Mailing post cards, is it worth it?

S

skitelluride531

New member
Hello!



I am new here, but I have been reading the forums for quite some time. I run a very small "part time" detailing business (Windsor Auto Detail) in Austin, TX. I am considering doing a mailing of postcards in the near future. Today, I bought a selective mailing list from Infousa.com . They were able to provide me with a list of 1200 names of people in a selective income bracket. The cost was about $138 for the list.





After the buying the list, I thought I would come here to get some insight on mailing post cards. I plan on ordering some 4 X 6 cards from http://www.overnightprints.com/ (GREAT company, by the way. I have ordered from them in the past). I would then use the list I bought from info usa, and of course, mail the postcards.



So my questions, for those that have done something similar in the past...is this a cost effective way of advertising your detailing business? Considering the cost upfront (about $300 for postage, $138 for the mailing list, and about $150 for the prints of the postcards), have you guys seen a nice % in the numbers of calls you receive from the mailing? Has any one had any positive or negative responses to InfoUSA's selective mailing list service? Any and ALL info on this sort of thing is much appreciated!





Thanks in advance!

-Connor
 
It's hard to gauge the true impact of this type of media because you don't always get an immediate response, I sent out 1000 postcards a month ago and didn't get the return I was hoping for, I was expecting at least a .5% response, I received .005%, What I did notice though was an increased traffic rate to my website about a week after, So this may lead to a long term benefit.

InfoUSA warns that atleast 10% of the mailing list you purchase will be dead ends due to relocations,death, and numerous other reasons, I was fortunate to have had only a 1% return to sender.I will be sending out another 1000 for the Winterizing Campaign(New England), they say ("they" being Guerilla Marketing by Jay Levinson) that this form of advertising is best for "Branding" and must be sustained over a long term marketing plan in order to reap the maximum benefits.With all that said , I wish you the best of luck in your mailing.
 
I never did any mailings but I put out a lot of flyers in the early to mid 90s when I was starting out. I'd say with 1000 cards, you might get 4-5 responses within a week and a few stragglers in the next couple of months. I actually had someone put one of my flyers in a drawer and call me about 3-4 years later!
 
Post cards have worked for me in the past. For ex. in one mailing I sent out postcards to 500 homes, got 4 responses that brought in a total of 8 cars. The proper way to use direct mail, IMO, is to send out a mailing 6-8 times a year, to the same list, with expiration dates on them to force action. That isn't to say that you couldn't honor one if it came in past that date.



I didn't buy my mailing list but rather drove around myself to neighborhoods I wanted to target and got addresses that way.



"Guerrilla Marketing" by Jay Conrad Levinson is a good book to check out for small business marketing techniques like these.
 
I had 2500 cards go out last Friday to people that earned an income of $150,000 or more. Similar cards will go out to the same 2500 addresses four times in three week intervals.



I will let you know how it goes.
 
You can always include some type of incentive or inducement with your mailing. X%, some offer good with this postcard, or something of that nature. If the customer is asking for this incentive you've got a pretty good idea of where it's coming from.
 
I am currently walking around and dropping my post cards....my problem is that I didnt put an expiration date on them so in about a year when prices go up from what they are now, I will have to either try and talk them into it, or honor the price if people give me grief about it...
 
Scottwax said:
I never did any mailings but I put out a lot of flyers in the early to mid 90s when I was starting out. I'd say with 1000 cards, you might get 4-5 responses within a week and a few stragglers in the next couple of months. I actually had someone put one of my flyers in a drawer and call me about 3-4 years later!
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I've done the mailings too & Scott is right on regarding responses.....With the work you get from the mailings.....make sure you leave a few business cards with the new client.......If he/she is happy you should get 2 more jobs.....Nothing is better than word of mouth in this business.....Good quality work is $ in the bank :spot
 
One business card has made me probably $80,000-$100,000 over the last 11 years. Put it on an Acura Legend at my kids school, started doing the owners, his parents and brother's cars about twice a month at their office and occasionally at their house, where their neighbor noticed and asked me to detail their car. Friend of their's comes over, and she and her parents start having me come out weekly. That lady and her husband split but I still do their respective cars.



The main thing to do with any marketing is once you have a new customer, do what you can to turn them into a lifetime customer. :)
 
Its all a law of average. For every 100 you may have 5-8 people that actually look at the card and think to themselves Hmmmmm that sounds like a good idea. Out of those 5-8 you may have 4 that actually call you. From them 4 you may actually get 1-2 that actually get a detail. I use to do sales and you get really use to hearing NO!!! Basically for every 100 cards you send out just count on 1 person actually coming through. So if you send out 1200 you should get 12 customers. Of course there are those neighborhoods (price brackets) that exceed that and then the ones that dont even come close! Believe me I have been to some bad neighborhoods and some SUPER RICH ones and it would suprise you on which ones buy it and which ones dont! (Thank God I dont do sales anymore!!!) To do the mailing thing correctly you have to get your target audience not just people who make over 100k a year!
 
skitelluride531 said:
Today, I bought a selective mailing list from Infousa.com . They were able to provide me with a list of 1200 names of people in a selective income bracket.



...is this a cost effective way of advertising your detailing business?
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No, this is not a cost effective way of advertising your detailing business.



The reason is simple; other than being able to pay the high price for your services, a selective income bracket has very little to do with why someone gets their car detailed.



Income alone does not make someone a potential detailing client.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
No, this is not a cost effective way of advertising your detailing business.



The reason is simple; other than being able to pay the high price for your services, a selective income bracket has very little to do with why someone gets their car detailed.



Income alone does not make someone a potential detailing client.
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Aside from targeting small groups how would you reach a large group cheaply?
 
Let's face it; some advertising efforts produce better results and are more cost effective than others.



During the start-up phase of your detailing business, you will probably go ahead and do some mailing lists, newspaper and yellow page advertising in order to target large groups cheaply . However, as your business slowly progresses, you will quickly realize that there are other, more productive ways to attract new customers.



Some of your best advertising results will come from person-to-person direct sales, and customer referrals. In many cases, mailing lists, newspaper and yellow pages advertising actually provide the least return for the money spent.



It is not about how much you spent on advertising that is important, it is clearly about how many new customers you get in return for your advertising dollars.
 
mirrorfinishman said:
Some of your best advertising results will come from person-to-person direct sales, and customer referrals.
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Very true.



Referrals will be the most effective but you have to have customers in the first place.



Person-to-person is also highly effective but time consuming. Great to do when you have down time but what do you do when you don't really have down time but aren't as busy as you'd like to be?



This is where I see direct mail fitting in as part of the puzzle. I can get 1000 postcards out in a week, to a targeted group (those same neighborhoods that you worked person-to-person are ideal), with an offer that expires in say 6-8 weeks. Total cost, about $400. Say your offer is for a $50 Wash & Wax package you can see that it won't take many responses to get your money back. Hit that same list multiple (6-8) times in a year and your response will grow with each mailing.



Something else that has worked for me is to place brochures in respected businesses. For ex. there is a service station down the street from my shop that has been around for decades and has almost a cult like following with their customers. Having my brochures

there is like an endorsement in itself.



Yellow pages are good to have a listing in but I wouldn't really call it a form of advertising. I get more price shoppers then people looking for the best possible quality of work.



Newspapers I haven't tried and probably won't because of the limited shelf life and the fact that not many people read newspapers for ads, but rather just news.



Coupon books like the "Clipper" have been so-so for me, again more bargain shoppers then anything else. That's not to say that there is anything wrong with that though. If you can gain the trust of someone who doesn't easily part with their money odds are they'll be a loyal customer for a long time to come.



I'm not in the start-up phase but rather trying to grow something that was run down a bit so my ideas are tailored to fit my needs. I think in the end a multi-pronged approach using many different types of media would be your best bet.



I seem to have rambled a bit more then usual, I should be out talking to potential customers!!



HTHs someone out.
 
Guess my Hospitality Marketing course I took can help.



Direct mailing, if lucky, will produce a 1% return rate. There is a "7 touch" theory, which states that you must make contact with the customer 7 times before they decide to take your good/services. This theory is pretty old, and I believe it actually takes more than 7 times now.



This is why companies pay radio stations to advertise with the same radio commercial for a few months.



Think that was what I learned...
 
Hi I have gotten pretty good results from my mailings but I do them a little differently, instead of doing a mass mailing what I do is if I am going to a customers house and it is not that far from my base I drive by about a week ahead and take down the addresses of the surrounding houses ( usually 3 or 4 blocks ) then mail a card to these addresses so they get delivered a day or 2 prior to the day of my appointment. If the area is not that close to my base then I take the addresses after I do the job and mail them out that night. This way if someone sees me and has gotten my card prior to my visit they know who I am and what I am doing, if they saw me working & get the card right after seeing me my works fresh in their minds. This usually gets me at the very least a few calls
 
karwaxer said:
Hi I have gotten pretty good results from my mailings but I do them a little differently, instead of doing a mass mailing what I do is if I am going to a customers house and it is not that far from my base I drive by about a week ahead and take down the addresses of the surrounding houses ( usually 3 or 4 blocks ) then mail a card to these addresses so they get delivered a day or 2 prior to the day of my appointment. If the area is not that close to my base then I take the addresses after I do the job and mail them out that night. This way if someone sees me and has gotten my card prior to my visit they know who I am and what I am doing, if they saw me working & get the card right after seeing me my works fresh in their minds. This usually gets me at the very least a few calls
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Very smart thinking! Either way you have got the neighbors covered.



Now that is a very productive (and cost effective) way to attract new customers.



Thanks for a great post!!!
 
karwaxer said:
... what I do is if I am going to a customers house and it is not that far from my base I drive by about a week ahead and take down the addresses of the surrounding houses ( usually 3 or 4 blocks ) then mail a card to these addresses so they get delivered a day or 2 prior to the day of my appointment.



If the area is not that close to my base then I take the addresses after I do the job and mail them out that night.
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karwaxer,



If you don't mind; how do phrase and word your 'before postcards'? and 'after postcards'?



And do you address the cards to 'our neighbors'? or do you somehow find out the names of the people at the surrounding houses?



Thanks in advance!
 
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