Direct mail/Distrubution

[Miss R]

Hi,

I wonder how do you get your leaflets/catalogue delivered, you know the ones you get with either newspaper, mags etc..

If I want my leaflet inserted in newspaper, I gather I have to contact the newspaper but how about if I want to just send my info direct to people by post.

Is there anyone here can recommend a good marketing list company with reasonable rates?

I always hear publishing company saying we distribute our books etc..to so many (5,000,2000 and so on) consumers/household. How do they get this information on how many houses/people in the area or do they just make that up?

Thank you all in advance for great advice and for responses I received in other post..thank you very much.

 

[10Yetis]

Miss R,

Can I have the honour of going first.

Mailings are a very cost effective ("cheap as chips" as the permatanned one says) method of getting leads, enquiries and ultimately, sales.

Mailings are an art form, an art form that you can you usually expect to get a 1-2% response from if they are 'cold' mailings (as in the target has not expressed an interest in hearing about you) and around 4-5% if it is a mailing to people who have expressed an interest in hearing about you.

Some people (the more dodgy marketing companies) may say that they have experienced higher response rates than the figures I have given, in fact they may say they can get you higher rates to try and get you to use their services, but if you go to the Chartered Institute of Marketing, these are the response rates that best represent the industry average.

If you offer an incentive with the mailing (i.e. first 100 people to get in touch get a free multi-coloured pogo stick, or a free quote etc) then you will see an increase in the response rates. I never recomend clients do an incentive on their first mailing though as they may not need it.

Anway... back to the question

Obtaining a quality mailing list is always tricky, and it is important that you get one from a reputable source as if a person on the database turns out to be on the The Mailing Preference Service (commonly referred to as TPS) and you mail out to them, they will get mighty annoyed as they have specified that they don't want to be mailed out to. You could then get accosted by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA). I know it all sounds a bit melodramatic but take alook at the ASA's website to see how many SME's get caught out on this. Penalties for this are harsh.

Finding a good marketing database fully depends on the type of product/service you are selling.

When it comes to putting inserts into newspapers, a costly exercise when you go direct to a newspaper, you may find it cheaper to go to the local newsagents and ask them if you can put an insert into their papers. If you pick a newsagents that fits in with your core market demographic (oops, slipped into technobabble... pick an area that has the most houses containing the people you want to sell to) then you will do ok out of this. You may have to pay the newsagent for the priviledge, even though you put the insert into the papers (and you will have to get up early!)

I can help you with all of this and hopefully it comes across that I have a vague understanding of what I am rambling on about, send me a private 'e' (details below) and I can give you further advice on finding a database of customers and the all important mailing itself.... ps I can get you much higher response rates than the ones quoted above!!! see above note about marketing companies who say that...
:lol:

oh yeah, anyone else need help with a mailing, or think it could be of use but don't know what to do... e-me... go on, what have you got to lose?

 

[Miss R]

Hi Andy,

Thank you so much for excellent advice and info. You took some time to type that reply I very much appreciate your advice.

I have heard of the TPS list and that's what I have to be careful with, not just with mailing also with telesales call.

I've heard of Marketingfile.com..anyone has any opinion on their service?

I noticed that you do PR and Marketing. I've visited your website. One PR company I've come across with on the web is ACPR. I haven't touched the PR side of the business yet.

The thing that puts most of small start-ups off is the cost of PR/Marketing agencies, PR cost can take up most of the budget alone.

Thank you for post once again and I look forward to your future help and advice. I'll be looking at mailing list and as you say about contacting newsagent for possible leaflet drop (just for info at this stage). Any idea of cost? Where are you based by the way?

Much regards. I'll email you tomorrow.

 

[10Yetis]

Miss R,

Not personally heard of MarketingFile.com, but that is not to say they are a bad company.

"The thing that puts most of small start-ups off is the cost of PR/Marketing agencies, PR cost can take up most of the budget alone"... know what you are saying, simply put, this is true of large fandabbydosy* marketing and PR agencies but not the case with smaller operators like myself.

As you have seen from my site, I am part of a freelance group who have been in the business for years and want to go it alone, with this in mind our campaigns don't break the bank and are entriely results orientated.

For fear of being beaten with a stick, I am never going to be drawn into putting figures about costs onto the forum, but suffice to say I am proud to offer a service that is funded on a purely results basis and is cheaper than most small marketing and pr offerings.... everyone says this, but hopefully I have demonstrated that I do talk some sense, some of the time.

The difficulty sometimes is SME's don't say straight away how much they can afford to spend on marketing (don't forget I am a SME to) and this makes it difficult for marketing and PR people to put forward a campaign that is suitable. i.e. if people don't say the max they can spend on a campaign then the campaigns put forward will cover a wide spectrum, from cheap to expensive. Some people don't want to say how much they are willing to spend because they want to haggle over price, which is fair enough, but the world would be a simpler place if people said straight away. Honest Marketing and PR people (yes such a thing does exist :shock: ) just want to get good results for their clients in order to get word of mouth and repeat business.

Whatever you do, don't overspend on a campaign because of agency pressure, only do what you can afford.

As for PR, it really urks me that PR agencies have historically charged so much in the past that there is now this perception that PR campaign are expensive.

I have worked in PR for some time and I think I can write reasonably attractive copy (he says ducking under the desk waiting for counter comments ) and what's more I enjoy writing articles and stories so I cannot see how charging huge amounts for these services can be justified. People lose site that a PR campaign in its purest essence is a way of generating sales and increasing your profile using non paid for methods, i.e. the media. You would be suprised how cheap my press releases are, plus I don't charge per word! I charge cheap in the hope that my client list will grow, I enjoy doing it anyway and I genuinely want the businesses I do them for to succeed.... Anyway, its late, I am rambling, I look forward to your (or anyone elses, E tomorrow)

*fandabbydosy is a word meaning "very good" and dervies from the Crankies!

 

[Deleted member 2816]

10 yetis - you get my prize for the most colourful posts on the forum!! I can believe that you really do know your stuff, as all your posts are very readable, informative, well written & never fail to raise a smile. 10 out of 10...yetis.

 

[10Yetis]

All,

Do not let the fact that Thais is a relation to me distort the very nice comments made.

In all seriousness...thanks for the positive post... a crisp £5 note is on its way to Coventry as we speak

 

[Deleted member 2816]

<He's only joking, y'all! That fiver is what I lent him to feed the penguins at the weekend.>

Gran

 

[10Yetis]

Being serious now... don't ever feed the penguins, they are like vermin... rats with wings!

 

[Miss R]

Andy,

Thanks for another great info. I just saw a posting here, think its MaterialGirl asking for freelance info, thought let you know as you deal with freelance work.

Apology I'll email you soon re: mailing and PR.

Are you really related to each other or is it a joke?

By the way do you know this company, ACPR? Any advice on prices & quality of work?

Thank you.

 

[10Yetis]

Only kidding, no relation.

I have heard of ACPR, they are a company that used to work with a client that i am helping out at the moment. It must be said that the client did not leave them because they did anything bad!

To be honest, whilst it is not in my best interest to say how good they are, I have a sneaky suspicion that they are actually really good.

As for pricing, they don't price in the same way that I do, but hey that aint no crime.

All I would say is that, godarnit I would do it cheaper and go that extra mile* so go on, give me the chance and I would work my little cotton socks off for you and your business.

*sorry, been meeting with American folks today and their turn of phrases have started to rub off on me.