Small email campaign

[Hayles]

Hi

Looking for general advice and tips please!

We're a catering company and provide many local businesses with business lunch buffets. We're thinking of a small email campaign in the new year once our new web site is launched. Probably a short email with a link to the business menus on our site.

Our local library can provide the email addresses at a good price and we only deliver locally so will only be targetting 500-1000 businesses.

Never done this before so all advice will be gratefully received.

Many thanks
Hayles

[Stationery-Direct]

Firstly, this response is not just a plug for my services.

I just think that if they are all local businesses then in my opinion it would be better to contact them via a postal campaign, maybe flyers detailing your services/menu with contact information. From personal experience over a period of 5 years, I just think that your e-mails will either go in the SPAM folder or just get deleted, I know that people can throw the flyers away but I just feel that if you can catch there eye with something then you may get a better response.

Maybe I am wrong, lets see what everyone else thinks.

Good luck

[creospace]

Why not plug your business it seems you offer exactly what they need, too late for me they already have a website in the making!

Gary

[Hayles]

Hi

We've tried postal campaigns with limited success. I thought that as the campaign will be to promote the new online booking service (and hopefully new online payment service), it would be appropriate to try an online campaign? Also, this way the potential customer will be able to see all our menus which they wouldn't if we posted a menu to them as it would have to be limited due to postage cost.

Am I being naive?!

Hayles

[creospace]

Sell the sizzle not the steak is a saying and one that is rather relevant to your campaign. What about good old fashioned personal contact, that is the best way.

Stelios when he started Easy Cinema walked around with a bright orange placard on himself handing out leaflets, if he can do I’m sure you can?

Gary

[clairemackaness]

Why not visit the offices you are trying to grab with free trays of nibbles and sandwiches at lunchtime. Hand the catering organiser a discount voucher for their next event. I know thats how we got our caterers on board. The chicken skewers were yummy!

[Hayles]

:D Keep the good ideas coming!

(But I'm not walking around with an orange placard, it's just not my colour...)

Hayles

[Jayne]

Hi Hayles,

We found personally taking price lists to the businesses works, we have a shop too, so we got to know customers and where they worked and spoiled them when the came in our shop, work of mouth does the rest, it'll soon get back to the bosses. :D

Good luck with it,

Jayne

[ebonybailey]

I don't think I can add to Jaynes comments, for the services you provide it is the cheapest, economical, and customer service based campaign you could do, and its all done in one stage.

Michael

[virtuallysorted]

Flyers have a really low response rate as they typically get lost! If you're determined to do this I'd include discount vouchers / codes so that you can monitor the response. I'd also recommend hand-delivering them (possibly with nibbles - everyone loves a freebie!) instead of posting (expensive) or popping through letterboxes (almost guaranteed to be automatically binned!).

Emails are less expensive to send & would drive traffic to your website (which is the main objective - right??). Perhaps they could log on with a special code to get a discount? Or answer a question about your menu correctly to win lunch for their office?

If you are thinking of doing several email campaigns (or would just like to make this one look prettier!) try www.constantcontact.com for email design (think there is a free trial too!).

good luck!

[Argentice]

"Our local library can provide the email addresses at a good price"

Thats interesting, I didn't know Libraries did that. What are the terms?

[Hayles]

Received the following information from the library today. Unfortunately the lady at the network meeting made the email address service sound far better than it actually is!! I know there are a couple of people on the forum who can offer email campaigns at good prices so if you're after further info then I'd post a request.


Thank you for your enquiry. We do indeed offer a mailing list service, providing contact data for limited companies in the UK. We use a database called FAME which utilises data provided to Companies House - it is web-based & updated daily. Costs are 12p per company + VAT. It is primarily address information that we provide.

However, very few companies supply an email address to Companies House. In fact, out of 2.2 million companies, only around 3000 do so. In the Colchester postal area only 42 companies supply an email address, and only 129 companies in the whole of Essex.

[MorethanWords]

If that is the case Hayles, I would consider contacting each company in the area with an email that feels to the reader as if you're targetting them as an individual.

42 addresses are better than none, and it gives you an opportunity to introduce yourself and your services and follow up the emails with a phone call to see if there was anything of interest in the mail.

Maybe offer an invitation to a taste test at your function venue or at their premises or something.

[Janebert]

Hi Hayles,

I'm a bit late in the discussion (I only just joined UKBF), but hope I can help.

1) Buying email addresses is nearly always a waste of money. The only email address list that is worth even a bean, is an opt-in house list. People will most likely view your emails as spam (because they didn't ask to receive them, don't know who you are etc) and worst case scenario is you'll be accused of spamming and have either your email account or your website suspended

2) What most people don't realise is that what you communicate is just as important as how you communicate it. And what this means, is that you need good sales copy and a strong, attractive message and some kind of incentive to take action. So whether it's emails, flyers, letters etc - you need to get the message and the copy right.

3) I like some of the ideas presented above regarding taking samples out to businesses. However, contrary to popular perception, this is not cheap marketing - how many companies can you realistically visit in one day? What about the cost of food and transport? More importantly - how much time will it take. Send letters is much cheaper, quicker and more efficient. Granted, response rates are never likely to reach double figures, but then that's perfectly normal with direct mail. Again - right message to the right people at the right time, and you'll be quids in.

4) You may want to think about your targeting. Of those 1000 companies, which ones are likely to do corporate functions requiring caterers? Who has bought this kind of service before, and is therefore likely to buy again? There's no point marketing to 1000 businesses, if 990 of them do not have a need or desire for what you offer.

Hope this helps,
Jane

[Hayles]

Wow, lots to think about. I didn't realise how easy it is to get labelled as a spammer so thank you.

One problem we've had in the past is that many larger companies won't accept complimentary buffets... apparently it could be seen as bribery! (PC gone mad?).

As I say, thank you for all your help and advice, it's much appreciated. (I'm so glad I joined this forum!)

Hayles