The Green Industry's Resource Center

lawrence stone · #31 01-31-2000, 03:46 PM

Jeff,What kind of customers read free papers? Ones that can't afford to buy a real newspaper. The price ($37) is no big deal but are you sure this is the type of customer you want to attract?Hint: venture out into the high end res. area and see what paper most of the folks are reading by looking at the little plastic paper holders on the mailboxes. Spend some of your ad budget with that paper. Most papers do inserts by zip code. Contact another non-competitive home based business to split the costs (you get one side of the insert).Have the inserts inserted on a friday around St. Pattys day. Hang around the phone for that weekend. Also place a small classifed ad in the same paper for a month starting the same day your inserts hit the street.P.S. Make sure you have a e-mail addy and a web addy on the inserts.Go to TownServer.com and you can make a FREE business web site.

lawrence stone · #32 01-31-2000, 04:16 PM

Dear Admin,What gives you the right to modify my posts?The website I refered to is not the same one I wrote.Please explain your actions.

Administrator · #33 01-31-2000, 04:22 PM

Your link was a conflict of interest.We offer free business hosting at http://www.townserver.com

Nilsson Associates · #34 01-31-2000, 04:26 PM

I've been using direct mail methods for over ten years ... this is what I've discovered:1. Bulk mail is cheap, but not as effective as using a first class stamp. First class gets 20% more attention, initially.2. It takes 7 consecutive mailings to the same address, for the addressee to remember what they received.3. A hand written address while extremely time consuming .. can be the way to go with a limited mailing list. You're better off mailing to let's say 200 or 300 top quality, high income properties (each month) going first class, than you are making a bulk mailing to 5,000 with a cheap "piece". It's not quantity .. it's quality.4. Telemarketing is much more effective than any direct mail piece. You can get the demographics from www.experian.com for residences with incomes of $70,000 or more, to use in your campaign. 5. Expect a 2.5% response rate (if) your piece is on target. 6. A hand written envelope from an unknown sender is opened about 99% of the time, whereas a cheap bulk mailed piece is discarded generally 95% of the time (unread).7. Using the color "red" on the outside of a mailing piece gets about 50% more attention than using any other color.8. Time the mailings so they are received by the recipient only from Tuesdays through Thursdays. That's possible when you go first class, but not generally with bulk mail.9. In order of importance: a. The address "area" is seen first b. The "sender's area" is seen second c. The "postage area" is seen third d. But the color "red" is seen first if you have a compelling message.Everybody has their "methods" but generally I think you're better off when using direct mail to mail to a smaller audience, and use a first class mailing piece, going first class postage stamp, high quality envelope, a single piece of paper inside(letterhead) with one or two photos printed on it, hand signed letter, very brief intro to your company. In other words ... make it "personal". Response rates go up dramatically, when you personalize the mailings. Think "quality mailings" ... not "quantity mailings".Nilsson Associates, Consultants

#35 01-31-2000, 04:40 PM

L.S.- I was simply passing along some info that I had picked up. Actually, everyone reads this paper. It has much local info and lots of local high school sports info( HS sports are HUGE around here). A paper is delivered to every household, so there is no real specific targeting, only by zip code.I was simply refering to it as a low cost way to do a large quantity to a relativitly specific area. I personally have done only very limited advertising over the years.

MRPLOW · #36 01-31-2000, 04:57 PM

Jeffci that is about the same price I got for paper around me. It's a wednesday paper for a couple of cities that costs $1.00. Insert prices were 1000 for $35.00, you supply the flyers. I have used this for aeration services in springtime and got about 2% return.

lawrence stone · #37 01-31-2000, 05:05 PM

Phil,Can you give the group some insight in regards to small selective mailing (first class) to high end residenitals between going with postcards vs. personalized letters & envelopes?I have done both (using a database of property transfers from the previous calendar year) and find little difference in response (5-7%) on the inital mailing to justify the added labor and expense.With postcards I just use formal black and white and use my own design (MS PUB)with a black and white printed label.The red color is right on. I have a red stamp that says "first class mail" that I use to give the cards some color.

lawrence stone · #38 01-31-2000, 05:13 PM

Jeff,If HS football is so big in the west how come Berwick (part of my commercial service area)always beats the team from the WPIAA in the state championship game?