September marketing study, save your junk mail.

Participate if you want, I'll share my Sept. "junk mail" with you if you do the same. Here are my summer of 2015 results (June, July and August).

I kept all my mail for 14 weeks over the summer. First the results, then the reasons and lessons.

During this time I received 2 editions of the Cuyahoga Falls Town Money Saver, each had 10 pages of ads, or about 40 ads each. A mix of full page and 1/4 page ads.

There were 14 editions of ad carriers, the Red Plum on Tuesdays, Midweek Savings (Akron Beacon Journal) on Wed. Combined these delivered all the grocery store and pharmacy ads and several flyers.
Every week included a Dish or Direct TV ad. Separate mail twice a month from Time Warner and AT&T, mostly envelopes with special bundle offers.

15 different pizza shops ran a combined 58 ads, most with discount offers.

I have it broken down by types too, but I'll spare you the boring details.

Only 11 EDDM during this time, NO 9x12 coop, one 9x12 postcard (for a new gym, LA Fitness), most postcards 5x7...several 9x12 flyers in the Red Plum and Midweek Savers.

OK, why and what.

One of my businesses is to sell advertising to local merchants, so, I want to KNOW, not guess what the competition is charging, who is advertising, how, when and where. Basic research.

I know the cost and terms of the local coffee news. I have 4 different restaurant placemats, representing 4 different publishers and know their rates.

I want to be able to walk into a business armed with a cost comparison, for example, I can say a door to door delivery of flyers can be done for 10 cents each where an EDDM postcard is going to cost (depending on size) from 27 to 33 cents each. See?

If a biz is in the latest ValPak, I know its cost, and if he has competitors riding along, so if I offer an exclusive, he'll know he will be the only one in the package.

During this summer we worked with close to 50 people who expressed interest in doing our 9x6 FREE postcard with 4, 5 or 6 "ads" on the back. We have about 6 who are active, around the country, and of those, 3 who are killing it.

We mailed out 1000 postcards for a referral program with limited results.
We sent out over 1000 emails with hardly any response.

All for research and fine tuning purposes. IF you are selling advertising to businesses, it pays to know the facts and details. We've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, that flyers out pull EDDM, IF in a heavily dense population. A simple menu in a clear plastic bag, worked best for a local restaurant who also used EDDM, register tape ads, and ran coupons in the local Gold Clipper. It is now his only advertising vehicle. Menus directly to the doors.
EDIT for clarification: I should have given certain circumstnaces here, IF it is a family run operation, where family members are doing the delivery, then, flyers work better...but, as for the "proof". it is anecdotal and may not apply across the board.
We profit from knowing and understanding our businesses, not guessing or buying into some guy's hype about making 7, 000 bux in a week or whatever with his advertising plan.

We've talked to 11 people who tried 9 x 12 EDDM, including one guy who quit his job to do it. NONE of them made 5 grand, and in fact, none made 4 grand. Most did reach 2 to 2500, and they all said it took longer and was harder than they thought it would be.

This is some of our summer results and research.

Save your junk mail for Sept and share with us who is mailing what in your area, and you will probably see that selling advertising to business is both a big business, and a cut throat highly competitive one. But, if you choose to compete, arm yourself with the facts, you'll make a stronger presentation to the merchants you are trying to sell to.

gjabiz

PS. Knowing what I know, I think the best and fastest start up is for one to start a small (5,000 at a time) flyer distribution service, and get the local high school band (or team or senior walkers) involved.

You could easily put 10, 15 to 20 flyers or menus in a bag, hang them on doors and do just as well as trying to sell ads on postcards, placemats, or with community boards or forums or coupon connections type things. Just my opinion, for a one man band type business.

I'll post or send Sept's results if interest warrants.