Billboard Or Direct Mail (poll)

Humble Abode

If you had $5000 dollors to spend on a ad campaing next month would you put it in a billboard or a 10,000 peice mailing? And why?

__________________
Just because some of us can read and write and do a little math, that doesn't mean we deserve to conquer the Universe. Kurt Vonnegut, (1922 - 2007) from the Novel 'Hocus Pocus'
The NAPP
Milwaukee Painting Contractor

Mike Finley

That's a really interesting question. 1st off I have my doubts that I could do a 10,000 run direct mail piece for only $5000 and feel that I was trying to spread the budget too thin. That would probably only allow for a small b&w post card or letter with postage included in the equation. Maybe more realistically it would be 5000 run for $5000.00.

I have always thought of the possibility of a billboard. Since I only work in two counties and we have a major highway that serves at the entrance way to about 150,000 homes it sure seems intriguing to get a billboard on that highway.

However I would never spend $5000 on a one shot deal. If it was $5000 for a billboard for a month - I wouldn't do it. My plans are to get it up there and leave it up there forever.

Humble Abode

Your right. I always forget my father owns a printing company so it always skews my number on printing materials.

these are numbers I have been quoted
4x6 card = 20cents bulk mail postage per peice
10cents for mass mail companie
10cents per address
equals 40cents per peice

plus roughly 10cents printed

so about $2500 for a 5000 peice 4x6 mailer.

__________________
Just because some of us can read and write and do a little math, that doesn't mean we deserve to conquer the Universe. Kurt Vonnegut, (1922 - 2007) from the Novel 'Hocus Pocus'
The NAPP
Milwaukee Painting Contractor

Teetorbilt

Humble, did you read my ad solution? It is litereally priceless. Do well with a few customers and your future is pretty much secure. I haven't advertised in years, am about 9 mos out and about 2-3 wks. for an appt.
I'd hire more people but the bubble may bust.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Grumpy

I've not done billboards though I have spoken with quite a few successful roofers that swear by them. The problem is these guys live more rural than I do and the advertising expense for the billboards is much less. Another problem is there are few billboards in my primary service area, since I target the more wealthy areas and they don't want their neighborhoods cluttered with this crap. They prefer to pay higher property taxes instead.

Direct mail is better for commercial IMO, but can and does work well in residential as well. The problem with residential is that you usually have to offer some kind of coupon to get peoples attention... but again it can and does work.

Teetor again as discussed previosly not all companies can be run on 100% referrals really just depending on the size of the job each particular company takes on. Definetly doing a good job for your customers speaks volumes but I prefer to think of referrals as gravy instead of necessary.

Mike Finley

Exactly, if your average job takes 3 weeks to complete and you have one crew you are doing 17 jobs a year. Once you get just 2 jobs scheduled you would have 42 days in order to get another job scheduled to keep you from having any days without work to do.

If your jobs average 3 days you are doing 120 jobs a year, 2 jobs scheduled only gives you 6 days before you need another job scheduled.

Humble Abode

Yea our average exterior painting job is a 1-2 weeks, our average interior is 2-4 days. I was just thinking about the fact that we would reach 5000 people in our target market with the mailing and, at best get a 1% rate of response. With a billboard, properly placed, we could reach 100,000 people a day.

But all the literature I have read on billboards say they are primarily reminder advertising and work best with a broad range of advertisements.

By the way anything we buy will say "10% winter interior discount..."

__________________
Just because some of us can read and write and do a little math, that doesn't mean we deserve to conquer the Universe. Kurt Vonnegut, (1922 - 2007) from the Novel 'Hocus Pocus'
The NAPP
Milwaukee Painting Contractor

Grumpy

Direct mail only really works well when you work the system. What I mean is you need to send out a few mailers to the same people before you can expect to see any real response.

I'd think of billboards as name branding more than anything. I wouldn't expect any immediate result, but would expect it to pay off in the long haul.

CogentRES

Direct mail, absolutely. A billboard is essentially shotgun advertising. Direct mail targets potential clients much better.

Using a billboard might be more effective than simply slapping a postcard together and mailing it out.

However using a comprehensive and focused direct mail campaign will yield better results. Responses very rarely occur after the first mailing. Throwing 10,000 postcards at 10,000 people is less effective than mailing to fewer people multiple times. Pick out an area and farm it. Use an area you prefer to work in and concentrate your marketing efforts on that area.

If you do work for someone in a neighborhood thier neighbors usually ask about it. When the neighbor finds out who did it they will remember your mailings. Will this result in closed sales? Probably not but it will result in increasing your presence in the area. Add to it with nice big lawn signs on the jobs you are doing. The more you around the more people will talk to you. Act/Dress professional and take the time to talk to them. While none of this is guaranteed to lead to more business it is much more focused and personal than throwing a billboard up on a highway.

Direct mail is not a simple subject. I own almost every book written by Herschell Gordon Lewis and if you are serious about direct mail, I suggested reading as many of his books as you can.

Hope that helps.