
 
WAS said:
Actually, advs1 made a huge point that I completely forgot to mention. Flyers MUST, absolutely MUST have a call to action on them. I don't sent out ANY unaddressed ad-mail without a special on it. Generally, it's 5% off any packages if booked before "x" date, that date usually being about a month after the ad-mail goes in the mailboxes. With that call to action, it stimulates a sense of urgency within the person reading it, such as "man I'm calling tomorrow so I don't miss out on that special !".



It sounds stupid and perhaps foolish, but it's true.
Click to expand...



Also very true. Thing is it might have to be more then 5%. Not sure a lot of people will budge to save $5 on a $100



toyotaguy said:
Front

img2-3.jpg






Back

img-4.jpg




and the business card



front

img-3.jpg




Back



img2-2.jpg
Click to expand...



Eric that is one nice flyer man. Who made that bad boy? I need to make me one like that in color and hat not.



Also, where did you have them printed, what quantity and how much? Sorry for all the questions. I usually will toss some business cards out and i use to use black and white flyers with colored card stock but i'm looking to change that up a littl;e and maybe try some color cards to send out instead or something.



Basically something new in hopes to get a little more business.
 
gotprint.net i where I designed and printed them. Pricing is pretty cheap for what you get. Quality is better than most I have gotten on my car from time to time.
 
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