Another Direct Mail Question

Sal616

I know we have gone over direct mail, but i do have a two part question that i need to decide on by tomm. I already dropped like 20k for this month, now i am setting up for next month, does anyone prefer moneymailer over valpak, or do you think its all the same thing? the only reason i am even thinking of using both is because they drop alternate every other weeks , so you always have something in the customers home. Also, should i double up and hit the same areas with the different mailers or should i extend the area and hit different zones? each zone is 10,000 homes, so should i hit 200,000 homes tiwce? or should i hit 400,000 homes? that is the question for me, and getting my name out there. Also what are you guys paying for these mailers per zone? just curious. I am paying 285 per 10,000 homes thats in nj. any insight would be extremely appreciated.. thanks guys.

jwatkins

What kind of calls are you receiving from the mailers?

Grumpy

Each one will say they are better. I've once used money mailer in the past, infact my boss did at the last company I worked for. We paid alot and received very few calls. We offered a coupon so the only people who called were those looking for a deal, not our target audience. I think we may have broken even.

I've spoken with the local rep for valpak and it's obvious she's got her sales routine down which I can totally respect. It appears to be much cheaper than money mailer. The problem is there are no guarantees and you never know until you try and if you fail, you lose $5k or more just for trying.

Patty

Gentleman,

I have been involved with a printing press, both at the manufacturing level and at the advertising level for 22 years. What I can say, without a doubt, is that I am always astounded by the TRILLIONS of $$$ businesses spend with the various media out there. It's staggering, to say the least. IMO, the most important thing you must do is TARGET. Find your niche market. As for the question posed, "Is one better than the other; MoneyMailer vs. Valpak, I need to keep my opinion to myself. I am biased. I work for one of them! ALso, Nathan might kick me off the Board!!!!
With all advertising, there is the risk that results won't be what you want them to be. That is the risk we take. But, no matter what vehicle you choose to use, remember that BRANDING and NAME RECOGNITION are very important in this competitive market. You need to somehow, some way let the general public know you are out there. I believe you should never put your eggs in one basket. You will minimize your reach. Try bundling your efforts with a multi-faceted campaign. Direct mail, signage, newspaper, local community newsletter, home show, etc... You will draw sales leads and make $$$ from various sources. As long as you get yourself in front of the right audience, YOUR TARGETED MARKET (people who most need your services), you should get good results. And, frequency is very important because maybe you advertising in January and some people were not "in the groove" to make a move. By February, they are thinking about it. In March, they see your ad again and FINALLY make the call. In April, you might be actually doing their job. So, it goes. Readiness in the consumers mind (and pocketbook) are a strong factor. TARGET, FREQUENCY, & REACH. Try it. And, don't forget to TRACK your calls and sales so you can determine what IS working well, and WHAT IS NOT!

Sal616

some very good insight in this ad, really appreciated, i have also dropped other media as was suggested, got my price dwon to $250 a zone , and i am using both companies, the thing i really decided that was beneficial for me is that they pretty much mail on alternating schedules so its like every other week, something is hitting the houses, besides that local papers, and a few other avenues, also i paid to have a company come up with a logo for branding purposes that i am extremely happy with, it was well worth the money, i am sparing no expense with this and not trying to cut corners, damn, its costly...LOL

Grumpy

Sal, I just hope you have the money to back up your spending. It's easy to burn your entire year's marketing budget in a month! Just make sure you spending is controlled... and in line with what your company can handle. No use to over spend, get good leads and not be able to follow up on them.

Patty

Sal, Grumpy is absolutely right. Figure out your advertising budget over the next 12 months and spread it out accordingly; by peak season vs. slower season, by types of media, etc.. And never bite off more than you can chew. I just met with a carpenter on Tuesday and he inquired about getting into 10 zones with me. That translates into 100,000 households with my company. I told him he would not be able to keep up with the sales leads being a lone operator. I suggested he try 2 or 3 zones and keep it affordable and manageable. Besides the cost, you want to maintain a reliable reputation with the consumer and if you can't keep up with the workload and don't show for appointments, people get rather angry and frustrated, especially if they took time off of work to meet with you and you end up being a "no show". Best advice I could give anyone is to walk before you run. You can always "grow" your staff, as well as your advertising, if things get rolling, but small businesses need to grow at a manageable pace or else you will pay the price, one way or another.

marc

I would stick with both and I would hit the same people twice.
We don't have money mailer here but I use Val-Pak, Community Values, The Coupon Magazine, United Marketing, Effective Mailers, Globe Direct and Spectrum monthly for shared direct mail.

What I have found out is..........

Shared Direct Mail doesn't work
Direct mail doesn't work
Newspapers don't work
Inserts don't work
Home shows don't work
Fairs don't work
Showrooms
Truck signage doesn't work
Site signs don't work

BUT.............If you use shared direct mail, direct mail, newspapers, inserts, home shows, fairs, showrooms, truck signs and site signs together, they work extremely well.

Leads are the life blood of any business.
Put a marketing plan in place and then work the plan.