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I'm looking for a good direct mailer Co. in california. i've heard of places that print and mail them for 41-44 cents.

I have tried the Direct Mail firms in the past. I have gotten better results from direct mailings by hiring a high school kid to print stuff and stamp right out of my office. Used a Co-Op kid.

Maybe I used the wrong out fit? Maybe I was not specific enough about what I wanted? Maybe my expectations were set too high? I do not know. What I do know is that results fell through the floor. When I canned them, results went back to where I was at.

You can get a Bulk Mail permit and get the cheaper mail rate. Maybe the poor results were because of the Bulk Rate stamp.

I would recommend the following in order of ROI:

1) LinkedIn AdWords
2) IContact or Constant Contact e-blast engine
3) center of influence or strategic alliance partnership lead generation
4) Forum posts on services where your buyers congregate
5) Speaking events where your buyers congregate
6) Direct dialing (cold calling)
7) Mailers

Hope this helps. All the best of luck to you in your new business efforts.

Cheers

If you do consider direct mail in your mix of marketing, our company http://www.XDateMarketing.com has a turn key solution that many agents are using. Quantity mailed can be in increments as small as 200 units. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.

Erik Burnett
http://www.XDateMarketing.com
Email: Erik@XDateMarketing.com
Phone: 800.843.8861 extension 14

For an economy going through a downturn, marketing and advertising expenses regress across majority of industries. On the other hand, there is a continuous rise on the use of email marketing. The reason is that email marketing cost is lower when compared with other media methods. The success is also relatively high. Having said that, there are certain fundamental skills necessary for you to realize a positive ROI (Return on Investment).

Direct mail is tough this time of year. There's too much competition from corporate holiday cards and retail ads. Just about everyone will read a hand-written postcard with a photo of your hometown on front. You can't fake it. Call a prospect, jot down something said during the call and mention it in the brief message on the card. Use two or three stamps with odd postage amounts. The best direct mail response is about 3%. Send out 1000 mailers and hope for 10 responses. Hand-write 100 notes and bet on having them all read. You still have to follow-up. No short cuts in sales.

I used to use direct mail for marketing purposes, and I emphasize "used to." With less than a 1% response the ROI never cut muster for me. Think about the your own response to direct mail advertising. How often do you respond, let alone purchase? After throwing good money after bad for longer than I care to remember, my decision to abandon the medium was easy.

@Steley 123, your response definitely is determined by your target audience and what you are sending out. If your target audience and mailer is incorrect, response will be lower. We have proven mailers and a system that is currently working and has worked for years. Just send me an email if you do consider direct marketing again and would like samples.

Erik Burnett
E Erik@XDateMarketing.com
W http://www.XDateMarketing.com

I have had good results with DM, but I do my own. Not all that easy, but worth the effort.

The key is the DM piece itself. Also, tracking is key with any advertising. In evaluating effectiveness, you must consider total ROI, not just first policy term revenue. Single line policies on average generate 3.5 renewals. Two lines jumps to 8 then the curve shallows a great deal. You have to figure total income derived. Most advertising is a loser in the short term but the cumulative effect when the renewals kick in is where the butter hits the bread (fresh out of the ACME Metaphor Mixer 3000).

Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

You can try to use Aweber. It has an auto-responder and huge email list database.

Are you targeting Personal lines or commercial?

If commercial - have you considered Email marketing or fax blasts -for this make sure you use a reputable company that complies with laws in your area




Charlie Tan
Beacon Marketing, Inc.
1101 W. Struck Ave | Orange, CA 92867
Tel: 714.628.1760 x208 | 866.580.4264 | Fax: 714.333.4660
Email: Charlie@beaconmarketing.net



Check out our ‘refer a friend’ section on our website -Earn free appointments while helping your friends grow their business

Forgot to mention - direct mail in our experience yeilds 1% return

Charlie,

Tom there is a bot, you can tell by his text. His little robo-spammer detected the thread and posted a canned reply whose sole function was to get another link to his web site posted out on the internet. He's simply attempting to improve the Google rankings for the site listed in his link.

Meyer & Son is a good company. They can handle all sorts of direct mail project - from design to distribution. Free quotes are also provided.

Hi Rochambeau, can you explain it briefly about that site or tool that manipulates Google search engine rankings? Thanks