Direct Mail for Web Design [templates included]

[GoForJacob]

As a few of you may know, I run a small web design agency. I've also been working on launching my own online men's clothing store called Mr. Pryce (e.g.

http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackhat-seo/my-journey-discussions/585139-journey-launching-my-first-personally-e-commerce-store.html

), which has ended up costing a lot more than I had planned. Thus, I've decided to reach into my own town for the first time and build some clientele up for some cash to compensate for what I've lost while building the store.

You may be wondering why I haven't reached out to my own town before. Well, I live in a town of 15,000 people. All the businesses that I work with are an hour away in a town called Oklahoma City. Most companies in my town that actually turn a profit already have a website. The only problem with the, is they're shit.

So here's how I am getting clients here for a total cost of just $25 (I already had the stamps). It uses principles from 7878's letter method and NetMoney1's twist to that method along with some of my own ideas thrown in.

I sent out a test letter and got a call back from a chiropractor which resulted in a meeting and, tomorrow, a deal for $3,500. The letters I'll be sending out will contain slight differences from the one I sent him.

Reason for choosing direct mail​

I wanted to catch the potential client at the best time where I could have their full attention and keep it. With cold calling, it's interruption marketing and chances are they won't be giving you their full attention.

I also wanted to make them aware of weaknesses in their sites that are costing them money. Doing this by voice isn't as helpful as printing out a picture of their site and diagraming it out.

What you'll need​

4 1/8" x 9 1/2" envelopes (I prefer self-sealing)
8.5" x 11" Georgia Pacific Cardstock
Glue dots
Stamps
Red and blue pens
Keys
Avery Clean Edge Business Cards
Stamps

Everything except for the glue dots can be found at Walmart. Glue dots are the things they use in credit card promotions to stick the fake credit card to the sheet of paper. The ONLY place I found these was at Mardel's.

To get the keys, as NetMoney1 said, go to Walmart, Ace, or your local hardware store and ask them if you could buy their reject keys, because you need them for promotional offers. They'll more than likely just give them to you. I got a small box of them.

Putting it all together​

I've always liked tri-fold brochures and when I got one from Google AdWords I loved it. The simplicity of it made it spectacular and it delivers a strong message. I used this as a template for my brochures. Pretty much, all the work with them is done for you. Just change the text to suit your services and you'll be golden.

Once you print out the front and the back, proceed to fold them together. Once they were all folded, I went ahead and cut the bottom off to make them more aesthetically pleasing.

Then use the promotional gift card template I provide and add your own logo along with your own promotion. Print these front and back.

Now use the glue dots to attach the card to the brochure, like so.

Now, take a screenshot of their site and use a red pen to diagram what you think can be better. I like to draw a circle and write a corresponding number next to it. On a separate, blank sheet of paper, use the numbers on the diagram to explain the problems with blue ink.

Now, take a key, the brochure with card glued to it, and two papers, and put them in an envelope.

Seal the envelope up and use a red pen to write the address and return address, drop it in the mail and wait three days then give a follow up call.

Best of luck guys and gals!

Template download link:

http://cl.ly/Qk1t

VirusTotal scan:

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/7b5502700a3de095f51c0d566d7b9f2094bdff5ea7d9ab1648b197164234aa61/analysis/1376021955/

 

[Spawn]

good luck with your idea, im looking to do something like this but offer cheap templates, planning to try direct mail with postcards

 

[BANCADITALIA]

Good luck! I am planning to start this method in a few days, worked for me before.

 

[GoForJacob]

Thank you guys!

If this ends up working, I'll purchase some professionally printed brochures about 7"x16" (tri-fold) from either uPrinting or PrimoCards along with professionally printed, rounded business cards with the offer on them and upload the respective templates too.

Each site I get from this will be a minimum of $3,000, so really with the chiropractor I picked up, I've already made a return. I'm eager to see what the rest of the letters do.

 

[CosmicSoundz]

this is totally rehashed from 7878's method.

 

[GoForJacob]

this is totally rehashed from 7878's method.

Not to sound rash, but did you not read? I complimented his thread by mentioning I got inspiration from it.

Secondly, he didn't mention brochures nor special offer gift cards. His was simply a letter with dice and a print out of a screenshot of their current bad reviews.

So "totally rehashed" might should be considered "totally brash."

Thank you.

EDIT: And if you're going to claim a total rehash, at least give NetMoney1 his due diligence. The key idea came from his thread... Again, as I already stated.

 

[Golonzo]

Thanks for this, I'm very visual so seeing this actually makes me want to implement direct mail asap.

Quick question - what kind of website would you design for $3500 would it be wordpress developer templates, joomla, etc? Could you give an example? (doesn't have to be any you've designed)

 

[fistor]

Would be too much work for me to do. Still a good compilation/share. Good Luck to you!
+rep

 

[GoForJacob]

Thanks for this, I'm very visual so seeing this actually makes me want to implement direct mail asap.

Quick question - what kind of website would you design for $3500 would it be wordpress developer templates, joomla, etc? Could you give an example? (doesn't have to be any you've designed)

Glad it helped! And for small businesses I tend to work with WP and use custom post types and such for their needs such as house listings or whatever they may be. I might use APIs of services they already use to create dynamic listings on their sites, etc. I also collect data and come back 30 days later and we change the site based on the data collected.

Really, I charge about $100/hour as most good developer/designers do. So it's not that this project will take forever, it's just that I've earned my way to making more money on websites. For me to do an e-commerce site is a minimum of $5,000 and an average of about $8,000 anymore.

Then again, I've been doing this for 11 years as a hobby and finally started professionally five years ago.

One thing I've found with my fellow developers is they almost feel bad for charging what they know they're worth and then undercut themselves. This is how you go hungry. DON'T DO IT. Go ahead and charge what you're worth. If something used to take you 10 hours and you found a way to do it in five, still charge for the 10. It's the knowledge they're hiring you for after all.

If someone refuses to work with you for your price, even if they understand the value, don't work with them. You don't need that measly check. Plus, it will build a reputation of worth for you.

Would be too much work for me to do. Still a good compilation/share. Good Luck to you!
+rep

Appreciate it Fistor! I'm enjoying your thread too, by the way. And I agree, it is a lot of work, but I typically have a high closing rate, so it will even itself out.

 

[ice41]

Keep us updated, planning to do the same on my hometown too!

 

[GoForJacob]

Keep us updated, planning to do the same on my hometown too!

Best of luck! Is your's as small as mine? That's the only thing I'm worried about.

 

[zenlagor]

Hello,

Is that your actual website on the business card? because the link doesn't work + the website seems to be blank. Also the name is close to syncsquare which means its pretty hard to google for.

 

[GoForJacob]

Hello,

Is that your actual website on the business card? because the link doesn't work + the website seems to be blank. Also the name is close to syncsquare which means its pretty hard to google for.

It's an old domain of mine that I'm going to be bringing back and branding for the soul purpose of doing small business websites.

It should be up in about three days, before I send all of these out.

 

[zenlagor]

It's an old domain of mine that I'm going to be bringing back and branding for the soul purpose of doing small business websites.

It should be up in about three days, before I send all of these out.

OK, can I see your regular site then? PM or here I don't mind.

 

[davids355]

nice one mate, looks very well executed. Let us know how well it goes.

 

[GoForJacob]

OK, can I see your regular site then? PM or here I don't mind.

I'll think about it. I just don't want this to turn into a big, "Can you PM it to me too" thread with no accountability when the content gets taken. I'll shoot you a PM when SyncSquared goes up though. Seeing as the address is in the picture (mistake on my part) I've already let that cat out of the bag.

nice one mate, looks very well executed. Let us know how well it goes.

I appreciate it! I'll definitely let you all know. I'm going through and picking out what local companies I want to work with today.

EDIT: There was an error in the original template. I'll re-up later when I get some spare time. I made a separate brochure with wording to be used with dice instead of keys too.

Well, back to work.

 

[swords12]

LOVE those brochures! What font are you using for the headings and the body? Did you create them in Word, or being a developer, did you use Illustrator (or the like) ? I would seriously pay you for that template if it was in Word

 

[TheVigilante]

So this looks like a case study to me?

 

[Prince Vegeta]

As a few of you may know, I run a small web design agency. I've also been working on launching my own online men's clothing store called Mr. Pryce (e.g.

http://www.blackhatworld.com/blackhat-seo/my-journey-discussions/585139-journey-launching-my-first-personally-e-commerce-store.html

), which has ended up costing a lot more than I had planned. Thus, I've decided to reach into my own town for the first time and build some clientele up for some cash to compensate for what I've lost while building the store.

You may be wondering why I haven't reached out to my own town before. Well, I live in a town of 15,000 people. All the businesses that I work with are an hour away in a town called Oklahoma City. Most companies in my town that actually turn a profit already have a website. The only problem with the, is they're shit.

So here's how I am getting clients here for a total cost of just $25 (I already had the stamps). It uses principles from 7878's letter method and NetMoney1's twist to that method along with some of my own ideas thrown in.

I sent out a test letter and got a call back from a chiropractor which resulted in a meeting and, tomorrow, a deal for $3,500. The letters I'll be sending out will contain slight differences from the one I sent him.

Reason for choosing direct mail​

I wanted to catch the potential client at the best time where I could have their full attention and keep it. With cold calling, it's interruption marketing and chances are they won't be giving you their full attention.

I also wanted to make them aware of weaknesses in their sites that are costing them money. Doing this by voice isn't as helpful as printing out a picture of their site and diagraming it out.

What you'll need​

4 1/8" x 9 1/2" envelopes (I prefer self-sealing)
8.5" x 11" Georgia Pacific Cardstock
Glue dots
Stamps
Red and blue pens
Keys
Avery Clean Edge Business Cards
Stamps

Everything except for the glue dots can be found at Walmart. Glue dots are the things they use in credit card promotions to stick the fake credit card to the sheet of paper. The ONLY place I found these was at Mardel's.

To get the keys, as NetMoney1 said, go to Walmart, Ace, or your local hardware store and ask them if you could buy their reject keys, because you need them for promotional offers. They'll more than likely just give them to you. I got a small box of them.

Putting it all together​

I've always liked tri-fold brochures and when I got one from Google AdWords I loved it. The simplicity of it made it spectacular and it delivers a strong message. I used this as a template for my brochures. Pretty much, all the work with them is done for you. Just change the text to suit your services and you'll be golden.

Once you print out the front and the back, proceed to fold them together. Once they were all folded, I went ahead and cut the bottom off to make them more aesthetically pleasing.

Then use the promotional gift card template I provide and add your own logo along with your own promotion. Print these front and back.

Now use the glue dots to attach the card to the brochure, like so.

Now, take a screenshot of their site and use a red pen to diagram what you think can be better. I like to draw a circle and write a corresponding number next to it. On a separate, blank sheet of paper, use the numbers on the diagram to explain the problems with blue ink.

Now, take a key, the brochure with card glued to it, and two papers, and put them in an envelope.

Seal the envelope up and use a red pen to write the address and return address, drop it in the mail and wait three days then give a follow up call.

Best of luck guys and gals!

Template download link:

http://cl.ly/Qk1t

VirusTotal scan:

https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/7b5502700a3de095f51c0d566d7b9f2094bdff5ea7d9ab1648b197164234aa61/analysis/1376021955/

You wouldn't happen to be in Weatherford would you? I'm an hour away from OKC as well in about the same size town.

 

[GoForJacob]

LOVE those brochures! What font are you using for the headings and the body? Did you create them in Word, or being a developer, did you use Illustrator (or the like) ? I would seriously pay you for that template if it was in Word

Thank you! I totally appreciate it. The font is Proxima Nova. Yes, I actually bought the family. I use it on websites too, and using illegally downloaded fonts on sites is a sure-fire way to get sued, so I broke down and got it. I actually designed this in Illustrator. Let me see if I can get it in a Word doc, and I'll shoot it to you. Again, thank you!

So this looks like a case study to me?

I guess it would more fit in that category. But it is also an offline direct mail method too. I guess we could call it a double-whammy! haha.

You wouldn't happen to be in Weatherford would you? I'm an hour away from OKC as well in about the same size town.

Haha! No shit. That's exactly where I'm at. It's not the best, but it's not the worst. Where are you? I boxed out of Carnegie and lived in Watonga for a bit.