Mailshots

[RichardFenton]

Has anyone done any form of mailshot recently, and if so, to what effect?

I need to do one to remind people I am still around, but am wondering if the climate is right in terms of a positive response.

[Ozzy]

Hi Richard,
If you are just looking to jog he memory of your existing clients, or existing contacts, then I would recommend running something like an email newsletter once a month.
However, if you are looking to drum up new business from new clients then I would advise that a postal mailshot will have very very low response rates. We're talking in the region of well below 1% even when targetted.

If you are going to do a mailshot I'd recommend targetting a very select number of prospective clients, and then do something very different that they will remember you by. I remember hearing of a builder who posted out boots to potential clients attaching a note saying "I just wanted to get a foot in the door".

[RichardFenton]

Thanks Richard,

I know about response levels to mailshots. They used to work quite well for me, but the last two were dire. One went out about two days before 9/11 so rather got lost in events and the last one went out in early 2003 to a very poor response, although the market I pitch to, commercial property occupiers, was in a slump at the time.

That's why I pose the question about whether or not the time is right to do one now.

I have used e-mail newsletters in the past, but everyone gets so much junk via e-mail now I think their effectiveness is gone.

[Ozzy]

What about getting a market research comany in? Hire the professionals so to speak.

[Bridge Media]

Hi Richard,

If you drop me an email with a few more details ill have a look into it for you and see what we can come up with.

All the best,
Matt

Matt Etherington
Company Director
Bridge Media Ltd.

Tel: 01502 515 818
Mob: 07970 755 632

E-mail: matt@bridgemedia.co.uk

[copycatweb]

We recently did a mailshot and has less than 1% response! When we looked at it, it was mainly because our database was old and out of date and an awful lot of our mailshots had been returned.

So, we got in a temp. who called everyone on our database with a simple script of "We are cleaning our database and would just like to confirm...", which meant we had up-to-date addresses, contact names and even email addresses!

Worked a treat. If you want help with doing this, its important to do it right if you're speaking to your existing clients and propects, let me know!