Direct Mail

[Kimberly Dow]

I couldnt figure out the cost of the lists themselves. I'll check again.

[Heidi Maiers]

If you go through the online order form (without actually submitting), it calculates out the total costs for you in the left pane.
I see, however, that things start to add up by the time you add cost of cards, shipping, mailing list, mailing service, and postage. I calculated out 2000 medium (flat) cards to be mailed with a mailing list of 2000 local residents with incomes over 150k. Came out to about 55 cents per card total. That's not too bad considering it costs more than that to print a one page color brochure that doesn't get mailed to anyone.

[Kimberly Dow]

Just out of curiosity - I did it also. 500 cards only, the smallest size with my own design - households of 150K with children - and having them mail them. It came out to $445.

I'd love to hear someone say they got a commission directly from this - then it would feel like a good investment.

[Mike McCarty]

I'd love to hear someone say they got a commission directly from this - then it would feel like a good investment.

It's all about the quality of the list. I've always heard that if you get a 3% response that you have succeeded.

My plan was to do the leg work myself. I may be kidding myself but my little hamlet is not that huge and the pockets of affluence are pretty easy to identify. I'll research this more before I pull the trigger.

If I were to buy a list I might try and make the affluent grandparents a target. If I did I would make sure that my type was sufficiently large. I might also want to increase the annual income figures. Wouldn't it be just as easy to mail to someone making $500k. Maybe that list is more expensive.

[Mary Sparrow]

Here is Michelle's Postcard.

It is beautiful Michelle! What did you put on the print side?

[Michele Rushworth]

The back has a few short quotes from clients, my contact info, room for a stamp and address label, and some blank space that the post office requires.

[Kimberly Dow]

Michele that is beautiful and classy-looking.

Mike - the modern postcard site's highest income bracket was 150k.

I think I'd like to just buy a list - and the cards - but mail them myself. I would get all returns if the addresses arent right and I could control how much I spent each week say.

I tried to this once with a flyer in the last small town I lived in. I knew most of the people there so I figured it would work. I used the phone book for addresses. I'd say 50% came back because of rural addresses that the post office didnt deliver to - and changed addresses etc. I only sent out maybe 50? and didn't get any responses - although I might have had some visitors at the old studio because of it.

[John Reidy]

Michele, your post card looks wonderful.

Mike, I chose $150k and above because that number seemed to me to be the threshold that would allow enough disposable income to afford a painting and it would naturally also go to those making $500k and above that as well. Wow! That was a long sentence. Throw in a few periods if you want.

John

[Mary Sparrow]

You inspired me to get some cards printed. A friend directed me to overnightprints.com and said they had had good luck with them. They are having a sale at the moment and I ordered 1,000 double sided cards for $75.