9x12 success and more...

I have found the 9x12 to be a bit trickier to make a decent profit. Just browsing the internet and youtube I have found many people using the exact same template with very similar names. Obviously they bought the 9x12 system by BobRoss.

In my opinion, the layout is not aesthetically pleasing to look at as it could be. With some creative ingenuity it can be changed... However, it is a very good idea, and if done correctly can yield some wonderful results. It also can lead to many different avenues for potential upselling.

Websites, mobile websites, SMS marketing, SEO, Google Places, Facebook etc.

I find advertisers want to work with industry authorities and if you come across as a "jack of all trades" it reflects poorly. I tend to stick to one thing and let other upsells come along naturally or in conversation.

My trick is to "plant the seed" so to speak in someone's head and make them think they figured out they need a mobile website or SEO. Then we start a deeper conversation about it and then you tell them you can do it.

So... if you have had success with the postcard with one client, stick to it and let the other upsells happen naturally. Trying planting that seed- it works. All it takes is one sell- they tell their friends and then their friends tell their friends and so on and so on.

Cheers!

Hi,

I didn t mention it but I do this in France. I actually find the design pretty nice!

I present the company as a marketing agency that helps businesses get more sales through a few different medias. 1 of them is the card, 1 of them is online marketing.

Thanks a lot for your input, but I still want to provide businesses with this guide. It will help them a lot I think.

I know it s better to specialize in 1 thing. My thing is online marketing. The card is an additional service. At least in my mind it s that way.

O.

Well, you have to properly set up your company first... but nothing is impossible!

I'd write the top ten things 'you don't know to know about' and then have a couple of quick paragraphs on each of the ten points that if the customer went to a competitor, would trip up the competitor.

That's what I did with my "20 Questions To Ask Wedding Photographers." All factual stuff. Nothing misleading. All helpful to the customer. But things I know to ask that trip up most of the competition because the competition uses ploys - while it also positions you as the obvious expert.

I will be implementing Bob's method soon.
I am re-designing the layout to suite me.
My problem is finding a printer to print a mock-up.
Most don't print anything that size, or require a large quantity when I only need two.

As far as the report.... I have one that I will be using during October for a promotion.
Same exact principles as yours just 5 instead of 10.
Mine will be going to people who already expressed an interest in re-designing their site.
The report will serve as a way to let them know what else their site needs.
The reason mine are $1500 while others are $500 or less.

I also have a report on the ten reasons you should pay more than $1000 for a site.

I agree with you that hiring commission sales reps is the next way to go to increase your ad sales. I more than doubled my pizza card sales once I took on a few commission sales reps.

Congrats on your success and I wish you much more.

All the best,

Martin

I'm curious, what's Bob Ross' 12x9 card?

Thanks!

Sometimes offline is better than IM... Take my congrat on it my friends..

About the layout, I spent A LOT of time figuring it out. I know some people say it's not symmetrical or appeasing but here are the reasons for my layout:

1.) I wanted every ad to look almost independent and unique. The different sizing allows me to price them at different points or fabricate value on the fly. I can always build value when I'm pitching by telling them that 'the top left position is the one people first see' or that the biggest ads obviously cost more, etc.

2.) I wanted the logo and brand information in the center-ish of the card becuase that's what I want them to recognize first. Putting the logo and info on an edge made the card look too much like a big coupon sheet and I want my brand seen instantly.

3.) I didn't want the card to look like a giant row of coupons (which happens when you do symmetrical ads), because I didn't want the advertisers to feel that they'd be the same as everyone else on the card. I spent countless hours printing and designing different layouts that would make 7 ads look as few as possible. The advertisers need to feel that there are as few ads as possible and with this layout you'd never guess when first looking at it that there's 16 or more on the card.

7.) I later added an eighth ad to the front, which is a really small one that has worked extremely well. I can sell that spot in a bind for cheap (due to the size) and if there are spots I'm having trouble filling, I can upgrade the advertiser to a big spot for free, which creates a ton of value. I sold something like 6 or 7 small spot ads for $395 on one campaign and upgraded them all to big spots which made them incredibly happy with me.

This is also a really good strategy to get in with a prospect that you really want on a card but you don't want to blow it. Tell them you have this small spot for really cheap if they want to go along for the ride on 10,000 postcards with local biz's. Sometimes they'll walk themselves up to a bigger ad without you having to upgrade them.

8.) If you put any coupon in the center, it's going to be a real b*tch for the consumer to cut out. This limits your layout options quite a bit.

So as a recap for my personal layout:

I want to be able to price different spots uniquely due to position and size
I want my brand to be seen instantly and not on an edge
I want the advertisers to think there are as few neighboring ads as possible
I want to be able to charge a small amount for a tiny ad, allowing me to upgrade and create 'overdelivery'.
I don't want anyone to have to cut a coupon out in the center of the card, they should all be located around the edges so that it's easy to cut the coupons.

Does anyone have a email and/or what they hand the business owner that they could pm me or email me plz.
Thanks!

Hey SWK- I may have some samples you can purchase...PM me if you're still interested.. aghost--have you bought Bob Ross's 9x12 system already? He has scripts in his training..also be sure to join his private forum for lots of good ways to get advertisers.

Just read through most of the original thread, (which had inspired me to try this), to pick up any new tips.
There were a lot of people on there cutting bait and not fishing!
This is not very difficult to do.
Go online get some good printing prices, check the local PO for delivery details/costs.
I live in a very small country town. My deliver total is only 1580 and there are only about 50 or so businesses. So I limited my ads to 12, 6 each side.
Based roughly on a price ratio of $495 for 10,000, I priced my ads at $95.
Sold all 12 in about 2 weeks.
OK, so I am only making a small profit on this one, but the next town has about 3,000 addresses, so I will make about $1,200. Then on to some nearby larger towns where I will send out 10,000 and make about $3,000. I am limiting the number of ads to 12 so that there is more value ie larger ads and less work to do than trying to get 16. Also some will probably pull out after the first one so it's good to have plenty of businesses as back ups.
If I can sell 12 ad spots in a small country town, then I shouldn't have any problems in a city! The thing to remember is that if you do this properly, that $3,000 per month is recurring income.

Offline is the new online, i think you are going in the right direction. Online will take it global though. Great post...