Retailers opinions needed...

[sparklyscotty]

Hi there,
I am about to send out a summer promotion mail out for my new jewellery collection and am looking for a little feedback...
What kind of mail outs are you more likely to respond to? Postcards or letters?
I recieved a brochure the other day with the beginning line... 'I know that you probably recieve a lot of unsolicited mail, but I am sure that <my company> can offer you unique and highly sellable <products>' Would this kind of honest opening appeal to you?
I am targeting 100 gift retailers / boutiques where I honestly believe my jewellery would sell well... am I more likely to alienate them by sending them a promotional mailing? I'd like to say that they have been hand selected but with the amount of junkmail I feel it will sounds insincere.
Any other suggestions or feedback for how to get the most out of this mailing?
Thanks for reading this post.
-Angel-

 

Hi Angel,

If it's a business mailing, I think envelopes are best - postcards are too easy to throw at the wastebin, but envelopes will usually be opened. They also feel more personal. Postcards are more appropriate for a seriously big mailout.

A personal letter is a good idea - but an unconvincing start like "I know you get a lot of mail like this but mine is different" isn't the best option. Use a personal angle and talk about why you design jewellery, what your jewellery will bring to their shop/offering, and suggest popping in for a visit.

Also, the follow-up calls will be very important here - people just respond better these days to a real person, and even if they liked your letter they might forget to contact you or follow it up.

If you need any more help with the text, PM me...
Anna

 

[sparklyscotty]

Thanks for your feedback Anna. I might print up nice glossy flyers to enclose with a letter instead of the postcards then.
I hadn't thought about follow up calls. To be honest direct sales is a nightmare for me - I am horrible at it. And I personally HATE getting sales calls, although perhaps a simple 'Could I send you a full brochure?' might be easy enough, and then follow up after that for an order. That would give me a more structured idea for the calls.
-Angel-

 

[Hayles]

Speak to Col at Pixels Ink re flyers. We've just had some A6 ones done (full colour) and they're really, really nice. They're on card and the price was just over £100 for 1,000's and 1,000's of them (I'll send you one if you like!). You could use them as postcards (have to put the addresses on labels).

They'd get my attention if I'd received one through the post.

 

[davenny]

If you are a whole saler and we are limiting this discussion to either postcards or letters I would sent a very nice letter. Either personally signed or "computer signed".

If you have a large line of jewellery do a catalog. Catalogs work much better to establish a brand then any other form of mail marketing.

Erik
http://www.usspin.com
SPiN - Super Powerful Networking has decided to Open Source its system; it is complete free to anyone who wants to start their own mastermind group. (Manuals, Materials, Website, Web-links etc.)

 

[Pixels Ink]

Hi Angel,
I think you are correct to go down the lines of an envelope with something enclosed than a straight forward postcard. The flyers I did for Hayles looked really good and spot lighted some of the products that she supplied and turned out really well.

The flyers were on a 350gsm silk art card and have a satin like finish to them. I find gloss a bit cheap and nasty, unless it is a proper gloss varnish.

I notice you say you only want to mail out to 100 people on a targeted list but we are currently offering 5000 A6 full colour both sides on 350gsm silk art card for £110. That includes delivery (there is no VAT on flyers). You could post out your 100 but then have a whole heap left to use as you will. We also do 1000 of the above for £99.

You should possibly take Hayles up on her offer of posting you one of her flyers. You need to actually have one of the flyers in your hand to really appreciate the quality of card and print.

My design website is www.pixelsink.com and the printing website is www.dundeeprint.com.

I would be happy to send you a sample pack of flyers and art cards. Just PM me your address details.

All the best with your venture.

Col

 

[caroline]

If I can help, I've recently started contacting shops about stocking my product. I've posted so many leaflets and got not even a 1% response, even with follow up phone calls people just seem to bin them.
I then started emailing people with a paragraph about ourselves and a link to our website, its really worked, and we have got a nice amount of shops on board.

I used to be in retail too and I admit I binned most of my "junk" mail, but always read my emails.

Just my opinion, good luck!

kind regards,
Caroline