I've got a database of clients, probably around 3000 or so, that I need to send out a mailer to. Business is a little down right now and we could use any sales we can get our hands on. I know that the list isn't 100% current, but as long as the mailer gets to a live body, I don't care. What I'd really like to have happen is for people to get the mailer and then go to our website and complete a contest form, that way I can get current names, addresses, and email addresses. Hopefully if I can get people to our website to enter the giveaway, I can get them to put in a request for a price quote as well. Has anyone had any luck doing a giveaway like this to drum up leads, sales, business etc. I'm in the automotive industry, and any suggestions that I could use to get some biz would be great.
Direct mailing is cheap, where I am about $.24 cents each for postcards (including the card itself) if I presort them. Why bother with the giveaway? I am NOT a marketing expert, but I would guess you would get a fairly low response to the giveaway. Why not just make the sales pitch on the mailer itself? I guess all this depends on what you are selling which I'm a little unclear on. I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I am also about to do some direct postcard mailing myself.Let's say you are selling a product or service that people commonly need, does anyone have a range of response rates one could expect? I am guess around 1 in 100, meaning each sale would cost about$24. Even at 1 in 200, that would cost less than $50 where I could still make a decent profit and hope for word of mouth referals and repeat business to build up a clientelle.
I've done quite a bit of direct mail over my marketing career with many companies. Here are some ideas. 1. The variables that affect the response of a direct mail campaign from highest to lowest impact are 1. List. 2. Offer 3. copy/format/timing 1. The prospects that live in the most affluent zip codes will almost always be your best responders, so if you can eliminate lower income prospects (even if your target is lower income) you will fair better. 2. The rule of thumb for offers is if you provide a service then giveaway a product as the offer. If you sell products then provide a service as an offer. (i.e. Dentists usually give away products for promotions) I would stay away from drawings or sweeptakes they don't work well unless you are talking 6-7 figures in cash. 3. The average response rate for direct mail is usually somewhere between 1-2%. You can do slightly better if you follow steps 1-3 above. 4. A #10 envelope is the all time best format for direct mail. Postcards are too easy to scan and trash. Good luck!
Thanks for the response. I live in Scottsdale, so number 1 is no problem. I have no idea what to give away though. People in Scottsdale are mostly filthy rich, so I don't know if a free product would make much difference. I think I will focus on offering top notch service for their maximum convenience. They are rich and they expect the best for their money, and they have lots of disposible income. Any idea how you give potential clients confidence that you really do offer excellent reliable service, just in a short mailer blurb? I suppose you could use testimonials, or talk about your length of experince. Or??