Postcard Campaign - Need Advice

[GuerrillaIM]

Hello,

I'm stumbling my way through a postcard campaign to generate leads for my IT training company. I have been discussing it in another forum and the general mood was that I was wasting my time as the conversion rate I need wouldn't be achievable.

My idea is to have the title with something like "Would you like to earn £40,000 per year?".

The rest of that side would be a brief explanation of how to get into IT and my guarantees (guaranteed exam pass & guaranteed job at the end or money back).

On the flip side will be a testimonial and a return form where they can put their details on to receive more information. Postage will be pre-paid so they just got to drop it back in the post.

I need to make 2 sales per 10,000 so I'd guess I need 20+ responses at least from 10,000 cards delivered. I would be delivering to low income households (C1 & C2).

What is everyones opinion on this? Am I wasting my time and money here?

Thanks

[Loren Woirhaye]

The conversion-rate you want is do-able if you use good mailing
lists and you have an effective marketing system to turn leads
into buyers.

[GuerrillaIM]

My lead handling process is top notch. I'm not posting these to a list, I'm getting the royal mail to deliver then with the mail to C1 & C2 households. It works out much cheapers delivery than using postage.

[Loren Woirhaye]

Bulk mail is usually a waste of money in the states. Don't know
about the UK. Read Drayton Bird's book on Direct Marketing - he's
in the UK and gives accurate information.

You probably won't save any money using the mail in an
untargeted way like this, but test it and see. With your
plan I would concur with your other advisors that you will
probably be throwing your money away.

[wrcato]

I don't know if your country uses a list mailing resource like the United States. We have what is called the SRDS List book. This is the "holy grail" of the direct marketing industry.
SRDS Media Solutions ®
Hope this helps.

[briancassingena]

Originally Posted by GuerrillaIM

Hello,

I'm stumbling my way through a postcard campaign to generate leads for my IT training company. I have been discussing it in another forum and the general mood was that I was wasting my time as the conversion rate I need wouldn't be achievable.

My idea is to have the title with something like "Would you like to earn £40,000 per year?".

The rest of that side would be a brief explanation of how to get into IT and my guarantees (guaranteed exam pass & guaranteed job at the end or money back).

On the flip side will be a testimonial and a return form where they can put their details on to receive more information. Postage will be pre-paid so they just got to drop it back in the post.

I need to make 2 sales per 10,000 so I'd guess I need 20+ responses at least from 10,000 cards delivered. I would be delivering to low income households (C1 & C2).

What is everyones opinion on this? Am I wasting my time and money here?

Thanks

Hmmm...there is a strategic shift you need to make to get better results. It seems like you are trying to say a fair bit on these postcards. This 'more information'...is that a report/sales letter? That's where you do your selling.

Keep your postcard copy to simply 'selling' your free report. Your headline, copy, testimonials, call to action, it's just about getting them to request your report to solve a problem, like "3 ways to land a $50,000 salary in IT" (I don't seem to have a pound sign key) or "How to land the highest paying permanent job in your life guaranteed"

You don't want to explain about your service on the postcard, you're asking the media to do too much. Simply focus on generating your leads, finding people who are interested in a report like that, if you hint that you provide a service of any kind, response will suffer.

Also split test. Test your headline against mine, you have the numbers to do this. And keep testing. Test response devices, toll free numbers vs return mail, a website, etc. Test test test!

[GuerrillaIM]

Problem I have is that there are no consumer lists suitable to me that I have found. For professional training courses for people already in the industry I can use lists but here I'm looking to target the low income earners that want a change of career.

To give idea of price comparrison

10,000 by post = £2350
10,000 to postcode = £540

Now I know there is no comparrisson to a targetted list but I really can't find any relevant consumer lists so I use various methods to compile my own response lists which I then market to.

I really wish there was a SRDS equivalent in the UK but there isn't anything as standardised.

I know several businesses that rely solely on leaflet distribution to operate but these are mainly companies selling conservatories, estate agents, debt management & BMV property purchases. I read somewhere that you don't truly have a business until you bring your product to someone who didn't know they wanted it, this is what I am trying to do. So far I'm running off enquires from highly targetted responses from things like recruitment papers and websites, trade publications & shows and of course PPC.

Brian, thanks for your input, I agree I need to test this to truly know if it works. The actual presentation and closing happens with a telesales campaign. If someone responds an advisor will get in contact with them, ask them lots of questions about their career and what they hope to achieve, present a package of training that matches their needs and guarantees success.

Seeing as I'm not selling a "free report" as such, how best do you think to move them into agreeing to be contacted?

Thanks again.