Direct Mail

[John Reidy]

In an effort to start the ball rolling I am promoting myself via direct mail. This seems to be the best way to reach those potential customers.

I have done one post card with a few images and bought a mailing list with the criteria of -1. Households with an income of $150k or more, 2. Home values of $500k or more, and 3. Expressed interest in art/antiques. I chose a geographical area with good numbers and convenient to my location.

I will also have an unveiling/showing this January or February within the same geographical area and the audience fits the mailing criteria with the exception of the interest in art/antiques.

What other ideas are out there? Should I continue to bang away at my mailing list to reach saturation? My marketing experience tells me to hammer away at this customer base. Any advice?

[Mary Sparrow]

Sounds like you have gotten a great start. Just exactly where do you go to get a list like that?

I see that you are in NC also. I'm in Shelby, near Charlotte.

[John Reidy]

Mary,
There is a direct mail company in Winston-Salem called PostMark. Their web address is www.PostMark.ws

Give them a call.

John

[Michele Rushworth]

Lots of companies will provide direct mail lists to a set of demographic statistics that you specify. (Area, income, kids in the home etc.) I recently did a mailing to 1500 names in my area through www.modernpostcard.com -- they do the printing and mailing all at once, which saves me from having to put labels on, etc. I plan on mailing to this same list over and over again. I haven't heard any response from my initial mailing, but from what I understand this sort of thing takes repetition to really bear fruit. (Of course, that's what the mailing companies say!)

[Kimberly Dow]

Michele,

I am sure this sounds negative, but - how do you know they mailed all they said they did if they do it all? If you had heard from someone that would prove it. Maybe I just have control issues.

[John Reidy]

Kimberly,
Hi. It's always a good idea to seed the list with names and addresses of people you know and who will let you know when and if they recieved their post card and in what shape it is. I'm a little familiar with Modern Postcard. They have a reputable reputation and their pricing is hard to beat.
I chose a local company and printer because I have friends in those businesses and I was able to design and produce the card myself.
John

[Mike McCarty]

Michele, you and John seem to have made a strong commitment to the mailing strategy. For the past few weeks I've been in the process of trying to design a double sided card for myself. Coincidentally, I chose Modern Post Card http://www.modernpostcard.com/ to help me. I have really been amazed with their level of support and thoroughness.

In my design strategy(?) I have concluded that I would show more painting images rather than just one or two. The card that I am contemplating is big (anything worth doing is worth over doing, my usual strategy), when folded it is 6" x 11" full color on one side and black and white on the other. Another thing that I discovered is that each time you add an image you increase the cost, but if you combine images as I have done below you can save money. The image below is considered one image.

What strategy have you employed as far as size of card and number of images.

[Michele Rushworth]

I chose their medium sized card which is about 6" x 8", not folded, with color on one side and black and white on the other. I put four paintings on the color side. Next time I will only do two so they can be bigger.

I created the entire layout, front and back, myself, and sent it to them on CD. That way I could completely control what went where and at what size, what color, what font, etc. It's cheaper than having them do the design, there are no separate charges for additional images, and best of all, I can decide exactly how the card looks.

[Mike McCarty]

Michele,

I was told that each additional image was $35 for the color side and $15 for the B&W side. You do get one image free I'm pretty sure. Of course it may be as you say for the size of card you chose. I was working with the "double sumo" size.

http://www.modernpostcard.com/gettin...features.shtml

[John Reidy]

I have gone with a somewhat smaller format, its 5-1/2 x 8-1/2, full color, both sides, full bleed. I only have 3 images, a large one on the front and two smaller ones on the back. I tried to give a well rounded impression regarding subject matter - I featured a couple painted in their living room on the front and on the back was a portrait of two teenagers in an outdoor setting and a head and shoulders of a woman (in her 30's).

My biggest mistake I fear was my timing. Without thinking about the holidays I mailed them in the middle of November. I plan on an additional mailing in the first quarter.

One other note worth mentioning. Check to see if the list you are buying can be used more than once.

Michele and Mike-
What criteria did you use for your lists?