Postcard campaign to previous clients... Any ideas, examples, best months to send???

[jcooper]

As of now our clients get an X-mas card and that's really all we do for mailings.

I'd like to set up a system that mails postcards to them 2-3 times a year.

If you had to guess, what months would you pick to send them? Example: Happy 4th of July card, thanksgiving, spring cleaning and so on.

Are the months you chose Holiday/event driven? This seems like a better idea(Holidays) for us, instead of discounts. I'm really just hoping to keep in their thoughts.

Do you think a discount is mandatory? What months? Ideas for actual postcard?



By the time I get something designed(I like), printed, labeled, stamped and actually sent out... It's two months later.

 

[Royal Man]

Every month is the best month. Carpet cleaning is event driven. When the even is near. ( Party, visitors, pet problem, sick child, moving, etc....) They will look at your mailing and take action. If their is no impending "event" the prospect will throw away the mailing and not even remember they received it.) Mail often and stay top of mind. Then your client's will say, 'You mailed that card at just the right time."

 

[Beeks]

We input all of our customers in google calenders. Starting at 3 months we send them a referral card that acts as a reminder card, killing two birds with one stone. Then at 6,9,and 12 months we send cards as well, if they call and set up an appointment with us, we just change the color on the google calender reminder and start back over again.

We also use Mail chimp which is free for up to a certain number of clients i believe and send a newsletter/educational peace to them each and every month. Your past clients are the BEST marketing/advertising you can do, don't slack in this area!

 

[Shane Deubell]

As of now our clients get an X-mas card and that's really all we do for mailings.

I'd like to set up a system that mails postcards to them 2-3 times a year.

If you had to guess, what months would you pick to send them? Example: Happy 4th of July card, thanksgiving, spring cleaning and so on.

Are the months you chose Holiday/event driven? This seems like a better idea(Holidays) for us, instead of discounts. I'm really just hoping to keep in their thoughts.

Do you think a discount is mandatory? What months? Ideas for actual postcard?



By the time I get something designed(I like), printed, labeled, stamped and actually sent out... It's two months later.

What do you think of breaking it down into weekly mailings?
rotated 3 times a year

 

[SamIam]

Postcard campaign to previous clients... Any ideas, examples, best months to se

I do 6 month and a year depending on time of the year ill do 10 percent off or upto 20% on multiple services

 

[SamIam]

Postcard campaign to previous clients... Any ideas, examples, best months to se

Also depending on the time of year spring special winter special ect

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

We send out post cards every month, but not every client gets a monthly card every month, only the clients that have not cleaned in 6 months will get a post card. You will never lose on sending out post cards every month.

 

[KevinL]

You won't lose if the mailings are done cheap enough. Service monster does it every three months for $1.26 per card. You choose who gets one and who doesn't.

 

[Royal Man]

I do 6 month and a year depending on time of the year ill do 10 percent off or upto 20% on multiple services

My take is that I don't like to do a percentage off. I'd rather do a free gift or free room etc... Percentage off remands me of jewelry and other stores that routinely offer 60% off or more to where the discount becomes meaningless. Also, always let your clients know that they can pass the offer to their friends and co-workers to extend it's reach.

 

[Beeks]

My take is that I don't like to do a percentage off. I'd rather do a free gift or free room etc... Percentage off remands me of jewelry and other stores that routinely offer 60% off or more to where the discount becomes meaningless. Also, always let your clients know that they can pass the offer to their friends and co-workers to extend it's reach.

Completely agree, don't like the % off, as most retail stores that do it just jack up the prices and the customer knows it. I'm with Dave in that I offer a free room or 100sqft of tile so they can learn about my other services.

 

[tmdry]

Just get Service Monster and you'll be wondering why you didn't do it any sooner, the rest of us members already been there and done that.

 

[bob vawter]

and don forget your hose border around the edge.....

 

[idreadnought]

Here is a great tip for those that don't have service monster or who don't want to pay $1.25 per card. I found a postcard mailing company that is print/mail on demand. Minimum is only 10 per mailing (10 postcards) and the price is 50 cents a postcard. That is 50 cents printed addressed and postage paid. You simply upload a mailing list, design a postcard and click send. If you sign up for monthly service that costs $30 then the price drops to only 42 cents a postcard. that is 1/3 the price of service monster. http://directmailmanager.com

 

[jcooper]

Thank's, Richard...

 

[Carpet Cavalier]

I do 6 month and a year depending on time of the year ill do 10 percent off or upto 20% on multiple services

give my past customers a discount? I think not.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Here is a great tip for those that don't have service monster or who don't want to pay $1.25 per card. I found a postcard mailing company that is print/mail on demand. Minimum is only 10 per mailing (10 postcards) and the price is 50 cents a postcard. That is 50 cents printed addressed and postage paid. You simply upload a mailing list, design a postcard and click send. If you sign up for monthly service that costs $30 then the price drops to only 42 cents a postcard. that is 1/3 the price of service monster. http://directmailmanager.com

Bookmarked!

 

[hogjowl]

Here is a great tip for those that don't have service monster or who don't want to pay $1.25 per card. I found a postcard mailing company that is print/mail on demand. Minimum is only 10 per mailing (10 postcards) and the price is 50 cents a postcard. That is 50 cents printed addressed and postage paid. You simply upload a mailing list, design a postcard and click send. If you sign up for monthly service that costs $30 then the price drops to only 42 cents a postcard. that is 1/3 the price of service monster. http://directmailmanager.com

A mailing may be a mailing in the eyes of the customer ... who knows? It may not matter the quality of the piece. However, I tend to think the high quality, bifold card sent by SM is worth the $1.25 I pay verses a flat two sided card. Others will disagree.

The value is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I agree the nicer the piece the higher the recognized value. I routinely toss color copied crap without even looking at the offer......but then i also toss big buck pieces when I'm not interested in them too. I hate it, I figure someone is doing the exact same thing with my pieces, that's why I want to get my message across in seconds because I figure that's all the longer it's going to last.

 

[Royal Man]

I agree the nicer the piece the higher the recognized value. I routinely toss color copied crap without even looking at the offer......but then i also toss big buck pieces when I'm not interested in them too. I hate it, I figure someone is doing the exact same thing with my pieces, that's why I want to get my message across in seconds because I figure that's all the longer it's going to last.

That's kind of the way print and other advertising works. Let's say you are in the market for a new TV. Suddenly you will ads for them everywhere you go that will pique your interest. On the other hand if you are not in the market. The same ads will be in the same media and you will be completely blind to them. It happens with carpet cleaning too. Is it better to mail 500 cards with SM or 1500 for the same cost and get 3 times the reach? Is an other matter. The glossy stuff goes as easily in the trash as any other.

 

[Shane Deubell]

That directmanager site would be a great tool for split testing.

 

[hogjowl]

A couple of days ago, I had one of my elderly customers (a woman) call me. She said "thank you for the cute littly dog." Well, of course, I had no idea what she was talking about. My first thought was that my wife's dog had run away, and I was hoping the lady would agree to keep it, without my wife knowing about it. Then she told me she got a "cute little card with a dog on it" from me. (Then I remembered that SM had changed up the cards they send for me.)

She didn't want to schedule. She only wanted me to know she liked the card.

Go figure ...

 

[Desk Jockey]

Awwesome! You'll go out of business from lack of work but everyone will remember you as the piglet that sent out the little dog postcards. Such a cute little story.

 

[jcooper]

Well jeez....

Here I am coming back to check the post, thinking(hey cool) Richard must have had something insightful to add... And I end up w/this...

Awwesome! You'll go out of business from lack of work but everyone will remember you as the piglet that sent out the little dog postcards. Such a cute little story.

You hammering poor Marty, again........ What a let down, it's like someone with a huge house booking, I get there and they only want two rooms cleaned!


Soooo, generally speaking... Most feel it's better to send reminders monthly to previous clients, than to send out 3 to 4 holiday/event(Easter, Thanksgiving, 4th July etc.) based cards per year???

Yes or No

 

[jcooper]

I want to get my message across in seconds because I figure that's all the longer it's going to last.

You don't throw out x-mas cards do ya? Most keep them til the tree comes down. It's like a month of advertising, right on the fireplace! Actually, In our case two weeks cuz we take too long doing them!

 

[Chris A]

Well jeez....

Here I am coming back to check the post, thinking(hey cool) Richard must have had something insightful to add... And I end up w/this...



You hammering poor Marty, again........ What a let down, it's like someone with a huge house booking, I get there and they only want two rooms cleaned!


Soooo, generally speaking... Most feel it's better to send reminders monthly to previous clients, than to send out 3 to 4 holiday/event(Easter, Thanksgiving, 4th July etc.) based cards per year???

Yes or No

Both. our customers get a6-12-18-24 month reminder from us, after that fook em, and 4 seasonal postcard s a year for six total mailings per year

 

[Royal Man]

Both. our customers get a6-12-18-24 month reminder from us, after that fook em, and 4 seasonal postcard s a year for six total mailings per year

So, if a client goes longer than 2 years between mailings. You don't market to them again?

 

[Beeks]

Well jeez....

Here I am coming back to check the post, thinking(hey cool) Richard must have had something insightful to add... And I end up w/this...



You hammering poor Marty, again........ What a let down, it's like someone with a huge house booking, I get there and they only want two rooms cleaned!




Soooo, generally speaking... Most feel it's better to send reminders monthly to previous clients, than to send out 3 to 4 holiday/event(Easter, Thanksgiving, 4th July etc.) based cards per year???

Yes or No

YES!!!

 

[Chris A]

So, if a client goes longer than 2 years between mailings. You don't market to them again?

they still get the seasonal cards but not the reminders, so 4x per year for them. After 5 years if we havent seen em we quit mailing altogether.

 

[jcooper]

Thank's fellas...

 

[idreadnought]

I am actually torn on the mailings in envelopes and postcards. It is a reminder postcard so you want to make it easy to remind them. I get so much mail postcards are the first thing I look at before digging into envelopes