When to Send EDDM?

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 3, 2023

Researching how to do EDDM for a campaign to get mowing customers this year.

Anyone have experience on what the best time is to send these flyers out is? I'm planning on following up with door hangers if that matters.

SlowMowTurf · Feb 4, 2023

Depends on where you are located. For both EDDM & door hangers I would target about 4 to 6 weeks before mowing season starts in your area.
Door hangers do matter, expect about 1% call ratio. Door hangers really do help direct target a specific area(s), but they do involve LOTs of personal effort on your part.

Google for Business & local Facebook Communities are other good options.

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 4, 2023

SlowMowTurf said:
Depends on where you are located. For both EDDM & door hangers I would target about 4 to 6 weeks before mowing season starts in your area.
Door hangers do matter, expect about 1% call ratio. Door hangers really do help direct target a specific area(s), but they do involve LOTs of personal effort on your part.

Google for Business & local Facebook Communities are other good options.

Okay, thanks. I know how much work doorhangers are. Not looking forward to it. It is what it is.

My Google profile is still suspended. Evergrow Marketing has been extremely helpful, but Google’s putting up a fuss.
Do you mean something different than FB ads?

Evergrow Marketing · Feb 4, 2023

Mow_Ranger_44 said:
Researching how to do EDDM for a campaign to get mowing customers this year.

Anyone have experience on what the best time is to send these flyers out is? I'm planning on following up with door hangers if that matters.

I would try something similar to this:

Increase Route Density With This Direct Mail Approach

The leanest lawn care companies have the most dense routes. Dense routes make you more profitable by capitalizing on your ideal customer.

turfmagazine.com

It's not quite EDDM but I'm hearing Inside the Box Marketing (in the article) is getting 3-5% response rate where EDDM typically gets about a 0.1% response rate

SlowMowTurf · Feb 4, 2023

Mow_Ranger_44 said:
Do you mean something different than FB ads?

Yes, I mean something other than FB ads. My area has a 'local Facebook' community that folks can join. I see many small businesses of all types (several are lawn & snow) that just 'plug' themselves on there via posts/replies to others looking for lawn or snow companies.

SlowMowTurf · Feb 4, 2023

If you do get on a local Facebook group, you'll see many bashing others and a LOT of non-sense talk. Stay out of it!
Just stick to posts here and there for your business.

Jeff@diyokc · Feb 4, 2023

SlowMowTurf said:
If you do get on a local Facebook group, you'll see many bashing others and a LOT of non-sense talk. Stay out of it!
Just stick to posts here and there for your business.

I agree! Nextdoor comes to mind. Full of nosy Karen’s and chads. When a mowing requests comes up, I’ll usually see 10-12 responses from both vendors and clients. Reminds me of the tire kickers on thumbtack and other pay for lead sites.

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 4, 2023

Evergrow Marketing said:
I would try something similar to this:

Increase Route Density With This Direct Mail Approach

The leanest lawn care companies have the most dense routes. Dense routes make you more profitable by capitalizing on your ideal customer.

turfmagazine.com

It's not quite EDDM but I'm hearing Inside the Box Marketing (in the article) is getting 3-5% response rate where EDDM typically gets about a 0.1% response rate

I saved the article. I'll read it before I make any orders.

SlowMowTurf said:
Yes, I mean something other than FB ads. My area has a 'local Facebook' community that folks can join. I see many small businesses of all types (several are lawn & snow) that just 'plug' themselves on there via posts/replies to others looking for lawn or snow companies.

Ok, I'll look into that.

gardiner · Feb 4, 2023

I'm more for full service less stops. I
Go after whatever season we are in.
Then up sale .
Imo. it will be hard to give a date for mowing. Too soon could be a waste. Or.
You might find someone who is looking for a replacement. For one reason or another. My contacts starts in May.
Too late ads. You get people who really do not think about how the property looks. Realizes when the grass is knee high. Middle of April ?

Steve-1 · Feb 7, 2023

I just sent out about 75 letters 2 weeks ago. I will send them out again to the same addresses 2 more times by March 15th. What I did was send out to 5-7 neighbors of current customers that I want to do. I also have a customer on a new home build, there are 30 houses on that street and they will be looking for lawn care, so mailed 30 letters to them

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 7, 2023

Steve-1 said:
I just sent out about 75 letters 2 weeks ago. I will send them out again to the same addresses 2 more times by March 15th. What I did was send out to 5-7 neighbors of current customers that I want to do. I also have a customer on a new home build, there are 30 houses on that street and they will be looking for lawn care, so mailed 30 letters to them

Ok, thanks. I'd be interested to hear what returns you get from that. I hadn't thought about targeting new developments. I'll keep that in mind.

RigglePLC · Feb 7, 2023

Try to think of a special early-bird sales incentive, for new customers, only.

Free lime? (50 pounds, additional at extra cost.)
Free soil test?

Free liquid aeration?
Free flowers planted? (Up to 5 flowers.) (pots of daffodils).
Free tree fertilizer spikes?

Ditta&Sons · Feb 7, 2023

Mow_Ranger_44 said:
Researching how to do EDDM for a campaign to get mowing customers this year.

Anyone have experience on what the best time is to send these flyers out is? I'm planning on following up with door hangers if that matters.

if youre sending out two, id space them out two weeks apart, beginning with about a month before you start cutting, and followed two week later for the hangers. that way youre service is fresh in their mind leading up to the start of growing season, but youre also early enough to be one of the first companies they notice sending out flyers

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 7, 2023

RigglePLC said:
Try to think of a special early-bird sales incentive, for new customers, only.

Free lime? (50 pounds, additional at extra cost.)
Free soil test?

Free liquid aeration?
Free flowers planted? (Up to 5 flowers.) (pots of daffodils).
Free tree fertilizer spikes?

Yeah, I was thinking about that. I like the flower idea. I was also considering 10% off a spring cleanup or mulch install if they sign up for mowing - try and get full service customers that way.

Ditta&Sons said:
if youre sending out two, id space them out two weeks apart, beginning with about a month before you start cutting, and followed two week later for the hangers. that way youre service is fresh in their mind leading up to the start of growing season, but youre also early enough to be one of the first companies they notice sending out flyers

Ok, that's helpful advice about the timing. Makes sense to me.

Scott87 · Feb 7, 2023

Consider putting a hand written price or price range on dooor hangers. Its a lot more work and you may have to include a phrase about not being able to see the entire property and only took a quick glance at the front yard or work so the price could be $55 to $65 after meeting the owner and doing a walk thru. @Hurryupelectric does this and get better than the 1% return. Also make door hangers so they aren't specific to any season then you can get a bunch printed and use them this fall or next year.

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 7, 2023

Scott87 said:
Consider putting a hand written price or price range on dooor hangers. Its a lot more work and you may have to include a phrase about not being able to see the entire property and only took a quick glance at the front yard or work so the price could be $55 to $65 after meeting the owner and doing a walk thru. @Hurryupelectric does this and get better than the 1% return. Also make door hangers so they aren't specific to any season then you can get a bunch printed and use them this fall or next year.

I actually tried that last summer. I said "typical price for your lot size is..." or something like that. I also made the mistake of printing doorhangers with a deal that expired by May 7th last year. I ended up with about 600 unusable door hangers.

Ditta&Sons · Feb 7, 2023

Mow_Ranger_44 said:
I actually tried that last summer. I said "typical price for your lot size is..." or something like that. I also made the mistake of printing doorhangers with a deal that expired by May 7th last year. I ended up with about 600 unusable door hangers.

they could be used the following year, if youre keeping the same price range lol youre already ahead of the game!

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 7, 2023

Ditta&Sons said:
they could be used the following year, if youre keeping the same price range lol youre already ahead of the game!

Eh, they had a pretty terrible design. I already threw them away.

RigglePLC · Feb 7, 2023

And...try to think of a way to get the recipient to hang onto the brochure. For instance information for gardening...like the first and last frost dates for your town. Plus the month when rainfall is low and temperature high, so that average irrigation will be the most needed.
Offer to do a soil texture analysis--percent of sand, loam and clay.
Maybe, average date of Japanese beetle emergence.

Mow_Ranger_44 · Feb 8, 2023

RigglePLC said:
And...try to think of a way to get the recipient to hang onto the brochure. For instance information for gardening...like the first and last frost dates for your town. Plus the month when rainfall is low and temperature high, so that average irrigation will be the most needed.
Offer to do a soil texture analysis--percent of sand, loam and clay.
Maybe, average date of Japanese beetle emergence.

Ah, I like the sound of that. I'll see if I can work that in.

When to Send EDDM?

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RigglePLC

Ditta&Sons

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