What is the best (or worst) mailing you've seen?

23 replies
I got this ugly useless postcard in my mailbox last week.

My other half has since thrown it out but I was keeping it to share with you as an example of a wasted opportunity and probably an example of a waste of money.

The graphic below is a re-creation of what I can remember.

Printed one side in some putrid yellow with a logo, text and a website.

No CTA nothing - just

"Coming Soon"

Anyway I thought I'd follow the link as I remember it (ehouse.property) might have been a .property.au but anyway that was the domain.

Beneath the postcard I've pasted a graphic of the landing page.

Not much promise there I'm afraid.

What ads have you seen in your letterbox or anywhere that have either struck you as one's that stand out for the right or wrong reasons?

Hopefully this thread can become a resource of what to TEST and what to AVOID.

Here is the card (logo changed to protect the innocent)



Here is the landing page from the web address on the postcard.

Somehow I don't think anyone checked them out from the postcard, but I did.

I don't think many people would even if they were "In the market"

Look at the great "Opt-IN" (keep you in the loop) - how bad is that?

Pretty hopeless. . . but someone paid for it !



Please comment but also add your best and worst to the list.

Best regards,

Ozi
#direct mail #mailing #postcard #real estate #worst
  • Profile picture of the author dburk
    Hi Oziboomer,

    Looks like a new business with excess cash burning a hole in their pocket.

    I noticed the post card logo and the website logo are not even the same logo, so it is truly an idea in the making.

    Post card marketing of this type only works when you do it at scale, and that is relatively expensive as compared to digital marketing.

    The general idea of pre-launch marketing can be effective if it is well targeted, and if it has a very specific message. I am not seeing that here. The message seems very vague, designed to generate curiosity at best.

    My guess is that digital marketing is clearly a mystery to this organization. They had a golden opportunity to tag their coming soon page with marketing analytics and remarketing tags, which are not present on their landing page (I checked). So, no... they are not smart marketers, just fools with cash to burn. What a waste of resources.

    You may have heard the expression "sling enough mud on the wall and eventually some of it will stick" that seems to be their approach with this campaign. They are not even measuring the results, so it is more like "flushing money down the toilet".

    Don Burk
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11148457].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
      Originally Posted by dburk View Post

      I noticed the post card logo and the website logo are not even the same logo, so it is truly an idea in the making.
      Hi Don,

      The card I recreated because my wife threw it out. I didn't want to copy their logo to the card so I just put the "H" there. On the original it had their logo.

      It was funny because I as saving the postcard to discuss with a few friends and to post here and when I got home it was gone. Rubbish collected that morning.

      I asked my wife "Did you throw out a card?"

      She said "The ehouse one?" - so she remembered the brand.

      When I told her I wanted to use it as an example of poor marketing she said "well you're talking about it so it must have had an effect"

      It is funny what we think of things as marketers and what a non-marketer would think of or notice.

      I was surprised she remembered the name but then maybe she wondered why I put it aside and she might have got her hopes up that I could have been looking at new homes.

      Best regards,

      Ozi
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149364].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    I would imagine that there will now be a number of "warriors" trying to contact them, offering to help them improve the postcard.

    Maybe not quite the "response" they'd hoped for.

    Ron
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11148570].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SheCanSell
    Definitely not the worst I've seen! I think promises of gold bars from Prince Mutumbo kinda has this beat hahah.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11148575].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
    The worst I've ever seen was a post card selling: Canookies

    Sounds rather lewd, but they were cookies in the shape of all things Canadian, such as their flag, hockey sticks, a maple leaf etc.

    The thing is, I was in Arizona at the time and I'm not Canadian.

    Why in the heck would I want them?

    Plus, they were pricey.
    Signature
    Free eBook =>
    The Secret To Success In Any Business
    Yes, Any Business!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11148707].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
      Originally Posted by Enfusia View Post

      The worst I've ever seen was a post card selling: Canookies

      Sounds rather lewd, but they were cookies in the shape of all things Canadian, such as their flag, hockey sticks, a maple leaf etc.

      The thing is, I was in Arizona at the time and I'm not Canadian.

      Why in the heck would I want them?

      Plus, they were pricey.
      You got me googling "Canookies" and cookies were not the first result that came up.

      The recipes for biscuits did show down the page..

      It intrigues me as to why people trying to sell stuff miss their target market so often.

      Maybe the Canookie team had some demographic data that there was a greater percentage of homesick Canadians in AZ at the time so you got caught up n the spray.

      Best regards,

      Ozi
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149376].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Enfusia
        Originally Posted by Oziboomer View Post

        You got me googling "Canookies" and cookies were not the first result that came up.

        The recipes for biscuits did show down the page..

        It intrigues me as to why people trying to sell stuff miss their target market so often.

        Maybe the Canookie team had some demographic data that there was a greater percentage of homesick Canadians in AZ at the time so you got caught up n the spray.

        Best regards,

        Ozi

        I just googled it for the first time and I see what you mean.

        Well, the company was in Canada so you might have to use the Canadian search.

        The reason I remember it so well is that it was so odd.

        My friend and I sat around one night (we're both marketers) and came up with the craziest product ideas we could just for fun.

        My two were:

        Colon Blow! The Ultra High Fiber Breakfast Cereal.

        And

        Gomer Go! The Energy Drink For Senior Citizens.

        I hope you enjoyed those 2.
        Signature
        Free eBook =>
        The Secret To Success In Any Business
        Yes, Any Business!
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149670].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Saiah Davis
    I like the image used for the opt in page and the future of real estate has me wondering what are they coming up with but does not intrigue me enough to subscribe.

    A lot of wasted opportunities here... Are you into Real Estate? Did they at least target who they're sending the cards too?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11148714].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    This is an interesting one indeed... This is literally something I would do.. and HAVE done. for me personally.. the phrase "The future of..." is a pretty powerful statement... Interesting that they chose a wordpress plugin lander page.. but a this phase probably not such a biggy.. if the final platform is wordpress.. well it wont be so epic future now will it.

    Did anyone take the time and check "ehouse" on Google? There is without question a pattern here... Foolish and stupid? probably not.

    When you use a piece such as this... it is probably sent in geographical pockets once a week. in that weeks time they can use the log ( old school indeed ) to #1 get an idea of how many people actually goto the site. #2 they can determine hot geographical locations... - because they were smart enough to break the mailings up geographically and drip mail across the country over a period of time. and #3 they could even be so geeky as to actually IP map the hits and get an idea where the visitors were from.. let alone time of day types of computers and all that good stuff that real marketers might actually look at.

    Oh that's right these folks are foolish. Chances are better than good - well ok its not better than good.. when you have a lander plugin such as this default would be that it would be no follow no index - hence why there is no Google listing... They are tracking within a closed loop ( the post card )

    This is probably the very beginning of a Branding campaign... they have a decent logo - a better than decent URL.. from what little language that has been used "Keep you in the loop" suggest Corporate Millenials and X and Y'ers ( following the money) as a target.. oh that's right, they aren't targeting now are they...
    Signature
    Success is an ACT not an idea
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11148978].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author davntt
    Lol. I have seen many other ugly and so so ridiculous!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149209].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AmericanMuscleTA
    There's a real estate agent in my area that sends out a postcard once a year... and they are horrible!


    Here's one example: [Postcard Example] Can You Guess What This Postcard Is Marketing??? – Duke of Marketing


    Seriously... what's the first business that comes to your mind when you see this?! It sure isn't real estate.


    This is by far one of the worst ever.
    Signature

    David Hunter | Duke of Marketing
    www.DukeOfMarketing.com
    www.BibleAndFriendsYouTube.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149785].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
      Originally Posted by AmericanMuscleTA View Post

      Seriously... what's the first business that comes to your mind when you see this?! It sure isn't real estate.

      This is by far one of the worst ever.
      I would have thought it would have been a "Garden center" or "Nursery".

      The least they could have done was ask the question "Thinking of selling your home this Spring?"

      Then on the back they could have the call to action to request the "7 simple things to do to your garden to add $15K to your home's sale price.

      Best regards,

      Ozi
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149810].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by AmericanMuscleTA View Post

      There's a real estate agent in my area that sends out a postcard once a year... and they are horrible!


      Here's one example: [Postcard Example] Can You Guess What This Postcard Is Marketing??? - Duke of Marketing


      Seriously... what's the first business that comes to your mind when you see this?! It sure isn't real estate.


      This is by far one of the worst ever.
      Its probably not as bad as you think.. and she sends it every year for how many years now?

      From a buyers prospective... everyone knows you don't list your house in the winter ( unless you have to - or it didn't sell from last summer ) so the message hits a chord.... The images of gardening and spring and family.. I would suggest this is just short of a home run to the female end of the demographic.. you know the ones that actually dictate buying / selling a home more often than not.

      Its not salesy the CTA again is very female oriented " We can explore the possibilities together Call..."

      I would suggest all in all a pretty solid piece - considering the geography aspect is pretty tight.. that there appears to be some history locally with the agent... I'm sorry but sometimes a bit outside of the box.. and targeting ( and I would suggest hitting ) the female target audience.. its usually a winner.
      Signature
      Success is an ACT not an idea
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11149903].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author AmericanMuscleTA
        Originally Posted by Oziboomer View Post

        I would have thought it would have been a "Garden center" or "Nursery".

        The least they could have done was ask the question "Thinking of selling your home this Spring?"

        Then on the back they could have the call to action to request the "7 simple things to do to your garden to add $15K to your home's sale price.

        Best regards,

        Ozi

        Exactly! And she did Nothing. Nadda. Zip.


        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        Its probably not as bad as you think.. and she sends it every year for how many years now?

        From a buyers prospective... everyone knows you don't list your house in the winter ( unless you have to - or it didn't sell from last summer ) so the message hits a chord.... The images of gardening and spring and family.. I would suggest this is just short of a home run to the female end of the demographic.. you know the ones that actually dictate buying / selling a home more often than not.

        Its not salesy the CTA again is very female oriented " We can explore the possibilities together Call..."

        I would suggest all in all a pretty solid piece - considering the geography aspect is pretty tight.. that there appears to be some history locally with the agent... I'm sorry but sometimes a bit outside of the box.. and targeting ( and I would suggest hitting ) the female target audience.. its usually a winner.


        I actually have spoken with her about them, and guess how many people have actually responded to her... Just me! I gave her some helpful tips, but wasn't interested (maybe my sales skills are lacking). She also only sends out 500 of them.


        And, it's not that she sends out the same postcard every year... she just sends out "A" postcard once a year. They're always different, and still the same old-same old (I have 3 different ones so far).


        This year, she sent out one with the front of the postcard a picture of a beautiful kitchen with a little "Home Selling Tip" at the top left corner. At first glance it looks like it's from a remodeling company. Then the back is personalized with homeowner's name (she gets points for that) and then some "home tidy tips." Then it's a, "Call today for more expert advice!"


        Going off Oziboomer... she should have gave a couple of tips then offered a free guide, "7 Home Selling Tips To Get Your House Sold In 30 Days or Less, for Above Market Value, Guaranteed!"
        Signature

        David Hunter | Duke of Marketing
        www.DukeOfMarketing.com
        www.BibleAndFriendsYouTube.com

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150695].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author savidge4
          Originally Posted by AmericanMuscleTA View Post

          She also only sends out 500 of them.
          What gets amusing here... it would cost me about $80 to print ant $170 postage (.34 a piece ) vs $200 to print $770 postage + so 4x the cost for 10x the product.. should be a pretty easy sale if you ask me

          Here is another thing.. YOU called and said "Hey I'm calling about your post card" how many people actually do that? Would be interesting to figure out her point of contact ratio Male to Female... I would place money heavy on Female...
          Signature
          Success is an ACT not an idea
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11150801].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
            Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

            What gets amusing here... it would cost me about $80 to print ant $170 postage (.34 a piece ) vs $200 to print $770 postage + so 4x the cost for 10x the product.. should be a pretty easy sale if you ask me.
            I like this.

            Of course the realtor could "ride free" with a paying landscaper and a patio furniture place on the front.

            She's giving that space away for nothing right now.

            Ron
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11152131].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
              Originally Posted by Ron Lafuddy View Post

              I like this.

              Of course the realtor could "ride free" with a paying landscaper and a patio furniture place on the front.

              She's giving that space away for nothing right now.

              Ron
              If they added an offer to the landscaping or patio place for a package identified in the mailing maybe they could pick up a commission on the "house-scaping" too.

              It is surprising there are not more JV mailings between these types of symbiotic businesses.

              Best regards,

              Ozi
              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11152343].message }}
              • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
                Originally Posted by Oziboomer;

                If they added an offer to the landscaping or patio place for a package identified in the mailing maybe they could pick up a commission on the "house-scaping" too.

                It is surprising there are not more JV mailings between these types of symbiotic businesses.

                Best regards,

                Ozi
                These kinds of offers instantly make the postcard more interesting...and valuable.

                The additional offers increase the possibility that the card will be kept and used, rather than discarded. If I'm the realtor, riding along for free, where's the downside?

                If I'm the realtor, using this model with similar, related businesses, each time, how many times per year can I afford to send out a postcard?

                What might the referral relationships that I am establishing do for my business?

                Ron
                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11152584].message }}
                • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
                  Originally Posted by Ron Lafuddy View Post

                  These kinds of offers instantly make the postcard more interesting...and valuable.

                  The additional offers increase the possibility that the card will be kept and used, rather than discarded. If I'm the realtor, riding along for free, where's the downside?

                  If I'm the realtor, using this model with similar, related businesses, each time, how many times per year can I afford to send out a postcard?

                  What might the referral relationships that I am establishing do for my business?

                  Ron
                  I don't see a downside but I've worked several relationships over the years where we've established a relationship between my business and a business that may have some of my ideal clients just waiting to be acquired.

                  For example I worked with a number of florists for many years where we provided gift certificates for bridal customers.

                  We needed new couples who were going to build a family and it was a logical choice to promote together.

                  The biggest issue I think business owners face when trying to establish these types of relationships is they make the mistake of approaching a business they could work with with the mentality of " I want to access your customer list"

                  In many circumstances it is perceived as an inequitable structure.

                  One business will think they are the dominant partner in the relationship and often think the benefits are not worth the hassle.

                  This is where it comes back to making sure the "WIN-WIN" outcome is expressed in a way that the business you are approaching to piggy-back or market with is outlined in a "NO HASSLE" way.

                  The right choice of words can be the key between attracting and building these type of joint mailers or any other type of host/beneficiary type relationship.

                  It pays to look closely at things like the reputation and ethics of any business you approach because their reputation can often be transferred to your business and if you rush into building something with a business that doesn't have the right ethics it can have a negative impact towards your business.

                  The other thing comes down to the attitude of the business owner you are approaching.

                  If you encounter any negativity towards establishing something together you are better off dropping things pretty quickly and finding a different business to work with.

                  The other thing is to make sure both businesses have good relationships with their customers in the marketplace.

                  Businesses who regularly communicate with their customers.

                  Businesses who have the potential to supply products and services to your customer as you do towards providing services to their's.

                  It also helps if you are both servicing the same sort of customer base in terms of magnitude.

                  Maybe this is why you don't see too many businesses marketing together and working together but if you can find businesses with the right attitude, right ethics and reputation who also have the other qualities listed then it comes down to approaching them the right way to establishing the relationship.

                  The efforts to set things up are often rewarded for years to come when both or multiple businesses benefit.

                  Best regards,

                  Ozi
                  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11153507].message }}
                  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
                    Originally Posted by Oziboomer View Post

                    I don't see a downside but I've worked several relationships over the years where we've established a relationship between my business and a business that may have some of my ideal clients just waiting to be acquired.

                    For example I worked with a number of florists for many years where we provided gift certificates for bridal customers.

                    We needed new couples who were going to build a family and it was a logical choice to promote together.

                    The biggest issue I think business owners face when trying to establish these types of relationships is they make the mistake of approaching a business they could work with with the mentality of " I want to access your customer list"

                    In many circumstances it is perceived as an inequitable structure.

                    One business will think they are the dominant partner in the relationship and often think the benefits are not worth the hassle.

                    This is where it comes back to making sure the "WIN-WIN" outcome is expressed in a way that the business you are approaching to piggy-back or market with is outlined in a "NO HASSLE" way.

                    The right choice of words can be the key between attracting and building these type of joint mailers or any other type of host/beneficiary type relationship.

                    It pays to look closely at things like the reputation and ethics of any business you approach because their reputation can often be transferred to your business and if you rush into building something with a business that doesn't have the right ethics it can have a negative impact towards your business.

                    The other thing comes down to the attitude of the business owner you are approaching.

                    If you encounter any negativity towards establishing something together you are better off dropping things pretty quickly and finding a different business to work with.

                    The other thing is to make sure both businesses have good relationships with their customers in the marketplace.

                    Businesses who regularly communicate with their customers.

                    Businesses who have the potential to supply products and services to your customer as you do towards providing services to their's.

                    It also helps if you are both servicing the same sort of customer base in terms of magnitude.

                    Maybe this is why you don't see too many businesses marketing together and working together but if you can find businesses with the right attitude, right ethics and reputation who also have the other qualities listed then it comes down to approaching them the right way to establishing the relationship.

                    The efforts to set things up are often rewarded for years to come when both or multiple businesses benefit.

                    Best regards,

                    Ozi
                    Everything you say is true...and then some.

                    It takes time to put together worthwhile JV's. The better you know - and are known - to the other party...the easier it is.

                    In the case of the above realtor, if she started out with a couple of businesses, helped them to get to know each other and kept adding to her referral/jv group consistently, she'd end up with a dug-out full of players.

                    Her postcards could be going out every month, like clockwork. She'd have some great local connections AND she also gets to borrow on the TRUST that exists, between each of those referral partners and their customer base.

                    A enterprising guy like you, Ozi, might even want to join her group.

                    She could offer as a gift, a gorgeous picture of her buyer's new home, surrounded in one of your exquisite customized frames, of their choosing.

                    "The efforts to set things up are often rewarded for years to come when both or multiple businesses benefit."

                    That right there, is the part that everybody misses.

                    What is the value of the referral relationships, to each business, over the course of several years?

                    Can be absolutely breathtaking!

                    Ron
                    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11153607].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
    As this thread has taken course towards real-estate I thought I'd share two different but similar lead generation flyers that have come through my mailbox recently.

    A bit like the comparison type approach from the insurance resellers and as they don't have one specific real-estate agent listed maybe more people might go and get the reports they are offering.

    Not sure whether they are selling the leads or just using them for whichever company is behind the marketing.



    Best regards,

    Ozi
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11152349].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
    I don't have an example to post, but the very best sales letters I've read are political fund raising letters for top tier candidates....Really on either side of the isle, but mostly I study the letters to conservative voters.

    They have everything...an impending doom that must be fought...a common enemy....the language of the voter......portraying the political opponent as evil and attacking the voter's (letter recipient's) rights.....and a Call To Arms.

    There is real drama in these letters. They are designed to make your blood boil....build up a real sense of purpose...and portraying you (the loyal contributor) as a valued member of a team...the team that will save the country.

    And the beauty of political fund rising letters is that there is always a current catastrophe in the news....always a reason to raise more money.....a new cause...a new enemy to fight.....

    And they test the average contribution and post suggested amounts that raise the average contribution. Really, masterful sales letters that are pure examples of "Us against Them".

    If these were written 200 years ago, the reader would be excited to grab a torch and pitchfork. Now, they just want money..which is the emotional equivalent.
    Signature
    One Call Closing book https://www.amazon.com/One-Call-Clos...=1527788418&sr

    What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11153737].message }}

Trending Topics