Door Hangers vs. Direct mailing

[GeorgiaLandscaper]

I know this subject has been dicussed in previous forums, but I wanted to create just for it. With the time for advertising just around the corner I was tring to figure out what route to take. Door hangers: cost more, more time consuming to put out but more personalized to the customers. Direct Mailing: easier to put out, cheaper, but how many would actually get looked at before they hit the trash. Which one of the two works the best for you guys?

[turfman]

I like doorhangers.

The idea of canvasing a neighborhood in person sounds good to me. This is the time when you are given the chance(s) to meet potential customers. By using doorhangers, you are forced to walk the streets and get a feeling for the neighborhood. I have met many people doing this. Some were not interested at first but after receiving a card in the mail thanking them for there time and how pleased I was to meet them, many have picked up the phone and dialed!

I have even learned the "gowing rate" in certain neighborhoods by chatting with people upon receiving my doorhanger.

I have not much to say for the direct mailing as I have only done it once, and did it wrong. I can tell you in my opinion that the only reason I read junk mail/ flyers is to study the approach of the seller, then it gets thrown away.

2 each his own....

[Elwood]

Average numbers for each are about a 2%-3% response rate. Personally, if I were you, I would do BOTH. The very best thing you can do is track your results and see what type and style of advertising works best for your area. Some will swear by either and I feel it is totally up to the people who live in your service area.

The key to either though is multiple hits. It takes an average of 7 cards or hangers sent for someone to actually call, IF they need someone like you.

Also, I would start NOW with advertising. Don't wait until the rest of the crowd is doing it, you get lost in with the masses. Offer an early bird special, a coupon book or a good discount if they sign a year long mowing agreement.


Something that has worked well for commercial accounts for me is a very well written letter, introducing yourself, a brief explaination of your services and what you can do for them! I would try to send this to the homeowner, addressed to them and have their name as the direction to, like "Dear GeorgiaLandscaper", not "Dear Homeowner".

Make it a personal letter as much as possible, not a mile longer, but an introduction to your company and give them a reason to CALL now. Maybe an expiration date for the early bird special??? You need to help them create a NEED for your company.

There are plenty of ways to be creative, but hit them several times and when you do land a job in an area, hit the neighbors even harder so you can make you route more dense.

[Mike J]

I have had zero luck with hangers. The customers that I get are word of mouth or they are next door or in the neighborhood of my current customers. My zero luck is basically because I really don't have the time to do them. I keep some in the truck and my boy will hang some on neighboring houses if he finishes before me.

But thats just me.....I would go with Elwoods suggestion of doing both and tracking the results. Then hammer the one with the best response.

[NC Lawnscaper]

I'm new to this forum and new to the business. This upcoming season will be my second year and I was considering advertising in the yellow pages and handing out flyers door to door. What do you all thing. The yellow pages are expensive.

Gary

[jmcclurelandscape]

Depends on how big, you can get a column ad for like $75/mo in verizon. The yellowbook is much cheaper though.

[gafireman224]

what part of ga are you in and let me know how it works out for you

[Team Gopher]

Hi NC Lawnscaper,

I would say to be careful with your Yellow Pages ad. Don't buy something you can't afford with the hopes it really pulls in customers. You don't know if it will and it could be a fatal mistake. Can you get a small listing? Company name and phone number? See how it works and then later increase the size?

[NC Lawnscaper]

Hey Team Gopher,

Thanks for the advice. I haven't got the price of the ad, yet and I am planning starting with a small listing. I also plan to do some canvansing small commercial companies and attempt to submit estimates for them. Thanks for all the helpful advice on the forum.

[csalisbury]

Door Hangers versus Direct Mail and Telephone Directories

I would have to agree with Elwood in that the best approach is probably a combination of both doorhangers and direct mail. There are drawbacks and advantages to each one, but they both can be effective if done properly. If done properly in conjunction with one another however, they can be extremely powerful.

Probably the most important thing you can do is to stress benefits in everything you say. Don't just list the services you provide, but list them in a way that tells them what they'll gain. For example, instead of just saying "weekly trimmings", say something like "weekly trimmings that allow you to spend time coaching your kids soccer team".

The next thing you should do to increase the response rate is to referrence each doorhanger or mailing you send. Don't just distribute them randomly, but create a step-by-step sequence and then deliver them in the appropriate order. Put '2nd Offer' at the top of the doorhanger or say something like 'As I mentioned in my previous letter' to open the direct mail piece you send. This will help the prospect begin to build a reference library for you and your company. As Elwood said, it takes an average of 7 times before a prospect buys. Remind them how many times they've already seen you!

As for yellow pages, I think it is an important part of your marketing mix but ONLY IF you can afford it. You definitely DON'T want to start advertising in the yellow pages as your first marketing expense. There are actually two reasons why. The first one being once you sign that contract, you're committed to paying $XX each month for the next year. If your ad's not pulling any business it doesn't matter. You're still on the hook.

The second reason is because when starting out you want to select marketing methods that allow you to be proactive. Telephone directories are extremely reactive marketing methods. You place your ad and then sit and wait for people to call you instead of being out, actively seeking new business. When you're just starting out, I don't know too many businesses that can just sit back and wait for the customers to come to them. Down the road, yes, but definitely not just starting out.

[Elwood]

All a yellow page add is, in my mind anyway, is a place that someone can go to look up your number if they forgot it or misplaced it.

Others looking in the yellow pages are very hit and miss. If you have just a line, some may say that you are not big enough for them, or they may think you are cheap. If you have a big add, some may say you charge too much or you must be the real deal to have such an add.

A yellow page add is like fishing in a pond you have never been to before with just one type of bait. You just don't know what you will get, if anything. I prefer a much more targeted and direct approach to advertising. Remember, drive time can make you not so competitive at times and targeting your audience will help reduce drive time and keep routes dense. I would just go with your name and number for now. Track your leads and if it is doing really well for you, maybe increase the size a bit next time around.