Introducing: the Roll Fold Mailer

Happy Hump Day!!

Exciting news this Wednesday from Tri - Auto, a week or so ago we came out with a brand new product, I believe it's brand new to the direct mail game in general, but who can be sure? :)

I wanted to wait until I heard from a few clients before posting on this product, but the reviews are in and everyone loves it, our first round of them are going to press this week so I'll be sure to update when we have the Marketvision results on how it's performing.

We took the best parts of all of our best pieces to come up with this one, here's what we're seeing work right now:

-High Quality Paper Stock. I used to be a believer that it was the message that counted, not what it was printed on. Wrong. For example, we just looked at one specific product that we commonly print in three different paper types, here are the results:

• High Gloss, heavy stock (100# gloss) - 1.41% response
• 70# Gloss (standard gloss paper for most companies) - 1.0% response
• 75# Matte (high bulk) - .77% response
• These are the averages of all our sales compiled using Marketvision data from the past 6 mos.

-The Right Message. I'm not going to give away all our secrets easily on my blog, but we've been able to pinpoint what messages are driving traffic, and what ones are selling cars. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes not.

-Slapping a key on it. It doubles response. Still doing better than a credit card. 'Nuff said.

-Self Mailer vs. Envelope. The self mailer is winning all the time now. Not just any self mailer will do though - toss your 11x17 tri - fold self mailer right out the window.

So we added up all these things that we actually know to be true. As you know we aren't guessing or relying on registration cards from dealers anymore, or even a human being greeter at the door counting people. We have real, online, in real time data that is collected from 95% of our promotions now.

If you want to see the Roll Fold Mailer - email me. We have three different versions - one that is prize focused, one that is event focused, and one that is image focused. Yesterday we designed a tax one and they'll be more after that. You want to see this one.

R.I.P. 11x17 tri folds

I wore black today in honor of our old friend, the 11x17 self mailer, tri-fold.

People, I'm just going to be blunt--this thing is DEAD.

This is more of a public service announcement than advice to our current clients as most of them have known this for quite some time.
Here's the deal-we have this very cool, fresh technology that tracks all the traffic at mail sales. Over 90% of our sales have this tracking tool now so we know exactly how much traffic is walking through the doors off of different mailers.
.49% of people that receive an 11x17 tri fold (with a scratch off and a prizes, etc) will show up
2% will show up for a jumbo postcard with a key - that's an average not a "best sale" or the average of the good sales
So you have to do almost ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND 11x17 tri folds to get the same traffic you would off of 20,000 jumbo key mailers.
Don't skimp and think you are getting more because you are getting a higher quantity--with times as they are I know you all need to be spending as wisely as possible. The data speaks for itself

Make the most of YOUR Direct Mail Week-Day 2

Day #2 Tip

Do NOT waste money on 11x17 tri-fold mailers with a scratch off

The dream is over, they do not work. We're talking about .041% response rate on average vs. some products that average over 2%. Bite the bullet, pay double on the per piece costs and get 4 times the amount of people in the door.

That means for the same budget you spend on tri-folds you should be able to double your traffic by doing half as much mail. Want to talk to someone who is doing this? Let me know--I'll hook you up with a few.

How much are ups costing you?

A colleague got an email today from a competitor. This competitor was touting 11x17 tri-fold self mailers for "cheap." The price really wasn't all that cheap but you do get something free with purchase! Boy does that sound familiar :) With the market as it is it's important that the money you are spending on marketing is actually bringing in results. Some dealers are religious about collecting data about what brought people into the dealership, others go by a gut feel. The gut can be a dangerous thing. Through our recent MarketVision data we can prove that the 11x17 tri-fold is, simply, the worst direct mail product on the market (an average sale yields a .046% response)...yet so many dealers call asking for it because it's cheap. But is it? How do you find out?

• First, you have to know the true traffic count of the sale. Many dealers use the registration cards that most companies send out to do this, make sure you note if they came in from the mailer on the card though. Not every up through the door is from the mailer. If you or the sales guys struggle doing this with every person that comes in you can also utilize MarketVision to get a precise count.
• Second, do some basic math. If you need help with this--do not call me. Even with a calculator I still manage to mess up the most simple math problem! Figure out how much each up cost you on the sale. (Total sale price divided by number of ups). Once you have that number you'll know how much the mailer actually cost you.

In some markets the 11x17 tri-folds can still be effective. These are typically very rural markets with little to no aggressive direct mail marketing. In these markets the tri-fold is still a great value! In markets that have seen this product since Pat Gunning was a child, it may be time to start looking at the more sophisticated products. You'll only know what's best for you when you do the math for your store. Happy calculating!