My experience with direct mail has been somewhat different.

I'm mailing a 6x8" card to a purchased list of about 300 of Bill Gates' neighbors. I sent out the third monthly postcard mailing to this group a couple of days ago, and so far, not a single response. I'll probably send one or two more mailings to this same list and then stop if nothing happens.

Michele, I think though the difference here is the personal thing. Every person on my list either knew me, (which actually was a small percentage) or knew someone that had a portrait done by me. For the people that I didn't know such as the client who gave me all of her sorority sisters, I signed it with a personal note such as "Millie says Hi!"... She said for me to do that and I think it was a great idea because that prompted them to call her to catch up and in the meantime she gave an extra push on the portrait by telling them she was getting ready to have another one done of her daughter.

I honestly think if I had sent these out to the same type of potential clients that had never heard of me that the response would have been very different.

Michele,

I don't have any way to quantify, or prove this, but I have a feeling. I did my mailing to the ultra rich as well and right up to the point when I sent them out I had a sense that I was doing it wrong.

I believe that this group of people (maybe out of necessity) have developed systems to screen unwanted crap (perceived or real) from their lives. Even to the point of having their mail screened.

I had a strong feeling that I should have made my aim lower. I don't mean the middle class, I'm just saying that I have a bad feeling that the goods never get delivered to the very, very rich.

I mailed 850 cards and got 0 response. Well, that's not completely true, one old man called me twice and stood me up to discuss painting an eleven people portrait from his family photograph.

Of course this theory prevents me from considering the possibility that they all had a good close look at it and still decided that it was crap.

Mike,
Your thinking is correct....not that your work is crap, but that the super rich have staff to screen their mail. I know a few families in that category and they don't even see their mail unless it is a personal letter that has already been screened by staff. Bill Gates even has staff to select the paintings he collects.
My suggestion is to target the upper middle class buyers who have purchased a home within the last year valued between $750,000 and $3 million and who also have an interest in art. They are usually just beginning to collect art to decorate their homes and haven't yet approached the level of the art afficionado who only wants the very best art available.
As Mary's experience shows, using your own mailing list (customers who have purchased in the past or those who have shown interest in your work) or a list that is highly personallized will always show higher returns. Don't give up on direct mail. Make additional trial runs until you get the demographics right. Then keep mailing monthly and you will see responses and sales start to pick up.

Michele,
Don't waste any more time on your current campaign. A zero response in three tries says it is not working. I suspect your mail list demographics are off. See comments to Mike above. You might also want to compare your post card offer to the successful ones shown in this string on page 4. Maybe a little tweeking is needed.

Very interesting point. I do have one client in that "super rich" category and they have staff to do everything. I guess none of the right people ever saw my card. Time to get a new list!

Wow - this is great information. I have quite a few relatives where I am moving. A couple distant ones are doctors and know all the other doctors in the city and she swears the wives are always searching for ways to spend their money. I wasnt going to bother her with the names of her friends - I was just going to purchase a list, but now I know this may be worth it! I never would have thought the 'ultra rich' didnt see their mail, but that makes perfect sense!

By the way - the words 'figurative portrait' is a made-up term. My figuratives are on 'spec' and for sale. But - I love the idea that folks would hire me for those....interesting poses, more costume-like clothes, not always a direct and clear face. With different clothing and more 'action' poses I think I could tell a lot about the client. That's the hope anyway. My figuratives as they stand now dont tell a thing about the models because I dressed them up and posed them.

I would like to add a thanks to Richard for his input. Your experience in marketing is most helpful and priceless. Having been in advertising for almost 30 years has helped me gleen marketing infoormation but I am not nearly qualified as Richard.

A few points I would like to add are, advertising will not make the sale. The most advertising can do is to put your name on the shopping list. In some instances it can create a call for action but in the portrait business it seems impossible to "force" a potential customer to act now, i.e. "ON SALE NOW!" Our's is more of a passive campaign especially when considering direct mail.

My second point is to carefully consider your mailing list. The fewer your criteria the fewer the potential response. Find a provider who can help you fine tune your list. This is a very important step and is worth the price of a good professional.

Also, if you can, design your card to the specific client you are trying to attract. A good example would be a mailing to (age specified) parents in a single house residence with a specified worth, a household income of a specified amount or range plus children in the home of age specified. Then naturally you would mail them your card showing children portraits.

Children is the easiest example I can think of. Anyone have any other ideas? It would be interesting to see various suggestions.

Wish me luck folks - I threw my hat in this ring as well. I mailed out cards to my mailing list of maybe 200 collectors and others that have asked to be on my mailing list. And I bought a list of 600 names of folks who make over 150k/year and have shown an interest in art or antiques. I had to expand my area though - in Corpus Christi where I was moving there seemed to be only 250 names that fit that criteria - and that didnt meet the minimum. So - Im hitting Beaumont & Galveston as well. If this turns out to be worth it I may do San Antonio someday.

It's too soon to tell since I just mailed them 3 days ago - but I did get an email from a man in Galveston who says he spent a lot of time on my website, complimented me and says he wants to make a trip to Corpus to see my work in person. Guess I'll see. It did show me that the list is targeted since he told me a little about himself as well. I also recognized a name on the list I bought as someone my husband went to school with who won the lottery and starting collecting art years ago! I thought that was pretty funny that I'd recognize a name on there.

I am still going to try and get names from family and friends also - Mary's results were impressive!

Kim,

You might make note of this -- about 35 miles (+-) from Corpus, just beyond Port Aransas, lies Rockport. Rockport is about as artsy as it gets in that vicinity. There are a couple of galleries in the downtown and they have art festivals during the year. Also, as far as a mailing, there is a nice pocket of affluence there, it's called Key Allegro. It's an island reached by a very small bridge. Take a drive through with a note pad. Mark all the addresses where you see bikes, basketball hoops, tree houses, station wagons, and the usual destruction caused by kids.

There used to be a decent art gallery across the ferry at Port Aransas. I've seen some nice art in there. There used to be a serious landscape artist living nearby that placed his art there.

Also, you might consider Victoria, Texas. At one point Victoria had more millionaires per capita than any city in America. Victoria should be much closer than Beaumont/Galveston. You might do some searching in Kingsville also, there are some serious property owners over there, measured in multiples of miles not acres. I still think you need to paint a kid standing next to their prize bull, horse or lamb. Chickens are a start.

Here's my daughter in the Port Aransas bay.

Mike, you sweet man you! Thank you. I know about Rockport - I actually used to show there years ago in their Art Association Gallery. It is understandably geared towards seascapes though. I'd have to go look, but I think I added Rockport to my list. It was suprising how many towns I had to add to get the minimum number of names...Pleasanton, Kerrville, Port Aransas, North Padre Island, Portland, Gregory, etc... I know there are more wealthy people there - I am just assuming it took so many because I was specific about the art interest. I did not know about Victoria though! I can't remember ever going there and I thought that was a more lower income area, so I am glad to know that one! The reason I added Beaumont and Galveston is because we have family up there and visit occasionally. I left San Antonio out because there were so many names and thought if I do that one I should buy it all at once.

I forget what a wealth of knowledge you are about this state!

Your daughter is having a grand time fishing there - no sea sickness for her I see! Did she catch anything on that trip?

On another note - any tips about digital cameras and sand? I had some ideas about beach scenes, but I am pathologically afraid of taking my new camera anywhere near that sand!