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cocoy
04-02-2009, 05:23 PM
For those that send out postcards, sales letters, fliers, etc...How long do you wait between mailings?

vangogh
04-02-2009, 06:51 PM
That's a good question. I don't sent out mailers myself, but I would think once a month is reasonable. I think consistency is more important than frequency though.

thx4yrtym
04-02-2009, 09:08 PM
It depends on if the mailing is going to customers or prospects.

I'm learning that promotions to customers is much more complicated than mailing to prospects.

For mailing to prospects I would agree that a consistent mailing frequency is best. If you are providing any kind of useful info for example in the form of a newsletter I think the more frequent the better. On the other hand sending a post card regularly always offering a discount might dilute the effect.

Best of luck with what ever you choose.

Regards,

huggytree
04-02-2009, 09:37 PM
i have 400 potential clients that i send out mailers to quarterly...over and over and over...for 2 years now.. each of those 400 needs me...they are happy with who they work with right now, but someday they wont be...i want them to remember me when they do.....i usually get 10-12 responses every time i mail them out...most are price shoppers and not serious....the 1 -3 of them who complain about who they currently use almost always become my new customers....the calls come in steady for the 3 months between the mailers...they hold onto them...

im going to start trying a new method from now on....quarterly mailers and monthly post cards inbetween.....seeing a message from me monthly should increase the new calls..

i show up at trade association meetings with my teeshirt with a huge logo on the back and i always get their early and park my 15' cube van where everyone has to look at it as they drive in the parking lot....i put my yard signs out on jobs on main roads...i write articles for the newspaper....

keep getting your name in front of your customers...the more they see it, the more they will remember you when they need you!

Patrysha
04-02-2009, 10:12 PM
And don't forget trying to go for local publicity whenever you can :-)

Why pay for expensive advertising when you can get covered? Of course, if you do choose to advertise in conjunction with publicity you'll likely experience an increased impact. I think saving money is a great idea, even when you aren't personally experiencing tough economic times.

And, course - getting found in the search engines (which just became easier for small business with the recent changes to the way Google displays Google Maps from what I can understand...some of this SEO stuff is over my head, but the power of being in the top 10 for whatever it is you sell is a no-brainer

greenoak
04-03-2009, 08:29 AM
we mail to our customers 4 times a year...its the key part of our basic marketing year...we have 4 big events and send out postcards then only....our list is 4000..big cost to mail.....we do so well at the 4 events and count on the big $$$$ from them .. we dont ever add more to rock the boat.....or want to have them looking at our mail in a ho hum way....

several other times a year we mail out to prospects.... and hope when they need us they will remember us...like huggys plot....
we email once a month...
ann

janicejan
04-06-2009, 04:07 AM
it also depend on what kind of subject you would mail.. if I think I will be giving important or interesting subject I mail them, like what other said consistency is a must.

SuzanneDIngram
04-29-2009, 05:34 PM
Hi Cocoy,

This is a very common question and it's frustrating because I don't like to have to say "it depends" as an answer. But it depends. :) If you are sending out general, "touching base, hi-how-are-you" type of direct mail to current customers, I would say to send it out once every two months.

Of course if your offer is time sensitive, then send it out once a week, changing the message to one that's more urgent each time. ("Last chance! Only one week until our 50% discount is over for good!).

Some people say that you need to send your direct mail piece five times before people will act on it. But no one can say exactly what frequency to do it because every industry is different. I can honestly say that I want our firm to be top-of-mind when someone is ready to buy. If my competition has been doing their marketing more effectively than we have, they are going to get the sale.

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but in short I would say once every two months to current contacts and once every month to new prospects, but I would throw telemarketing and email marketing into the mix as well.

I wish you all the best with your project!

Suzanne Doyle-Ingram

jrobconsult
06-27-2009, 08:43 PM
There are plenty of good answers above. It depends on the kind of your business and what budget you have. I do suggest a mailing at least every 3 months. Also, I would do a mailing right before your busiest time and also during your slowest time.

Spider
06-28-2009, 10:08 AM
... I would do a mailing right before your busiest time and also during your slowest time.Is there a specific reason for that? It sounds odd to me. Why mail JUST BEFORE your busiest period - which would create more of a demand when you can least supply it? And, why DURING your slowest time when your customers are least interested in what you are selling.

I would have thought it better to mail DURING your busiest time - when customers are interested, to steal them from competitors and to extend your busy period. And to mail BEFORE your slowest time - when customers may still be interested and to fill the gap by raising the demand.

No?

vangogh
06-28-2009, 09:12 PM
I think the idea is that you need to get your customers motivated before the time you want them to act. Kind of how you'll see commercials for Christmas around Halloween. If you wait till the actual season it's already too late.