How often do we hear that our clients are hesitant to give up their direct mail?
The reason, they tell us, is that it is an effective means of maintaining contact with their current customers. While maintaining repeat business is critical now more than ever, the issue is cost
Assuming 43¢ per piece of direct mail (no, we’re not just counting the postage here … add it all up), the prohibitive cost per thousand is obviously a mere 28 to 40 times more expensive than local broadcast television.
Solution: Advise your clients to go green.
On their next (and final) direct mail piece, add the following lines of copy:
To our valued customers:
We’re going green.
This will be our final correspondence to you by mail. It ís simply not eco-friendly.
If you want to continue to receive our quarterly offers, please forward your email address to us at KeepitComing@EdsCarpets.com
Or just stop in with this card filled out below:
Your email address:_______________________________
Our promise to you is three-fold:
- You will continue to receive our private client offers.
- We will only email you once per quarter.
- You can opt-out of our email list whenever you choose by sending an email to ImDone@EdsCarpets.com.
Thank you for helping us help the environment.
Sincerely,
Ed
Ed’s Carpets
Customers who might have been hesitant to give out an email address will do so for two obvious reasons:
- Fear of Loss (of savings)
- Assurance of limited email activity to their Inbox
Assuming that smaller businesses mail some 8-10,000 DM pieces quarterly, we can now cost shift these funds, if applicable, to local broadcast television, which not only speaks to current customers but also finds new customers most efficiently.
And that is exactly where “being green” meets “seeing the green”.
Roland Eckstein is the Managing Partner of ESA & Company, an advertising strategy firm that accelerates profit and growth for local businesses.
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