Has anyone used postcardmania? I can send 1500 postcard 4 times to the top household incomes from zip codes I provide for $.42 each. Includes design, print and mail. This is all new to me. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
1,500 addresses is not really a lot unless they all came from a list that you complied yourself. Four times is good. Upper income doesn’t really mean anything if they live in apartments or or brand new homes that don’t need serviced.
What size are the postcards and how far apart are the mailings?
I have heard good things about PostCard Mania but i have never used them.
Direct mail really is a numbers game. Here is one way to look at the numbers; You write a check for $2,500.00 to PC Mania and they take care of everything.
Or, If you are not swamped yet and have some time to invest in it, spening the same amount of money, you could select 2,500 homes (EDDM) and send a card three times. EDDM takes time. But it also gives you some flexibility. When you contract with PC Mania, you pick the mailing dates and those cards are pretty much going out come rain or shine. With EDDM, you select the mailing dates but you can adjust when you drop them off to avoid a rainy week when the cards would typically not do as well.
Welcome to the PWRA.
Thanks for the advice Tim,
The postcards are 4.25"x6". I gave them about 15 zip codes that are in about a 45 mile radius. I can buy a 2600 address list from them for $250.00 and they can come up with the list by searching age, income, residential, commercial etc. What would be the best way to search? I’m working a full time job while I’m trying to get the business going, so not a lot of time on me hands.
Thanks again
I have spoken to Postcardmania several times, They are a great company. They offer top notch services. They are not really geared for the home business on a small budget. You can do it a lot cheaper yourself and send out more postcards for a better campaign and ROI.
Why pay for an Address List and Card Addressing, use EDDM and target neighborhoods and cut that cost right out of the equation.
Focus. And then focus some more. Go to eddm retail and start with an address/area that has houses that make sense to you. Vinyl, not totally trashed, decent neighborhood. Mid range house values and income values. USPS has demographics on eddm now so you can eliminate some of the lower income stuff. Do not fret and sweat and worry yourself sick over the fact that you may send a postcard to someone that is not upper class. Just identify the area you want to own.
If you are just getting started, you need to be looking at offering good value house washes, not high end, mega dollar stuff. Washes that you can complete on your schedule without a bunch of hoopla and fanfare.
Tighten up your area. Identify it, dominate it and then expand it. Do not be chasing work all over creation. They’ll see your truck, they’ll see your postcards and then they see your yard signs (thanks for the order, btw). You need to keep a tight rein on geography to be able to do that.
Thanks Hero,
What I was thinking about is that with EDDM. I may send out 500 postcards to one route, but only 100 get to potential customer. I thought if I could get a list potential customer that in the long run it would be more cost effective. What are you’re thoughts.
Scalability. Time management. Opportunity costs.
Just to name three reasons why you would consider hiring a pro.
Two of the most successful contractors that I know hire out there direct mail.
It will depend on your geography, my target areaa has 4400 homes in it, and they are all qualified customers. Some areas may be mixed areas with apartment buildings or lower end neighborhoods so it gets trickier doing mailings.
Tim gave you sound advice pick the best area that makes sense for you, and dominate it. We are 2 neighborhoods that are less than a mile apart. Total of 7000 homes.
You are correct to a point.
But, and you know that there is always a but.
Last year, I sold a $3.200.00 job from an EDDM piece that ended up in a housekeepers mailbox.
You still want to send to the best general areas.
Thanks guys for all the advice. I’m going to look at EDDM a little closer. I thought EDDM meant EDDM.
I downloaded one of their templates and it never sent. I click the link it gave me and it leads me to an empty tab. if it doesn’t show up by morning I’m going to ask for my money back
