Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Combined Email Direct Mail Campaign

Posted by nscruggs on 11/19/2009 at 2:14 PM ET 125 Points
I’m a wedding photographer and I’m planning a combined email and direct mail campaign to bridal leads that I get from my ads. My initial thought is to alternate between sending email & mail to a bride between 9 & 4 months before her wedding, when she is most likely to hire a photographer. I will start with an email so if any opt out, I won’t waste money with the printed mailer.

To increase response rate, I’m incorporating variable printing & PURLs so I can include the couples names & wedding dates. I can’t afford to outsource the variable printing so I’ll choose an uncoated paper & leave a side blank so I can print myself.

My main source of leads is not very targeted. Brides register on a wedding planning website and can opt-in to receiving offers from local vendors, but the website does not collect information on which vendor is needed. Every few weeks I’ll download a csv file and sort the brides by the month of their wedding. Brides whose weddings are 9 months away, would get email A; brides at 8 months out, would get email B, etc. A few weeks after that, they’ll get postcard A, postcard B, etc and I would download the latest leads & start all over again. Hopefully this is clear. I’m certain it will be a logistical headache.


My questions are these.

1. What is a good length of time between each email/mailing?

2. Does size & format affect response rates? Ideally I’d like something that looks like an invitation in a colored, hand addressed envelope with real stamp. But that is time consuming and expensive. Since I’m using a PURL would a postcard work as well? The more expensive the mailer, the less frequent I can do it.

3. I don’t have any brand awareness so this will likely be the 1st time they hear of me. And in general brides have no idea how expensive wedding photography is. They get sticker shock when they see the price & are never heard from again Given that, should I focus my message on educating them about wedding photography, introducing them to my services or trying to get them to schedule a meeting (my end goal)? How should the message differ between each successive email, mailer & the PURL?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by flanger on 11/20/2009 at 8:52 AM Member
    Hi!

    What kind of software do you use?

    Normal time delay is few seconds. I'd advise you to try

    Atomic Email Studio, cause it has verifying and tracking functions.

    I use it for 2 years, new updates coming out recently.

    https://www.massmailsoftware.com/
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 11/20/2009 at 9:07 AM Accepted
    All the variables you mention matter. Before you start your campaign, do you know the value of each of your clients (i.e., how much money they will typically spend for your services?). That will inform you how much it's worth investing in each potential client.

    Not only are you competing with other professional photographers, but you're also competing with anyone with a digital camera. People can take hundreds of photos and no doubt get some great shots. A pro can not only take great shots, but also help pose some amazingly well-lit images that are shown with pride for years to come. The key point in your marketing needs to be why invest in hiring YOU. Make your website a wonderful gallery of images that you've captured. If you can, show images that guests took and those that you took side-by-side. If people can see the difference, they're potentially your clients. Make sure you have testimonials of your past clients (online as well) describing the process of working with you - planning in advance, the day of, and quality of images, etc.

    The goal of each of your marketing touches is simply to have them call you to setup a free consultation. Once you have their undivided attention, the sales presentation is up to you. Until then, focus on the right message to the right people at the right time.
  • Posted by nscruggs on 11/20/2009 at 2:56 PM Author
    I do know the average value of a wedding and how much I can afford to spend to obtain a new client. This campaign is only 1 part of my overall marketing plan.

    I'll get around 150 bride leads a month with wedding date from this weekend to 2014. Since I want to mail at least 3 times I can't afford to mail to everyone. I have to choose the time frame when most brides are looking for photographers. But I'll definetely email them. I have a monthly newsletter that is completely seperate from this campaign.

    I am trying to appeal to a specific type of bride with a certain value system who will be drawn to my images and the way in which I work. This bride wouldn't consider a friend with a camera.

    I definetely want to spell out why they should hire Me. But that shouldn't go in the email or postcard should it?
  • Posted by flanger on 11/30/2009 at 6:16 AM Member
    Do you use software or services like these -

    https://www.massmailsoftware.com/studio/
    www.unisender.com

    or do you send emails by yourself? It depends on your customer quantity of course, but it's easier to run email campaigns using some apps.
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