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Mail Merge/Personalized postcard ideas

by crysper
7 replies
Hey guys,


I'm going to try my first direct mail campaign in a week and I need some help. I'm not selling just one product, I'm trying different products, mostly SaaS.Please tell me what I'm doing wrong:

1)I'll scrape the web for my targeted clients businesses and owners name
2) I'll build a high-impact, personalized card with owner name on front with a kick-ass graphic, now here I need your help, what do you think I should include:
- a very funny image with a place where I include the owner name
- ultra-simple, like "Hey [prospect name]", we have this offfer and we give this free....and use a handwriting font
- bright colors like pink and yellow?

3) A call to action for a free offer or discount. Which works better, a phone number or a PURL?
4) Is 300 enough for a test?
#ideas #mail #merge or personalized #postcard
  • Profile picture of the author Freebiequeen1999
    My thoughts....

    if you are selling biz to biz, and large ticket item, I would not go with the funny card JMO

    I would include both a url and a phone number - you want to be accessible to them. You want them to reach you on their terms. I don't know the market you are going after so hard to say what "call to action" you should use but yes, some call to action -

    300? Honestly that is not really a test amount. If you are going to all this trouble I would try to make really sure that your list is accurate. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
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    • Profile picture of the author crysper
      Thanks.

      What do you think about printed handwritten fonts and signature?
      If I can't find the owners name, would the business name enough or I shouldn't use it at all?
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      • Profile picture of the author savidge4
        Here is the thing. you are selling a software as a service product. I know you are saying you are selling more than one product... but that is failure waiting to happen. you need to pick and focus on ONE.

        You need to define the problem the service solves. I don't know what you are selling but lets say you have a SAAS product that keeps a shopping list for the busy house husbands. you want a headline like "Forgot what is on your shopping list?" then there is a image of a puzzled father standing in a store isle. With a little bubble over his head that says "Did we need milk?"

        You then explain your service and how it takes the guessing out of shopping and it takes only minutes to set up and its the best thing since sliced bread in a rush rush rush lifestyle.

        All this going on and trying to deliver a customized pitch and image to each and every contact is pure craziness! you have a service based product, and the person on the receiving end has a problem the job for the mailer is to match those with the problem your service provides with the exact problem the receiver has. IF they don't have the same problem as your service provides an answer to that's great.. this is called pre-qualifying.

        To think you are going to say Hey Joe.. we do this and this and this give us a call or see our site.... other than the "Hey Joe" part.. its all about YOU and not the reader of the card ( again epic fail waiting to happen )

        Forget all the crap.. print out 1000 cards that does not have the gloss finish on the back so you can run them through your laser printer to address them and start testing messages and products.

        IF you can get short run cards done for a decent price I would try 2 or 3 different massages for the service being offered, and send them all at once. THIS would be testing. Which one is better than the other? that is what you want to get the answer to. Once you know which one is the best... THEN you do the 5000 run blast and make a paycheck out of the process!
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        Success is an ACT not an idea
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  • Profile picture of the author SashaLee
    Hi there,

    300 is not enough for a test and frankly you'll lose heart depending on direct mail to produce the results of you by itself.

    savidge4 is correct - focus on one product. When given a choice a prospect will usually do nothing in case their choice turns out to be a bad one.

    If you're only doing 300, then you should take the time to KNOW the 300. Know who they are, what they do, and what they might need. That way you can present a PERTINENT offer to them that might stick.

    Stay away from "funny".

    The font doesn't matter - the message does.

    All the best,

    Sasha
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    • Profile picture of the author Jack Gordon
      Originally Posted by SashaLee View Post

      The font doesn't matter - the message does.
      Unless you are using comic sans

      I would say font does matter, actually. Stick to something clean and easy to read. I have no inherent problem with handwriting fonts, but if you are going to use it make sure it really makes sense in the context of the message.

      Savidge gave spot on advice above. Focus your campaign tightly on one product, one message presenting one solution to one audience.

      Mail at least a thousand for a reasonable test. I would plan to mail a thousand a month. Even if you did get some sales from 300, they would probably fall within the margin of error and not give you much usable data for future analysis.

      Good luck. It is a noble experiment. I created a six-figure company using a similar strategy years ago.
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      Fifteen Lessons I have learned over 15 years and six businesses (or, My 1000th-Post Manifesto)
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      • Profile picture of the author crysper
        Thanks guys, you're awesome.

        I will stick with one product and see where it goes. I want start with at least 300 because I don't know how targeted, good the list and I'll try multiple targeting options with 300 postcards....so it will be like 300 x 3 targeting options.

        I found here some tactics like calling the business name and one of hist competitor on a bright yellow card. I think I would try that approach first.

        Another idea is to post something useful that they may keep the card. Somebody suggested a calendar but I think that's outdated, any ideas?
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  • Profile picture of the author Freebiequeen1999
    300 is not enough for a split test. They are not going to keep the card, this is 2015 -

    People are trying to give you advice but you don't seem to get the picture.

    Since I don't sell anything here I can be honest - you are going to be discouraged if you bank on 300 cards to bring deals - name and greeting doesn't matter. Sales are a numbers game.

    I asked you about the quality of these leads....IF you had a booth at a trade show and collected emails, names, biz cards, then it might be relevant. Just skimming names off the internet ? Chances are many will have changed positions, new person there, out of date...I can only imagine the receptionist tossing the junk mail away.

    IMHO your real choices would be to do a much larger mailing, split test, or actually find real contacts and send them a personal letter /call to action.

    I hope you come back either way and tell us what happened?
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