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Will This Offline to Online Marketing Campaign Work?

by The Expert
7 replies
I saw a bunch of road signs (bandit signs) in my area that said something like:

Single?
TaylorSingles.com


Single?
SouthgateSingles.com

After digging around I found out there is a guy not even in my state that is making major bank with this. He sets up the sites, buys the signs and has crews all over the country put them out. Killer example of offline to online marketing.

Anyway...I have some experience working with these types of signs and was wondering if it might work for another niche. Please let me know what you think...

Niche: Debt Reduction - I hear adds for this all the time on the radio so I'm guessing there's a CPA for it somewhere.

Setup signs that say something like...

Eliminate
Your Debt
Today!
313-123-1234

Phone number goes to Ringcentral line which has a message explaining benefits and then asking them to leave their email address.

Use an integrated service, the voicemails transcribe the calls and send them do your virtual assistant who drops them into an Aweber Campaign as they come in.

Clients click links in email follow-up sequence and are taken to the Debt Elimination CPA site for conversion.

Anyone think this could work? There must be mass appeal to this if people are paying millions in radio advertising on the Rush Limbaugh show.
#campaign #marketing #offline #online #work
  • Profile picture of the author Cerberus
    Sounds like it is worth a try. Start small in your area as a test.
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  • Profile picture of the author Slyknight
    Hmm..seems like a pretty decent plan. Only way to find out if it works or not is to take the risk by putting it in action.
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    • Profile picture of the author MarkR
      The Expert,

      Ya, I've seen those signs to. They're all over the place! I'm in SE Michigan too.

      How does that guy make money? You must have to pay to meet someone? I can't see how it's monetized on his site.

      Mark
      Signature
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      • Profile picture of the author gianne2705
        Honestly,just heard it here.How can you exactly make money with this campaign?
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        • Profile picture of the author Chuck Staff
          You may have seen these, also...

          Self Employed?
          Need Affordable Health Insurance?
          800-123-4567

          I made a ton of money with these signs (with a twist) in Southern California. I was so successful at gathering qualified leads, I stopped selling health insurance (it was crappy insurance anyway...) and sold leads to other sales reps. Made more than enough to keep beans on the table.

          The twist? I simply added a fourth line:

          Self Employed?
          Need Affordable Health Insurance?
          800-123-4567
          24-hour Recorded Message
          The signs I used were copied on horizontal / landscape 8 1/2 X 11 hot pink, orange, yellow and lime green papers with little diagonal tear 'tabs' at the bottom with the following in tiny 8 point type:

          Health Insurance
          800-123-4567

          I posted two different colors on Saturday mornings. One color in one area. Different color in another. Tore one tab off each sign posted and kept it. At the end of my posting session, I knew how many of each color sign I'd posted. Tearing the tab off also made others more comfortable tearing a tab off since they, obviously, weren't the first or the only interested person - someone else had already torn one off!

          The 800# rang a two-minute outgoing message thanking them for the call, briefly outlining my offering and ending with words to the effect of:

          "You've taken the first step toward providing high quality, affordable health insurance for you and your loved ones by calling this number and listening to this message."

          "Now, take the next step by leaving your name, your number and the best time for me to call to arrange a no pressure, no obligation meeting to decide what options will work best for you."

          The psychology is simple. Health Insurance is very expensive for self-employed types so, there really IS a need. People want affordable health insurance. But, nobody wants to talk to an insurance salesman.

          What I discovered when reviewing my call logs was that many of my calls were received between 10 PM and 2 AM. (Even though it said 24-hour recorded message, they wanted to be sure they wouldn't have to talk to some slick-lipped hard closer!)

          The message was low-key and no pressure. A very high percentage left a name and number (although many of them first hung-up and later called back to leave the info).

          Although my voice-mail system captured the incoming number, I NEVER called back anyone who didn't volunteer their info. Didn't need to. Didn't want to. Too many volunteers.

          Here's the best part... When I called them back, the ball was in my court... Remember: They called me.

          "Hello?"

          "Hi, is John Smith in?"

          "This is John..."

          "Hi, John. Chuck Staff here. You called my voice-mail about 1 AM this morning and listened to my message about affordable health care... You left you name and number for me to call. How can I help you?"

          (Then I shut-up until they spoke... Sometimes a very long pause...)

          "I... err.. um... I was just curious about... um... what you have to offer..." (says John with some discomfort.)

          "Not a problem, John," (say I, relieving the pressure...) "I get lots of calls from folks like you who are interested in affordable health insurance but not sure where to turn for no pressure advice... blah... blah... blah..."

          "When can we get together over a cup of coffee so I can show you a couple of things that may be of interest to you?"

          I always asked at some point:

          "Say, John... Do you by any chance remember what color the sign you saw was, John?" John always knew 'cause he kept the tear tab with my number on it. I knew how many pink, orange, green, yellow signs I put out and where and now I knew which signs and/or areas were pulling the best. Plain. Dumb. Simple. But, it worked.

          Funny story. Asked a guy the above question once and he answered, "What sign? I just found this little piece of paper in a phone booth that said: 'Health Insurance, 800-123-4567." Apparently, someone else tore off the tab, called my 800# from a phone booth (Remember those days? What's a phone booth?) and left the tear tab in the booth. John comes along, finds the tab (no sign) and calls the number! Go figure. And, yes, John bought.

          Anyway, I set a LOT of appointments and, when I couldn't handle them all, I started selling the leads. Before long, selling the leads was all I did.

          That's a really long way of saying that, yes, the concept of using signs to book appointments with offline prospects is very viable.

          Important:

          Using an 800 number instead of a local number will nearly double the number of calls you get. Using and advertising a 24-Hour Voice-Mail message will nearly double it again. Trust me. I learned it the hard way. Spend a couple of dollars on an 800#. It's well worth it. The voice-mail will relax them enough to make the call and offers the added advantage of turning the tables psychologically and, in effect, having the prospect come to you instead of you chasing them. You deal from a position of strength.

          Sorry to ramble. That was the early 1990's and those were fun times.

          Chuck


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          • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
            Yes the only way you're going to find out if it works in your area is to test.

            Preferably by starting small which will give you an idea of whether that test worked (really...don't make assumptions when you're testing).

            Then you can test another small campaign in a slightly different area etc etc.

            It's easy to blow a lot of time and money with this kind of thing so cautious testing when you're starting out is sensible.

            Kindest regards,
            Andrew Cavanagh
            Signature
            Old School Copy Like This Is BACK & Converting Like Crazy!
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            • Profile picture of the author The Expert
              Thanks for the response guys.

              I used to put up these signs on the side of the road for a few things I've done over the years. Selling cars, selling mattresses, selling real estate. All of them except the one for selling cars pulled leads well.

              I've heard some say that local numbers pull better than 800 numbers and vice-versa. Some say that people feel better calling a local number because they feel that they are calling someone local instead of someone halfway across the country (or in India).

              Others say that an 800 number communicates the feeling of "established business". Word is that if you are going to go with the toll-free option it's best to pay extra for a true 800 number vs. 888 or 877 or one of the other variants.
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