MARKOTS - FAQs

POSTCARD FAQs

1. What are the sizes and specs of your postcards?

We offer three sizes of postcards: 4” X 6” (regular), 5.5” X 8.5” (large) and 6" x 11" (jumbo). The postcards are printed on 100lb gloss card stock, full color both sides.

2. How are your postcard marketing services priced?

We offer a complete design, print and mailing service (including standard postage paid) of a 4” X 6” postcard for neighborhood saturation mailing, for 32¢ per piece for a minimum of 4,000 pcs. This includes help with a concept, the custom design of the postcard and printing. It includes target area selection with the help of our demography department, choosing and acquiring a mailing list for your neighborhood selection, by zip code or radius, addressing and mailing the postcards. All that for 32¢ per piece! Other offers (larger postcards, different kinds of mailings) are covered below.

3. What are the minimum numbers for printing and mailing?

The minimum number of postcards we will print and mail is 1,000 pieces (37 cents for a 4x6 Saturation mailing) or 500 pieces if it's a recurring monthly birthday or new mover marketing (48 cents/pc for a 4x6).

4. What are the different types of mailings?

A. Neighborhood, saturation mailings. These are mailings to residents or businesses in an area near you, determined either by zip code, by radius or a custom selected area. The postcards are addressed to “Resident” or “Occupant” or some other specified tag line, not by name. This is the type of mailing which is done for 32¢ per piece for 4” X 6” postcards. For the 8.5x5.5 postcards, the price is 39¢ per piece. This is the most cost-effective type of mailing. Price based on 4,000 quantity.

B. Targeted mailings to consumers or businesses. This mailing is targeted to consumers or businesses and we can filter by various criteria such as SIC codes (for businesses) demographics and/or geography (e.g homeowners with income of $60,000 and above in Mountain view, CA or mortgage brokers in Houston, TX). This can also include mailing to your own list. For a targeted mailing, the cost is 43¢ for 4” X 6” postcards and 50¢ for 5.5” X 8.5” postcards. Price based on 4,000 quantity.

C. New movers/new businesses and birthday regular mailings. We will send out monthly mailings to people who newly move into the area or businesses that start up in the area specified by you or to birthdays that fall in the following month. This type of mailing, which involves more frequent, smaller mailings and multiple set-ups for the monthly mailings costs 48¢ for 4" X 6" postcards and 55¢ for the 5.5" X 8.5" cards. Postcards can be highly personalized at no additional cost.

5. Why is the targeted mailing more expensive than the neighborhood saturation mailing?

This is simply a matter of postal rates and the higher cost of targeted mailing lists. The neighborhood/saturation mailing goes by USPS carrier routes. Bulk mail rates for such mailings are lower than for targeted mailings that typically don’t achieve high densities within a given area.

6. Why is the new movers/new businesses mailing more expensive than the regular targeted mailing?

The fact that we are mailing a smaller amount every month involves additional set-ups for us and this raises the price. It’s the extra work required to manage this kind of mailing for you that makes it more expensive. We are extremely competitive for birthday and new mover program.

7. Does the price drop if we order larger quantities?

The price per piece remains the same for quantities up to 10,000 pieces and can go lower for higher quantities.

8. Is there any charge for the design of the postcard?

No, concept and design are included in the overall service. We will also provide stock photos from our library if photos are needed. There is no extra charge for this either.

9. Do you charge less if we design our own postcard and send you the artwork?

The design of the postcard is included in the price and does not change if you provide camera ready artwork.

10. Can I get extra copies?

If you let us know ahead of time we will print extra copies for you. We will charge you for the extra copies.

11. What are your turnaround times for postcards?

The time of production, from concept through to printed postcards and mailing is about 1-2 weeks. This would depend on hearing back from you promptly when we send you proofs for comment or approval. (See also the next question about the time for the postcards to reach the mailbox)

12. How long does it take for the postcards to reach the mailboxes of the recipients?

Since this is standard (bulk) mail it takes a while for the piece to arrive at its destination. You should allow 3-5 days from posting to receipt for mailings in CA state. Postcards are mailed using standard mail. Please allow 7-10 days from posting to receipt for mailings to areas outside CA.

13. What if we have our own printed postcards? Can you mail these for us?

Unfortunately not. At present our marketing services only deals with postcards that we produce in house.

14. Do you offer print-only without mailing?

We do not provide print-only services . We can print extras only as part of the mailing service (see question 10 above).

15. What works best, postcards (direct mail) or door hangers (direct-to-door)?

There is no easy answer to this one. It depends a good deal on the nature of your business and the aims of the campaign. If you sell pizzas, then direct-to-door usually works best. If you are a dentist or a lawyer, then the direct mail solution has a certain sophistication to it which is often more appropriate. Many of our clients have tried both and then gravitated towards concentrating on the one which got the best response. You may find you get a good response from both direct mail and direct-to-door, in which case it would be worth your while to use them both.

16. What is the ideal frequency of direct mail?

Repetition is important. It is usually more beneficial for one person to see your message three times than for three people to see it once. So you should plan to do repeat mailings to the same people in a compact area, maybe once every two or three months. You can also mail to a wider area and rotate the mailings so they go to different people each month, but try to get your name in front of the same people at least once every two to three months.

17. How much response should I expect?

This is a difficult question for any marketing campaign because there are many variables, such as the nature of your business, seasonality, competition, the area targeted and so on. Optimistic response rate claims should be taken with a pinch of salt. What you’ve got to ask yourself is: what is the minimum response you need in order for your direct mail campaign to be viable and to permit you to continue the campaign? You have to take into account the lifetime value of a new customer. If you are getting that or more then it’s worthwhile. What we can promise is that we’ll do the best job from our side in terms of concept, design, helping you with demographics and mailing to the right target audience. We can add that we have a high percentage of repeat business.

18. How does the production process work?

1. You let us know you want to go ahead with a postcard campaign.
2. You give us the necessary information.
4. You approve the design after any correction.
5. We print the postcards.
6. We work with you to get the right mailing list, using powerful demographic tools and our top list sources.
7. We address the postcards.
8. We mail them out.

19. How and when do I pay?

Full payment is required before we go to print. We accept checks, Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover.

20. How do you get an appropriate mailing list for me?

You just need to specify your requirements and we do the rest. If it’s a neighborhood mailing, we have access to the necessary information on local postal carrier routes in your area. We will go over these with you and you can pick the routes you want based on distance and even some carrier route based demographic information such as average income, average home value, age and so on. If this is a targeted mailing you specify the demographic and geographic criteria that you require. We subscribe to a mailing list service that provides lists to cover all but the most specialized criteria. This is how we can include the cost of the mailing list in the overall cost of your mailing without raising the price.

21. Where do you get your lists from?

The mailing list industry is highly specialized. We make sure that our sources for any lists we use are very reputable and the best sources we can find. We realize how important to your business a good list is. You can be assured that we source our lists from the best companies and ones that we know and trust and with whom we have a track record of getting good results.

22. Can we do single family homes only in a saturation type mailing?

Yes, you can do that and the price does not change. We will suppress Apartments and Business addresses.

23. I would like to do a saturation type mailing due to lower cost per piece but would like to know what limited targeting possibilities exist in a saturation type mailing as opposed to doing a higher cost targeted marketing?

Remember when you do a saturation neighborhood type mailing, you need not go to the full zip code. You are mailing to postal routes within the zip codes. There are typically about 20 or so routes in a single zip code and we can give you a full list of the routes and a map of where the routes are located within a zip code. The list will also include information about average age, income and home value in each route. You can select specific routes you wish to mail to based on these indicators and exclude apartments, if you prefer. Remember when you mail to homes, you are mailing to all homes (residents; not necessarily home owners) in the specified route - even though most of them are likely to be home owners. Also the age, income and home value information is average for the route to enable you pick routes/areas that fit your target group - not every address in the route will necessarily meet the criteria. You can not select gender or marital status in a saturation type mailing. Also please note saturation type mailings are typically addressed "Resident" without names.

24. You have sent me a report and a postal route map for a saturation type mailing. Please guide me on how to read both.

Report: SFDUs=Homes , MFDUs=Apartments , Income=Average Income , Home=Average Home Value , Age=Average Age , PHWC= Percentage of Homes with Children

Map: The postal routes are labelled with the last 2 digits of the zip code followed by the route number that starts with a letter "C" or "R". So "13C20" is route "C20" for the zip code that ends with "13" .

Please note in a saturation mailing, you need to mail to the full route even though you can exclude apartments. The demographics information above helps you cherry pick the routes of your choice but once those routes are selected all the homes are mailed within the route.

25. What proof of mailing do you provide?

Once mailing is done, we send you USPS Receipt which shows mailing has been done.

26. Do you sell lists?

Generally we do not sell mailing lists as the majority of the lists we use carry a license agreement which limits their use to mailing projects and prohibits resale.

27. OK, we may have a few more questions, who do we contact?

You can send us an e-mail at info@markots.com or call us on (877) 946-7253.

DOORHANGER FAQs

1. What does 28 cents/piece price cover?

It includes help with a concept, the design of the doorhanger, printing on 80 lb. card stock, full color on one side and door-to-door distribution of the printed doorhangers in your designated area. In other words, the full service from concept through to distribution. Assistance with choosing target areas and demographics is also included. We have a minimum of 5,000 distribution in a single drop.

2. Can we request distribution to homes only (i.e. not apartments, only houses)?

Yes, it is possible to specify distribution to homes only. Provided that by going to homes only we are covering about 80% of the residents in the area chosen for distribution, then this works and is included in the price. If the area chosen is predominantly apartments, then there will be a different cost for doing homes only. (See also question 3.)

3. Can we do apartments only?

If the area chosen for distribution consists predominantly of apartments, then we can distribute to apartments only at the same cost. So we can do either homes only or apartments only for the same basic cost if the area is predominantly of that type. If by doing only homes or only apartments we need to go out much further in terms of distribution distance then there might be some change in the cost. (See also question 2.)

4. How do we decide on areas and maps?

If you already have ideas about distribution areas, you can specify your requirements. But if not or in addition we also have powerful mapping and demographic tools that can help you determine the exact area to target and the demography within the areas selected. There is no extra charge for this service.

5. Do you have distribution coverage in my area?

We have full coverage in most areas in the United States.

6. What are your minimum quantities for printing and distribution?

The typical minimum quantity for any job is 5,000 pieces in a single printing and a single drop.

7. Do you do distribution-only if we have our own material we want distributed?

Yes we do. We can distribute doorhangers that you have had printed elsewhere. We also distribute other types of promotional materials such as flyers, post-it notes or anything else. The usual cost for distributing materials provided by you is 18.5¢ per piece but it can go up and down depending on other factors. If the item needs to go in a plastic bag (a calendar, booklet or anything that needs to be in plastic) we charge an extra 2¢ per piece to put it in the plastic bag for you.

8. What is the size and specification of your door hanger?

The doorhangers we print are 4 1/4” x 11”, full color both sides, 80 lb. card stock. They have a hole 1” in diameter centered near the top of the doorhanger for the door handle, and a slit from the hole to the top of the door hanger. The bottom of the hole is 1 1/2” from the top of the doorhanger.

9. What are your turnaround times?

Standard turnaround time from concept to distribution is 1-2 weeks. If you need a special, short turnaround time we can usually accommodate you and there may be additional charges. So if you are really in a hurry and are willing to pay a premium for the rush, we will do our best to help. For distribution-only projects we need 1–2 weeks to schedule a drop.

10. How do you guarantee delivery?

All distribution is done by adult, experienced, supervised crews. In addition, independent verification is also carried out and reports submitted. We have a zero tolerance policy for unethical practices, and individuals working on distribution projects are fully aware of this.

11. How is the distribution actually done?

The doorhangers or other items are delivered to each door in the area specified. For every distribution of 1000 pieces it takes 8-9 man-hours on average. There’s a crew of 5 or 6 people if the project is for 5,000 pcs and needs to be completed in 1 day.

12. What is the response I can expect from my campaign?

This is a difficult question for any marketing campaign because there are many variables, such as the nature of your business, seasonality, the area targeted and so on. What we can promise is that we’ll do the best job from our side in terms of concept, design, helping you with demographics and actual fulfillment and distribution of your doorhanger. We can add that we have a high percentage of repeat business.

13. What is the maximum distribution you can do in a day?

The distribution amount is in direct ratio to the number of the crew we employ for a particular job. It takes 5 or 6 people a day to distribute 5000 pieces. We could do up to about 20,000 in a day if we employed 20-25 people.

14. What works better, a direct-to-door campaign or direct mail?

This depends a good deal on the nature of your business and the aims of the campaign. If you sell pizzas, then direct-to-door works best. If you are a dentist or a lawyer, then the direct mail solution has a certain sophistication to it which is more appropriate. Many of our clients have tried both and then gravitated towards concentrating on the one which got the best response.

15. Do you use any technologies such as GPS for tracking?

We give our supervisors GPS sets so that we can report on their work.

16. Where can you NOT deliver?

We can deliver to most areas, but rural low-density areas could be a problem. We sometimes cannot deliver to gated communities and areas where we cannot get access. However, most of the time there is no problem delivering to your specified area.

17. Do you distribute flyers and post-it notes?

Yes we do. See question #7 above. We also distribute other products such as flyers, booklets and so on. If there’s a need to use a plastic bag we’ll use one and charge 2¢ extra. We do not, however, at this time produce materials for direct-to-door distribution other than the specified doorhangers.

18. What are the Do’s and Don’ts in direct to door advertising?

The answer to this question could fill a book. But here are a few points to keep in mind.

• Do have a strong offer. You’re spending a lot of money on the campaign, don’t ruin it by trying to cut costs on the offer you are making.
• Do keep your offer very clear. Be focused on your market segment or demographic segment.
• Do have a well-designed, easy to understand piece which is not cluttered or confusing.
• Do repeat your communication frequently with your intended public. Repetition is important if you want to build up clientele.
• Do be honest in your advertising. You can trick people once but they won’t come back and you will ruin your word of mouth which in the end is your best advertising.
Do proof read the proof we send you. If you made an error in the original information you sent us (wrong phone number or web site, for example) it will be repeated in the final piece. So carefully check what we send you.
Don′t just put out a general statement that you exist. This is response oriented marketing and should have a clear call to action ("Call now for your free...." or some such direction).
• Don′t put out a general branding type of ad designed to make people aware that you are there and then complain that you didn’t get an immediate response.
• Don′t have unrealistic expectations. Advertising takes time to build.
• Don′t overspend your budget. Plan for continued advertising over a period of time.
• Don′t blow it all in one blast.
• Don′t rush your project. Plan adequately. If you try to rush it all through you will end up with a less attractive and compelling piece, typos, etc.
• Don′t get dismayed if you receive one or two complaints. There’ll always be some, usually the first couple of phone calls you receive.

19. I am ready! What should I do next and what are the steps that finally lead to the actual distribution of my doorhangers?

• Give some thought to the offer you want to make to your customers and what you want to say. Then send us an e-mail at info@markots.com with a description of what you want on the front and back of your doorhanger and send any graphics or text files you want us to use for the design process.
• We will get started on the design. We will use any images that we need to from our library at no cost to you.
• We’ll send you a proof and make changes until you’re happy with it.
• Once the creative is approved and payment is processed, we’ll proceed with production.
• We'll work with you on scheduling a distribution date.

20. How do I pay?

Full payment is required before we go to print. We accept checks, Visa, Mastercard, Amex and Discover.

21. Question still not answered or wish to proceed forward?

You can send us an e-mail at info@markots.com or call us on (877) 946-7253.