[Rodney]

I was looking around for some other stats and I found this cool post in Google Answers. It contains a lot of good information on direct mail marketing, offline marketing sending out postcards to customers, etc:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=719065

 

[badalou]

On mailing if you get at least a 5% response that is considered good.

 

[jdr8271]

5% would be mad good. I havent gotten that kind of responce when ive done direct mail. Id say even 2% is good, and I usually go in hoping to get a 1% leads. I recently did a direct mail for another business. I sent out 225, mailers, and got one buyer. We made our money back....It was a success.

 

[Rodney]

I recently did a direct mail for another business. I sent out 225, mailers, and got one buyer. We made our money back....It was a success

Any recommendations for direct mail companies or finding mailing addresses of prospects?

 

[Muncheys]

You know what would be way more cheaper and you would get alot more exposure and product awareness, put an ad out in your local newspapers. The major newspaper here in San Diego the Union Tribune has a circulation of a Million plus every sunday. There are also college newspapers, pennysavers and those free weekly shoppers that you can pick up at 7 Eleven, Am Pm, liquer stores, albertsons almost everywhere and they distribute tens of thousands of those every week. The weekly shopper newspapers in San Diego only cost only $10 to submit a 25 word ad line. If you can write an effective ad then there you are, your website domain in print in a couple of thosand households ready to generate sales. Just think about it how many of you have newspapers just lying around that you picked days ago and read through them a couple of times before you get rid of them.

 

[Rodney]

The weekly shopper newspapers in San Diego only cost only $10 to submit a 25 word ad line. If you can write an effective ad then there you are, your website domain in print in a couple of thosand households ready to generate sales. Just think about it how many of you have newspapers just lying around that you picked days ago and read through them a couple of times before you get rid of them.

I think that might work well for a local business or if you feel your target customers are reading the pennysaver.

For some t-shirt brands and websites, an ad in the San Diego classifieds or pennysaver would be a waste of money.

I don't read any of those type papers (or the classifieds), but I'm sure there is a perfect demographic that does (like maybe t-shirts related a the local community)?

 

[Muncheys]

I think that might work well for a local business or if you feel your target customers are reading the pennysaver.

For some t-shirt brands and websites, an ad in the San Diego classifieds or pennysaver would be a waste of money.

I don't read any of those type papers (or the classifieds), but I'm sure there is a perfect demographic that does (like maybe t-shirts related a the local community)?

Well my target customers are everyone and i do think some of them read the pennsaver and newspapers. Ads in newpapers will work for local and nationwide businesses not every business in the newspaper is located in the state it is cirulated in. There are many businesses that advertise in newspapers that are located in different states. You can submit an ad anywhere. There are businesses out there that can put your ad in every newspaper in the united states if you wanted to. http://www.nationwideadvertising.com/

A waste of money is sending out 225 mailers and getting one buyer. How much did that cost anyway, $.45 a mailer= $101.25 to get one buyer.


Well Rodney you are the only person that i've ever met that doesn't read the classifieds, congratulations.

when you advertise in newspapers you are gauranteed to hit a couple of hundred demographics either locally or nationwide.

 

[Comin'OutSwingin]

I don't read the classifieds unless I'm looking for something used to buy. I got a good deal on a computer last year (100 with 17" monitor)! But if I'm not looking for something specific, I never look at it. Haven't once yet this year and it's June.

I also consider myself an avid reader. I'll read almost anything! I read the local paper almost daily, but not the classifieds!

A waste of money is sending out 225 mailers and getting one buyer. How much did that cost anyway, $.45 a mailer= $101.25 to get one buyer.

I think he said it was for another business. Depending on what was being sold, he could have very easily made his money back from that mailing, and also get future sales, that originated with that mailing.

I for one would definitely not be motivated to go to a website to buy a shirt because there was an ad for it in the local newspaper, and I can't imagine that exposing thousands of people to a black and white text ad for shirts in a newspaper would get much of a response.

With a mailing you control everything. Colors, layout, all the info you want to put on it. And not everybody's target market is everybody. Most people have a niche, a specific group that buys their type of product. With a mailing, those specific people can be targeted.

 

[jdr8271]

A waste of money is sending out 225 mailers and getting one buyer. How much did that cost anyway, $.45 a mailer= $101.25 to get one buyer.

Well, actually they cost us like .54 each. The product I am selling is a high ticket item. that is why it was successfull. It is also a new invention, so getting any response right out of the gate was exciting. I dont want to get into it too much, since this forum is supposed to be about t-shirts.

Any recommendations for direct mail companies or finding mailing addresses of prospects?

We found potential customers in the phone book, but what we where doing is different from what you guys are talking about.

I general, I think that direct mail is successfull for companies that sell expensive items. It could work, I think if you are a screen printer trying to sell team uniforms, or printed shirts to schools. I wouldnt waste my money, if you are selling $15 t-shirts though. You will probably be dissapointed. With direct mail, if you want to see any responce, you have to send out alot. If you send out less than 100, there is a good chance that you will got 0% responce, which can be discouraging.

You know what would be way more cheaper and you would get alot more exposure and product awareness, put an ad out in your local newspapers. The major newspaper here in San Diego the Union Tribune has a circulation of a Million plus every sunday. There are also pennysavers and those free weekly shoppers that you can pick up at 7 Eleven, Am Pm, liquer stores, albertsons almost everywhere and they distribute tens of thousands of those every week. The weekly shopper newspapers in San Diego only cost only $10 to submit a 25 word ad line. If you can write an effective ad then there you are, your website domain in print in a couple of thosand households ready to generate sales. Just think about it how many of you have newspapers just lying around that you picked days ago and read through them a couple of times before you get rid of them.

The reason that those ads are cheap is becuase they give you no exposure. My guess is that that ad would yield almost no result. Theres a reason that its that cheap.

 

[Muncheys]

No results no exposure what is being in a couple of thousand or million newspapers, Out of all those people someone will see your ad wether it is a text ad or full color display ad.

Here is the type of exposure you can get from a little newspaper and it has epanded onto the internet. This is just one of the many articles that you can find online about marketing t-shirts in newspapers.

The owner of the t-shirt line has his own little niche so newspaper advertising could work if you are targeting one target market or everybody like me.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595093852,00.html

Here is some quick quotes from the article

"He and his partner in Nevada have taken 15 orders since the ads began running, and they have sold more than 100 shirts in two months."

"I couldn't have asked for better advertising. Everybody will know about us now, and I get my money back."


.

 

[Comin'OutSwingin]

I see what you're saying. But think about how many people had to see the ad in the different papers that he took ads out in, and he got 15 orders since the ads starting running. And there's no way to know if those orders were a result of the ads, especially since he was obviously already getting plenty of sales from some other means of marketing.

You are right about one thing, all those people will see your ad, but how likely are they to go to your website, because they saw your ad. And even if they go, how likely are they to buy. Those are the questions.

You would be marketing your shirts across many demographics, and many of which have absolutely no interest in your ad. Direct mailings are just that: DIRECT. You get to pick your demographic, people you know are interested in your type of products and send them much more than what they could ever see in a newspaper ad.

Also, looking at the nationwide advertising link you reference earlier, for the money, direct mail would get a better response than advertising in those publications.

If you want something more than a simple text ad, the rates start to get high very quickly! And simple text ads about your site with the url, just isn't going to get much response in a free circular.

 

[Muncheys]

Yeah, right. look in any newspaper there are many ads with websites addresses everywhere and you will see many of the same ads running week after week even for a couple of months.

So what you are saying is that these people in newspapers advertising a product or service don't get any hits to their websites. Then why would they spend the money or even disclose their website addresses.

The bottom line is that you can have the best product in the world but if nobody knows it exist then it dosen't really matter.

 

[Comin'OutSwingin]

I completely agree with the last part. But is spending hundreds of dollars on some black and white text ads in newspapers the best way to get people to buy your shirts? Or even thousands on full color ads. Is that the best way.

I'm only saying that compared to a direct mail compaign, where you can target who sees it, and control layout, color, ect., dollar for dollar, you will get a better response.

Maybe I should have clarified the last part of my previous post. A simple text ad in a free circular won't get much response of people going to a site to buy t-shirts.

But what are they advertising? Services or products? If products, what kind? T-shirts? Is the only way to get their product online, or is their website just another outlet for their company?

The type of company that's advertising in a newspaper makes a huge difference. We are talking specifically about t-shirts.

Are you talking about newspapers that are free, such as the ones you referenced, or the ones customers must pay for? That is completely different also.

 

[Doby]

A T-Shirt is a VISUAL object. I don't want to READ what a shirt looks like... Please expand on ideas for a mailing. If I was to run an ad, it would have to be 1. affordable and 2. include a visual of a shirt. Thoughts on running ads like this?

 

[Muncheys]

Your a t-shirt person, if you were to stumble across this ad in print you're telling me you wouldn't take a look.

ATTENTION The Worlds Greatest T-Shirts In The World Are Now Available. Quantities Are Limited Get One Before It's To Late. Go To example.com

.

 

[Solmu]

Well Rodney you are the only person that i've ever met that doesn't read the classifieds, congratulations.

What, do you know, like, no people at all? This is just absurd.

On the flipside, I don't know anybody who still reads the classifieds.

 

[Muncheys]

Congratulations, to you also.

 

[jdr8271]

People usually only read the classifieds if there looking for something specific...like a car, or a house or something. I have never read the classifieds.

 

[Solmu]

Your a t-shirt person, if you were to stumble across this ad in print you're telling me you wouldn't take a look.

ATTENTION The Worlds Greatest T-Shirts In The World Are Now Available. Quantities Are Limited Get One Before It's To Late. Go To muncheys.com

I can honestly say that wouldn't even pique my interest for a moment.

"World's Greatest" is tired and uncreative - it doesn't inspire confidence that the product will be any better. The grammatical errors are highly off putting (I expect a 25 word ad to be perfect - it's not hard), the repetition is a serious waste of limited space, and the only way I'd have of knowing what I was in for is the name (Muncheys) which, while not bad, doesn't tell me anything or attract me.

Nor could I do that much better, because text isn't a great medium for this.

Off the top of my head, the only things I can think of that would attract me are 1) A big sale (if you're doing that, yes it will probably work), or 2) Known names - for example "New Banksy designs available!" &etc.

An ad needs to offer more than just "there's a t-shirt site here" - it needs something out of the ordinary to make me think I may want to buy from them.

A banner ad is just a click away, so you might as well click it and find out - but a print ad means memorising the url (or keeping the ad aside), remembering to check when you get to a computer, and then specifically choosing a time to go and look at the site. The customer needs to be motivated to want to do that.

Congratulations, to you also.

Thanks! Is there a prize involved?

 

[Muncheys]

Thanks, for visting my site. Your prize is another -Congratulations!-