spring advertising idea

[grass disaster]

what do you think of this idea???

500 magnet business cards =$120
500 stamps = $195
500 envelopes $20
500 flyers $10

total $345

was planning on sending these out to a select area of town where i would like to get more business. i figure this type of advertising will keep advertising if they place it on their refrig.

i would think 500 of these would reach quite a few homes.

[WALKER LANDSCAPE]

Type up a intro letter talk about your services and your ability. the magnet are still a good idea. If you do work in the area give some refrences so they can take a look at your work. Just my 2 cents. Your idea is good though.

[grass disaster]

i do have some business that i have that are in the same area and look like the best lawns in town.

would you design the insert more as a flyer or as a letter???

[mtdman]

500 is not enough.

[WALKER LANDSCAPE]

Grass
I would design it as a letter more personal like your trying to reach the individual that is reading it. Then if you get the response from the letter follow up with a flyer /savings/ list of great services, whatever to make the sale. Just my two cents looks like you two guys have been on here (LS) longer than I have:waving: Gold and Senior member

[toac]

I like the magnet idea, but as mtdman said, 500 is probably not enough. You may want to at least double that number.

[rockymtnmf]

grass disaster... FORGET THE MAGNETS. They are not in the budget this year!! They are nice give aways but foolish for you at this point. You need customers! Take that $120 buy 500 postcard stamps!!! Then, get another $70 somewhere (beg, borrow, whatever) and goto gotprint.com. Buy 1000 postcards with it (they dont sell 500). And mail out those cards!! 500 isnt many, and you might only get one sale. But it will money better spent than the $120 you were gonna spend on the magnets.

This way... you are contacting 500 extra people for only an extra $70.00.

Take it for what its worth. $120 is too rich for your blood right now. Get the magnets next year!

[mtdman]

I agree with Rocky here. Magnet b-cards are for established customers so they have your info on the fridge. Take that money and increase your range. Hell, if you can afford it go for 2000 post cards. Flyers are a waste to mail, and here's why. IMO.

The average postal patron looks at their mail for 30 seconds. Sorts out the bills, the letters and junk mail. Junk mail goes in the trash. Bills go in the pile, letters get opened. An envelope with a flyer in it is junk mail. I get that kind of stuff all the time from mortgage companies. You can always tell because they either spell your name wrong, or have the "or current resident" in the address. I never even look at that stuff.

With a catchy, attractive postcard, you will get a couple extra seconds. They will glance over it quickly, and if interested at all at least keep the card and not throw it out at first. With the postcard, your name and image and what you do gets to them right away, they know what you're advertising and you get your foot in the door, so to speak.

I do postcards in the spring and I get calls all year long from them. Sometimes if people don't need your service, they might stick the card in a pile or on the fridge in case they do later. Then they pull it out and give you a call. With a flyer in an envelope, you get thrown in the trash.

IMO, this goes for flyers rolled or folded and stuck on doors, mail boxes, newspaper boxes, etc as well. Rolled or folded just makes it easier to toss out.

Finally, don't get discouraged if you don't get a lot of calls from the direct mail off the bat. IMO, direct mail is more for marketing yourself. Getting your name and number and service in the public's mind. Often I don't get immediate results, but I do often hear "I got your card, then saw you in the phone book/down the street/at my neighbor's house so I gave you a call." I try to use the post cards to saturate the areas I want to work in and increase my name/brand exposure to those people and get it in their minds for when they are looking for a lawn care service. I've noticed that over the 3 years I've done the postcards, I get more response as time goes on from those areas.

[Vikings]

I would put all $345 into the flyer and its distribution. I would only give a magnet to someone who has already given me money ie. a customer.

[toac]

I agree with Rocky here. Magnet b-cards are for established customers so they have your info on the fridge. Take that money and increase your range. Hell, if you can afford it go for 2000 post cards. Flyers are a waste to mail, and here's why. IMO.

The average postal patron looks at their mail for 30 seconds. Sorts out the bills, the letters and junk mail. Junk mail goes in the trash. Bills go in the pile, letters get opened. An envelope with a flyer in it is junk mail. I get that kind of stuff all the time from mortgage companies. You can always tell because they either spell your name wrong, or have the "or current resident" in the address. I never even look at that stuff.

With a catchy, attractive postcard, you will get a couple extra seconds. They will glance over it quickly, and if interested at all at least keep the card and not throw it out at first. With the postcard, your name and image and what you do gets to them right away, they know what you're advertising and you get your foot in the door, so to speak.

I do postcards in the spring and I get calls all year long from them. Sometimes if people don't need your service, they might stick the card in a pile or on the fridge in case they do later. Then they pull it out and give you a call. With a flyer in an envelope, you get thrown in the trash.

IMO, this goes for flyers rolled or folded and stuck on doors, mail boxes, newspaper boxes, etc as well. Rolled or folded just makes it easier to toss out.

Finally, don't get discouraged if you don't get a lot of calls from the direct mail off the bat. IMO, direct mail is more for marketing yourself. Getting your name and number and service in the public's mind. Often I don't get immediate results, but I do often hear "I got your card, then saw you in the phone book/down the street/at my neighbor's house so I gave you a call." I try to use the post cards to saturate the areas I want to work in and increase my name/brand exposure to those people and get it in their minds for when they are looking for a lawn care service. I've noticed that over the 3 years I've done the postcards, I get more response as time goes on from those areas.

Very nice post! As stated by rocky - for the extra $70 go for the flyers.

[grass disaster]

I agree with Rocky here. Magnet b-cards are for established customers so they have your info on the fridge. Take that money and increase your range. Hell, if you can afford it go for 2000 post cards. Flyers are a waste to mail, and here's why. IMO.

The average postal patron looks at their mail for 30 seconds. Sorts out the bills, the letters and junk mail. Junk mail goes in the trash. Bills go in the pile, letters get opened. An envelope with a flyer in it is junk mail. I get that kind of stuff all the time from mortgage companies. You can always tell because they either spell your name wrong, or have the "or current resident" in the address. I never even look at that stuff.

With a catchy, attractive postcard, you will get a couple extra seconds. They will glance over it quickly, and if interested at all at least keep the card and not throw it out at first. With the postcard, your name and image and what you do gets to them right away, they know what you're advertising and you get your foot in the door, so to speak.

I do postcards in the spring and I get calls all year long from them. Sometimes if people don't need your service, they might stick the card in a pile or on the fridge in case they do later. Then they pull it out and give you a call. With a flyer in an envelope, you get thrown in the trash.

IMO, this goes for flyers rolled or folded and stuck on doors, mail boxes, newspaper boxes, etc as well. Rolled or folded just makes it easier to toss out.

Finally, don't get discouraged if you don't get a lot of calls from the direct mail off the bat. IMO, direct mail is more for marketing yourself. Getting your name and number and service in the public's mind. Often I don't get immediate results, but I do often hear "I got your card, then saw you in the phone book/down the street/at my neighbor's house so I gave you a call." I try to use the post cards to saturate the areas I want to work in and increase my name/brand exposure to those people and get it in their minds for when they are looking for a lawn care service. I've noticed that over the 3 years I've done the postcards, I get more response as time goes on from those areas.

maybe they would hang up your post card with my magnet

[Grits]

This year I have mailed about 500 postcards. This is indeed a small number. I have 5000 sitting next to me that will be mailed within the next couple months. But from the 500 mailed out thus far I have given a couple estimates for lawn maint. and am currently working out an estimate for a $2000 bed renovation. Hopefully I'll get that one. It would more than pay for the mailings and the other advertising I have done this year.

[mtdman]

maybe they would hang up your post card with my magnet

You can either listen to advice from someone who's been in business since 1995 or waste your advertising budget and get no response. It's your call.

[GreenN'Clean]

I would take the $345.00 and run an add in a newspaper it will get to more people

[gqnine44]

I dont see what the problem with the magnet is. It is different and has a half way decent chance of getting stuck on something metal so the customer sees it again and again. I have used magnets in the past and had good response. It would help if you were able to send more of them though.

Nothing is wrong with postcards but do you people know how many solicitations for lawncare/landscaping people in affluent areas get? You have to be lucky or have the world's best postcard not to get tossed. And if they decide to keep it there is a good chance it will get lost. At least with a magnet you can stick it to something.

[amar]

I would take the $345.00 and run an add in a newspaper it will get to more people

Newspaper ads are a waste of money. They are small, unless your taking a full page for $1k+

I have gotten the lowest response for newspaper ads.

[mikefromny]

i would take $369 go to www.doorhangersetc.com and get 10,000 doorhangers delivered to your house for that price that is 9,500 more than what you were orginally gonnna do , and start feb 1- march 15th passing them out ! you will be suprised by the outcome !

[rockymtnmf]

I dont see what the problem with the magnet is.

Nothing is wrong with postcards but do you people know how many solicitations for lawncare/landscaping people in affluent areas get? You have to be lucky or have the world's best postcard not to get tossed.

There is nothing wrong with magnets. When your business reaches a point where it has some disposabe income it's a god idea to start doing things such as magnets, key chains, cups, etc it all part of "branding." Pepsi, Budweiser, Nextel, Verizon do it everyday. But when your advertising budget is $345 there is better ways to spend money.

On the postcards comment... It has nothing to do with the postcards (dont get me wrong a nice postcard looks better) It as to do with how many people you can contact with the money you have. Postcards being the least postage. Or forget postage all together and do doorhangers. I think it takes to much time, but they are less expensive than postage.

And if postcards get tossed so will how many of the original 500 flyers get tossed, at least my way if you get a 2% response he will get 20 calls not 10.

Just my opinion.

[Grashopper]

Post cards seem like the way to go. However, it seems as though there is a lot of work involved. Someone has to stamp all the cards plus you have to get the addresses you want to market from somewhere also. This is where I get lost. How do I get the addresses I want in a data base? How do I print the addresses from my home computer?

[vale of paradise]

Newspaper ads are a waste of money. They are small, unless your taking a full page for $1k+

I have gotten the lowest response for newspaper ads.


Amar, if the newspaper has not worked well for your area. What did work for you? It is interesting how people respond differently in different areas.

L