Have you ever sent out a mail drop? I need your opinions!

[khalid]

Hey all,

I'm wondering if anyone has ever sent out a door to door offline mail drop?

If so, did it provide the return you were looking for?

I'm looking at dropping 10,000 leaflets as a trial for a taxi company and planning on something different - i.e. not a standard takeaway menu style drop, something the user will pick up and open.

I absolute hate junk mail but generally take the time to open unusual leaflets as I'm a nosey bugger, so thought I would give it a try myself.

I've spoken to Lee Bandoni of Letterbox Unlimited and thinking about using his services.

Any suggestions, opinions, tips etc would be much appreciated.

 

[retired_member32]

It's funny you mentioning takeaway's....i know someone who spent thousands of pounds advertising for his taxi firm and the best advertising he did was to leave a hundred or so business cards at a kebab place close to a local nightclub...he turned business away...

 

[Ashton]

I dropped around 10,000 around Portsmouth. The droppers were unreliable and the results were far less than satisfactory. I was offering to buy peoples houses and rent them back to them, so not a huge market, but judging by the economic climate at the time, there should have been more interest. I got more interest through friends of tenants already in my houses. I would advise against it based on my experience. However lots of people swear by it, so let us know how it goes if you go for it!

In my area, if I think of taxi advertising, I think the local radio and a billboard on the office wall (which is in the village)

 

[khalid]

@deliajen already speaking to them about co-branded menus!

@Ashton this is my worry - low conversion rates, unreliable droppers etc

radio is a good way but very expensive.

I'm already getting in nightclubs so hopefully that'll work!

 

[brum]

royal mail will drop for you not sure what the rates are when we did it was 35 per thousand. another is letterbox direct we mostly use our own guys best way to find them is to follow ones who look like they are doing a good job and offer them to do yours too.


if taxi don't do leaflets do cards as easy to put in wallet etc.. and if i was u i would make it a plastic card, call it the galsgow VIP taxi club , gives them 10% off normal fare, pref in terms of how quickly taxi gets to them. that way they might keep it .

good luck

 

[boxerdog]

stick your leaflets in the local paper to be delivered, very reliable

 

[ratboy]

I once sued a firm that was meant to have delivered 14,000 leaflets for us, they didn't, it was bonfire night time of year and guess what - I think they went up in smoke.

Looks cheap mate, but thats what you're getting.

 

[Pred]

why not try stickers?
bit different and doesnt get scooped up and dropped in bin

people may stick on the phone, notice board etc
do a cool design

or better still, and more expensive, but genius idea , fridge magnets?
people would feel bad chucking away and prob slap on fridge

buy less, 1000 say but realistically you could deliver them. do yourself and see what conversion rate is like. plus you get fit
you do get a sense of satisfaction being out in fresh air doing stuff

 

[brum]

@ boxerdog stats prove least read leaflets are ones put inside newspapers ,

had an advertisng agency look at this once when they put a marketing plan together for us .

but i guess at least they get throgh the door and not all dumped in the park.

ps we did use to track our delivery people can do it online by tracking there mobile phones cheap and inexpensive.

c ya
khalid if u want to chat pm me ur phone

 

[khalid]

@brum yes they are more pricey than private firms but i've had a look. i am looking at plastic cards but the production cost is high

@boxerdog i agree with brum regarding stats on leaflets in papers but thanks for the suggestion

@ratboy ouch, did you get your coin back?

@pred i'm worried about the legality of stickers and pissing off people, especially the council!

---

I've decided against the mail drop based on the low conversion rate, the inability to track the success and the trust issue.

My partner is intent on pens as she loves getting free ones for uni - I just don't want to copy everyone else.

I was thinking about printed condoms (seriously!) but would the novelty convert into calls?

I think I might just approach every takeaway and ask to stick up a poster there permanently....any recommendations on what I should offer them in return? Like £1 a week to keep it there or something?

Khalid.

 

[retired_member32]

no they would sue you for the condom splitting....and do you mean the condom box...because health and safety would have a ball with ink on a condom

 

[khalid]

no they would sue you for the condom splitting....and do you mean the condom box...because health and safety would have a ball with ink on a condom

yes the wrapper not the actual condom woops!

they couldn't sue me as i'm not the manufacturer, they would be referred to them (would use a legit company).

 

[namealot]

We have done many offers of products etc inline with local newspapers radio stations etc.

Most need to fill up space and reporters want there names on stories and good publicity for themselves and the company, just buy up product e.g. 50 or so DVD players (easy to get at about £10 -15 each if your good at sales you can even get companies to supply the goods free or at cost in return for publicity)

Approach local paper, radio station etc and say they can give one away a free one every week, day whatever to there readers in return you get your pic handing them over every time.

More than likely they splash the offer on the front page or after the news on the radio about the free giveaway… This can be done with schools charities etc .They raffle the items tickets have your name on people at least keep it until prize is drawn normally stick it up on there notice board or alike ...

Drivers can even hand out free raffle tickets to every customer chance to win this or that works well get a cab signed up cost peanuts and if you’re equal as the other firms people think might aswell use them and get a chance of winning something than not….

 

[Pred]

@pred i'm worried about the legality of stickers and pissing off people, especially the council!

i didn't mean stick them on signs, bus stops etc, as thats flyposting

i meant drop them through door. people can stick on the phone, or on notice board etc, so is permanently in home with tel number on
leaflets and paper has a way of finding itself in bin, or writen on etc

i actually think the fridge magnet idea is a brill one (self appointed )

i may use myself

 

[khalid]

good idea, very expensive tho per magnet.

 

[Skinner]

The council in general are ok with stickers as long as you use a low-tack easy to remove adhesive. We used to do stickers that was like a post it note, and (sort of like those tear a tab off ones that look like tassels) and stick them all over phoneboxes and bus stops for reduced night club entry.

I expect this may vary from place to place.

We also did Stencilling, which was using a water soluable bio-degradable spray (essentially chalk), and an art board cut out, just slap it on the pavement, on buildings etc. Again because it was easy to wash off sometimes the council would ask us to wash them off, but in general they was ok because it wasn't offensive or permanent.

We used to have Taxi Companies pay our exit flyer staff to hand their cards out or 1 taxi company co-branded (and fully paid) for our exit flyers. Incase anyone is wondering exit flyers are basically Postcard size flyers (pocket size) which advertise the following night (friday, you give out sat, sat you give out thurs) and on the other side, advertise a future event, party bookings whatever else. These usually offer a discount, so people keep them for the following week, and take them home. They got to get to the club next week right ? TAXXXXII

Many night clubs also have a payphone, and a free phone number plastered around this helps, we had faccini frame (metal snap side frame) with a poster for the company who was paying there.

Depending on your budget, lots of night clubs provide subsidised taxis for their staff at the end of the night. In return for a substantial discount for their staff taxi's, you may get access to all of the above for free . The club has to pay for the flyers either way, so adding your details on the tail is neither here nor there.

Hit the luminar leisure clubs first, they are in most major cities at the moment

 

[Edwin]

There is a service in Japan whereby a taxi company supplies two drivers rather than one (for an extra fee). One drives the client's car home, the other follows along behind driving the client in a taxi (which then takes both drivers away once the client is safely home).

It's popular when people have driven somewhere but ended up having too much to drink. I don't know if you could adopt/adapt that kind of idea in the UK (would probably need different types of insurance cover, for instance) but it might be interesting/novel enough to get some publicity...

 

[Pred]

i remember reading about a different idea on that theme Edwin

whereby a driver would turn up on his fold away motor scooter
fold it up, put in your boot

then drive you and your motor home for you
drop you off, hand keys back, get paid, then toodlepip on his scooter

when i buy my mountain retreat at the top of ben nevis, i plan on using this service, in the midst of winter and watch the guy heading back

it'll be like dumb and dumber when they go to aspen

yes, i'm a sadist

 

[khalid]

@skinner good ideas mate i'm trying to sort out flyer deals with firms

@edwin @pred yep scoot ltd i think they're called in the uk, they use monkey bikes!