Bulk Mail Delivery Info from Ashley

Ashley Beck is guest blogging today. She's the Diva on our team responsible for chasing down ALL the mail and letting you know when to expect it in homes. Here are just some tips and things she's learned over the past couple of months.
Be in the know, email us to recieve your very own 2010 Postal Holiday Calendar so you're able to plan your mailers around these days.
As the Diva in charge of Mailplus, I could write volumes on what I have learned about mail delivery. Mailplus is a very important system that we have put in place here at Tri-Auto to make sure that your mail is where it should be throughout the delivery process and getting in homes on time for your sale. To give you a better understanding, here is my basic process: First, on the day that the mail is scheduled to reach the SCF, which I have learned to call “the plant,” I have a tracking number that I enter to see when the shipment has been delivered. I then call that central mail hub, ask for the manager on duty, describe to them the mail piece and how it was shipped, and have them confirm for me that our shipment did actually arrive. Two days later, I call the DDUs (or local post offices), which I now refer to as “the delivery units” to make sure that they are receiving the mail from the plant and getting it out in a timely fashion. From new post office lingo to my buddy Pete at the Fox Chase post office, the things I have learned over this last month will help me most in the future when tracking clients’ direct mail investment if dealers can help me by: · Condensing rather than feathering. The more mail pieces I have to call on in each zip code, the better. If there are 3,000 pieces vs. 300 pieces, the carriers are more likely to see them, and more importantly remember seeing it and carrying them out to homes. · Don’t push the timeline. I do everything I can to make sure that mail gets in homes 2 days after it was delivered to the central hub, but please understand that if the plant doesn’t receive the shipment until Tuesday the chances are most the mail won’t be in homes until Thursday. · Previous late mail? Let us know!! Tell Steph when you’re picking sale dates or Katy while you’re picking the mailing list. They will give me the heads-up so we can be even more proactive helping your mail through the system.

The Current State of Automotive Direct Mail

We just released our Marketvision stats from the last year, along with updated numbers from the past three months. I just wanted to share some of the data as you plan for your Fall mail campaigns. Top Performers (and this one has recently changed so take note regular clients!)

• 9.5x14 postcard with key- avg response: 2.12%, highest response: 7.72%
• 11x17 half fold with key- avg response: 1.67%, highest response: 8.39%
• 8 page magazine-avg response 2.11%, highest response: 2.94%

Slipping Performers

• 11x17 tri fold-avg response: .52%
• 8.5x11 in 9x12 envelope-avg response: .59%

Other items to note

• 100# high gloss paper out performs any other stock on event mailers 3 to 1
• Personal websites or PURLS are producing buyers-50% say they are in the market to buy in the next 90 days, 89% are in the market to buy in the next year

New products to watch

• Personalized Credit Card Mailers
• Jumbo Dealership Newsletters
• Text Messaging
• Saturation Email Campaigns
• Special Finance Mailers-the new generation

Hope this helps regardless of your mail vendor. The ability to help us and dealers see what's working and what not is only half the power of Marketvision-the other half is realized when we analyze data from your individual sales and put it to work for you as well.

Mailing to Credit Score Lists

The credit score list had become a relic around here until about a month ago. As lenders begin to (slightly) loosen up so does the subprime market. However, credit score lists don't have to be the only way to target these people, here are a few other ideas.

Credit Score Lists

Expense: $$$

Pros: targeting specific scores, weeding out too low scores, ability to make a firm offer of credit on the mailer

Cons: expense, reliability of data (lists are always 2-4 wks old by the time mail hits the home), disclaimer hell-legal fine print required with this list can sometimes take up half the mailer

Income Lists

Expense: $$

Pros: ability to target income ranges for credit purposes, more mail for your dollar, fewer legal hoops with disclaimers and piece restrictions

Cons: data is self reported so is not always highly reliable

Saturation List with Average Income

Expense: $

Pros: very inexpensive/a lot more mail for your money, the typical mail responder is in the credit bracket most dealers would target, you could get in the occasional prime customer as well,

can still address most customers by name (instead of "current resident"), no legal restrictions or disclaimers regarding the list needed

Cons: income information is an average by neighborhood (could be large variances)

In most cases I recommend sticking with the targeted saturation lists. The difference in price can be staggering and the traffic that comes in can be "filtered" by the content of the mailer. That being said, list selection is very unique to each campaign, dealership & market. Please discuss what's best for your specific mailer with your mail specialists (...and yes, the Diva is accepting new clients).

Happy Friday!

Future of Automotive Marketing-Make it Personal

In the five years I've been in the mail business there have been huge new opportunities when it comes to personalizing your message. Here are just a few: 1. Putting names on a saturation mailer! Yes, now you can send out your big saturation mailer but instead of it saying "current resident" or "future satisfied customer" it will have the person's name on it. 2. Adding "variable data"--even just a little. Variable Data is when you speak directly to the person, by name. You can now add "Value Variable Data" extremely inexpensively to any mailer. 3. Personal Websites. Ask the person to go to a website that has their name in the web address. Something like: www.Reveal.MyNextVehicle.com/JohnSample. For additional questions on PURLS please check out my Frequently Asked Questions post. 4. Mail to people that drive your brand...but don't buy from you! There have been exciting developments in these new lists. You can send a customized letter to homes in your market that already own your brand. Talk about gaining market share!

Make the most of YOUR Direct Mail Week-Day 5

It's Friday, and "Make the Most of your Direct Mail Week 2009" is drawing to a close. I tried to keep these tips short & sweet, and things you can incorporate into any mailer with any company. Below is the most important thing of all.

Day #5 Tip

Set the tone for your team.

One of my first managers in this business used to say "speed of the leader, speed of the team." I love that. I talked to a dealer today that had 200 people in over the course of 2 weeks off of 10,000 pieces of mail. They sold "a couple" cars a week. He was complaining about how everyone coming in just wanted a gift and the mail just "didn't work." That was the leader of this group. If the leader accepts that 200 people through the door is a failure what kind of a response will he get from his team? These are not the glory days friends, things take a little work. If you don't think your team is able to turn some gift grabbers into buyers, than DO SOMETHING. Change the team, hire some outside help, but don't give up. As you go into your next mail sale make sure your attitude is positive about the possibilities for your sale, and you're able to relay that to your team. Happy selling!

Make the most of YOUR Direct Mail Week-Day 4

Day #4 Tip

Offer a gift, and make sure it's the right one.

Yes, life would be wonderful if you didn't have to offer a non-car related incentive to get people in. It's not happening right now, at least not on saturation mail. Bite the bullet and offer a gift, just make sure it's not janky. Exuberant gas rebates, 3 day/2 night vacation and $1,000 shopping sprees should no longer have a place on your mail. Try lotto cards, gold coins, blue tooth head sets or choose a certificate that is at least straight forward enough to work.

Make the most of YOUR Direct Mail Week-Day 3

Day #3Tip

Take as much time on zip code selection as you do your art work.

It never fails, a dealer will be meticulous for days about getting the message just right, then scribble out a few zip codes 10 minutes before deadline to send the "perfect" piece to. The message is just as important as who will be reading it. Take the time to talk through your zips with Katy (or whoever you work with on it), thinking about this for 20-30 minutes can make a real impact on the success of your campaign.

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.

Make the most of YOUR Direct Mail Week-Day 1

Happy Monday & happy Daylight Savings Time day! Getting up to get to the gym wasn't bad today, but boy...on my commute to the office (which is about 3.5 minutes), my head was bobbing. It's been all I can do to stay awake today! I hope you're all feeling more alert than I am.

Today we are kicking off "Make the Most of YOUR Direct Mail Week!" Next year I promise to get T-shirts made-haha. These will be very quick, easy posts with ideas to get the most out of your mail investment. I'd love to also here from you, what small changes have you made to make a BIG impact??

Day #1 Tip

Add Value Variable Data to every mailer you do!

Value variable data is personalization in one place close to the address panel. The total increased cost is typically $200-$500 depending on the company you work with, and most should have the capability. Just adding the person's name and directing a sentence right at them really helps response rates. If something had your name on it you'd probably look at it a little more too, right? Email me (sthompson@triauto.com) if you'd like to see an example of it.

Until tomorrow...