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May 18, 2006
"The Postcard vs Salesletter: A Case Study"
Are you ever confused about what to send to your prospects to get the maximum response with the minimum cost? Do you ever wonder whether you should be sending out a full salesletter or a humble postcard?
If so, you'll find this case study fascinating.
I frequently get questions from business owners asking which direct mail piece they should use in their marketing efforts...postcards or salesletters.
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A Postcard or a Salesletter?
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As any good consultant would answer, I say "it depends."
It depends on a number of things like...
1. Are you generating leads or going for the sale?
2. Are you selling something everyone is already
familiar with or do you have to explain your offering?
3. Are you sending the piece to past customers or new
prospects?
These are just a few of the questions that you need to ask yourself before you can decide which tool is better to use.
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My Heart Is Torn In Two!
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To be honest, my heart is torn in two.
I love a good, well-written salesletter, but they are more complex and expensive to send.
I love postcards and have had a LOT of success with them, but they have limitations.
The bottom line is that both methods of communicating with people can be extremely successful, if you use it for the right situation.
Here's a great example of what I mean...
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Look at This Salesletter and Postcard I Received In the Mail Just Yesterday...a Stark Difference!
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Yesterday, I received two promotions from local HVAC (heating and air conditioning) companies. One was a postcard and the other, a letter.
The letter I received was from Arvell Moore, a local reputable HVAC business.
It's probably one of the BEST two page salesletters that I've ever received from an HVAC company.
Heck, I would go so far as to say that it's one of the best two page salesletters I've ever received!
It has everything...
1. A compelling headline and attention-getting photo.
2. A very strong first paragraph. (it gets right to the point)
3. Startling statistics that PROVE the bold promise in the first paragraph.
4. Testimonials that further prove what the letter is promising.
5. An IRRESISTABLE offer.
6. A dynamite P.S.
It's got everything a great 2-page salesletter should have. (In fact, it's so good that I think they must have purchased it from a marketing company.)
Would you like to see this letter? (This one is for your swipe files!)
Here it is...
(copy and paste the link into your browser)
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Now Here's the Postcard I Received
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The same day I received the salesletter I also received a postcard from a local HVAC company.
Take a look...
(copy and paste the link into your browser)
The postcard offer was for a tune-up. It didn't need a lot of explaining but if I had to choose between sending out the letter above and the postcard below, I would definately go with the letter.
Looking that the salesletter and this postcard just goes to prove one thing...
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What You Say to Prospects and How You Say It, Is More Important than What You Use to Say It With.
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Now with all that said, I don't know what the response was from either of these offers, but I can only imagine that this letter blew away the postcard.
(I could be wrong...I've been wrong once before. :-)
Actually, I have a good friend who is in the HVAC business (he is a competitor to Arvell Moore) and I've toured his operations several times.
He has a direct mail room that he says, "When we turn on that room and start cranking out letters, we automatically start getting business. It's like a water faucet...you turn it on and it starts flowing."
That's the power of a great salesletter.
Have a great week!
David
P.S. Be watching your inbox this next Tuesday morning for the announcement of my "Information Marketing Masters Workshop."
This one workshop will far surpass any education that is being provided today about starting and growing and information marketing business.
If you're a past customer, be watching your email inbox later today!
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Recommended Resources
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Posted by David Frey | Permalink
Comments
Hey David,
Great article as always!
It's the words that sell, not the paper, card, billboard or screen they are written upon. :)
-James Brausch
Posted by: James Brausch | May 19, 2006 2:06:46 PM
Finaly my prayers have been answered and you have posted again! It's been a while and you always strike gold when you post. Thanks!
Anyone looking for business support in spanish can log on to www.manueltenorio.com. No fees whatsoever, we help latin entrepreneurs.
Posted by: Manuel Tenorio | Jun 1, 2006 9:24:35 PM
Nice article David,
Wow, now you also have a blog. I think that with time you'll have more RSS subscribers than E-mail subscribers or at least readers. Good luck.
Posted by: Igor M. | Jun 12, 2006 11:51:34 AM
Hi David,
I agree. They did a nice job on the HVAC sales letter. Not your run-of-the-mill flyer. Someone did their homework.
For anyone reading these comments, I'll suggest a couple of improvements they should test next time around.
* Make the headline stronger with specifics, e.g., "but when they saw I cut my AC bill by 50%"
* Put a caption under the chart
* Include a photo of the free furnace
* Try it without the picture of the smiling face. It's not relevant enough.
* There's too much FREE stuff. It makes me skeptical and nervous. There's no free lunch.
* The John Caples-style headline can be effective, but back to my comment on how it all sounds free, I'd tweak it and split-test
Taylor
PS - David, did you contact the HVAC company and offer your services?
Posted by: Taylor | Jun 12, 2006 1:02:15 PM
Do you have a place on your site with interviews with other "experts" as well? I enjoyed your story as I stumbled upon it at another guys site. It was obvious to me in that interview that you are passionate about what you do. This interview was with a guy that helps entrepreneurs get started (Business Coach Dan Nichols).
I had no idea where to post this as I didn't know where to start a new topic? But thanks as there was a lot to learn about how entrepreneurs think in the interview. :)
Posted by: Todd | Dec 31, 2006 12:25:41 AM
I know this was over a year ago, but the links to the letter (and postcard) are broken. I'd love to see that letter if you could provide a new URL. Thanks for the post!
Posted by: Corbin | Apr 11, 2008 2:01:56 PM
I was interested at looking at the sales letter you describe in you very interesting article about "letters vs postcards", but the link is no good. Is there any way I can view these two items?
Thank You!
Todd Cammenga
Posted by: todd | Apr 28, 2009 10:21:45 PM
