Q: I have reduced the printing cost of the second mailing by making a smaller folded self-mailer (We used to just mail 2 72-page brochures). Then we cut the mailing list down from 28,000 to 19,000.

I’ve attached our second target mailer. We chose the top-enrollment… oh… 15 zip codes from the past 2 years, and we’re currently mailing to 19,000 past participants.

The problem is, mgt can’t see the past high cost of postage. They keep questioning the sensibility of the investment.

We are utilizing email and web-based marketing as well… they continue asking about those areas, and want to put time and energy in anything but mailing. Ours is largely a bedroom community, and I can’t help but feel that the visibility and tangibility of a 2nd physical mailer in their hands has got to be helpful.

Anyway, I think I need more proof to show mgt as to the sensibility of the second mailer. I’m looking on the site for resources that back me up… some solid proof. Can you direct me to the best articles, or statistics which I can share with her?

Thanks so much for your continuing assistance,

PS. Below is the self-mailer I referred to… it’s 11x17, and folds to an 8.5x11 self-mailer.

https://lern.zendesk.com/attachments/token/xeu4l8fnpbmoyew/?name=image001.png
https://lern.zendesk.com/attachments/token/jur4aafys6wcpgb/?name=image002.png

A: Here is what LERN recommends:

1. Mail your brochure to past participants--twice

2. You should send out mailings at LEAST 4 times per year. The programs who promote less frequently tend to have lower enrollments.

3. About 82% of LERN members surveyed mailed print brochures (full brochures)

4. 89% sent emails to past participants

6. 61% supplemented brochure mailings with Facebook pages

7. 26% supplemented brochure mailings using Twitter

8. 9% supplemented brochure mailings using You Tube

9. 25% of programs sent a second mailing of their brochure to best customers from two to six weeks after their initial mailing (depending upon the type of program)

10. Programs targeting a second mailing to best customers tended to see more stability or increases in enrollments.

LERN strongly recommends that digital marketing be used to supplement direct mail, but not as a substitute for direct mail. I have attached a report on why you should not eliminate your print brochure.

 

Below is an email we got recently from a member who reduced their second mailing to customers and experienced a drop in revenue of about 20-30 thousand dollars.

"In the past we mailed to our best customers and to the people on our mailing route list from LERN.  Because our best customers live on some of those routes, they receive multiple copies of the brochure in that one mailing.  And then they receive another one in the second mailing.

Last semester (to prevent multiples) we mailed only to the mailing routes list in the first mailing (so only our best customers who happened to live on those routes received a brochure in the first mailing) and not ALL best customers.  ALL best customers did get a brochure in the second mailing however.

It looks like we might be down 20-30 thousand dollars over last year.

We eliminated duplicates, but not all of our best customers received a brochure in that first mailing, so did not get two mailings as they usually do."