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Question from Ashley: “I am thinking about trying Direct Mail Marketing as a way to gain new clients. Have you tried this? If so, where did you get your mailing lists, approximately how much did you spend, and did you profit from it? “
Christina: I tried it and unfortunately the cost was just too high, with very little feedback. I ended up putting my money into online marketing instead and reaped a better profit.
Sarah: I did a small direct mail (well I drove around and put flyers in people’s mail boxes) and I didn’t get 1 response. LOL
Jessica: the post office will supply you with a list, you can request one online and they will send you info for free. I have the info but have not done yet
Stephen: Direct Mail goes straight into my recycling bin unopened and unread. Don’t waste your money.
Tom: Ashley, studies have shown that direct mail advertising only has a response rate of around 0.6%, so as others have pointed out, most likely not the best way to spend your advertising dollar unless you have a huge target market.
Lars: consider it equivalent to spam. the clientele will fins you if they want to, provided that your marketing is sane and honest and not unsolicited.
Jen: I looked into the cost to do the valpack advertising and i believe it was more than $2000
Stephanie: Do some serious market research on what type of clients you’re trying to attract. We’ve done it at work (not photography related) and it went so-so, but that’s because it wasn’t done in higher income areas… It was done around schools. Great idea, but in our city parents don’t necessarily have the extra income to spend on this particular thing. SO my advice: do your homework before spending any money… Include a deal on it… Make it an eye-popper and worth their while to look at it.
Sasha: I looked into it too. The post office will take care of most everything for you and you only have to pay like 12 cents a piece or something. But you have to cover a whole route which adds up quick! The cheapest route around my area was around $200 and I live in a small town. Plus they require special sized flyers made of a certain paper. It was very specific. They did tell me I would get the best feedback if I left coupons on my flyers. But personally, I throw my mail like they out right away. I decided it wasn’t worth the money.
Stacy: I’ve done ValPak advertising in the past. So not really direct mail, but kind of the same idea. I spent quite a bit and I did it for 4 months straight. I got 2 clients from it and they were not repeats (only used the coupon and ordered nothing extra). Learned my lesson from that. However, if you do direct mail correctly, you should get enough business to cover those costs. I have debating doing direct mailings in the future, but I would only target families, young couples, and those in a higher-income household.
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